2018–2019 School Year ANNUAL REPORT A Message from Mandi Billinge Executive Director and Founder of KIDS for the BAY
KIDS for the BAY is thrilled to launch our harmful chemicals into “Humans can be a part of Blue Watershed Classrooms Program ground water, breaks down a healthy watershed too, in the current 2019 – 2020 school year! into microscopic particles especially if we're working This new teacher follow-up program will and infiltrates food chains. together to keep it clean!” inspire and support our partner teachers One example of the harmful in developing watershed-friendly, Zero- impacts of plastic pollution —Nick, Fourth Grade Student, Waste classroom communities, and is Bisphenol A (BPA), a toxic Ohlone Elementary School, Hercules engaging their school students and bi-product of the break down families in working together to help the environment. Blue of plastic. BPA is present in Watershed Classrooms will be offered to teachers who have many hard plastics that we use previously participated in our programs. KIDS for the BAY will every day. It also leaches into develop a growing network of Blue Watershed Classroom food and water supplies and communities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. humans and other organisms are widely exposed to it. The Blue Watershed Classroom Program includes: Exposure to BPA is linked to reproductive disorders, heart • Engaging Classroom Lessons focusing on our unique San disease and cancer. Francisco Bay watershed and how we are all connected to Plastic is cheap, durable and over-used, but there are this special environment alternatives to this highly toxic, polluting product. Teachers • School campus and neighborhood trash clean-up projects and students in Blue Watershed Classrooms (BWC) will learn • Important, everyday classroom changes to reduce trash how we are all connected with the watershed we live and and waste go to school in and how we can reduce pollution to this • Five Rs projects (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot and Refuse) watershed, especially by reducing plastic trash and waste. BWC students will educate their families, buddy classes and • Nature-based Field Trips with trash clean-up projects even their entire school communities about reducing plastic • Schoolwide outreach projects to engage entire school trash and waste. BWC partner teachers will engage students communities. and families in their efforts to strive for Zero-Waste in all aspects of classroom and family life. A new generation of Trash and waste, especially plastic trash and waste, is a environmentally conscious citizens and consumers will put growing pollution problem in our urban creek waterways, in pressure on industry to find new and creative ways to address the San Francisco Bay and in the Pacific Ocean. Macro and the problems of plastic pollution. micro plastics seriously impact the health of all organisms We have already received many applications to our new and contribute to the deaths of BWC program! Thank you so much to our wonderful partner aquatic life in our watersheds. Plastic teachers who care so much about environmental education, pollution accumulates on beaches about protecting our environment and about developing a and in the open water and kills new generation of environmentalists! animals by ingestion, entanglement and suffocation. Plastic leaches
KIDS for the BAY Staff Mandi Billinge, Executive Director/Founder Valerie Lowe, Program Manager Asha Bucklin, Communications Manager Cynthia Deleon, Program Manager Marianne Keith, Lead Program Manager Amina Khribeche, Environmental Educator
KIDS for the BAY
Advisory Board Members Welcome to our new Advisory Board Member, Leilani Alo, Advisory Board President TIFFANY GRANDSTAFF! Kimberly Aguilar Tiffany is the Director of Communications for the UC Berkeley A Project of Tiffany Grandstaff Library. She leads a team of designers, writers and editors who Elaine Miyamori unearth interesting and untold stories and dream up fun and creative ways to share the Library’s mission with the world. Tiffany Shefali Shah is a nature-lover and parent and she is excited to help lead KIDS Sheela Shankar for the BAY in developing a new Strategic Communications Plan. IN THE 2018-19 SCHOOL YEAR: Stege Sanitary District - KIDS for the BAY Ten-Year Partnership and the California Special Services Districts AWARD! KIDS for the BAY and Stege Sanitary District, located in El Cerrito, celebrated Ten Years of Partnership in summer 2019. Through this partnership, KftB has shared the important message that, "A healthy sanitary sewer “The Stege Sanitary District is a proud supporter of KIDS for the BAY and our decade-long partnership system helps our creeks and was recently honored with the 2019 EXCEPTIONAL our bay," with more than 600 PUBLIC OUTREACH & ADVOCACY AWARD BY THE local students. Students have CALIFORNIA SPECIAL DISTRICTS ASSOCIATION learned that "FOGS" or Fats, (CSDA). The District plans to continue this successful Oils, and Greases are dangerous partnership for at least another ten years!” “I told my grandma about in the sanitary sewer system —Rex Delizio, P.E., District Manager/Engineer, Stege Sanitary District, El Cerrito FOGs and now she uses the because they can harden and scraper whenever she cooks. cause polluted water to back She lets the oil harden up into our neighborhood creeks, storm drains and the bay. Every year, our young before scraping it off and environmentalists are excited to spread this message and take action for a healthy putting it in the trash.” sanitary sewer system to protect our local watershed! —Adalee, Fourth Grade Student, Madera Elementary School, We are thrilled for Stege Sanitary District to receive this important award in El Cerrito recognition of their work in the community in partnership with KIDS for the BAY!
