Looking to Give Back this Holiday Season? Here’s Our Comprehensive List of Charities to Donate To

Marin warehouse volunteer gives back
100Marin
100MARIN

100MARIN, the county’s premier giving circle, was created by a group of local, community-minded individuals with the complementary objectives of amplifying each circle member’s overall giving impact and developing and strengthening the network of people dedicated to supporting the local nonprofit community. The giving circle concept is not new. A group of individuals commits to an annual donation schedule, then convene to hear presentations from three to five local nonprofits. At the end, a vote is conducted to determine which organization will receive the group’s pooled donations. Awareness and engagement opportunities for both the nominated charities and the nonprofit community at large are increased.

$100 – Goes toward creating a major impact gift for one of five nonprofit “nominees,” similar to the $37,000 recently awarded Marin Center for Independent Living at the fall giving circle event.

AGRICULTURAL INSTITUTE OF MARIN (AIM)

$20 – Provides 2 students a tour of the farmers market to meet the farmers who grow our food.

$50 – Gives 3 students low-resource schools scholarships to visit a working farm.

$75 – Offers seasonal hands-on children’s activities at the farmers market.

$100 – Teaches nutrition lessons to 50 older adults at the Rollin’ Root mobile market.

$250 – Funds healthy soils workshops for dozens of farmers & ranchers.

$500 – Provides 2 recycling stations to reduce waste at the farmers markets.

ALL ABOUT OWLS

$50 – Provides two owl ambassadors with a week’s worth of whole prey food (closely resembling their natural diet in the wild).

$100 – Provide students with educational materials and an owl pellet dissection lab.

$250 – Provide an educational owl presentation to a school or other non-profit organization.

$500 – Provide our owls with all of their routine veterinary care for the year (exam, vaccines, beak and talon care).

$1,000 – Provide the supplies for an educational owl box building event, to help us prevent the use of rodenticides in the community.

$2,500 – Provide a full year of quality, whole prey diet for both of our owls.

$5,000 – Provide owl boxes with owl cameras and all required maintenance for 5 schools, to provide an excellent learning opportunity about our natural world.

$10,000 – Cover all of our costs for owl care, food, and monthly presentations to our community.

AUTISTRY STUDIOS

$50 – Buys 24 spools of thread, assorted hand needles, pin- cushions, seam rippers and a pair of fabric scissors for creating costumes, quilts, puppets and stuffed animals. Gift certificates to a craft store are another option.

$100 – Art supplies keep Autistry artists painting dioramas, fine art pieces and fabulous character clocks. $100 buys a set of 53 tubes of acrylic paint, 3 quarts of gel medium, AND 12 natural bristle brushes.

$250 – Support the Autistry Excursion groups as they explore local attractions throughout the Bay Area: 20 bus rides, 10 SMART train trips, AND 10 tickets to the Asian Art Museum are just a few of the ways we would spend $250.

$500 – Hands-on learning requires hands-on materials. A $500 donation purchases 10 sheets of plywood, 5 new blades for the jigsaw, AND 4 new ShopBot bits – enough material for at least 20 cool projects.

$1,000 – We are what we eat! $1,000 provides nutritious lunches for one full month of Autistry Workshops AND buys groceries for the Cooking with Gabrielle workshop where students learn to make complete meals.

$2,500 – Saddle up! Through our partnership with the Square Peg Foundation Autistry students gain essential equestrian work skills – horse grooming, ranch maintenance, and the care of saddles and bridles. $2,500 covers transportation costs and essential protective gear – work gloves, sunscreen, and work hats.

$5,000 – All aboard! Autistry is partnering with the Western Railway Museum to create a unique skill-building internship program. A $5000 donation purchases safety equipment (work gloves, protective eyewear, safety vests) and covers transportation costs for a full summer of hands-on work experience for the Autistry crews.

$10,000 – Opportunity funding helps low income families access Autistry Core Workshops. $10,000 donation creates sliding scale options for at least 6 new Autistry students. Help us help them!

BAY AREA DISCOVERY MUSEUM

$50 – Provide free admission for an under-served family of four.

$100 – Provide 16 children with BADM passes to visit the museum for free with their families.

$1,000 – Sponsor one visit from the Try It Truck, our engineering lab on wheels, to a Bay Area library.

$2,500 – Provides transportation for 275 students, teachers and parents to enjoy STEM learning at the museum.

$5,000 – Provide a Try It Truck (our engineering lab on wheels) scholarship to all elementary students at a low-income school.

