“Our need will be the real creator,” said Plato.
It was the late 2000s and the Great Recession, and subsequent reduced revenues, forced the City of Orinda to cut back drastically on its funding of community services and events.
Sue Severson was the Orinda mayor and she, along with four other volunteers, created the Orinda Community Foundation (OCF), with the goal of creating an organization to help fill the gap for essential community support services.
“OCF is a one-stop shop for supporting non-profits in Orinda,” Severson explained. “We raise money from the community and give it back to the community through multiple non-profits.”
Richard Westin, co-founder and current OCF President said, “We donate every dollar we raise.”
The OCF has no paid staff – the work is shared by the all-volunteer Board of Trustees. The current 14 trustees bring a wide variety of governance experiences to keep the non-profit functioning efficiently. The unifying desire is to keep Orinda special for its residents.
“We focus on being efficient – careful with expenses, but generous with donations,” added Westin.
OCF’s simple process is to raise most of the funds from the community by sending out a newsletter with a donation envelope. Grant applications are accepted in September and October, with grant recipient winners announced in November.
Trustees selected 21 beneficiary organizations whose grant proposals promise to enhance the quality of life in Orinda.
Although focused on Orinda, OCF also provides grants to non-profits like the Lamorinda Idol and Lamorinda Adult Respite Center (LARC), which support the greater Lamorinda community.
The list of recipients ranges from the 4th of July Parade and Car Show to Concerts in the Park, Youth Ink Writing Contest and Senior Field Trips.
Although many of this year’s recipients have received OCF grants in previous years, two new ones include Fire Safe Moraga Orinda (FSMO) and Xenophon Therapeutic Riding Center.
Mari Parino, Executive Director of Xenophon, a therapeutic riding center offering services to children with disabilities, veterans and others, is very appreciative of the OCF grant.
“Each dollar helps offer life-changing experiences for individuals with a wide range of disabilities,” she said.
FSMO is a new non-profit that helps residents prepare for and respond to the effects of wildfire.
“We appreciate the OCF grant to help us get started,” said FSMO President Dennis Fay.
“The Orinda Community Foundation is a wonderful asset for Orinda in building the community with respect to promoting arts, encouraging talent and retaining our history,” said Steve Harwood, chair of Lamorinda Idol.
Thanks to the generosity of Orinda residents, nearly $600,000 has been donated by OCF to various community non-profit organizations since its inception in 2010.
