Giving Back - Silver Linings
Sometimes life’s most difficult circumstances can have unexpected silver linings. When Julie Price’s father died in 2013, she had never dealt with the emotional and practical impact of losing a parent.
“That’s when I realized how important it was to get my own house in order,” she said.
As the mother of a young woman with cerebral palsy, Julie wanted to make sure her daughter, Raven, would have her needs met after her death. Julie had learned about special needs trusts as a way to protect medical benefits for a loved one with chronic health issues. and turned to Steve Johnson at the law firm of Mannon, King and Johnson to help prepare the trust. Steve asked Julie a question she had never considered: what were her plans for the family assets after her daughter passed? Julie learned that in order for Raven to receive the benefits of a special needs trust, Raven’s decision-making must be legally restricted, preventing her from making this decision on her own. It was shortly thereafter when Julie and Raven came to the Community Foundation to discuss their vision.
Holiday Open House
The Community Foundation hosted an Open House on Friday, December 2 to celebrate many things. We toasted Megan Barber Allende, who assumed the President/CEO role in mid-October after 10 years at the Community Foundation, succeeding Susanne Norgard. We acknowledged the completion of the remodel of the Foundation’s historic building by Menton Builders and Collaborative Design & Planning. And, we welcomed guests to view the official unveiling of the Foundation’s large mural by Lauren Sinnott in the Community Room for the first time.
After a competitive artist selection process, Lauren was commissioned to paint the mural. Lauren traveled from her home in Point Arena and worked for many months to complete the 16x8 foot mural. It depicts each of Mendocino county’s seven regions, in geographically accurate zones, enhanced with representative trees, animals, historic buildings and other touches. The end result is mesmerizing. The more time you spend letting your eyes wander across the landscape the more clever details emerge from the swirls of color. It’s worth the trip to see it.
Embrace the Holiday Spirit
One of my favorite things about the holiday season is the giving spirit it inspires. As someone who has spent more than a decade immersed in the daily operations of a philanthropic foundation, I have had the privilege of seeing how charitable giving transforms people’s lives—both givers and receivers—and I am passionate about letting people know they do not need to be wealthy to participate. At the Community Foundation of Mendocino County, we provide several ways for people to give, from small field-of-interest donations to large bequeaths that can honor a loved one or support a cause.
I’m really excited about our field-of-interest funds because they open the door for all sorts of people, regardless of income level, to join with like-minded others and multiply the impact of their charitable giving. Field-of-interest funds cover topics as diverse as animal welfare, the arts, developmental disabilities, economic development, environmental and natural resources, health, poverty, youth, and more. If your passion isn’t represented, consider crowd-sourcing to start a new fund: when a hundred people donate $100, a new field-of-interest endowment can be established.
New Mural Product of Unique Collaboration
On a recent Thursday evening, city officials, representatives of business and arts organizations, and other well-wishers from the community gathered at the Noyo Center for Marine Science for a mixer hosted by the Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce. As a crisp November wind sharpened the drama of a spectacular sunset, they talked excitedly about the future of the north end of the South Trail along the Fort Bragg headlands.
Transition and Trust, Consistency and Change
In 1993, a visionary group of Mendocino County residents came together with the idea of helping community members invest in this wonderful place we call home. Today, that idea has grown into a nonprofit organization with over $27 million in assets. I’m referring, of course, to the Community Foundation of Mendocino County.
At the Community Foundation, we recently came to that time all successful organizations must face, when the original CEO retires and a new leader takes the helm. It’s a time when we look back in appreciation for all the great work that has been done and we look to the future to imagine all the exciting possibilities that await us.
Riding Off Into the Sunset
After writing this "Giving Back" column for thirteen years, I am getting ready to pass it along to my successor, the Community Foundation's new CEO Megan Barber Allende. I feel a bit like Dale Evans riding off into the sunset on her horse Buttermilk.
What have I learned in over seventeen years at the Community Foundation? Cleaning out my files I came upon something from my early years on the job - years during which it seemed we were trying to create a community foundation out of thin air and I needed to find the inspiration and determination to keep things moving forward. On a scrap of notebook paper I wrote:
The Future of Forestry in Mendocino County
It’s impossible to look at Mendocino County’s history and growth without thinking of timber. Many of our towns and communities were built around sawmills, and wood products continue to be an important part of our economy.
For Forest Tilley, former Forest Manager of Jackson State Demonstration Forest, the history of forestry in Mendocino County is intertwined with the history of his family. His grandfather Charles F. Flinn was the manager of the L. E. White Lumber company in Greenwood (now Elk) in the early 1900’s, and then became the manager of the Albion Lumber Company in the 1920’s. Later he was the land manager of the Southern Pacific Lands including the Albion Lumber Company properties (currently owned by Mendocino Redwood Company).
Giving Youth Non-Violent Options
Mimine Ambrois, Clinical Director of the Mendocino County Youth Project, understands the pressures kids face when they live in homes and communities where violence is common. She knows that many of them haven’t had an opportunity to learn the skills they need to manage their anger or build self-worth. That is why she was receptive when Owen Lawyer, a teacher at Ukiah Aikido, approached her about doing an Aikido Group for high school students at the New Beginnings Campus, where many of the youth are on probation.
Owen is a licensed marriage and family therapist who has worked with troubled youth for many years and was inspired by his association with Gayle Fillman. “I had the privilege of working with Sensei (teacher) Gayle. She had a black belt and was the founder of Ukiah Aikido, but she is also remembered for using Aikido to build awareness and self-confidence in youth. When she died, I committed myself to carrying on her legacy.” Mimine said it wasn’t hard to convince people at the Youth Project of the value of this work. “We understand that the physical body and emotional state of a person are connected. We have the most success when we work with both the mind and the body.”
Making Connections in a New Community
When Steve and Jan Pearson moved to the Anderson Valley they approached their new community with enthusiasm. Steve had recently retired as Chairman of Asian Operations for a large engineering firm, and he was ready to learn more about Mendocino County and how he and Jan could contribute. “We were working on a plan for giving, both short-term and long-term through our estate plan,” Steve explains. “I knew we wanted to concentrate our giving in Mendocino County because organizations here are so under-resourced. Organizations in the Bay Area have plenty of people to help them. They don’t need us as much.”
While researching local giving, Steve called the Community Foundation. After several conversations with Megan Barber Allende, Director of Philanthropy, he and Jan decided to transfer money from an institutional charitable fund to a donor advised fund at the Community Foundation. “We learned so much from talking to Megan,” he told me. “She helped us understand local needs and how we could get involved. My interests are in the environment, while Jan was looking for programs that help children. Working through the Community Foundation, we were able to find programs that addressed both.”
Cycle Without Limits
Joy is contagious – that was evident when I visited the Cycle Without Limits bike camp. As bicyclists circled the Alex Rorabaugh Recreation Center (ARRC) gym – one riding with a volunteer on a tandem bike, others on bikes that use air cylinders to cushion the rider and keep the bike upright – everyone (with possibly the exception of one boy who didn’t like to wear a bicycle helmet) was excited and smiling.
Cycle Without Limits is a program provided by United Cerebral Palsy of the North Bay (UCPNB) that teaches people with disabilities how to ride a conventional two-wheeled bicycle. When I visited the camp, I had the opportunity to visit with the two women who are responsible for bringing it to Mendocino County: Tina Tyler O’Shea and Denise Gorny.
Next: Subscribe »