BEYOND DIFFERENCES

Beyond Differences organization focuses on ending social isolation
Beyond Differences

Beyond Differences is a student-led organization based on the belief that change for youth can only be true and lasting if the agents of that change are the youth themselves. It is the only organization singularly focused on ending social isolation. Social isolation is often the precondition to the bullying, teasing and violence that often occurs in our schools and communities.

$ 50 – Sends a backpack with everything a school needs to hold a No One Eats Alone Day, a student-led initiative that encourages middle-schoolers to sit at lunch with kids they don’t know and include others who might feel left out too. The backpack contains the curriculum, armbands, balloons, links to videos and conversation-starters, posters and more.

$ 100 – Make two schools happy on Know Your Classmates Day! Two toolkits, with everything needed to celebrate this popular back-to-school holiday teaching students how to know their classmates will be sent to two lucky schools that sign up.

$250 – Send a middle or high school student to a 2-day Beyond Differences student leadership retreat to understand issues that contribute to social isolation in their school and learn about ways to make their school a more welcoming place for everyone regardless of their differences.

$500 – Provide transportation for 60 high school or middle school students to attend a 2-day training and meet other young activists from nearby communities and school districts to exchange ideas and form new friendships.

$1,000 – Cover a day of training for 60 high school or middle school educators, counselors and/or administrators to become proficient in utilizing the year-round curriculum offered by Beyond Differences which includes lesson plans, student leadership activities and preparation for the three national holidays, Know Your Classmates, No One Eats Alone and Be Kind Online.

$2,500 – Sponsor an end-of-year Teen Board party to celebrate the accomplishments of all they have done to end social isolation by being a role model for middle school students. Each Teen Board member will receive a certificate of completion for the academic year as well as recognition from their peer group. It is one of the most anticipated special events of the school year.

$5,000 – Provide Beyond Differences senior leadership and program staff the opportunity to participate in a one-day, customized SEL (social-emotional learning) workshop provided by any number of national experts in the field of adolescent development. Areas of expertise include data researchers, medical practitioners, university faculty and/or education consultants.

$10,000 – Send a group of high school Teen Board leaders, plus two adult chaperones, to a national conference to speak about a topic in which they are now expert, namely “how to end middle school social isolation through student leadership.” Beyond Differences is often invited to present workshops at education conferences with no honoraria or funding and this sponsorship will allow us to travel and provide Beyond Differences student leaders additional public speaking experience and increased self-confidence.

BRIDGE THE GAP COLLEGE PREP

$100 – Your gift of $100 will fund program supplies for one student.

$500 – Funds a daily healthy meal plus transportation to the center’s after-school college prep program for one student.

BUCKELEW PROGRAMS

$100 – Buys fresh food from a local farmers market to be used in cooking classes for the Marin Assisted Independent Living program.

$500 – Provide sleeping bags, backpacks, and food for our homeless outreach program.

$1,000 – Bring Suicide Prevention outreach and education to student, faculty, and staff to local middle schools and high schools.

$2,500 – Provide 62 hours of job coaching for clients with mental illness or addiction re-entering the workforce through our Buckelew Employment Services program.

$5,000 – Provide community-based housing with intensive support services for an individual with schizophrenia for 2 months.

CASA ALLEGRA COMMUNITY SERVICES

$50 – Purchases healthy snacks for 2 facilitated meetings that promotes inclusion and community awareness.

$250 – Feeds 6 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) for one week.

$1,000 – Buys a reclining chair to help reduce pressure sores, distribute weight and improve circulation for residents of the group home.

CERES COMMUNITY PROJECT

$50 – Provide a family of 4 with one healing nutritious organic dinner delivered to their home.

$100 – Provide a person undergoing cancer treatment with a week’s worth of healing 100% organic meals to help them feel better and heal faster.

$250 – Provides six teen leaders who completed a year of volunteering and mentoring with a new white chef’s coat bearing their name.

$500 – Provide kitchen skills training and mentoring for 8 teens learning to cook nutritious healthy meals from scratch.

$5,000 – Fund 4-6 months of food costs for our Marin clients facing health challenges such as cancer treatment.

$10,000 – Help us locate and break ground on a Ceres Organic Vegetable garden in Marin County.

CONNECTING AUTHORS

$50 – Provide the author’s book to the school libraries of each school in a small district like Mill Valley, San Rafael, Larkspur or Novato.

$100 – Give a book to each classroom at a school.

$250 – Allow for an evening Family Literacy event with an author at a school.

$500 – Enable a school to have a half-day author visit with an assembly and meet and greet.

$1,000 – Gives a school a full-day author visit, including one K-2 and one grades 3-5 assembly.

