| | Published March 12th, 2014
| An Infant No More - Orinda Community Foundation Turns Four
| | By Laurie Snyder |  | | Representatives of local non-profits joined Orinda city leaders Feb. 27 in thanking the Orinda Community Foundation for its contributions to the community and helping the group celebrate its fourth birthday.Photo Ohlen Alexander |
"You know you're getting old when the candles cost more than the cake." - Bob Hope
A college student turning 21. A best friend hitting 50 before you do. The "Oy!" of a youngest sibling reaching retirement age. Some birthdays have a way of punctuating life's narrative more memorably than others.
In the case of the Orinda Community Foundation, the exclamation point came as the group celebrated its fourth birthday Feb. 27 with the award of $42,052 in grant funds - each dollar a candle to light up the lives of everyone from young artists to grandparents hoping to age gracefully.
Several of the checks issued will provide make-or-break funds. "We wouldn't be able to do Youth Ink without it - literally," said Christine Gkatzimas who joined Molly Wilson in representing the Orinda Junior Women's Club. The $1,000 grant awarded to the Juniors will fund prizes for students living in or attending grades six through eight in Orinda who participate in the 2014 writing competition. Author Tamara Ireland Stone will be this year's guest speaker for the April 24 awards ceremony.
Lamorinda Village vice president Skip Bradish described OCF's $3,000 award as "the nurturing" for his non-profit's launch of an initiative to help locals age in place more easily. (Learn more by reading "The New Old Age in Lamorinda" in our archive, www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue0617/The-New-Old-Age-in-Lamorinda-Aging-In-Place-Safely-and-Independently.html.)
Many of the grants will be used to demonstrate to other prospective funders that recipients are worthy of additional funding - as is happening with the Friends of the Moraga Adobe, which hopes to preserve Orinda's historic structure, and the Orinda Association - the engine that powers Orinda's Fourth of July Parade. Each group was awarded $5,000 by OCF. Both are also currently reaching out to individuals, businesses, and larger private foundations for help in raising the thousands of dollars more it will take to fulfill their respective missions.
"We provide them with funds to make it a joyous event," said OCF's executive director, Dick Westin, of the impact the OA grant has on Orinda's annual Independence Day bash. Other OCF grants will make flowers sprout from street corners, fill the hills with music, and support the installation of a scoreboard at the Wilder sports fields and of the city's public display of art across Orinda.
"Since our inception," added Westin, "we have donated $120,000 to the community. We hope to do more in the coming years with your support and the support of the community."
For more information about OCF, visit www.orindafoundation.org/.
Orinda Action Day - April 19
Whether you're wicked with a hammer, adept at making baseboards pass the white glove test, have a jolly green thumb, or just love living in Orinda, it's time to show your civic pride. Orinda Action Day 2014 is just around the corner, and organizers of the annual community cleanup need your help.
Each year, singles mingle, seniors flex their muscles, scouts and students earn crucial community service hours, and parents teach their children about the importance of community involvement. Even little ones join in the fun, helping to pick up litter while holding onto mom-hands.
Registration and check-in will begin at 9 a.m. at the Orinda Library Plaza on April 19. Drop-in registrants will be welcome the day of the event, but pre-registration is strongly encouraged in order to help event organizers ensure that each project has the necessary number of volunteers to truly make a difference. To learn more about how you can help, contact the Orinda Community Foundation: orindafoundation@gmail.com.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA