Success of the El Cerrito Open Space Campaign is due to our donors
The El Cerrito Open Space Campaign heartily wishes to thank all of our generous donors to the campaign to purchase the Madera Open Space, along with all of the volunteers who made this year-long effort succeed.
Thanks to you, we raised $103,000 towards the $475,000 purchase price of the 8-acre site, with forest, meadow and creeks. That and a $250,000 federal grant that we also helped secure greatly reduced the amount of park and open space funds the city had to spend from its pockets. That means more of those funds can go to other park purposes.
The campaign was run by Trail Trekkers, the El Cerrito High School Mountain Bike Team, and friends of Five Creeks
While we appreciate anyone who donated any amount of money – there was no requirement to do that – I’d like to call out a few special donations that stick in my mind:
Al Miller, the very first donor, even before the “official” campaign began. The El Cerrito Rotary Club – whose donation put us over our $100,000 goal. The Zirinsky Family, our biggest donor by far at $25,000, who were introduced to our campaign by our good friends and collaborators at Trust for Public Land.
Gary Hill, Robert Studdiford, and all the other donors involved with mountain biking. Chris and Martie Conner, who put up a successful challenge grant. Mark Figone, president of East Bay Sanitary Co. and of the Chamber of Commerce, who not only donated but put the campaign in touch with the city’s business community.
The sheer number of donors who contributed to the campaign speaks to the commitment of people in El Cerrito and surrounding communities to preserving open space.
— Dave Weinstein, president, El Cerrito Trail Trekkers
April 2014
Thanks to you, we raised $103,000 towards the $475,000 purchase price of the 8-acre site, with forest, meadow and creeks. That and a $250,000 federal grant that we also helped secure greatly reduced the amount of park and open space funds the city had to spend from its pockets. That means more of those funds can go to other park purposes.
The campaign was run by Trail Trekkers, the El Cerrito High School Mountain Bike Team, and friends of Five Creeks
While we appreciate anyone who donated any amount of money – there was no requirement to do that – I’d like to call out a few special donations that stick in my mind:
Al Miller, the very first donor, even before the “official” campaign began. The El Cerrito Rotary Club – whose donation put us over our $100,000 goal. The Zirinsky Family, our biggest donor by far at $25,000, who were introduced to our campaign by our good friends and collaborators at Trust for Public Land.
Gary Hill, Robert Studdiford, and all the other donors involved with mountain biking. Chris and Martie Conner, who put up a successful challenge grant. Mark Figone, president of East Bay Sanitary Co. and of the Chamber of Commerce, who not only donated but put the campaign in touch with the city’s business community.
The sheer number of donors who contributed to the campaign speaks to the commitment of people in El Cerrito and surrounding communities to preserving open space.