$2,500 – Provide two author visits and a set of signed books for each student one winning classroom.

$5,000 – Grant a school a month-long author-in-residence workshop series, mentoring students through the book publication process.

$10,000 – Provide the author-in-residence program plus an autographed copy of the author’s book for every student at the school.

EXTRAFOOD.ORG

$500 – Equips 10 ExtraFood volunteers with the tools necessary to rescue excess fresh food from Marin businesses and deliver it to local people in need.

$5,000 – Enable ExtraFood’s county-wide food recovery program to use its refrigerated truck to rescue and deliver 150,000 meals for vulnerable children, adults, and families.

GUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND

Guide Dogs for the Blind
Guide Dogs for the Blind

Guide Dogs for the Blind is more than an industry-leading guide dog school; it is an enthusiastic community that serves the visually impaired. Guide Dogs for the Blind prepares highly qualified guide dogs to assist and empower individuals who are blind or visually impaired. All of the services for clients are provided free of charge, including personalized training and extensive post-graduation support, plus financial assistance for veterinary care, if needed.

$50 – Provide a skateboard to be used by our puppy socialization volunteers to expose pups to different types of movement.

$100 – Provide transportation for 1 puppy from its puppy-raising home to either our California or Oregon campus for guide dog training.

$250 – Provides a kit containing leash, puppy jacket, veterinary products and take- home dog equipment for a volunteer puppy raiser.

$500 – Provide transportation to and from class for one Guide Dogs for the Blind student.

$1,000 – Provide harnesses for two working guides.

$2,500 – Send two teens who are visually impaired to Guide Dogs for the Blind summer camp. Camp GDB brings together youth who are blind or visually impaired to learn about the guide dog lifestyle. It is four days of adventure, fun, and learning.

$5,000 – Give you the opportunity to name a puppy, subject to name availability. It also helps with the cost of breeding, whelping, socializing, and veterinary care for one guide dog puppy in training.

$10,000 – Provide a K9 Buddy companion dog and ongoing support, free of charge, for a child or young adult who is blind or visually impaired. A dog can contribute to sensory development, motivating a child to learn, and enhancing self-esteem while strengthening the human/animal bond.

HALLECK CREEK RANCH

Halleck Creek Ranch
Halleck Creek Ranch

Halleck Creek Ranch is a nonprofit agency that has helped people with disabilities live a life without barriers through therapeutic horseback riding for over 42 years. Therapeutic horseback riding is a valuable form of physical and mental therapy, as well as an effective way for people with disabilities to access wild landscapes. Situated on a 60-acre historic West Marin property, the ranch pairs gentle horses with dedicated volunteers, creating a dynamic team that carries the riders into the rugged Nicasio countryside. As one of the largest and oldest weekly therapeutic riding programs in the San Francisco Bay Area, Halleck Creek Ranch is a pioneer in the field.

$50 – Provide a private therapeutic horseback riding lesson for one rider with special needs.

$100 – Purchase a new riding helmet for one youth or adult rider.

$250 – Provide three months of routine hoof maintenance and shoeing for one therapy horse.

$500 – Provides a full scholarship to a rider in need for 16 consecutive weeks of therapeutic riding.

$1,000 – Purchase HCR t-shirts for each of our volunteers as a gesture of our appreciation for the time and energy they give assisting with lessons, as well as caring for our ranch and horses.

$2,500 – Underwrite the costs of caring for one therapy horse for a year including; shoeing, stabling, feed and routine veterinary care.

$5,000 – Provide funding to support Horse Power: A program offered in partnership between Halleck Creek Ranch and Hospice by the Bay, providing Equine Facilitated Learning opportunities to young adults who have lost a loved one. This grief support group offers a unique approach to supporting teens in grief, helping them develop greater resilience while promoting empowerment, trust, patience and self-confidence.

$10,000 – Provide funding to support the Halleck Creek – Vocational and Life Skills Training Program (VALS) which offers young people with special needs the opportunity to develop a set of useful job and life skills while also building emotional intelligence.

HEADLANDS CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Artist Kai Chen at Headlands Center for the Arts.
Artist Kai Chen at Headlands Center for the Arts. Photo by Andria Lo.

$50 – Purchases materials for artists to use in the campus wood shop.

$100 – Lights Headlands’ 9-building campus for one day.

$250 – Provides power to artist studios for one week.

$500 – Feed 15 artists with house-made meals for one week.

$1,000 – Cover travel expenses for one international Artist in Residence.

$2,500 – Underwrite Open House, a free, family-friendly open studio event.