New Five-Year Donor Spotlight: Contract with Alameda Leilani Alo We would like to sincerely thank Countywide Clean Leilani Alo for her support for KIDS Water Program for the BAY as a major donor for over 20 years and as an EverGreen Over the next five years 2,400 KIDS for Monthly Donor for more than five the BAY students throughout Alameda years! In addition to generously County will present more than 80 donating herself, Lani encourages Schoolwide Assembles to teach more Leilani Alo (right) and her partner Kathy Azada, her friends and family members than 15,000 of their peer students who is also a donor to KIDS for the BAY! to also make donations and she how to prevent storm water pollution, has inspired some key major donors who also support our work. Thank thanks to our new five-year contract with you so much, Lani, for helping KIDS for the BAY bring environmental the Alameda Countywide Clean Water education programs to all children! Program (ACCWP). This contract will continue to support our Schoolwide Storm “I support KIDS for the BAY because I believe strongly in the mission — Drain Rangers Program. In this engaging to inspire environmental consciousness in children and cultivate a love environmental science education program, of learning. I continue to be inspired by the leadership and effectiveness students learn how their neighborhoods of the organization. With a modest budget, the team achieves great are connected to their local creeks and things, reaching thousands of students every year with environmental the San Francisco Bay via the storm drain science education. On a personal note, I believe that in nature, kids system and take action to reduce storm get to be their true selves — having fun, exploring and learning. Those water pollution, and protect their local experiences and that learning lasts a lifetime and every child should watershed. The ACCWP promotes storm have this opportunity, no matter what school they go to or where they water education throughout Alameda live. I am and will continue to be a proud and grateful supporter of KIDS County and KIDS for the BAY is very for the BAY.” thankful for their support of our work. —Leilani Alo 3 IN THE 2018-19 SCHOOL YEAR, KIDS FOR THE BAY DELIVERED PROGRAMS TO 4,589 STUDENTS AND 161 TEACHERS
it!” exclaimed Cadir, a fourth grade student. The young Turning Students onto Science scientists studied the organisms in two-way microscopes Discovering Nature in our Urban Wilderness and drew and labeled them in scientific drawings. They learned which species are indicators of polluted or cleaner There are many hidden pockets of nature in our local creek habitats. Students also observed adult mayflies urban areas! Discovering nature in these special places flying around the creek and one even landed on a lucky provides the opportunity for exciting student named Carmen! With the help of hands-on science learning. Fourth grade the students, Ms. Cynthia carefully returned scientists from Washington Elementary all the organisms back to their creek habitat School were very excited to walk from and made sure that all rocks were left back their school campus to meet KIDS for in place, to leave no trace after the aquatic the BAY Instructor Cynthia De Leon at a invertebrate study was completed. beautiful hidden section of Strawberry Creek. The students loved learning about Fourth grade teacher Oscar Zarate shared this special creek that starts its journey in that he and his students really enjoyed the Berkeley hills, flows through the UC the Creek Field Trip and learned a lot of Berkeley Campus and close to their school science! “Cynthia did a great job of leading neighborhood, before entering the San instruction with visuals, songs, identification Francisco Bay near Sea Breeze Café. sheets, hands-on activities and interesting information,” he said. “This Field Trip Students and parent chaperones alike really engaged all of my students’ different were thrilled to discover mayfly nymphs, learning styles. It was also very meaningful gill snails, stone fly nymphs and midge for them to clean up trash and help the fly larvae living in the creek. “I never creek environment.” knew this creek had so much life in
Connecting Students with Nature In the 2018-19 school year, KIDS for the BAY students went on creek, San Francisco Bay and ocean habitat Field Trips to: n Berkeley Marina n Martinez Marina n Strawberry Creek, Berkeley n Brannan Island, Antioch n Muir Beach, Marin County n Sunol Regional Wilderness n Crab Cove, Alameda n Rodeo Beach, Sausalito n Walnut Creek Civic Park n Keller Beach, Richmond n Sausal Creek, Oakland n Wildcat Creek, Richmond
Exploring Sunol Regional Wilderness In order to love and respect nature, students must have the opportunity to directly experience nature, and to feel that they are connected to and are an important part of nature. Unfortunately, even here in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area, many students and families, especially in low-income areas, don’t have easy access to nature. KIDS for the BAY helps to ensure access and connection to nature for all. On a sunny spring day in May, fifth grade students from Eldridge Elementary School in Hayward were thrilled to go on a creek Field Trip to Sunol Regional Wilderness! Student scientists met Alameda Creek by sitting quietly along the beautiful riverside, observing their surroundings and listening, smelling and touching. One student named Juan Carlos