— Dave Weinstein, president, El Cerrito Trail Trekkers
April 2014
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Platinum Level — $3,000 and up
Chris and Martie Conner East Bay Sanitary Co. Inc. Ron and Barbara Forsstrom Jenny Hammer David Lingren and Ilana Schatz The Zirinsky Family |
Diamond Level – $1,500 & up
Dorothy McPherson Naser & Deborah Mostaghel Living Trust Dave Weinstein & Mary Barkey |
Gold Level – $1000 to $1499
Anonymous donor Anonymous donor Ruth Frassetto Friends of Five Creeks Howdy Goudey and Robin Mitchell Jeffrey and Rochelle Halperin — D&H Construction Gary and Vanessa Hill Mark David Hughes Audrey Lee Grace MacNeill The Marsyas Fund Dwight and Glory Merrill Alan & Barbara Miller Tom Panas Susan Russell Rotary Foundation of El Cerrito TwoFish Unlimited, Robert Studdiford The John R. Underhill Trust and Clem H. Underhill Trust The Zaitlin-Nienberg Family Fund |
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Silver Level – $500 to $999
Nancy and Tom Allen Karen Anderson Cortis Cooper Lori Dair and Robert MacCoun Ron Egherman, in memoriam, from friends and colleagues George Fosselius Annette Fuentes & Paul Young Seth and Adena Kaplan Marlene Keller David J. Larson Jon Mire and Emily Corwin Steve Price Dairne Ryan Kenneth & Leslie Salonen Charles & Janet Seim Keith Skinner Nancy Warfield & David Gray Jr. Harvey and Susan Wittenberg Stephen Zavetoski |
Bronze Level – $100 to $499
Anonymous donor Anonymous donor Kenneth Alborn & Joan Thompson Ashby Lumber Pam Austin Silvia Akinaga Janet Abelson Mary Barnsdale Jane & Rich Bartke Joan Backus Bartulovich Natasha Benjamin Bicycle Trails Council East Bay Cameron Blackford Cathy Bleier Charlie Bowen Jan Bridges Laurie Brion Carl & Lisa Brodsky Betty Buginas Lauren Caputo Marvin Collins Contra Costa Hills Club Margot Cunningham Abigail Dawkins Denise Defreese Nerisa Dejesus Anne Derosa Design-a-Sign Doherty’s Truck Rental Manish Doshi & Dr. Meeta Doshi Dirt Rag Magazine/Maurice Tierney Ava Marie Eichler Gene Erickson Sue Estey Melissa Eizenberg & Adam Diamant Joseph & Leslie Floren Toni & Rafael Favila Paul Ferris and Debi O’Leary Rob Frankenberg Gregory & Christine Freeman Mark Friedman Caroline Glanzer & Michael Recknow Anne Good Norman Gouw Jeanne M. Griffith Renata & Richard Hallock Susan Hampton Dorothy and Kinda Kemp Helen Kennedy Tasha Hansen & Sean W. Kline Ellen J. Hershey Hazel Hung Diane Ichiyasu Mary Ann Jawili Elizabeth Johnson Gregory Kalkanis Alan Kaplan Nancy Kelley Helen Kennedy Joanna Kim-Selby Sam Krueger Norman La Force & Mingli Wang Eric Lee & Caroline TsangLynn Lipetzky Radziah Loh Alejandro Luna Greg and Mary Lyman Eve Ma Philip Martien & Sandi Potter Madera Elementary School PTA Bruce Maison Bonnie MacKenzie Linda Margossian Marty Kaliski, Marty’s Motors Austin & Celeste McInerny Robert McLaughlin Rebecca Milliken Eugene Millstein Melanie Mintz Martha Morimoto George & Linda Moss Ko & Teresa Myinto Dale & Danielle Power, Nation’s Giant Hamburgers Victoria Nolan Anne Ogonowski Kenneth & Molly Ong Yvetteh Ortiz Joanna Pace Terrence F. Paret Tamasin Partridge David Pirkle Steven Poulos Gabe Quinto Jeff Rank and Alyssa Morimoto Barbara Robben Scott Robinson Elizabeth Ruhland & Joshua Miele Denise Sangster Robert Schaadt Carrie Schulman Mark Scott Taylor Schreiner Casey Shott Julie Slater Leverett Smith and Gretchen Peterson Peter & Ann Smith Gretchen Snyder Renee Solari & Sara Knight Paul Starrs & Lynn Huntsinger Veneta Stehr-Wood and Wolfgang Stehr Ying Sun and Yi Hao Jun Ueno and Charlotte Sunseri Matthew Swain & Alexandra Kirkman Arthur Tressler John Walter Deborah Weeks Jon Weil Glenn Wood |
Cobalt Level – up to $100
