Photo by: Vicens Vila

‘Tis the Season. As fall slips into winter and the holidays arrive, our days and weeks are filled with fanciful cooking, baking and decorating, festive parties, candle lighting, tree trimming, and celebrations with family and friends. And that’s just what happens around the house; our North Bay communities also offer a multitude of fun ways to enjoy this special time of year.

Mill Valley and San Rafael bring snow adventures to their downtown, Santa arrives in Petaluma by tugboat as part of a twinkling boat parade, with other parades gliding along the water in Sausalito and San Rafael; a tour of holiday-decorated homes delights in Kentfield and Ross, and the Nutcracker dances back into our hearts. There’s also ice skating in Tiburon, Gingerbread house-making at museums in Sausalito and Santa Rosa, horse-drawn carriage tours of the holiday lights in Novato, and of course the many tree lighting ceremonies, crafts fairs, teddy bear teas and breakfasts with Santa.

The holidays are also a time to focus on giving back and helping others. The North Bay is home to several affluent communities, yet there are many residents in need. We are fortunate to have a number of social services available, as well as the generous donations of time, money and resources from our community members. A sampling of the many ways in which you can donate time or goods this holiday season include: canned goods for the Marin Food Bank; Halo for the holidays to support Homeward Bound’s Fresh Starts Culinary Academy; Holiday Gifts of Love for the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership of Marin; Holiday Giving Trees for COTS; Gift basket deliveries for the Marin AIDS Project; and backpacks filled with warm clothing for MarinLink’s Warm Wishes program.

Giving, receiving, sharing. It’s what this time of year is all about.

Holiday Events around the Bay Area 

Ways to Help Those in Need during the Holidays

Follow along as the full list unfolds – 100 Reasons Why We Love Where We Live 

Follow the reasons on Facebook 

Posted by:  Frank Howard Allen Realtors

Many of the reasons we’ve given for loving the North Bay have been related to the natural beauty that surrounds us. But like most everyone else in the world, we also have complicated lives which can make the day-to-day very challenging. When that’s the case, the North Bay offers a respite of a human nature, with dozens of support groups for whatever the need. Here we list a good number, as well as some valuable grassroots organizations.

Nancy’s List – Nancy’s List is a grassroots movement committed to improving the lives of the many people who are living with cancer and those who love and care for them.

Network of Care – Based in San Rafael, Network of Care is a single information place where consumers, community-based organizations and municipal government workers all can go to easily access a wide variety of important health information.

Anorexia/Bulimia Support Group

ADD/ADHD Support Group 

Addiction Recovery 

Cancer Support Group for Men and Women 

Caregiver Support

Cross Disability Peer Support Group

Food addictions

Lyme Disease

Parent Support Groups

Homeward Bound of Marin 

Parkinson’s Disease Support Group

Prostate Cancer Support Group

Family/Teen support groups

Terminal Illness Counseling/Grief

Unemployment

Visually impaired Support Group

Posted by:  Frank Howard Allen Realtors

This weekend, at a CYO camp in the woods near the base of the Russian River, Hospice By The Bay held a deep, introspective and meaningful retreat for 53 children who’ve experienced a major loss. All of us, staff and volunteers alike, were delighted to have been there for the young ones, boys and girls aged 7 to 17, as they shared their feelings, lit candles, pinned up photos, read in bed with flashlights and in any number of ways celebrated life … amid activities like hiking, archery (a huge favorite), water ballooning, swimming, campfires…

Joe Smith and I, cabin buddies for seven 9 and 10 year old boys, had our hands full … and yet had time to talk, read, sleep and relax (sort of) while being there for children who … while having been dealt tremendous losses early in life …. were, while being vulnerable, learning to develop new friendships, talk about lost loved ones and honoring themselves while talking, listening and digesting. What an amazing experience.

Does anyone know how we might find those big inflatable ‘michelin tire’ suits that allow children to bounce into each other and laugh? If you do … please let us know!

Posted by:  Tom Verkozen

The natural beauty in Marin is undeniable – and a huge part of why we love living here. So it’s no wonder Marin is home to so many talented artists – in fact, West Marin and towns such as Bolinas, Mill Valley, Fairfax and Sausalito are known for their thriving artist communities. Art stores, first-class galleries and shows such as the Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival, Sausalito Arts Festival, Marin Arts Open Studios and the Marin Art Festival are popular annual showcases. And throughout the year, many towns, including Mill Valley and San Rafael, host Art Walks where businesses, stores and galleries open their doors to display local art.