$5,000 – Produces a free-to-the-public, monthlong art exhibition.

$10,000 – Underwrite an 8-week live-work residency for one artist at Headlands.

HOMEWARD BOUND OF MARIN

$50 – Give a homeless adult or child one night in safe shelter with a hot shower, clean bed and warm meal.

$100 – Provide new sheets and blankets for a homeless family moving into housing.

$250 – Sponsor a festival holiday meal for residents in a shelter or supportive housing program.

$500 – Provide battery-powered radios, lamps and other emergency supplies for formerly homeless seniors in a supportive housing program.

$1,000 – Sponsor one month of meals, counseling and case management support for a homeless veteran.

$2,500 – Support summer camp scholarships for homeless children.

$5,000 – Sponsor 10 weeks of training for a homeless student at Fresh Starts Culinary Academy, including uniforms, exam fees for state certifications and job placement services.

$10,000 – Supports construction of a gender-neutral bathroom at a homeless shelter for 80 adults.

Hungry Owl Project
Hungry Owl Project. Photo courtesy of iStock/Timothy S. Allen.

The Hungry Owl Project’s mission is to reduce the need for pesticides and rodenticides by encouraging natural predators through conservation of habitat, nesting boxes and education. Owls are stewards of the environment and an ambassador species. By protecting owls and their habitat we can educate future generations about the preservation of wild animals and the environment.

$10,000 – Helps install and maintain owl boxes in Marin County.

LIFEHOUSE AGENCY

$100 – Purchases a “step counter” for one participant in the Wellness Program, which throughout the year offers Wellness Challenges to help people meet fitness goals and lead healthier lives.

$250 – Purchase a Liftwear Spoon that has stabilizing and leveling capabilities to help individuals with limited hand or arm mobility retain dignity, confidence and independence.

$1,000 – Purchase a week’s worth of groceries for our three Intermediate Care homes whose residents have difficulty with daily activities and are unable to care for themselves.

$2,500 – Sponsor one month’s tuition and school supplies for a child at our new inclusive preschool, Great Expectations, where children of all abilities can learn and play together.

$5,000 – Purchase of SMART kitchen appliances for one group home, to aid individuals in strengthening their independent living skills. Smart kitchens are designed to save energy and time. Their main purpose is to be sustainable and efficient. They are a combination of electronics, careful design and environmentally-friendly elements.

$10,000 – Towards the renovations of the training center at the new Lifehouse headquarters. This new “home” will serve as a permanent space to train not only Lifehouse participants and staff but also for other care providers in the special-needs community.

LITTLE WISHES

Little Wishes
Little Wishes

Little Wishes grants the immediate and ongoing little wishes of chronically and critically ill hospitalized children to help ease discomfort, provide distraction and bring moments of joy. What makes the program unique (and why wishes are kept little) is that a qualified child may make another wish 14 days after receiving a first wish and every 14 days thereafter. Little Wishes offers meaningful support to children who endure frequent hospitalizations or who have been in the hospital for weeks, months or even years.

$1,000 – Allows 10 seriously ill hospitalized Bay Area children to have a wish granted during treatment. Over 90 percent of each dollar goes directly to meet- ing such requests; something as simple as a Disney princess dress, Spiderman figure or cozy bed- ding makes a huge difference in these kids’ quality of life.

MARIN CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING

$50 – Provide a gift card for food.

$100 – Allow Marin CIL to provide a life saving prescription or prescription eye glasses to an individual.

$250 – Allow Marin CIL to facilitate and expedite the set up and cost of a hospital bed or other medical equipment such as shower chairs, walkers, or commode chairs.

$500 – Allow Marin CIL to match a high quality, low cost caregiver from our Quickmatch Caregiver Registry to a client to continue living independently.

$1,000 – Allow Marin CIL to cover the cost of a ramp, grab bars or other adaptive equipment for people to safely access their home.

$2,500 – Allow us to financially assist a cancer patient with housing and medical expenses.

$5,000 – Allow Marin CIL to assist a client to get out of skilled nursing and back into their home.

$10,000 – Allow Marin CIL to cover the cost and installation of an interior or exterior stairlift in their home so they can safely access their home and the outdoors.

MARIN CITY HEALTH AND WELLNESS CENTER

$50 – Provide two parenting classes for families using the Marin Family Birth Center.

$100 – Host a weekly Sit Fit chair yoga class for older adults to exercise and enjoy social connection.

$250 – Pays for fresh produce and cooking demonstrations at the weekly Food Pharmacy, where a medical assistant can check blood pressure and patients learn to manage hyper-tension and heart disease though healthy foods rather than relying only on medications.