Anonymous donor Vernon Alexander Nick Arzio Don Baker Barbara and Fletcher Barbour Hossain Bayat & Joann Steck-Bayat Rebecca Benassini Elaine Binger Alexander Borys Linda and Dean Bullert David Chang Renee Cheney-Cohen Shirley Cressey John Cruger-Hansen Mildred Dandridge Harry Delmer Nancy K. Evans Robert Flasher Carl Groch Paul Grunland Suzanne Iarla Marion Jones & Molly Reed Patricia Jones Jack & Birthe Kirsch Pansy Kwong Andrea Lucas Callie Major Susanna Marshland John & Cynthia McAfee Alexis Davis Millar George S. Milliken Mark Miner Stephen C. Mullin Steve Neff Glen Nethercut Louise & John O’Dea Sara Parker Paloma Pavel Nick Pilch Paul M. Radosevich and Elise Thomas Timothy Reiss and Patricia Jane Hilden Patricia Ruthnick Martin and Barbara Schaefer Susan Seastone Zawedde Sengende David Simon Sarah Sirchuk Jim Sullivan Calvin F. Tam John & Sallian Umemoto Alice Wheeler Marsha Williamson Michael & Robin Winton Kay Yatabe Lisa Yee Musical and Professional Services, Music for Madera Open Space Festival El Cerrito High School Jazz Ensemble, leader Keith Johnson, Davis Feeley, Phineas Crisp, Gabriel Lee, Christopher Balderas, Arnie Co Mike Freeman Funkadelicatessen – Mike Freeman, Bill Sparks, Zachariah Veley, Darren Potter, Eric Steinberg Steve Lipson Eve Ma Flamenco Ensemble with Yuli Wada, David Lopez-White, Gopal Slavonic Edie O’Hara |
Our thanks also go to:
Keeping things organized:
Gary Hill, EC Open Space Campaign chairman and coach of the Mountain Bike Team – who got the ball rolling by inquiring whether the property just might be for sale!
Dave Weinstein, vice chair, unafraid to call people at dinner time and ask for donations.
Members of the Open Space Committee, Ralph Bonielo, Robert Studdiford, Annette Fuentes, Steve Zavetoski, George Gager, Pam Austin, Vickie Nolan, Howdy Goudey, Maryanne Pomegranate.
Brendan Moriarty, project manager for Trust for Public Land who handled property negotiations and much else. Kate Martin from Trust for Public Land provided valuable fundraising advice.
Pam Austin, the banker of the campaign, who ran our treasury!
The Trail Trekker board, Maryanne Pomegranate, Jenny Hammer, Mark Miner, Pam Austin, Tom Gehling, and Yvonne Steffen, Tim Aaronson and Carol Langhauser in the early days, for hours of planning and – more importantly — follow through.
Susan Schwartz and other members of Friends of Five Creeks for backing the campaign with funds, volunteer time, intelligence, and good cheer.
The Environmental Quality Committee for consistently voting for acquisition of open space, for putting on events to support the effort, for strategizing and for working at events and for so much more.
The Parks & Recreation Commission for supporting this effort through official votes, donations, volunteering, and more. The Arts & Culture Committee for supporting Music for Madera.
Our dedicated city staff, including Melanie Mintz, Garth Schultz, Emily Alter, Suzanne Iarla, Maria Sanders, Lisa Malek-Zadeh, Chris Jones, Bill Driscoll, and city manager Scott Hanin.
Members of the City Council, both present and immediately past, for their strong support throughout, Mayor Mark Friedman, Janet Abelson, Gabe Quinto, Jan Bridges, Rebecca Benassini. Jan Bridges deserves special thanks for challenging the campaign to up its goal to $100,000!
Keeping things organized:
Gary Hill, EC Open Space Campaign chairman and coach of the Mountain Bike Team – who got the ball rolling by inquiring whether the property just might be for sale!
Dave Weinstein, vice chair, unafraid to call people at dinner time and ask for donations.
Members of the Open Space Committee, Ralph Bonielo, Robert Studdiford, Annette Fuentes, Steve Zavetoski, George Gager, Pam Austin, Vickie Nolan, Howdy Goudey, Maryanne Pomegranate.
