Because each cohort of incoming Fellows comes to the Foundation with an enviable track record of meaningful work experience, an eager and inquiring spirit, and the courage to question the status quo.

Because it allows me to repeatedly see our Foundation leaders at their best—opening up to the Fellows’ countless questions, continually opening doors that help Fellows build enduring professional networks, and gently explaining why we do what we do in the midst of a constantly changing world.

Because the Fellowship, as a locus for learning, provides an opportunity to explore issues, like class dynamics, that are often strangely silent in philanthropy.

Because the Fellowship alumni are energetic, creative leaders funneling resources, influencing policies, and running programs from reading and the arts to affordable housing and water systems.

Because the Fellowship opens the door, especially for people of color, to what has been the historically closed and elite—some would say elitist– circle of philanthropy.

Because working with Fellows allows me to guide, counsel, and cajole Fellows and then witness the blossoming of a wealth of talent, passion, and skills that lead to positions of greater influence, authority, and lives full of meaning.

Because our communities and neighborhoods all deserve to benefit from the richness of skilled, experienced, values-based leaders of color, our Multicultural Fellows.

Note: The deadline to apply for the fellowship is this coming Monday, March 11th.

As TSFF’s vice president of philanthropic services, Ruben will oversee our donor relations, business development, planned giving, and professional advisor relations, and championing philanthropic giving to make a great impact on the most pressing needs in the Bay Area. Ruben will work closely with our donors and Foundation Program staff to maximize our donors’ philanthropic impact, and with the professional advisor community to facilitate and enhance their clients’ charitable giving. With our philanthropic services team, Ruben will work hand-in-hand with individual and family donors to create charitable legacies that provide effective solutions to complex issues, fulfilling visions of a stronger region, and world.

Prior to joining The San Francisco Foundation, Ruben was vice president for development at the Boston Foundation where he managed and directed their new business development efforts, which include professional advisor relations, new donor cultivation, and planned gifts. During his tenure as VP, the Foundation increased its annual giving 180%, reaching a record annual amount of more than $100 million.

Ruben was the first Executive Director of the Crossroads Community Foundation, and also worked at the Council on Foundations as the Director of Community Foundation Services where he managed all services and programs for community foundation members. Ruben is a graduate from Occidental College in Los Angeles and received his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Maryland.

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On Monday’s Presidential Inauguration, Obama devoted a large portion of his speech to climate change—more than one minute out of approximately twenty—longer than any other topic. He said failure to respond to the threat “would betray our children and future generations,” and he pledged to lead the fight against climate change and toward sustainable energy solutions.

Obama’s pledge for a greener path forward fell on the same day as millions around the country and globe honored the great legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Dr. King could just as well have been speaking about the urgency of addressing climate change when he said, “we have been forced to a point where we’re going to have to grapple with the problems that men have been trying to grapple with through history, but the demand didn’t force them to do it. Survival demands that we grapple with them.”

Fast forward to Tuesday, when we brought together over forty organizations and individuals at The San Francisco Foundation, to talk about building community resilience in a time of climate change. We believe that climate change is the most pressing issue of our time and that climate change will disproportionately affect California’s most disadvantaged and isolated communities. Addressing social vulnerability and building community resilience in climate policies and response strategies will be critical to California’s future.

Representatives from government, community-based organizations, non-profits and philanthropy learned about the regional climate landscape, and steps that are being taken to adapt to the coming changes.

Our goals were clear: to not only address the issues of climate change, but to ensure that we were in it, together. That we build a strong, collective will to ensure that all of us protect and support one another in a time of crisis. And that it is vital for community members to be part of the decision making. Ideas, strategies and inspiration were flowing, and the desire to do something tangible, and immediate, were palpable. The collective wisdom in the room held the promise of deep impact and positive change.

As Dr. King said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”  If we can work together to build the resilience of the most vulnerable communities, we may be able to turn the rising tide and create a more equitable future for us all.

