Mendocino Futures
Change is a word frequently used these days, not only on the national scene, but locally as well. Increasingly people are figuring out that partisanship doesn’t work, and that a new and unifying civic dialog has to take place if we are to make progress in improving the economic, environmental and social quality of life in our communities. This theory of change was evident on a Friday and Saturday in late November 2007 when over fifty people came together in Ukiah for a two day conference entitled, “Changing the Game.” As one of the sponsors of the conference, the Community Foundation was impressed that so many individuals from the private sector were interested enough to give up two days of their time to sit and listen to each other. 
Susanne Norgard, Executive Director, writes in the Ukiah Daily Journal about people and organizations improving lives in our community.
Nature Tourism Strikes a Balance
Susanne Norgard, Executive Director, writes in the Ukiah Daily Journal about people and organizations improving lives in our community.
If you were to ask most people to list
Capitalizing on this asset, while at the same time preserving it, is one of the goals of the Nature Tourism Coalition, a group of community leaders who came together after the Mendocino Coast Economic Development Outlook Conference in October 2006. One of the key volunteers was Penny Greenwood who is now the Coalition Coordinator. Penny has a list of community activities too long to include here. Among other things, she has been on the board of many arts organizations, coordinated several festivals, worked as a marketing and sales associate, and owned a bed and breakfast inn.
A Place to Temporarily Call Home
Susanne Norgard, Executive Director, writes in the Ukiah Daily Journal about people and organizations improving lives in our community.
At this time of year, “home” is very important to many of us. We decorate our houses with lights and greenery, and spend more time at home with friends and family. It is also a time when many of us turn our thoughts to those who are less fortunate and perhaps have no home or shelter.
With this in mind, I stopped by Hospitality House in Fort Bragg. The Community Foundation made two grants to assist with the renovation of the house, and I hadn’t paid a visit since the work was completed. Hospitality House has 24 beds to house the homeless and provides additional services, such as showers and laundry, for outside guests. In addition, the staff and volunteers prepare breakfast and dinner seven days a week for house residents and many others who are “working poor.” They serve as many as 75 meals each evening.
Three Gifts for the New Year
Susanne Norgard, Executive Director, writes in the Ukiah Daily Journal about people and organizations improving lives in our community.
Three Gifts for the New Year
Remembering the story of the Wise Men and their gifts, I have been thinking about the gifts I would wish for in the New Year. Not gold, frankincense or myrrh, but there are three other gifts I look for.
The first would be time. I would like time not only to volunteer as a coach or tutor, but also time to give back in very personal ways. I wish for time to send the personal letter to a long lost friend, or to make a pot of soup for a neighbor who is not well. I look for time to read a book to a three-year old (maybe several times in a row), and time to talk on the phone to old friends who have lost a job, or a parent, or a pet. I would look for the time to write a poem, or a song, or a persuasive column (!).
The Angel Fund Gives Back All Year Long
Susanne Norgard, Executive Director, writes in the Ukiah Daily Journal about people and organizations improving lives in our community.
Over 100 times a year, the fax machine at the Community Foundation will ring and we will find an Angel Fund request waiting to be reviewed by one of our volunteer committees. Although the Angel Fund is just one of the over 80 funds currently administered by the Community Foundation, it is one of the busiest funds, making small grants to organizations that are working with individuals who face unexpected, immediate needs.
Help for the Children
Susanne Norgard, Executive Director, writes in the Ukiah Daily Journal about people and organizations improving lives in our community.
Depression - anxiety, hearing voices - these are symptoms that would scare any of us. But when they occur in a child, it is especially hard. "It is always a struggle to maintain equilibrium in this work," says Zoy Kazan, Clinical Manager of Youth and Family Services at the Mental Health Branch of the County's Health and Human services Agency. "We feel such compassion and empathy for our clients, but we realize that we can't take them home with us."
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