Brendan Moriarty, project manager for Trust for Public Land who handled property negotiations and much else. Kate Martin from Trust for Public Land provided valuable fundraising advice.
Pam Austin, the banker of the campaign, who ran our treasury!
The Trail Trekker board, Maryanne Pomegranate, Jenny Hammer, Mark Miner, Pam Austin, Tom Gehling, and Yvonne Steffen, Tim Aaronson and Carol Langhauser in the early days, for hours of planning and – more importantly — follow through.
Susan Schwartz and other members of Friends of Five Creeks for backing the campaign with funds, volunteer time, intelligence, and good cheer.
The Environmental Quality Committee for consistently voting for acquisition of open space, for putting on events to support the effort, for strategizing and for working at events and for so much more.
The Parks & Recreation Commission for supporting this effort through official votes, donations, volunteering, and more. The Arts & Culture Committee for supporting Music for Madera.
Our dedicated city staff, including Melanie Mintz, Garth Schultz, Emily Alter, Suzanne Iarla, Maria Sanders, Lisa Malek-Zadeh, Chris Jones, Bill Driscoll, and city manager Scott Hanin.
Members of the City Council, both present and immediately past, for their strong support throughout, Mayor Mark Friedman, Janet Abelson, Gabe Quinto, Jan Bridges, Rebecca Benassini. Jan Bridges deserves special thanks for challenging the campaign to up its goal to $100,000!
Publicity:
Tom Gehling for running the campaign’s website for most of the campaign, and Tim Aaronson for starting it.
Gary Hill for the great photo of his son in the Madera Open Space; it became the campaign’s “image” when used on a flyer designed by Trust for Public Land.
Chamber of Commerce manager Mark Scott for getting the word out along with Marty Kaliski of Marty’s Motors and the Chamber board.
Our local librarian Liz Ruhland who worked with Tom Gehling on a library display about the Madera Open Space
David Lingren and Ilana Schatz for facilitating an article about Trekkers in the magazine Bay Nature.
The Environmental Quality Committee for spreading the word during the El Cerrito July 4 Celebration. Corey Mason and World One Radio for a nifty radio spot!
Gary Hill and the El Cerrito Mountain Bike Team for spreading the word during Solano Stroll.
Dave Weinstein’s dog Patchie, whose image in newspaper articles on the campaign caught many an eye.
Tom Gehling for running the campaign’s website for most of the campaign, and Tim Aaronson for starting it.
Gary Hill for the great photo of his son in the Madera Open Space; it became the campaign’s “image” when used on a flyer designed by Trust for Public Land.
Chamber of Commerce manager Mark Scott for getting the word out along with Marty Kaliski of Marty’s Motors and the Chamber board.
Our local librarian Liz Ruhland who worked with Tom Gehling on a library display about the Madera Open Space
David Lingren and Ilana Schatz for facilitating an article about Trekkers in the magazine Bay Nature.
The Environmental Quality Committee for spreading the word during the El Cerrito July 4 Celebration. Corey Mason and World One Radio for a nifty radio spot!
Gary Hill and the El Cerrito Mountain Bike Team for spreading the word during Solano Stroll.
Dave Weinstein’s dog Patchie, whose image in newspaper articles on the campaign caught many an eye.
Events:
Ken and Leslie Salonen for hosting our fabulous kick-off event in their home overlooking the Madera Open Space.
Our hike leaders through the Madera Open Space: Tom Gehling, Maryanne Pomegranate, Jenny Hammer, Dave Weinstein. Many donors were inspired by these hikes.
Our hike leaders and speakers during the Hillside Festival: Rich Bartke and Tom Panas of the El Cerrito Historical Society, and the Historical Society as a whole; Janet Gawthorp and the California Native Plant Society; author Richard Schwartz; the Golden Gate Audubon Society and its members Tara McIntire and Anne Ardillo; Madera Elementary School volunteers and PTA; Jim McKissock; Susan Schwartz; plus many volunteers from the Mountain Bike Club, Trekkers and Five Creeks.
