What a busy summer in West Marin!
Our streets were crowded, visitors thronged local shops and restaurants, rooms were booked solid… and our towns leaned heavily on the services of our many West Marin non-profit organizations. Here’s an Update on news and events that make West Marin so popular.
Our summer brought the usual: 4th of July parades, Western Week-end, the Far West Fest, Power of Hope camp for young leaders at Commonweal in Bolinas, day camp at the Dance Palace in Point Reyes Station, surf camps, bicycle races and more outdoor activities than you can shake a stick at.
Meanwhile, we look toward autumn and new opportunities to sustain the organizations that make these communities hum.
GRANTS: We announced a Request for Proposals for our Autumn 2015 round of grants on “Improving Communications”. Documents were due November 1 for this round of small grants, our 6th since we began grant-making nearly three years ago. This round will bring us to a total of over $300,000, all designed to support basic services of our 60+ non-profits.
CONVENING: We held our autumn ConFab for non-profit leadership. These gatherings answer requests for shared learning on topics that could improve our non-profits’ work. The October 20th session addressed “Communications: Garnering Local Media Coverage” with representatives from local media outlets like the Marin IJ, KWMR, The Point Reyes Light, The Hearsay News and the Pacific Sun. It was followed by the usual joyful and animated reception among colleagues.
LATINO ENGAGEMENT: West Marin Community Services and many others coordinated a wonderful shared meal in late August, La Mesa de las Abuelas (the table of our grandmothers.) Those fortunate to attend shared dishes, shared stories, shared some tears and lots of laughter — all while learning to appreciate cultural differences, community challenges, and our many common bonds. We are proud to be part of the Collaborative that supports these opportunities that strengthen our community in so many ways.
FUNDRAISING: The West Marin Fund has started a fundraising campaign to bolster our financial corpus, starting now through the end of our fiscal year. Since our 2011 inception we have been committed to getting funds and services to West Marin non-profits, and have gifted about 30% of the funds we’ve raised so far. Now it’s time to increase the body of funds we draw upon, so that we can increase grants and sustain support well into the future. Please join our donor circle during this special push. We know we’re moving into the year-end fundraising cycle, and we urge you to support local non-profits directly, or through the West Marin Fund.