continued on page 5 4 continued from page 4 described, “It smells like fresh leaves.” students spotted many bird species Students ended their hiking adventure Another student named Sebastian including black phoebes, violet-green under the shade of some large live oak added, “The water is so cold and clear.” swallows and mallard ducks. trees, where they reflected on their “Today, we are going to become science As they hiked, students also identified nature experiences through art. The explorers,” exclaimed Ms. Marianne! many native plants including California young artists used oil pastels to draw “To begin, we are going to take a hike in buckeyes, valley oaks, and coastal live their favorite memory or discovery. One this new land and see how many birds oak trees. During their Environmental student named Carlos drew the hermit and plants we can find along the way.” Action Project at Sheep Camp Creek, thrush bird he spotted beside the creek, Student scientists Eldridge Elementary students had while his mom, a parent chaperone, used binoculars already planted live oak acorns and drew the California blackberries they and field guides buckeye seeds to help restore the creek identified on the hike. as tools. They in the Sunol area that their drinking Bringing students and families were very excited water travels through on its way to their to nature and giving them the to exercise their faucets! They were excited to see the opportunity to explore their recently acquired same types of trees, fully grown in this surroundings and connect with bird identification part of their watershed. After the hike, nature creates a long lasting bond. skills! Standing on one student named Alejandro shared, The stronger the bond the more the bridge crossing “I learned how different leaves can be. willing students are to protect the Alameda Creek, There are so many types and shapes!” environment we all share.
Inspiring Environmental Action n Led Schoolwide Assemblies educating 3,200 additional peer students about the importance of reducing trash, waste and In the 2018-19 school year, KIDS for the BAY students: plastic pollution and using the Five Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, n Cleaned up 96,665 pieces of trash (1,703 gallons) Rot and Refuse) from their local watershed environment n Made natural pesticides for their school and home gardens n Pledged to reduce their water usage to conserve n Taught their families and peer students how to prepare and vital water resources cook bay fish to reduce intake of toxins n Planted 133 native plants to help restore local n Studied the impacts of ocean acidification on shelled organisms creek habitats and worked to reduce their carbon footprints at their schools.
Student-Led Assemblies harm, through powerful, student-led and creating plastic waste has on the Inspire Their Peers Assemblies. Twenty-two Assemblies environment. “I care about cleaning up If it can be done, it can be done successfully reached entire school pollution because there are animals better with friends! That’s why KIDS communities and educated 3,200 that think the trash is food! They can for the BAY empowers whole classes additional peer students! die from eating it!” shared Delver. of students to work together to take Student Assembly leaders shared that “The thing to remember about the direct environmental action and birds, fish, turtles, dolphins, sharks problem of marine plastic pollution is gives them the tools to reach out to and even whales can be seriously this: We can fix it! We can prevent it! their communities. One crucial way harmed by plastic waste. More than The Five Rs are an important way to we do this is by helping students to 1,200 species of marine animals are reduce, reuse, recycle, rot, and refuse perform Schoolwide Assemblies. This impacted by plastic, through ingestion trash,” shared the Madison Elementary past school year, 450 KIDS for the BAY or entanglement each year, both of School students. The audience was left students made which can injure with a feeling of hope and motivation the decision to and even kill them. to take care of their watershed and become activists Third grade students environment. As the third graders and environmental at James Madison were packing up their props, a fifth campaigners by Elementary School grade student named Lucy exclaimed, spreading the in San Leandro “Great job! We have to make less knowledge that found that sharing trash!” Students teaching students is a a little marine powerful images powerful demonstration of the ripple plastic pollution of injured animals affect that one group of young activists can cause a illustrated the direct can have throughout their school whole lot of impact that littering community." 5 KIDS for the BAY Guardian Award 2019
KIDS for the BAY’s Guardian Awards are bestowed on teachers and principals who show their commitment to one or more of our programs and continue to teach our programs year after year as part of their science curriculum.
