What is philanthropy, how does it affect our community, and how do we help young teens understand and care about it? For the past several years, I have had the opportunity to engage my students in these essential questions in a real and exciting way. Working with the West Marin Fund in partnership with generous local donors, the Giving Through Youth program has offered students in schools throughout West Marin several thousand dollars of real money to donate to local nonprofits so that students can experience firsthand the joy of philanthropy. 

To complete the project, students work individually or in pairs to communicate with local nonprofit leaders to determine how the nonprofit would spend the grant awarded by the class. Next, they become grant writers and each writes a proposal and makes a visual presentation to their classmates about the mission, work and needs of their organization. Choosing which projects to fund is hard work, so the students collaborate to choose four areas of focus to help guide their decision-making to determine which proposals to fund. Along the way, the students become both knowledgeable and invested in the work of their chosen nonprofit. The Giving Through Youth project brings together all the skills we have worked on throughout the year and puts them in a real context for each student. — Julie Cassel, Eighth Grade Teacher, West Marin School

CLAM helps people stay in West Marin

By Sheamus Cordrey, Grade 8

The Community Land Trust Association of West Marin helps people get affordable housing by letting them buy the house and then leasing the land, therefore making living here less expensive. They can significantly lower the cost of houses and make it easier for people to find and buy housing.

CLAM is located in Point Reyes, California. They are not a large organization, so they only have a small office near downtown. What CLAM does is take houses and property and instead of selling the entire property they will sell only the house on a 99-year lease to the people living there. Then they can sell people the house for a much lower price while CLAM keeps the property.

This work is important because in our area, we are currently in a housing crisis where housing to buy or rent is extremely hard to find. The average cost of a home in Marin County is $1.5 million, making buying a home very difficult for most people. CLAM helps everyone by creating a better way to get affordable housing and helps create a bigger and better community of full-time residents instead of part-time residents.

A $3,000 donation from this project would go to families in the process of buying homes and would change their lives forever, with $500 going to each family. A $2,000 donation would be used to repair rotting and dangerous stairs in a Stinson Beach apartment complex. The residents are in danger of cutting their feet or the stairs failing if not attended to. This will benefit the community by creating more people with full-time housing and a better community.

In conclusion, with houses being so expensive and hard to find, it is so important to create and do all we can to help residents find housing. That is why CLAM is so important, because it creates housing and builds the community. There are currently 66 people living in CLAM homes, and we want that to go up. Through this project, I have learned how nonprofits work in our community and how our nonprofits have effects outside of our community.

The Inverness Garden Club does more than you think 

By Aaron Garcia, Grade 8

Did you know that the Inverness Garden Club helps our community with multiple things? I think the organization should be chosen because they make people realize the enjoyment people get from gardening and they help out many hard-working high school students to get scholarships.

The Inverness Garden Club is located on the Point Reyes Peninsula. The things they do for the community are protect and preserve native plants, and help simulate an appreciation of gardening. This work is important because it keeps the town looking clean and makes funds for scholarships. It benefits the whole community because it attracts more tourists and makes scholarships easier to acquire. 

The Inverness Garden Club has a project in Point Reyes: a planter box outside of the library. This project helps people have more love of plants, and it benefits the community because it shows an appreciation for gardening.

Lastly, the Inverness Garden Club should be chosen because they help the economic status of our community by giving scholarships to hardworking students. These are my reasons you should vote for the Inverness Garden Club.

The Inverness Association
supports community

By Prairie Press, Grade 8

The Inverness Association was founded in the 1930s, when the still-growing town of Inverness felt the need for an organization to help the development, water supply and infrastructure of the community. Early founders include Brock Schreiber, who was the owner of the Launch for Hire and a small store on Inverness Way, and Attilio Martinelli, who was the owner of the Inverness store and a community supervisor. Their goal was “the collection of funds and their expenditure on the construction and maintenance of roads, trails, bridges and culverts, and for the public welfare of the town.”

Today, the Inverness Association is a nonprofit that works to conserve the natural beauty of Inverness and Tomales Bay, support recreational facilities for children to strengthen the community, and protect and advance the rights and interests of residents.

The association has made many well-known contributions that have benefited the community tremendously. For example, with no local government, land uses are under obligation to county regulations with regard to the enforcement of the California Coastal Act. The Inverness Association assists locals with obtaining permits for construction and communicates with the county about issues or requests. The association also holds the annual Inverness Fair, where they serve a pancake breakfast, pies, oysters and a tostada lunch. The fair gives local nonprofits a platform to raise money and get known. For example, the Inverness Garden Club has a sale of locally grown plants and a large rummage sale for their scholarship committee.

