Summer 2014 & Summer Classes Catalogue The Journal of the San Geronimo Valley Community Center The Valley Gym and Loft at 5 Years …Exceeding All Expectations by Don Holmlund The San Geronimo Valley Gym and Loft was completed almost five years ago; the official opening of the Loft Youth Center was in October of 2009, and the first basketball games on the beautiful maple Gym floor were held in January 2010. As so many Valley residents played very important roles in providing ideas, funds, and manual labor in building the Gym, Stone Soup is taking a brief look back at the building of the Gym, surveying how it is used today, and sampling some opin- ions as to its importance to the Valley. A Gym in the San Geronimo Valley was envisioned as early as the 1970’s by John Beckerley, Peter Oppenheimer, Dave Cort, the Saturday morning basketball group, and oth- ers. Steve Kinsey, Jasper Thelin, John Smithyman and others kept dreaming and planning of a Gym throughout the 1980’s. Revivir la Cultura Dancers take a bow at the 2013 Mexican Art Festival (photo by These dreams were always met with a smile and called impossi- D. Mundo). ble amid the realities of a school district with very little money and many other priorities for Marin County funds. In the early 2000’s, many factors were converg- Mexican Art Festival ing to begin making this impossibility a reality. A Gym Saturday, June 21, Noon – 5:00 PM Committee had been meeting and making proposals; Free, Bilingual & Fun for All Ages Valley Coed Basketball league in action (photo by Andrew Giacomini, who successfully helped raise funds to Sam Davidson). build the new ballfield in Woodacre, knew of civic minded Featuring Norteño rising stars Tenientes del Norte people who wanted to help out on another project; County See page 10 for more info. Supervisor Steve Kinsey hinted that he might be able to secure County money to help with a project; the Marin Community Foundation hinted that they might be able to help; and a Valley family foundation implied that they would help as well. The Boards of the San Geronimo Valley Community Center and the Lagunitas School District held numerous and lengthy meetings and discussions, and voted in 2005 to embark on a Joint Building Program and a Joint Usage Program. Essential to all of this was a Fundraising Committee (the Gym Committee) headed by Andrew and Susi Giacomini, and there were many fundraisers, letters, and tele- phone calls from many volunteers asking for funds to build the Gym. Plans were drawn up for the Gym, revised to include a teen center upstairs, later named The Loft, and con- struction began in 2007. Alexis Persinger was our architect and Greystone West provided construction management. While Alten Construction were the contractors on the project, donated labor, including contractors, and volunteer efforts were numerous and heroic. Joe Brown, Jim Purkey, and Marc Warner were instrumental in the construction of the building. Tom Carmody oversaw the electrical work; Van Midde Concrete was amazing, Rick Scarborough and Dominic Berardi did the tile work; Richard Sloan headed up a volunteer day at the Gym, Avis Licht helped with landscaping. Once again, Valley folk too numerous to name pitched in on various projects. Check out the appreciation wall in the lobby to see the names of all of the building’s heroes. During the entire construction phase, various fundraising events were held. Among them were Valley Games started in 2007 and have been bi-annual since then, with Jasper Thelin and Mike Davidson as co-commissioners. The Chavez Family shot 49,000 free throws to Inside! (continued on page 2) Performing Arts & Events Valley Resource Center The Usual Spring Art Show, Pages 9, 11 Horizons, Page 4 Rolling Stones, Page 2 Alphabet Soup, Page 12 Mexican Art Festival, Page 10 Senior Programs, Page 4 Volunteer Profile, Page 3 Q & Artist, Page 12 SF Mime Troupe, Page 10 School Readiness Program, Page 5 Volunteers, Page 3 Wilderness Calls, Page 13 Sandra Valls, Page 10 Food Bank Banter, Page 5 The Loft, Page 6 Valley Environmental News, Page 13 Gallery Art Shows, Page 11 Healthy Choices Day, Page 6 Movie Muse, Page 16 “Hey, Hey, LBJ,” page 11 Community News Lagunitas School District, Page 7 Community Calendar, Page 20 Michael McQuilkin’s Family Music Hour, Cuba Trip, Page 5 Milestones, Page 7 Page 11 Marin County Parks, Page 6 Fund Development, Page 8 San Geronimo Summer Rock Festival, Healthy Community Collaborative Updates, Thank You, Donors, Page 8 Page 11 Pages 14-15 Building Partners in Prevention, Page C-4 San Geronimo Valley Community Center ECR WSS Non-Profit Org. PO Box 194, San Geronimo, CA 94963 Postal Customer U.S. Postage PAID Lagunitas, CA Permit No. 1 Rolling Stones