to help their watershed. For the Paden Elementary School, Alameda “The students past three years, the school has KIDS for the BAY was thrilled to present Paden Elementary already have the bay organized Schoolwide Trash Free School in Alameda with our 2019 Guardian Award, honoring in their backyard Tuesday (TFT) events, in which the school’s three years of dedication to our Schoolwide that serves as our students and staff brought Zero or Science and Environmental Action Program (SW) and their outdoor science lab. Reduced Waste Lunches to school. commitment to environmental education through action. These lessons have At one of this year’s tied it all together Paden Elementary School, whose official slogan “I love science and I love TFT events, students for them. Now they is “Learn and Play by the Bay”, began the SW KIDS for the BAY!” counted 679 reusable know what actually Program during the 2016/17 school year. Each items or pieces —Amy, Kindergarten Student lives out there.” year, the students learn about a new habitat of trash that they in the San Francisco Bay Watershed. After prevented from entering the landfill! —Ms. Hodgkinson, three years of participation, every student has now studied Principal Sarratore shared that he First Grade Teacher creek, bay, and ocean ecosystems. Paden Elementary School has noticed a change in the student’s Principal Drew Sarratore shared, “The Schoolwide program outlooks and behaviors after completing the KIDS for the BAY has given our kids an actual connection to the bay. They program. “Students check in with each other to encourage see it every day at recess, but this program really connects more recycling and composting. I have also noticed fewer them with it.” plastic bags in students’ lunches and Student scientists at Paden less trash in the school yard.” Elementary investigated how Thank you, Paden Elementary creek, bay and ocean ecosystems School, for your dedication to are affected by types of pollution providing your students with produced by humans. Paden’s hands-on science education and young environmentalists were inspiring environmental action! then inspired to take action
KIDS for the BAY Past Staff Highlights Jocelyn Pierre-Antoine Jocelyn was one of our first Program Managers at KIDS for the BAY from 1998 – 2000. Building on her experience as a former partner classroom teacher in our Watershed Action Program, Jocelyn helped to develop KIDS for the BAY programs to provide the best possible support for our partner teachers. She went on to continue her teaching career as a third grade teacher at Saint Edward School in Newark, then as the School Principal at Saint Bede School in Hayward. Jocelyn is now one of the Associate Superintendents for the Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Oakland. She focuses on leadership for mission and professional learning and she is thrilled to support school principals, teachers and school communities in this work. We are so proud of Jocelyn’s outstanding work in education and her connection to KIDS for the BAY! “I am grateful for my time working at KIDS for the BAY. Mandi's vision to provide hands-on environmental science lessons, for students to be fully engaged in taking care of their local community and empowered to be agents of change, is truly inspiring. I enjoyed collaborating with so many dedicated teachers and loved the opportunity to work closely with students who care so deeply for our environment. The lessons I learned through my experiences at KIDS for the BAY have influenced my work as an educator for almost 20 years.” —Jocelyn Pierre-Antoine
6 Summer Camp 2019 Hands-on science & nature exploration
KIDS for the BAY Campers spent the summer exploring and learning in creek, bay and ocean habitats and playing with friends in nature! Our favorite moments included: n Visiting the ocean shoreline and finding crabs hiding in the sand n Discovering turtles, dragonflies and damselflies in lake and creek habitats n Collecting and studying plankton in field microscopes at Crab Cove n Hiking on beautiful trails, meeting California quail and hearing the calls of coyotes n Preparing seed balls full of beautiful native flowers to plant and grow at home n Enjoying team work with friends while kayaking on the bay at “My son Berkeley Marina absolutely loved it. n Making fish prints with striped bass and learning about fish He said it was the best adaptations camp he's ever done!” n Becoming nature artists at Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands —Summer Camp n Cleaning up trash and plastic pollution all around the San Francisco Parent Bay Area.
“Kaeli’s counsellor was excellent! When I picked her up each day I “I don’t want heard about all the fun this day to be things she did!” over — I want 20 more hours of camp!” —Sharline, Summer Camp Parent —Eli, age 8, Camper
Statement of Financials July 2018 – June 2019
SUPPORT AND REVENUE Total Support and Revenue...... $501,917 Financial Position as of June 2019 n Government Contracts...... $159,844 (32%) Assets...... $574,574 n Foundation and Corporate Grants.... $127,190 (25%) Liabilities...... $95,569 n Service Revenue...... $144,040 (29%) Net Assets...... $479,005 n Donations...... $70,843 (14%)
EXPENSES Total Expenses:...... $462,827 n Program...... $361,005 (78%) n Administration, Development and Fundraising...... $101,822 (22%)