We would also like to thanks the National Park Service and NPS representative Stephen Bowes for helping develop our map to all of El Cerrito’s trails.
Vickie Nolan who organized auction items and food at the Music for Madera Festival, with Donna Houser. Susan Johnson, George Gager, Mary Barkey, Dan Smith, and many other Music for Madera volunteers!
Mike Freeman for ensuring that our first ever music festival had perfect sound!
Howdy Goudey for putting on the ‘Rebels With a Cause’ screening at the Cerrito Theater. Rialto Cinemas Cerrito for hosting the screening. Vickie Nolan, Jenny Hammer, Ralph Boniello and Brendan Moriarity for assisting.
Gary Hill, the Mountain Bike Team, and Rialto Cinemas Cerrito for screening ‘Singletrack High.’
Restoring Madera Open Space:
Jim McKissock for leading efforts to restore native vegetation on the Madera Open Space, along with Tom Gehling, Mark Miner.
Jenny Hammer and others in Trail Trekkers for improving trails on-site just enough to make them passable for our educational hikes.
Support and advice:
Keith Skinner of Berkeley Path Wanderers, and the group as a whole, for support, putting on a joint hike with Trekkers and much more.
Senator Loni Hancock, and Assembly member Nancy Skinner and Supervisor John Gioia for supporting efforts to get federal and state grants
Norman LaForce and the Sierra Club for publicity, advice, and support throughout the campaign
Ken and Leslie Salonen for hosting our fabulous kick-off event in their home overlooking the Madera Open Space.
Our hike leaders through the Madera Open Space: Tom Gehling, Maryanne Pomegranate, Jenny Hammer, Dave Weinstein. Many donors were inspired by these hikes.
Our hike leaders and speakers during the Hillside Festival: Rich Bartke and Tom Panas of the El Cerrito Historical Society, and the Historical Society as a whole; Janet Gawthorp and the California Native Plant Society; author Richard Schwartz; the Golden Gate Audubon Society and its members Tara McIntire and Anne Ardillo; Madera Elementary School volunteers and PTA; Jim McKissock; Susan Schwartz; plus many volunteers from the Mountain Bike Club, Trekkers and Five Creeks.
We would also like to thanks the National Park Service and NPS representative Stephen Bowes for helping develop our map to all of El Cerrito’s trails.
Vickie Nolan who organized auction items and food at the Music for Madera Festival, with Donna Houser. Susan Johnson, George Gager, Mary Barkey, Dan Smith, and many other Music for Madera volunteers!
Mike Freeman for ensuring that our first ever music festival had perfect sound!
Howdy Goudey for putting on the ‘Rebels With a Cause’ screening at the Cerrito Theater. Rialto Cinemas Cerrito for hosting the screening. Vickie Nolan, Jenny Hammer, Ralph Boniello and Brendan Moriarity for assisting.
Gary Hill, the Mountain Bike Team, and Rialto Cinemas Cerrito for screening ‘Singletrack High.’
Restoring Madera Open Space:
Jim McKissock for leading efforts to restore native vegetation on the Madera Open Space, along with Tom Gehling, Mark Miner.
Jenny Hammer and others in Trail Trekkers for improving trails on-site just enough to make them passable for our educational hikes.
Support and advice:
Keith Skinner of Berkeley Path Wanderers, and the group as a whole, for support, putting on a joint hike with Trekkers and much more.
Senator Loni Hancock, and Assembly member Nancy Skinner and Supervisor John Gioia for supporting efforts to get federal and state grants
Norman LaForce and the Sierra Club for publicity, advice, and support throughout the campaign
Beautiful buttons:
And last, but surely the most aesthetic: Betty Buginas and her students at Madera Elementary School for creating those beautiful, and now collectable, Madera Open Space buttons!