The Inverness Association has pitched a project idea regarding the library in hopes to make it more comfortable for all ages. They have been informed by a librarian that the inside woodwork is dingy and needs repairing and repainting. The children’s table also needs to be made more tidy, organized and accessible. Furthermore, there are much-needed advancements regarding air flow and circulation, which may require air conditioning or at least a fan. They will accept any amount of donation, and these improvements will benefit young and old patrons.

The Inverness Association’s work benefits residents, local businesses and nonprofit organizations. They help inform locals and strengthen the community. Their project idea will make the Inverness Library more accessible to all ages. This is why we should donate to them. 

Slide Ranch educates youth in the outdoors

By Elena Rodoni, Grade 8

Slide Ranch was established in 1970 and was one of the first park partners in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Their goal is to connect kids with the outdoors, provide fun educational experiences and empower people to protect the environment. Slide Ranch is vital to the community because it offers many people with various educational adventures. Therefore, it should be chosen for the donation. 

Slide Ranch is located between Muir Beach and Stinson Beach, west of Mill Valley. It is open daily from sunrise to sunset and is open to the public for hikes, picnics and self-led tours. Also, Slide Ranch organizes many summer and spring camps that educate children about ecosystems, ranch work and the outdoors. For example, they have a Barley Teens program that teaches teenagers foundational, practical skills for a career path in agriculture. In addition, they provide workshops for school groups in-person and online. 

The primary mission of Slide Ranch is to connect people of all ages with the outdoors. Their programs, specifically their camps, focus on environmental conservation and learning through experience. Slide Ranch also encourages connecting with nature and provides a fun atmosphere for exploring the natural world. This will help teach current and future generations the significance of the environment and the importance of its conservation.

One way to benefit Slide Ranch and the community is to donate $500. By doing so, one school group from an underprivileged community can visit Slide Ranch for a day. Not only will this give a class an opportunity that they might not be able to fund on their own, but it will raise awareness for Slide Ranch. Additionally, it will teach more kids about ecosystems and farming. 

Slide Ranch is crucial to the community due to its educational and environmental value. Donating will raise recognition for the organization and give underserved children a fun learning opportunity. 

Throughout this Giving Through Youth project, I have learned that many nonprofit organizations in West Marin do a wide range of work. Whether it is making housing more affordable, broadcasting emergency information or educating people about the environment, these organizations support our community. 

Point Blue Conservation Science protects our future

By Ryan Murray, Grade 8

Point Blue is a very special project that everyone should know about. Their main goal is to “ensure that wildlife and our own communities continue to thrive in the decades to come,” according to their website. In California, more than 90 percent of wetlands and riparian areas have been destroyed, but Point Blue helps combat that destruction. I strongly believe that Point Blue should be the organization to get the grant.

Point Blue’s buildings are located in Bolinas and Petaluma. Although they only have locations in those places, they help all around California. Point Blue does many types of tours around the natural habitats in Marin. They also partner with fishermen, farmers, ranchers and others to keep important things safe, such as soil, which can store water and sequester carbon. They work with farmers to try to reduce cow runoff into Tomales Bay and other bodies of water, keeping local aquatic ecosystems safe. It can even keep you or others around you safe. Many types of seafood you get from local markets come from nearby bodies of water that could have been polluted by runoff, plastics or other types of harmful chemicals.

Point Blue’s work is more important than people might think. They help reduce climate change, habitat loss and many other environmental problems while creating nature-based solutions to worldwide problems. This work can keep our shorelines and forests unpolluted and safe. This will, in turn, make Marin a more beautiful place to live in and visit, which will invite new people and boost the local economy.

Donating $1,000 to Point Blue could mean “removing the equivalent of 55 cars off the road or offsetting the energy use of 24 homes each year with each mile of habitat restoration,” according to their website. Point Blue also helps places like the Farallon Islands, which have the largest seabird breeding colony south of Alaska. 

In conclusion, Point Blue is a valuable resource in this community that should not go unnoticed. If it got the grant, it could help make a difference inside and outside of this community. In this project I have learned that nonprofit organizations such as Point Blue can have a greater impact on life than most people realize. 

West Marin Senior Services takes care of those who need it

Stephanie Martinez, Grade 8

West Marin Senior Services is a nonprofit that believes it is most important to assist others. The employees at West Marin Senior Services care about those in need of care and those with
disabilities. 

Stockstill House is located in Point Reyes Station. The staff makes sure to keep all residents safe and healthy. They also use their time to listen to their elders during their aging process. The workers help by entertaining their residents and doing projects as well as arts and crafts. They are open to any suggestions.  

The purpose of Stockstill House is to give the care and health that residents need. They also help learn and teach others to give and receive respect. Each staff member is assigned a resident to care for. The staff have created a bond with their residents due to their support and care. 