$500 – Fund one workshop in a 12-week program on stress and pain management for patients in recovery from alcohol or opioid addiction.

$1,000 – Provide perinatal care for an African American mother to work with an experienced midwife, improving her and her newborn’s chances for a healthy first year after childbirth.

$2,500 – Provide furniture, dishes and linens for a low-income young person (age 18-25) moving into their first apartment as part of the new Marin City Health & Housing Hub.

$5,000 – Fund semi-annual leadership retreats for The Defenders and Girl Power preventative behavioral health programs for young adults age 16-21.

$10,000 – Provide all equipment for two additional medical exam rooms in the new Marin City Health & Housing Hub.

MARIN FOSTER CARE ASSOCIATION

Marin Foster Care Association
Marin Foster Care Association

$50 – Purchases a new pair of shoes, 20 pairs of socks or a backpack for a child being placed in foster care.

$100 – Cover the cost of diapers for 2 weeks for a newborn placed in foster care directly from the hospital.

$250 – Pay for 6 weeks of jui jitsu lessons for an 8 year old foster child.

$500 – Provide tutoring in math and english to a struggling high school junior for a semester.

$1,000 – Underwrite the activities in the Teen Lounge at the annual Holiday Party for Marin’s Foster Youth.

$2,500 – Completely pay for three inflatables, food, face-painter and other activities at our annual Summer Picnic for foster youth and their foster families.

$5,000 – Send 10 foster kids to summer camp.

$10,000 – Keep the doors to our Community Resource Center open from January to July.

MARIN HOMELESS AID

Marin Homeless Aid
Marin Homeless Aid

The concept of “home” is embedded in every human being. Marin Homeless Aid’s mission is to inspire the people of Marin County to be part of a solution for helping Marin’s homeless population that starts by putting a roof over the head of everyone who finds themselves living on the streets. Awareness of homelessness causes and cures is raised through an annual benefit concert.

$100 – Provide hot meals and immediate assistance for seniors and families in crisis.

$250 – Helps send a single mom and child home to live with relatives.

$500 – Provides temporary shelter for a homeless family, senior or veteran.

$1,000 – Offers emergency rental assistance to prevent a family from becoming homeless.

$2,500 – Provides a rental deposit to move a homeless family, senior or veteran into permanent housing.

MARIN HUMANE

 Marin Humane
Marin Humane

$50 – Buy two specialty harnesses so shelter dogs can be safely walked.

$100 – Cover one month of food and medication for a dog or cat in the shelter’s care.

$250 – Enable us to award two scholarships to cover 50% of summer camp fees for kids from low income families.

$500 – Provide essential dental procedures for shelter animals.

$1,000 – Cover the cost of spay/neuter surgeries for four shelter animals.

$2,500 – Enables training and care of therapy dogs to brighten the lives of seniors, bereaved children or others who can benefit from the human-animal bond.

$5,000 – Provide three months of essential medications and/or vaccinations for our shelter population.

$10,000 – Help us purchase a golf cart-style utility cart essential to our daily operations.

MARIN VILLAGES

$50 – Allow us to do a background and DMV check on our volunteers.

$100 – Pay for monthly newsletters to members without computers.

$250 – Pay to rent space for 5 programs.

$500 – Provide a membership for a household.

$1,000 – Subsidize 5 low income members.

$10,000 – Funds emergency natural disaster “go bags” for personalized delivery to all members.

MARINARTS

$1,000 – Assists in outreach encouraging artists in Marin County to upload their personal profile to the Artist Directory.

MARINLINK

$50 – Provide one scholarship to MarinLink University Programs.

$100 – Provide an organizational development strategy session to an emerging nonprofit.

$250 – Provide a fund development strategy planning session for a grassroots organizer for 2020.

$500 – Provide a website for an emerging nonprofit.

$1,000 – Pay for marketing materials for 2020 for an emerging nonprofit.

$2,500 – Provide a strategic planning session for an entire team of an emerging nonprofit.

$5,000 – Covers a professional grant writer’s services for a nonprofit for one year.

$10,000 – Transform MarinLink’s ability to serve new and emerging nonprofits, visionaries and dreamers who want to address unmet community needs.

MEPAN FOUNDATION

$50 – Fund MEPAN Foundation web hosting for three months.

$100 – Subsidize mailing MEPAN Syndrome research papers to the scientific community.

$250 – Underwrite the creation of a MEPAN Syndrome brochure that could be distributed worldwide.

$500 – Support much-needed improvements for the MEPAN Foundation website.