7 Thank you to our generous funders and donors in the 2018-2019 School Year!
Foundations, Corporations, Public Agencies, and Other Funders Alameda Countywide Clean Water Program City of Antioch East Bay Community Foundation: Alameda County Fish and Game City of El Cerrito – Kevin Collins Fund for Children Commission City of Hercules ICF Engineering Avila and Associates Consulting Engineers, City of Orinda San Francisco Foundation: Inc City of Pittsburg Youth Access to Nature Barrios Trust City of Pleasant Hill Silicon Valley Community Foundation: Berkeley Rotary Club City of San Pablo – Daphne and Stuart Wells Fund Berkeley Garden Club Conservation City of Walnut Creek – Hancock Family Fund Committee Clif Bar Family Foundation – Tundra Glarier Fund California Coastal Conservancy – Explore Contra Costa County Fish and Stege Sanitary District the Coast Wildlife Committee The Bernard Osher Foundation Cheese Board Pizza Collective Dean and Margaret Lesher Foundation Tides Foundation – J. Vance Huckins Fund City of Alameda Town of Danville EverGreen Monthly Donors Club Alison and Virgil Rhodius Leilani Alo* Sumana Rao Annika Rudback Mandi Billinge and James Kliegel Tiffany Grandstaff* Gaby Antonova Robert and Edna Cox Tricia Andres and Jacki Murray Jessica Nusbaum and Chris Jannusch Sheela Shankar* and Anthony DeCicco Kimberly Aguilar* Shefali Shah* and Saleem Shakir-Gilmore
Individual Donors ENVIRONMENTAL Jacki Murray and Tricia Andres Robert J. and Margaret DeCicco Janet & Alan Gervolstad VISIONARIES ($10,000+) Jessica Nusbaum and Sue Burt Johnny Roberts Ricardo Torres and Nat Damon Chris Jannusch Susan Schwartz Kathleen Azada Kimberly Aguilar* Toni Garrett Marianne Keith WATERSHED ACTIVISTS Robert and Edna Cox Wick Pancoast and Mike & Sue Mannshardt ($5,000+) Sheela Shankar* and Carrie Wilson Paulina and Ivan Chotov John Ottoboni Anthony DeCicco Russel Kliegel Zac and Amy Weinberg, Shefali Shah* and CLASSROOM WORKSHOP Sonia Kirova The Angora Ridge Foundation Saleem Shakir-Gilmore SPONSORS ($50+) Tracey Shababo Sumana Rao Barb and Ed Vasquez Vicki and Dave Shreiner ESTUARY GUARDIANS Darlene Ceremello ($2,500) FIELD TRIP SPONSORS Ekaterina Radeva SUMMER CAMP Jonathan Sorof ($150+) J. Patrick Stair SCHOLARSHIP FUND Denise Montgomery Kim Lewis Alison Makipour HABITAT PROTECTORS John and Jacqui Billinge Magi and George Petkovi Amie Fishman ($1,000+) Joshua Rai Margaret M. Kliegel Amy Waxman Daphne & Stuart Wells Margaret Norman and Marlene Nusbaum Donna Lee Gail and Charles Entriken, Geoff Holton Mike & Sue Mannshardt Garth Schultz The Entriken Foundation Tanya Valova and Thomas True Nick Griffin Kate Miller Kuppe and Shaku Shankar Tiffany Grandstaff* Sumana Rao Kevin Jude Leilani Alo* Susan Wilde Mandi Billinge Lynn Landor ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION Winnie Tan Melanie Tang PROJECT SPONSORS ($100+) BAY SPONSORS ($500+) Miranda Worthen Andrew Lurie ENVIRONMENTALISTS Naomi Schiesel Mandi Billinge and Annika Rudback (UP TO $50) James Kliegel Rebecca Meyer Arthur Clinton Brian and Emily Lowe Sheela Shankar Susan Goldstein and Andy Kivel Bhavana Mody Bruce Lin Sarah and Andreas Birkedal Silvia Yee Burton MacArthur Jr. Claire McMurtry Tara Cyphers CREEK STEWARDS ($250+) Cam and Dennis Wolff Corey Chan Alison Pope-Rhodius and Denise Brown Cynthia DeLeon Virgil Rhodius Elaine Miyamori Elizabeth Beeby Fred and Wendy Keith Gaby Antonova Charli and John Danielsen * Advisory Board Member
KIDS for the BAY: 1771 Alcatraz Avenue, Berkeley, California 94703 | 510-985-1602 | www.kidsforthebay.org