West Marin Senior Services will put our donation to a great use. For example, just $250 can feed seven meals for an entire month to every senior there—although meals are not the only thing they cover. Pam Osborn from West Marin Senior Services would like to use the donation for over-the-hill purposes, which means helping residents receive the medications they need to stay healthy. The funds will always go toward helping the staff improve the well-being of their elders. 

Tomales Bay Watershed Council keeps our bay healthy

By Edison Anthony, Grade 8 

The Tomales Bay Watershed Council is a great, small organization and we should seriously consider giving them some if not all of the money. In fact, the T.B.W.C. has no paid employees.

The council works to maintain a healthy Tomales Bay and keep its tributary streams healthy, too. A big part of this is frequent water quality testing for the tributary streams of Tomales Bay. The T.B.W.C. also works to give grants to college students looking to do studies and experiments regarding the Tomales Bay watershed. This work is very important because it is what keeps the watershed healthy. If it were not for the frequent water testing, giving grants and much more, the watershed would not be the healthy one it is now. 

This work benefits the whole community in many ways. One of those ways being that a healthy watershed means healthy drinking water. Another way it benefits the whole community is that a healthy Tomales Bay will help bring more tourists and therefore boost the economy.

Our proposal is that we become a sponsor of the T.B.W.C. For their sponsorship, they have three different levels. We could become a Watershed Supporter for $500, a Watershed Steward for $1,000, or, the highest level, a Watershed Sponsor for $2,000. This donation will benefit because the council will use this money to help maintain the watershed.

The Giving Through Youth program has been a great learning experience for me. I was aware of what a nonprofit organization was before this program, but it furthered my knowledge. The program has also helped me become aware of all the great nonprofits around here.

In conclusion, the T.B.W.C. is a great organization and if we choose to donate to them, the money will go to a good cause. All of this shows that T.B.W.C. deserves the grant.

•••••

How do we encourage students to be change agents in the world? We provide opportunities for them to make a real difference in the lives of people around them. Giving Through Youth presents an opportunity for students to identify a need within their community and then connect to an existing organization to present a monetary gift. Students must articulate why the need is present and how the money will have a positive impact on the lives of others. Ultimately, they are required to think beyond their own lives and become catalysts for change in the world. Let this continue throughout their lives.
— Ilie Watterson, Seventh and Eighth Grade Teacher, Bolinas-Stinson School

Scholarship program helps kids get a good start in life 

By Mauricio Cuevas, Grade 7

Did you know that four years of college could cost $132,000? Our class is deciding who we think deserves a donation from the West Marin Giving Through Youth Program. I think the West Marin Scholarship Program is the program we should support because it helps those in need afford to attend college because college is expensive and important and student loans aren’t a good option. 

The first reason I think you should vote for the scholarship program is that college is very expensive. A lot of people don’t have the money to afford college. Families often have more than one child, making it even harder to pay for college. Also, college students can’t work to help pay for their education.

The second reason that you should vote for the scholarship program is that college is important. College helps people have more job options. College graduates can earn 75 percent more than those who only completed high school. 

Unfortunately, some people might think the scholarship program isn’t needed because kids can get student loans. However, student loans actually end up being more expensive. It also means you start off broke and already in debt! This seems like it would be a bad way to start off life.

We are choosing the program that should get a donation from Giving Through Youth. I think the West Marin Scholarship Program should get the money. It will help local kids go to college with less of a financial struggle. College can be expensive, and is very important in getting started in life. Also, this donation can help with avoiding too much debt. That’s why you should support the West Marin Scholarship Program.

The Dance Palace has something for everyone

By Ruby DeCotis, Grade 5

Every year, our school is given the opportunity to choose one nonprofit to receive a donation of $1,000 through the Giving Through Youth Project, which gives donations to nonprofit groups in West Marin. Each grade is given $1,000 and that grade gets to decide who will receive the money. After looking into different nonprofits in West Marin, I have chosen the Dance Palace to receive this donation. The Dance Palace is a community center in Point Reyes Station that I sometimes hang out at. My grandma used to donate things to the Dance Palace and my mom would also do programs there. The Dance Palace is a great resource in West Marin, and I believe it should be given the $1,000 from the youth giving project.

The Dance Palace offers different programs, such as weddings, dances, performances and movie nights. They also offer summer camp, kids musical theater, aikido, scholarships, a children’s choir, baby gym, yoga, Spanish classes and community lunches. They serve the local community and offer many services for free that benefit children, senior citizens and families. 

The Dance Palace is important to the entire community. As you can see, they offer all types of programs for people of every age. You can be a little baby, a kid in camp or a grandparent, and the Dance Palace has something to offer you. This is the best place to do many different types of programs in Point Reyes Station for people of all ages. 