$1,000 – Pay for renting a local business or facility to host a MEPAN fundraiser.

$2,500 – Subsidizes a researcher to attend a scientific conference on mitochondrial disease, meet with patients and work toward finding a cure for MEPAN disease, a childhood-onset movement disorder.

$5,000 – Fund the creation of specialized MEPAN patient cells to use in laboratory tests.

$10,000 – Support the creation of a laboratory model of MEPAN Syndrome to pinpoint existing drugs that may help MEPAN patients.

NATUREBRIDGE

NatureBridge
NatureBridge

$100 – Provides a scholarship for one child to attend a two-and-a-half-day NatureBridge program at the Marin Headlands. Exploring trails and conducting science investigations, kids connect with their peers and the environment, inspiring stewardship of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and beyond.

$250 – Provide a scholarship to two children so they can experience the wonder and science of the Marin Headlands during a two-and-half-day NatureBridge program. While exploring trails and conducting science investigations, students connect to their peers and the environment, inspiring their stewardship of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and our world.

$500 – Provide a scholarship to four children so they can experience the wonder and science of the Marin Headlands during a two-and-half-day NatureBridge program. While exploring trails and conducting science investigations, students connect to their peers and the environment, inspiring their stewardship of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and our world.

$1,000 – Provide a scholarship to 10 children so they can experience the wonder and science of the Marin Headlands during a two-and-half-day NatureBridge program. While exploring trails and conducting science investigations, students connect to their peers and the environment, inspiring their stewardship of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and our world.

$2,500 – Provide a scholarship to 25 children so they can experience the wonder and science of the Marin Headlands during a two-and-half-day NatureBridge program. While exploring trails and conducting science investigations, students connect to their peers and the environment, inspiring their stewardship of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and our world.

$5,000 – Provide a scholarship to 50 children so they can experience the wonder and science of the Marin Headlands during a two-and-half-day NatureBridge program. While exploring trails and conducting science investigations, students connect to their peers and the environment, inspiring their stewardship of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and our world.

$10,000 – Provide a scholarship to 100 children so they can experience the wonder and science of the Marin Headlands during a two-and-half-day NatureBridge program. While exploring trails and conducting science investigations, students connect to their peers and the environment, inspiring their stewardship of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and our world.

OAK HILL SCHOOL

$50 – Fill up a school vans tank of gas for a week for community work and educational programming.

$100 – Support the cost of an aide for one day of community job support for a single student.

$250 – Invests in apps for augmentative communication devices, broadening users’ ability to speak, communicate and build relationships.

$500 – Fund field trips to museums and other cultural destinations, bringing in the love of music and art for our students.

$1,000 – Pay for two iPads to assist two students with communication and educational goals.

$2,500 – Allow us to invest in adaptive curriculum and training for our staff to individualize lessons to teach our students on the Autism Spectrum.

$5,000 – Help us upgrade classroom equipment and furniture (desks, adaptive chairs, sensory regulation tools).

$10,000 – Assist in the purchase of a school van for transportation to community jobs and internships for our transition students getting prepared for life after Oak Hill school.

PNOC FOUNDATION

$100 – Provide a care kit directly to a child newly diagnosed with brain cancer – to provide comfort items, valuable resources for parents and a connection to a network of families who have been through the journey of a child’s brain cancer diagnosis.

$2,500 – Allows PNOC (Pacific Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium) to offer state-of-the-art genomic profiling for a child with brain cancer, helping the family and physician decide the best therapies for that child.

$10,000 – Allow one more child to access PNOC’s promising new brain cancer treatments.

RICHARDSON BAY AUDUBON

$50 – Provide reusable water bottles for teens in the Audubon Youth Leaders program.

$100 – Purchase hand tools for work in our native plant nursery.

$250 – Purchase rubber boots for on the ground conservation work.

$500 – Provide equity packets for 5 youth to come to summer camp.

$1,000 – Helps purchase important milkweed plants for migrating monarch butterflies.

$2,500 – Purchase path lights and equipment to maintain the 10 acre scrubland habitat at the center.

$5,000 – Purchase kayaks to take youth out into the bay to learn about ecology.

$10,000 – Assist the center in purchasing a boat for transportation to Aramburu Island and to help monitor Richardson Bay for wintering waterbirds.

SAN FRANCISCO– MARIN FOOD BANK

$100 – Provides enough support for volunteers to pack six home-delivered grocery bags, each with enough fruits, vegetables, protein, grains and other sustenance to last a food bank participant a week.