Gym and Loft at 5 Years (continued from page 1) raise over $20,000. Al Baylacq and Good Earth kept everyone well fed during the by Dave Cort, Executive entire process. The impossible became a Director reality and construction was completed in late 2009. This Rolling Stones column is dedicated to Larry Enos From the very beginning, the Gym and Sally Hutchinson who are retiring from the Lagunitas and Loft have been used practically every School District on June 30, 2014, after 4 decades of day of the week year round. In addition unprecedented service to the children and families of the to being used during school hours as a San Geronimo Valley. P.E. venue, this is what the Gym looks “Ch Ch Ch Changes!” As David Bowie said there is a like today on a daily schedule. whole lot of change going on around the Valley. Times Monday: Open Gym for Loft mem- of change and transition can be very stressful for a bers and Women’s Open Gym Basketball community and the people who live in the commu- Under construction, 2008. nity. At the same time a lot of growth, learning, and Tuesday: Open Gym for Loft members evolution have the opportunity to take place. Wednesday: Open Gym for Loft members and Men’s Open Gym Basketball Here at the Community Center our Board of Directors are involved in a long-range strate- Thursday: Ping Pong after Senior Lunch, Open Gym for Loft members, and Sweat Your Prayers gic planning process to map out goals and directions for the Community Center over the Friday: Special events next three to five years. We have been blessed to have San Geronimo resident Mike Howe facilitating this process. Mike has had an amazing career working as the CEO of the East Saturday: Basketball leagues during the season Bay Community Foundation for fifteen years. Also, Mike was a founding program officer at Sunday: Table Tennis for adults and kids at all skill levels the Marin Community Foundation and was a professor of sociology at the University of San It is a rare day or evening when there are no activities in the Gym or Loft. Francisco. Mike has met a number of times with our Board of Directors and has completed The Loft is a diverse, youth-driven teen program dedicated to promoting personal and group devel- interviews with staff members, community members, funders, and more. We will be reporting opment through fun events, creative expression, community activism, youth empowerment, mentoring, to the community soon on our new strategic directions. and the open exchange of ideas. The Loft is for all youth in 4th grade and up. The Loft is also quite busy, Our Stone Soup quarterly newsletter will be in transition, as Larry and Barbara Brauer and is open until 5:00 after school Monday through Thursday. Recent special events include a Youth will be handing off Stone Soup. See the accompanying article on page 3 of Stone Soup. Leadership Institute, a Youth Job Fair, Metal Arts classes with Griffe Griffin, Cooking Classes, weekly Deep, deep, appreciations to Larry and Barbara for coordinating and producing Stone hikes, and monthly pancake breakfasts with Dads. Soup for the past ten years. We are happy to let you know that Barbara will still be Many of those who use the Gym and Loft today were very involved here as a member of our Board of Directors. recently asked to comment on the Gym five years later. Sweat Your Prayers, a weekly dance event which some have called a The Lagunitas School District is going through a major transition with the retirement spiritual experience in addition to a workout, has been held of Larry Enos and Sally Hutchinson who have been cornerstones of the District since in the Gym for 4 years; a solid core of about 40 regular danc- the 1970’s. Howie and I were honored to attend a retirement party for Larry that was ers comes every week and newcomers are welcome. Sandra put on by both the Lagunitas and Bolinas/Stinson School District’s in late May. Fellow Fitting, one of the organizers of this event with her husband teachers, School Board members, and administrators who worked with Larry and Dan, says that it is an enchanting place to dance and that they Sally throughout their careers attended the heartfelt gathering on a beautiful Sunday “love the Gym and foresee using it for years to come.” Mike afternoon at the Inverness Yacht Club overlooking the Tomales Bay. Larry and Sally’s Davidson, director of the St. Cecilia’s youth basketball program colleagues told incredible stories and their son Dylan who had recently returned from in the Valley and one of the major users of the Gym between a semester of study in India got the tears rolling as he shared his thoughts and feelings November and March, said, “the Gym has accomplished exact- about his dad and mom.