One special event that showcases the beauty of Marin above all is Marin/Scapes. This fine art show brings together the work of over 60 artists at a charming winery in the heart of Marin. Always held at the beginning of July at the Escalle Winery in Larkspur, the Marin/Scapes show and sale benefits Buckelew programs that provide assistance to individuals with mental illness to live, work, learn, and participate fully in their communities.

Whatever your medium, Marin County offers plenty of inspiration, from the bay vistas to the towering redwoods to the eclectic townsfolk. Are you an artist? Where do you like to find inspiration?

Follow along as the full list unfolds – 100 Reasons Why We Love Where We Live

Posted by:  Frank Howard Allen Realtors

Most tourists and residents alike enjoy going to Pier 39 to see the California see lions sunbathe and bark – so much so that it has become one of San Francisco’s most popular attractions. Native to the California coast, the sea lions are a fixture in our waters. One fun way to learn more about them – and other marine mammals such as harbor seals and fur seals, is to visit The Marine Mammal Center (TMMC). This unique rescue/research facility is located at Fort Cronkhite and is open to visitors daily. At TMMC, you can take a guided tour and visit their facility to get up close and learn firsthand about marine life. You can also watch volunteers and staff in action by dropping into the veterinary research hospital. This time of year, June to October, you will mostly see California sea lions with some northern elephant seals.  

Current events in the Gulf have reminded us just how precious our wildlife is; this is a valuable organization that we’re proud to have nestled here in the Marin Headlands.

TMMC on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1566829010
TMMC on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TMMC 

Follow along as the full list unfolds – 100 Reasons Why We Love Where We Live

Posted by:  Frank Howard Allen Realtors

‘How Change Happens’

“Wow Tom! What a great blog post (Giving With Warm Hands, Part I). So many giving people out there, love to read stuff like this… Btw, wish I lived closer, I’d be coming to your fiesta!!!” Jennifer Sciortino 

Keep the calls and emails coming. 

As Jennifer’s laudatory email arrived, so did an email from Darcy Finlay at the Marin Community Foundation. Finlan’s email bounced to life with the following… 

Don’t you love the statement, ‘the first thing they change is themselves’?

MCF is a leader in community building and supports a world community (geriatric research) as well as providing support for local organizations (the Youth In Arts and the Italian Street Painting Festival, which is coming up the weekend of June 12)…

Continuing the theme of giving with warm hands, building community and change, my first big fundraising success developed from my column in the Marin Independent Journal about Habitat for the Humanity… which was read by some major players at GreenPoint Mortgage… who decided to donate the proceeds of a wine auction to Habitat…

The talk became, ‘So, you do fundraising, don’t you?’ … Voila, I was recruited to help run a croquet tournament for Make A Wish and we did a weekend that netted over $1M for an organization that grants wishes to children with life-threatening diseases… 

After that, Slide Ranch (where I spent 7 years as a member of the board of directors)… the last fundraiser there, at the suggestion of Doug Fergusion, was a hike from the Mountain Play, accompanied by bagpipes, to a barbeque hosted by Alice Waters …. ahhhhhh … fondly remembered as a group of us went to see this year’s total fun Mountain Play, ‘Guys and Dolls’ and did a double Stinson Beach hike (down the Matt Davis trail to the Parkside Café in Stinson for breakfast and then up the Steep Ravine trail in time for the play).

Around twelve years ago Sue Beltran and Gerri Dexter recruited me for Hospice of Marin (now Hospice by The Bay) and soon thereafter Mary ‘you don’t say no to Mary’ Taverna asked me to lunch at Fish in Sausalito … where, then and there, on the spot, I became co-chair of the hospice Gala committee with the always divinely dressed diva, Fariba Zolnasr of Old Republic Title Company … which ultimately led to my work as a patient care volunteer at hospice

Community. It’s a good thing. Support it. It’ll change your life!

Upcoming community project: Roundabouts on Bolinas Ave, the border between Ross and San Anselmo. A preliminary rendering by award-winning architect Alex Riley of Inverness is being readied for presentation to town councils by Ross neighbor/activist John Martin. (A beautiful roundabout would slow traffic at critical junctures and provide a measure of safety for our neighbors, including Cedars, Branson School and the thousands of bike riders and hikers who live here).

See? Community building is a beautiful thing.