If the Dance Palace is given the $1,000, it will not only benefit them but also others in the community. This donation will benefit the people who get services directly from the senior lunch program, but will also help the families of those seniors. Those families will know their senior family members are getting healthy meals for free. Personally, the Dance Palace really benefited my mom. She really enjoyed the classes she did there with her friends.

In order for the Dance Palace Community and Cultural Center to further their work with all of the programs I listed above, I believe they should receive the $1,000. This organization works hard to put together fun programs and works with people from different countries so everyone can have fun. They help people of all ages and make the community a happier place to live in.

PRNSA protects the beauty of Point Reyes

By Will Clapp, Grade 8

The Point Reyes National Seashore is a beautiful place full of diverse and unique habitats and animals. One of the ways that the park is so beautiful is because they have the funding in order to keep it protected and alive. The Bolinas School eighth grade has received $1,000 to donate to a nonprofit organization from a program called Giving Through Youth. The best choice for this donation is the Point Reyes National Seashore Association. The three reasons to choose this organization, in my opinion, is they help educate youth and teachers, they help the environment and they raise money for the Point Reyes National Seashore.        

First, they help educate teachers and kids. PRNSA has helped pay for kids in communities that are low income by bringing them to the park. They also have helped train teachers. In one example, early this year, PRNSA helped bring Bolinas School teachers to the park to train them in nature education. Finally, they helped the third and fourth graders at our school see the monarch butterflies.

Next, PRNSA helps the environment by protecting different endangered species. They protect approximately 50 threatened and endangered species. Another way they help the environment is by preserving the land and the special habitats these species live in. They do this by funding interns to support the park’s biologists. Finally, they connect volunteers to the park to restore and maintain land and habitats.

Additionally, they help raise money for the National Park Service. They connect people who love the Point Reyes National Seashore with projects that need funding in the park. Examples of these are the Tomales Bay Marine Station, the Morgan Horse Ranch, various conservation and research projects, and even such things as beach wheelchairs for people to access the beach. Their retail stores help educate people about the park and the money goes toward visitor services.

Point Reyes is a beautiful place and that it is not always as appreciated as it should be. PRNSA is an organization that appreciates Point Reyes and wants to see other people do the same. And that is why PRNSA should receive the $1,000 from the West Marin Fund.

The Bolinas Community Land Trust keeps people housed

By Lila Miottel, Grade 6

“Marin County saw the number [of homeless] jump from 254 to 486 people from 2019 to 2021, a 91 percent increase in the number of people living in cars and recreational vehicles.” —The Pacific Sun

The prices of houses are going up. More and more people are having to move away from Marin, especially Bolinas. The Bolinas Community Land Trust is trying to make housing in Bolinas and Stinson more affordable. This is why I chose them to receive the $1,000 donation. 

The Bolinas Community Land Trust is based in Bolinas, and they help people find housing in Bolinas and Stinson Beach. A lot of people are having to move away because the prices of houses are getting more and more expensive. The B.C.L.T. has a waitlist, and when a housing unit becomes available, they go to the top of the list and “…we go to the first waitlist applicant that meets the income and household size qualifications,” according to their website. They are trying to make housing more affordable for everyone.

If the B.C.L.T. is given the $1,000, it will not only benefit the people who live in their houses, but also others in the community. Yes, this money will help the tenants, but also the people’s friends and family. If the people get to stay, their friends and family will not have to say goodbye. For example, a lot of my friends have had to move away from Bolinas because housing is so expensive or because they can’t find housing, and I don’t think that other people should have to move away from their friends or family for these reasons. The B.C.L.T. also helps local businesses, because they need people to live here to make any money, and it rents out commercial spaces to stores, like Bovida or La Sirena, which are in downtown Bolinas.

I got to talk with someone from the B.C.L.T. I wanted to know what they would do with $1,000 if they had the money. Evie Wilhelm, managing director at the B.C.L.T., told me that they would put the $1,000 toward buying a property currently housing lots of people. If the B.C.L.T. got the property, the people living there right now would get to stay. I would like the money to go toward this. The first reason I think it should go toward buying this house is that I think the people living there should get to stay in their home. The second reason is because the person who owns the house right now would sell it for about $1,000,000, and if the B.C.L.T. was going to sell it, they would sell it below market value. And finally, I know how much this money will affect the whole Bolinas community. 

There are a lot of homeless people in Marin, and the B.C.L.T. is trying to help get people into houses and keep people in their homes. They need money to buy a property to keep the people already living there in their home. I have had friends that have had to move away because they couldn’t find or afford housing in Bolinas. Because of these reasons, and the reasons I mentioned above, I believe the B.C.L.T. should receive the $1,000 donation from the Giving Through Youth project.