 |
||||||
| Volunteer | Donate | Find a Park | Membership | Newsletter | Events | Programs |
FoundationMission Statement Board of Directors Help the Parks Donate Now What's NewSupport Sonoma County Regional Parks! 10 Ways to Take ActionMany Sonoma County residents are concerned that our parks are closing. While it is true that state parks, such as Annadel, are threatened with closure, our Regional Parks – such as Spring Lake, Ragle Ranch and Doran Beach – remain open. Funding for these parks, however, is declining. Every year since 2008, the County of Sonoma has decreased funding to Sonoma County Regional Parks. In the current fiscal year alone, funding was cut by 25%. In spite of these financial challenges, Regional Parks is determined to survive – and thrive! Sonoma County residents and visitors cherish our parks and are committed to keeping them well maintained and open, and to supporting their outstanding facilities and programs. With your help, we will develop new income sources to preserve one of the most spectacular regional park systems in the world. Following are 10 ways you can help the parks. Some of these ideas raise money yet won’t cost you anything! Please take action today. For details about any of these fundraising options, or for more information about how you can support Sonoma County Regional Parks, go to the Sonoma County Regional Parks and Foundation web site at www.sonomacountyparks.org. Like us on Facebook! Follow these links: Sonoma County Regional Parks Facebook Page; Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation Facebook Page. Here are some ways you can help the Regional Parks today:
Thank you for your support! EDC School Field Trip Scholarship Drive
The need for scholarships continues to grow at the same time that our corporate funding for this program has decreased. We need new donors to come forward and help rebuild our scholarship fund. Will you help? To kick start our new campaign for school field trip scholarships, the Regional Parks Foundation will match the first $1,500 we receive! Just $5 will send one child and $100 will pay for the average class. With your help we can continue providing this award-winning program of Life Science school field trips, regardless of ability to pay.
Ragle Ranch Regional Park – Accessible Playground
The Sonoma County Regional parks Foundation wishes to acknowledge and thank all of the people and agencies that brought this wonderful new playground to the children of the west county. They are:
|
The Environmental Discovery Center’s Life Science Programs for children in grades 1 through 6 are a great success and very popular with Sonoma County’s kids and teachers. They are so successful that more than 16,000 children participated last year! Over 30% of the children attend Title I low income (eligible for free or reduced price lunch) schools, and can’t afford the fee to attend the program. Donations to the Regional Parks Foundation have made it possible to offer scholarship funds to many of these schools so that their children may participate. Last year we awarded $14,000 in scholarships.
The NEW Ragle Ranch Regional Park Children’s Playground is finished and is already popular with local children and their parents! Construction began in the spring, and the playground was completed on July 31, 2010. It was formally dedicated at a public ceremony on September 18, 2010. While children happily played in the background, Supervisor Efren Carrillo, Sebastopol Mayor Sarah Gurney, former Regional Parks Director Mary Burns and Regional Parks Foundation Board Member Jim Gilliam and Community Development Committee member Lawrence Jaffe spoke of the need for the new playground and the successful county, Foundation and community collaboration that made it happen.
In a few short months, funding was provided by Sonoma County Major Maintenance, Human Resources ADA and Park Mitigation funds, a Community Development Block Grant and donations to the Regional Parks Foundation. Quick work by our contractors made it possible to finish the structure and allow children to play before the end of the summer. Ragle Ranch Regional Park, one of the county’s best-loved and heavily-used parks, is now enhanced by a fully-equipped playground that offers school age children stimulating, challenging and fun play as well as opportunities for creative social interaction.