SCHOOLSRULE MARIN

$50 – Will buy art supplies for a kindergarten classroom project.

$100 – Will buy new books for one of our elementary school libraries to support reading instruction.

$250 – Will buy one tablet for a classroom to provide students with access to online reading and math programs.

$500 – Will buy instruments and materials for a 1st grade music program, where for many, this is their first introduction to music.

$1,000 – Will buy materials and supplies for a poetry curriculum at one of our elementary schools.

$2,500 – Will pay for the Being Adept program, which trains students in drug and alcohol awareness, at one of our middle schools.

$5,000 – Pays for a library aide’s additional hours to keep one of the high school libraries open until 7 p.m., providing a safe, quiet space for students to study and access computers.

$10,000 – Will pay for a translations system for English learners at one our high schools.

SCHURIG CENTER FOR BRAIN INJURY RECOVERY

$50 – Fully pays for a brain injury or stroke survivor to attend five weekly support group sessions for help coping with dramatic life changes.

$100 – Provide a brain injury or stroke survivor with two weeks of CogEX classes, a computer-based therapy that improves a range of cognitive abilities, including memory, visuospatial, and problem-solving skills.

$250 – Provide a full scholarship to a brain injury or stroke survivor-in-need for 10 weekly Speech Therapy classes to help them rebuild and improve communication skills in a supportive environment.

$500 – Provide a full-scholarship to a brain injury or stroke survivor-in-need for 10 weekly Occupational Therapy sessions to improve their skills for independent living.

$1,000 – Fund six months of Concussion Education Classes, providing the latest information and resources in an atmosphere of therapeutic and social support to help survivors cope with symptoms after a concussion.

$2,500 – Fund one year of monthly Caregiver Support and Education Groups, helping family members adapt to significant life changes after a brain injury or stroke.

$5,000 – Fund one year of Art Therapy classes, a powerful therapeutic tool that helps brain injury and stroke survivors increase memory, improve problem solving, and process emotions to cope with trauma.

$10,000 – Fund six months of Resource and Consultation Service linking 320 people this year to guidance that helps them navigate a changed life after brain injury. A critically-needed program that fills gaps in care and the only service of its kind in Marin.

SIDE BY SIDE

Side By Side
Side By Side

$100 – Helps underwrite social events for young people served by Side by Side’s TAY Space program in downtown San Rafael.

$250 – Help provide much needed counseling services for the youth served by Side by Side’s Community Counseling programs.

$500 – Supports enrichment activities at Side by Side’s Irene M. Hunt School, including field trips and access to the gardening and creative arts programs.

$1,000 – Covers half the cost of one of the outdoor excursions (like the whitewater rafting or backpacking trips) that are a motivating force behind the positive changes realized by youth involved in Side by Side’s YouThrive early intervention program in San Rafael middle and high schools.

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY OF MARIN

$50 – Provide 25 hot, nutritious meals to Marin’s veterans, low-income families, older adults and people experiencing homelessness.

$100 – Provide 50 hot, nutritious meals to Marin’s veterans, low-income families, older adults and people experiencing homelessness.

$250 – Provide 125 hot, nutritious meals to Marin’s veterans, low-income families, older adults and people experiencing homelessness.

$500 – Help a single mom avoid eviction by giving rent aid during her health crisis.

$1,000 – Provide a sponsorship to keep the Free Dining Room open for an entire day.

$2,500 – Provide everything needed to house someone who has just become homeless in Marin.

$5,000 – Provide everything needed to re-house two people who have just become homeless in Marin.

$10,000 – Provides everything needed to rehouse four people who have recently become homeless in Marin County.

SUBVERS!VE MUSIC FOUNDATION

$50 – Help pay for one music lesson for an aspiring artist.

$100 – Help pay for studio time for an aspiring artist.

$250 – Pay for 3 hours of singing lessons for an aspiring performer.

$500 – Pay for 5 hours of recording time in a studio for an aspiring performer.

$1,000 – Help send a student to LA College of Music/Rap & Hip Hop: Change the World summer program for one week.

$2,500 – Help send two students to LA College of Music/Rap & Hip Hop: Change the World summer program for one week.

$5,000 – Helps send five students to Los Angeles College of Music’s weeklong summer program Rap & Hip Hop: Change the World.

$10,000 – Send 10 students to LA College of Music/Rap & Hip Hop: Change the World summer program for one week. Subvers!ve Music Foundation will match up to $60,000.