MEDIA TOUR:
When: Tuesday, January 29, 2013
10am to Noon

Where:  Star Route Farms
95 Olema Bolinas Road
Bolinas, California, 94924

Contact:
Helge Hellberg
Organic Consultant
h2@helgehellberg.com

Sara Ying Rounsaville
The San Francisco Foundation
syk@sff.org

(SAN FRANCISCO) – Thursday, January 24, 2013 –Veteran assistance group Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC), has been awarded a $105,000 grant from The San Francisco Foundation specifically for Veteran placement on organic farms in Marin County. The award to Farmer Veteran Coalition reflects the ongoing commitment of The San Francisco Foundation to support the health and well-being of Veterans in the Bay Area.

Four Veterans will receive paid internships with food and farm businesses in Marin County. This experience provides job skills and offers employment opportunities for returning U.S. soldiers. At the same time, the project helps participants heal from the trauma of war by working with the land and growing food.

Army Veteran Mike Walgrave is the first intern for the Marin Veteran Project. He has been placed at Warren Weber’s Star Route Farms, the oldest certified organic row crop farm in California, and Mr. Walgrave plans on becoming an organic farmer after completing the internship.

Organic Consultant and the Executive Producer of the national radio show “An Organic Conversation”, Helge Hellberg (formerly the Executive Director of Marin Organic) directs the project and serves as mentor for Mr. Walgrave.

“This is an unprecedented opportunity – Veterans can tend to the land, be surrounded by life, contribute in the production of organic food, learn job skills, and become a part of the West Marin community. It is healing for the Veterans, for the land, and for us as eaters. What a beautiful way to take care of and re-integrate our Veterans,” says Hellberg.

“The young men and women that FVC serves – many of them Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – are driven by a sense of purpose and a profound desire to nurture, whether it is with plants or animals. Sustainable agriculture gives them both,” adds Michael O’Gorman, Founder and Executive Director FVC.

“The San Francisco Foundation brings together donors and nonprofits to serve populations most in need. There is a growing number of veterans in the Bay Area looking for jobs – and many of them seek a new start through careers in farming, agriculture, and food production,” says Francesca Vietor, Environment Program Officer at The San Francisco Foundation. “Fortunately, this region is a hub for organic, sustainable, rich agriculture, and this is an emerging area of interest at The San Francisco Foundation. We are pleased to partner with The Marin Farmer Veteran project and showcase this wonderful example of how to strengthen the environment while we strengthen our communities.”

About Farmer Veteran Coalition
Farmer Veteran Coalition is a not-for-profit organization that connects military Veterans with opportunities for employment, training, and places to heal on America’s farms. Started in 2008, Farmer Veteran Coalition’s mission is to Mobilize Veterans to Feed America. By connecting Veterans with sustainable farming resources and education to assist them in building their farm and ranch businesses, Farmer Veteran Coalition helps Veterans become successful farmers. For more information about Veteran farming and Farmer Veteran Coalition’s mission to mobilize Veterans to feed America, call them at (530) 564-1226 or visit them at www.farmvetco.org

About Star Route Farms
Star Route Farms has been an organic farm in Marin County since 1974. Weber began on five acres using horse-drawn sulky plows and cultivators and a lot of long haired ambition. As pioneers in the then fledgling organic industry, Weber adopted production and post-harvest technologies–such as precision planters and hydrocooling equipment–in order to insure top quality produce for the consumer. Star Route Farms is the oldest continuously certified organic grower in California. The farm is presently certified by Marin Organic Certified Agriculture (MOCA). www.starroutefarms.com

About The San Francisco Foundation
The San Francisco Foundation (TSFF) is the community foundation serving the Bay Area since 1948, granting more than $800 million over the past ten years. Through the generosity and vision of our donors, both past and present, TSFF granted $89 million in fiscal year 2012. TSFF brings together donors and builds on community assets through grantmaking, leveraging, public policy, advocacy, and leadership development to make a greater impact in our community. By focusing on people, organizations, neighborhoods, and policy, advocacy and organizing, the Foundation addresses community needs in the areas of community health, education, arts and culture, community development, and the environment. In response to the economic downturn, TSFF is also focusing funding on safety net partners, job creation and training, and mortgage foreclosure relief and neighborhood preservation. The San Francisco Foundation serves San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, and San Mateo Counties. www.sff.org