community outreach
The Outdoor Art Club has been a cornerstone of philanthropy in the Mill Valley community and beyond for over 120 years. Its legacy began with initiatives such as establishing safe playgrounds for children, collaborating with town trustees to maintain cleanliness in streets, hillsides, water bodies, and extending support to individuals in times of disasters and personal crises. Over the years, it has contributed to various governmental improvements, including the introduction of home postal delivery and the installation of the town flagpole. With the construction of its building, the Club became a hub for community events, further fostering cohesion among residents.
Press
JANUARY 2024 | ENJOY MILL VALLEY
Outdoor Art Club Doles Out $75,000 via 14 Grants to Local Organizations Throughout Marin
JANUARY 2023 | ENJOY MILL VALLEY
Outdoor Art Club Doles Out $72,000 via 20 Grants to Local Organizations Throughout Marin
AUGUST 2022 | MARIN MAGAZINE
A Woman’s Place – The Outdoor Art Club Celebrates 120 Years of Conservation Activism
JUNE 2022 | ENJOY MILL VALLEY
Outdoor Art Club Awards $1,000 Leadership Scholarship to Tam High Senior Natalie Wong
Grants
The Outdoor Art Club’s impact extends through direct financial support in the form of grants, to non-profit organizations nominated by its members. Over the last fifty years the Club has donated over $925,000. These grants align with the OAC’s core values, particularly in the realms of environmental conservation, women’s initiative, and supporting the underserved. Additionally, the Club awards Leadership Scholarships to promising young women at Tamalpais High School and allocates Board-designated grants to address urgent needs stemming from events such as the 2017 Sonoma Complex fires and the COVID-19 pandemic.
2023 – 2024 Grants
Call of the Sea – Scholarship support for three classrooms from under-served schools to take a three-hour educational sail in San Francisco Bay. Educational content covers areas such as Marin Biology, Sustainability and Nautical Science.
Center for Domestic Peace – Fund In This Together therapy program for children who have witnessed domestic abuse. About 60 non-abusing parents with 100 children will participate in parent & child therapy sessions thus helping to alleviate long-term impacts to their health.
The Curtain Theatre — Costume rentals for free-to-the-public performances of the 2024 productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Old Mill Park.
Dance Arts — Dance classes, including ballet, ballroom, Latin and contemporary, for 60 youth and young adults in the Canal District of San Rafael.
ExtraFood – Recruiting and on-boarding of 40 new farmers market volunteers, 5 new farmers market team leaders and 20 new kitchen volunteers thus preventing excess fresh and edible food from being thrown into the landfill and the resulting production of CO2 from warming our atmosphere. Expansion of SouperFood Kitchen’s capacity.
Marin BeeKeepers Association – Education of 350-400 5th graders across Marin on the importance of the honey bee and their role in pollination. Students will have hands-on experience with hives at their schools. Bee suits will be provided.
Marin Community Clinics – The purchase of two filtered water fountains / bottling stations for the lobbies of the Fourth Street Dental Clinic in San Rafael.
Marin Villages – Significant subsidy for 16 elderly women to have a Marin Villages membership, helping to enable independent living.
The Mountain Play — ASL translation for hearing-impaired attendees at a 2024 Mountain Play performance of Kinky Boots.
NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Health) – Training of two Family-to-Family teachers who are Spanish-speaking, stipends for Family Support Group Facilitators for Marin City and The Canal District, and growing the Help line to include a Spanish-speaking Help Line responder.
Project Avary — Scholarships for 7 Marin County children of incarcerated parents to attend intensive four-week therapeutic and leadership development summer camp.
Vivalon – Delivery of over 1,400 adult meals and 2,000 pet meals to at-risk seniors in Marin County.
Welcoming Home – Apartment furnishings for a formerly unhoused family of three including movers; brand new mattresses, box springs and bed frames; and a home starter kit.
Wildcare — Three three-month wildlife hospital internships for veterinary students.