Real Estate Planning from the Heart Part I – Giving With Warm Hands
Real Estate Planning from the Heart Part II – Giving With Warm Hands
Real Estate Planning from the Heart Part III – Giving With Warm Hands

Posted by:  Tom Verkozen

Our dear friend Carola Detrick, the executive director and chief bottle washer of Meals of Marin, an organization that for the past seventeen years has served meals to homeless people with life-threatening disease, is requesting our help.

Meals of Marin needs help from you and me, who hopefully have homes and who hopefully aren’t suffering AIDS, breast cancer or other malaise of the BIG threat ‘end-of-life’ variety.

What Carola has cut:

· nearly half of their income
· days of kitchen time from 7 to 3
· Meals of Marin still provides 7 days of meals per week per person.

Please open your heart and wallet to this great organization … please.

Meals of Marin
3095 Kerner, Suite Q
San Rafael, CA 94901
http://mealsofmarin.net 

Posted by:  Tom Verkozen

Many Southern Marin Mother’s Club (SMCC) directors and members got together over the last couple of weeks for a donation drive to help newborns in our community. We asked our members to drop off new or gently used clothing for 0 to 12 month olds at a several Marin locations (Frank Howard Allen – Mill Valley being one of them). On Earth Day, we collected all of the clothing and brought them to the Bay Club of Marin to sort the clothing and make boxes for baby girls and boys. We made 48 boxes! Each box contained clothing items for the first year of a baby’s life. Once we assembled the boxes, SMMC members delivered them to local Marin charities including Canal Alliance, Marin Abused Women’s Services and Family Services Agency of Marin.

Sure, I had other things I needed to do that day. I had an escrow that was going sideways and wasn’t in the best of moods. One of the other volunteer’s father was at Marin General because he had just had a mild heart attack (is there such a thing?). But we all dropped what we were doing and forgot about our lives to help others in our community and we had a great time doing it. Even better, a lot of the members’ children helped to participate in sorting the clothes and making the boxes!

SMMC offers many services to its own members, which is fabulous. But what was so great about this event, is that SMMC offered a way for our members to get together to give back…and not only that, but have fun while doing it. We were helping our community but also creating community at the same time.

Are you new to Marin or new to motherhood? Contact me or leave a comment below if you’d like more info about the great events and services the Southern Marin Mother’s Club has to offer!

Posted by:  Adrienne Murphy

It feels like the perfect storm is still upon us this fall: an economy in crisis, high unemployment, record home foreclosures. The result: hundreds of local community members are in need of even the basics. Additionally, many Marinites who regularly contribute to local non-profits that provide assistance now find themselves on limited budgets of their own. With a greater need, and fewer resources, it’s so important that we pitch in and help our fellow community members.

The annual Frank Howard Allen Warm Coat & Food Drive is one way to lend a hand – and it doesn’t take deep pockets. Simply clear out your closets of no-longer-needed clean, reusable coats and jackets, as well as any extra canned goods that may be in your pantry, and drop them off at any one of several office locations between November 6 and 13.

Last year we exceeded our expectations by collecting over 1,500 coats. We hope to support even more community members this year, during a time when donations matter more than ever. Two of the organizations we are supporting shared their needs with us: Homeward Bound has seen a 50% increase in demand since last year for their emergency shelter services, and they have 25 families on a waiting list for their family shelter rooms. Meanwhile Marin Food Bank is in need of 2-3 times more food donations this year than last to meet Marin County’s rising need for food assistance.

Please drop off donations at the following Frank Howard Allen office locations. We thank you in advance for any donations you can spare.

Donation Drop-Off Locations:
Greenbrae: 511 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard
Mill Valley, Downtown: 25 East Blithedale Avenue
Mill Valley, Strawberry: 1204 Strawberry Village
Novato: 915 Diablo Avenue
Petaluma: 905 E. Washington Street, Suite 109
San Rafael: 700 Fifth Avenue
Santa Rosa: 460 Mission Boulevard
Sausalito*: 215 Second Street
Tiburon: 1660 Tiburon Boulevard

*Independently owned and operated brokerage

Donations to benefit the following organizations:
Homeward Bound of Marin and Marin Food Bank (Greenbrae, Mill Valley, San Rafael and Tiburon offices); New Beginnings Center and Marin Food Bank (Novato office); Petaluma People Services (Petaluma office); Redwood Gospel Mission (Santa Rosa office).

Posted by:Noreen Smith