Foundation

Mission Statement
Find out more about the Foundation's purpose.

Board of Directors
Information about our Board of Directors

Help the Parks
How your contributions help support our parks.

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How you can donate to the Parks Foundation, online donations, and printable, mail-in forms.

What's New

Thank you Sonoma County! PastaPalooza Raises Critical Funds for Sonoma County

PastaPalooza for the Parks earned more than $42,000 in its inaugural effort to generate support for Annadel State Park and Sonoma County Regional Parks. The sold-out event entertained 500 park-loving guests with food, drinks and an extensive silent auction featuring outings, outdoor equipment and other prizes. Generous donations of pasta and polenta by the Pasta King and wine from Barefoot Wine and Bubbly contributed significantly to the substantive fundraising result.

Exceptional decorations transformed the Santa Rosa Veteran’s Hall into a forest wonderland. Laser cutouts of leaves, designed and produced by Ron Macken, owner of Lightwave Laser, dangled from the ceiling, while tables displayed natural arrangements of branches, pinecones and flowers. Many visitors commented that they had never seen the room look more attractive.

Guests delighted in cover tunes and original music by the band Cahoots, which donated its services and was supported by Sebastopol Sound. MC Shirlee Zane, chairwoman of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, urged the enthusiastic crowd to purchase Regional Parks memberships and bid generously on the auction items.

Local businesses were extremely generous in donating all of the food and drinks for the event. In addition to pasta and polenta from the Pasta King, Ca’Bianca and Fresh by Lisa Hemenway provided appetizers. Worth Our Weight culinary apprentice program donated brownies, and delicious bread came from Costeaux French Bakery. Big Boy BBQ loaned the event tableware and glassware. Widely known for its community spirit, Lagunitas Brewery donated several kegs of beer to compliment the extensive wine offered by Barefoot Wine & Bubbly. Bydesign provided exceptional interior design services, and ALSCO Commercial Linen Service donated all of the linens for the event.

Thank you to everyone who made this event such a fantastic success: Event coordinator Liz Keeley, our hard-working steering committee, volunteers, event sponsors, VIP table sponsors and donors of auction prizes. With such a successful inaugural event, we are already looking forward to 2013! Individuals and businesses who are interested in supporting the 2013 PastaPalooza event through donations or volunteering are encouraged to contact Melissa Kelley, executive director of the Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation, at Melissa.Kelley@sonoma-county.org or (707) 565-2041.

Support Sonoma County Regional Parks! 10 Ways to Take Action

Many 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:

Share this flyer with your friends (PDF: 262kB). Talk to your friends about our county parks.
Become a Sonoma County Regional Parks Member or give a membership as a gift.
Make a donation.
Sponsor a park bench or picnic table. These items are a wonderful way to honor a special family member, celebrate milestone events, or memorialize a beloved friend. Call (707) 565-2041 for more information.
Sign up for GoodSearch and eScrip. GoodSearch is a search engine that donates a penny to Regional Parks every time you search. eScrip donates a percentage of sales from participating merchants to the parks. Both programs are free!
Buy a popular Regional Parks or Grateful Dead Regional Parks t-shirt. It makes a great gift! Call (707) 565 2041, or purchase one at Spring Lake.
Grab a meal at one of our Tuesday evening Park-n-Eat fundraisers at Spring Lake. You select dinner from delicious gourmet food trucks, and 10% of proceeds benefits park programs.
Attend one of our fun and inexpensive, family-friendly events, such as the Tolay Fall Festival in October or the Healdsburg Water Carnival in July.
Volunteer. Check the Parks’ web site for more information.
Remember Sonoma County Regional Parks in your will.

Thank you for your support!

EDC School Field Trip Scholarship Drive

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 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.

Send your donation to:: EDC Scholarship Fund
Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation
Address:: 2300 County Center Drive, # 120 A

Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Or make a donation online:: Donate Now!