2022 – 2023 Grants
Bridge the Gap College Prep – A one-year pilot program providing intensive in-school and after-school literary support for two at-risk Marin City students.
Call of the Sea – Six middle and high school scholarships for two-day overnight sailing experiences in Drake’s Bay, including helming, navigation, oceanography, meteorology, and marine science programs. One professional compound microscope, one professional stereoscope, and one hydrophone.
Center for Domestic Peace – One month of transitional program support for 21 Marin County survivors of domestic violence to acquire skills necessary to achieve economic independence.
Chamber Music Marin – One chamber music performance and demonstration for under-served San Rafael middle school students.
The Curtain Theatre – All costume rentals for nine free-to-the-public performances of 2023 productions in Old Mill Park.
ExtraFood.org – Training for 45 gleaning team volunteers and five team leaders. Outreach and training for 10 new Marin school districts. Volunteer supplies and PPE. Food recovery vehicle supplies to recover 25,000 pounds of food, provide 20,834 meals to food insecure residents, save 735,000 gallons of water, and prevent release of 0.56 tons of CO2.
Friends of Mill Valley Children’s Garden – Plants, mulch, soil, hoses, and fencing for 600-square-foot pollinator garden.
Green Change – Six six-foot-by-three-foot “Exhibitor Booths” at the 2023 Mill Valley Earth Day Environmental Festival for youth and underserved community groups promoting climate action.
Halleck Creek Ranch – Ten one-week scholarships for children’s therapeutic horse-back riding camp.
The Hannah Project – Four “Family Night” leadership program events to increase Marin City parent engagement with schools, understanding of educational policy and advocacy for students, and competency to function as change agents.
Marin Community Clinics – On-site Women’s Health Day accessible mammograms and cervical cancer screenings for 50 women in San Rafael.
Marin Villages – Capacity building for expanded referral services for Marin County senior women to support their ability to remain in their homes.
The Mountain Play – ASL translation for hearing-impaired attendees at one 2023 Mountain Play performance. Spring 2023 concert performance of “Into the Woods” for residents of The Redwoods.
O’Hanlon Center for the Arts – Site preparation for 60 feet of slope for native and pollinator plant restoration.
Performing Stars of Marin – One year of social skills and comportment programming for 30 five-to-ten year old Marin City girls, including opportunities to practice skills in restaurants and on field trips, to optimize academic, social, and economic success.
Project Avary –Scholarships for seven Marin County children of incarcerated parents to attend intensive four-week therapeutic and leadership development summer camp.
The Redwoods – Arts materials and facilitator for expanded residents’ art program.
Trips for Kids – Six trail bikes and six helmets for use by 30 Marin County at-risk children weekly. Weekly transportation to trails for 30 Marin County at-risk children.
Vivalon – One year of food and kitchen supplies for at-home meal delivery service to 51 Marin County at-risk seniors.
Wildcare – Two three-month wildlife hospital internships for veterinary students.
2024 – 2025 Grants
Center for Domestic Peace – Forty non-abusing parents and their children will receive group therapy to help alleviate long-term impacts to their physical and mental health. Parent/child groups help families explore their traumatic experiences so that they can begin the healing process after experiencing domestic violence.
Enriching Lives Through Music – Enriching Lives Through Music (ELM) serves the Canal neighborhood whose most pressing challenge is transcending inter-generational poverty. ELM provides youth with immersive music education and resources that inspire them to pursue their dreams. Grant funding will be used for a two-week summer chamber music camp for 25 middle school ELM students.
ExtraFood – Funds will be used to:
- Recruit and train additional volunteers
- Support staff time for Program Coordination
- Develop and distribute educational materials
Horizon Community School – This grant will help to create the students’ outdoor classroom where they will enjoy nature, work with their hands, learn about growing flowers and vegetables, and explore how they can impact the environment.
Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce – Enjoy Mill Valley Fund – Iconic Mill Valley mosaics will be added to the concrete base the OAC originally placed at Lyton Square for a flagpole. Each of the eight sides will be covered with an artist’s rendering of Mill Valley scenes.
O’Hanlon Center for the Arts – Our grant will help reduce fire risk and enhance the health of the natural environment for all to enjoy. Hazardous nonnative plants will be removed and replaced with California natives that are more fire resistant.
Marin Community Clinics – Essential outreach, coordination, and incentives for two mammography screening events hosted by Marin Community Clinics in partnership with Marin Health will be funded by the OAC grant. This project aims to make breast cancer screening more accessible and to encourage participation in underserved populations.
Marin Villages – The OAC grant will provide scholarships to subsidize twelve single older women at the 75% scholarship level and two at the 50% level.
Nami Marin County – Provide support for underserved Spanish-speaking women dealing with a loved one with serious mental health problems. Translation services, family support group, and Family-to-Family programs will also be offered.
Make it Home Bay Area –Fully furnish a home for five Marin families in need. Nearly all of the furnishings are donated, but all mattresses and bedding are purchased new. The results of Make it Home’s work is pride of place, dignity, and confidence, leading to healthier outcomes for families.
Marin Foster Care Association – This grant will provide thirty-five sessions of therapeutic support to care for the mental health of foster families and ensure they can remain a resource for some of the most vulnerable children in our community.
Project Avary – Project Avary was created in 1999 to provide long-term support for children of incarcerated parents. Our grant will sponsor seven Marin County youth at the 2025 four-week sleep-away camp. The program immerses youth in nature while offering twenty hours of focused social-emotional skills training. In “real talk” fire circles, youth find emotional healing, learn to manage conflict, and gain tools for self-care that empowers them to overcome their unique challenges.
The Hannah Project Partnership for Academic Achievement – The Hannah Project will present a one-day Parent University in the fall of 2025. The event will be open to all parents with children in the TK – 12th grade in the Marin City/Sausalito, Tamalpais School Districts. All of the workshops will be in English and Spanish. Childcare will be provided as well as a continental breakfast and lunch.
The Street Chaplaincy – We will increase our 2024 Tuesday meal service of 5750 meals to 6000 meals in 2025, Will be able to sustain and not cut our weekly meal budget of $350. We can ensure that we serve quality, nutritious whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, grains as well as vegetarian or vegan options if requested. Meal service is offered to the homeless, food insecure, disabled, and immigrant populations.
Welcoming Home – Provide one family of three to four with a fresh start in life. The individuals Welcoming Home serves have been through major hardships, often having escaped abusive relationships or dangerous, strife-ridden home countries. Brand new, good quality mattresses, box springs, and frames, a starter kit including many helpful home products, and a well-furnished apartment filled with carefully curated donated furniture, rugs, artwork, dishes, appliances, and more will be provided.
Vivalon – Vivalon requested support to purchase meals for the Nourish program that feeds an average of fifty clients per month who do not qualify for Meals on Wheels yet have health issues and need nutritional support. Nourish clients receive the same entrees that the Meals on Wheels clients receive. 100% of meals purchased for Nourish and Nourish 4 pets are funded by generous supporters of grants, corporate sponsors, and individual donations.
Community Impact
Today, the spirit of philanthropy thrives within the Club through hands-on engagement with the community. Members actively participate in group volunteer activities such as cleaning up public spaces, organizing food and holiday drives, serving meals at shelters and crafting knitted items for donation. These endeavors not only make tangible differences within the local community but also strengthen the bonds among OAC members.
Volunteer initiatives include:
California Coastal Clean Up
Jonathan’s Place Dinners (meals for the unhoused)
Mill Valley Tree Wells Project
Holiday Giving Tree Donation Drive
Sewing and Knitting for the underserved
Blood Donation Drives
Thank You’s to Mill Valley Police and Fire Departments
Children’s Book Drive
CPR Training