SYZYGY DANCE PROJECT

Syzygy Dance Project
Syzygy Dance Project

Syzygy Dance Project is a non-profit organization working to transform lives through dance. SDP affirms that everyone can dance — from the able-bodied to people in wheelchairs, at hospitals and under other con- straining circumstances. Syzygy Dance Project offers mindful movement and dance classes to different populations including inmates, veterans, recovering addicts, chronic illness patients and the elderly. SDP uses music, sound and movement to facilitate awareness, self-exploration and change.

$50 – Provide 30 minutes of movement/dance for elderly patients with limited mobility.

$100 – Provide an hour-long movement class for women in addiction recovery.

$250 – Provide two movement classes for veterans with Alzheimer’s/dementia.

$500 – Provide one month of weekly classes for veterans at an in-patient psychiatric unit.

$1,000 – Help us create a movement/dance/exercise video and music playlist for assisted living care centers to offer patients.

$2,500 – Fund public dances at VA hospitals to bring together elderly veterans with Bay Area dancers.

$5,000 – Funds training of Bay Area health care professionals in using movement and dance to improve lives of elderly patients.

$10,000 – Fund one year of movement classes for homeless women and women in addiction recovery.

WHISTLESTOP

 Whistlestop
Whistlestop

$50 – Approximately 23% of Marin County community members are not native English speakers. Enable one of your neighbor’s to receive English language education through enrollment in Whistlestop’s English as a Second Language class.

$100 – 70% of Californians age 65 or older have at least one chronic condition. Provide a low-income individual suffering from chronic or life-threatening illness with home-delivered, nutritious meals and a friendly check-in from a volunteer driver for one month through Whistlestop Nourish.

$250 – Enable two low-income older adults—who otherwise lack access to legal services—to receive an hour long session with a legal advisor, offered weekly through Whistlestop’s Active Aging Center.

$500 – Every year, around 3.6 million Americans miss or delay medical care, because they lack appropriate transportation to their appointments. Help 11 low-income individuals in need of medical care access transportation to or from their doctor’s appointments through Whistlestop’s MARS—Missed Appointment Reduction Service—program.

$1,000 – One in five Marin County residents is food insecure, unsure where the next meal is coming from. This money sponsors a volunteer- driven Meals on Wheels delivery route to provide fresh, nutritious food, regular check-ins and social interaction to home-bound individuals.

WILDCARE

WildCare
WildCare

$50 – Feed an orphaned baby robin in WildCare’s Birdroom for 10 days.

$100 – Feed a baby owl the five meals a day he needs to grow up strong, healthy and ready to return to the wild.

$250 – Provides a visit from WildCare’s Nature Van, full of specimens and amazing facts about local nature and wildlife, for a classroom at any Bay Area school.

$500 – Purchase an incubator to keep tiny baby opossums and raccoons warm and safe when they are at their smallest.

$1,000 – Buy fish to feed WildCare’s resident pelicans, cormorant and gulls for a year.

$2,500 – Buy a year’s worth of x-ray films to help us diagnose wildlife patients from hawks and owls to raccoons, bobcats and coyotes.

$5,000 – Help WildCare buy a van to transport our Wildlife Ambassadors, our non-releaseable educational animals, for live animal presentations at schools throughout the Bay Area.

$10,000 – Cover a year’s worth of busing/transportation scholarships for under-served students to experience WildCare’s hands-on nature education programs.

YOUTH IN ARTS

Youth in Arts
Youth in Arts

$50 – Grant 5 high school artist entry fees for our annual “RISING STARS” show.

$100 – Provide one instructional session dance in a local classroom.

$250 – Pay for supplies to install our “Architects in School” 4th & 5th grade exhibition.

$500 – Offer one school a “Family Art Night” bringing students and parents together to create art.

$1,000 – Bring students in a special education classroom 10 weeks visual or performing art.

$2,500 – Provide a full scholarship to a Youth in Arts `Til Dawn a cappella member.

$5,000 – Bring 3 middle schools a professional performance and accompanying in-class workshops.

$10,000 – Provides a visual arts program for 75 kindergartners at a low-income school.

 

 


Kasia Pawlowska

Kasia Pawlowska loves words. A native of Poland, Kasia moved to the States when she was seven. The San Francisco State University creative writing graduate went on to write for publications like the San Francisco Bay Guardian and KQED Arts among others prior to joining the Marin Magazine staff. Topics Kasia has covered include travel, trends, mushroom hunting, an award-winning series on social media addiction and loads of other random things. When she’s not busy blogging or researching and writing articles, she’s either at home writing postcards and reading or going to shows. Recently, Kasia has been trying to branch out and diversify, ie: use different emojis. Her quest for the perfect chip is never-ending.