Achievement in Nonprofit Excellence

SPONSOR: Autodesk and Redwood Credit Union

2011 Award Recipients: Dance Palace and Point Reyes National Seashore Association

Dance Palace

Dance Palace is a multi-purpose community center providing educational, recreational, cultural and community services focused on improving the quality of life and responding to the changing needs for people of all ages in West Marin.

With 2 full and two part-time staff, Dance Palace provides weekly classes for all ages from yoga, senior exercise, folk dancing, ceramics, afterschool daycare, children’s music theatre, adult day care and senior luncheons.

Since it started in 1971 as a space for dancing, they have grown into a vibrant organization that is central to the lives of people of all ages in West Marin.

They respond to community needs, for example as families asked for help with child care, they created summer camps and provided land for a preschool facility. In 2009 when the public school could no longer provide afterschool programing, Dance Palace set up programs with staff to escort the children from school to the Center.

One of their longest partnerships is with West Marin Community Resource Center for the holiday food and gift program.

As the community grows, ages and changes, the Center responds.

In the past year they had 255 volunteers who helped serve 28,622 people. On average they offer or provide space to 35 weekly classes, 141 performance and 125 community meetings. Annually they serve 1000 senior lunches.

A recent accomplishment over the past few years is the transition from the founding director of 37 years to a new leader and a new plan.

Whether a class, cultural event, government meeting, disaster shelter, the Dance Palace is woven into the life of the West Marin community.

“I had the most amazing day at the Dance Palace. In the morning I attended an incredible yoga class and felt totally centered, that afternoon I attended a memorial for a dear friend and I cried, and that evening I attended a comedy performance and laughed by ass off.”

Point Reyes National Seashore Association

PRNSA supports educational, scientific, historic preservation and interpretive activities of the National Park Services by conducting environmental education, operating visitor center bookstores, and hosting field seminars.

They raise millions of dollars to fund Park activities that profoundly impact the health and well being of visitors and local ecosystems.

Seashore Explorers was established in 2009 to increase the diversity of PRNSA’s environmental education participant base by expanding outreach to and financial support for underserved youth.

Seashore Explorer provides scholarships, transportation and equipment support for underserved children to participate in the School Environmental Education Program and Point Reyes Nature Science & Adventure Camps.

Children are spending less time outdoors and more time in front of screens and monitors. The average elementary school child spends nearly 40 hours a week watching TV and playing video games.

This has correlated with physical and psycho-emotional diseases including ADD, anxiety, depression, obesity and diabetes.

Youth who come into contact with nature preform better academically; have better social relationships and experience less stress.

Since 2009, Seashore Explorers has funded 1,889 youth, a 213% increase over 2008.

Explorers targets youth 7-16, most of whom have never visited a national park or wilderness area.

All awardees come from families that live below the very low-income level and 90% are people of color.

PRNSA allocated time to understanding and addressing barriers to participation and the anxieties and concerns of potential program participants and their families.

They provide gas money, arrange carpools, partner with outfitters for hiking boots and equipment and have cultivated partnerships with 30 nonprofits and public institutions for outreach to help identify, recruit, guide and support candidates from the application through attendance.

Recruiting staff members from awardees to change the demographics of the program staff to more accurately mirror and reflect the demographics of the participants increases campers comfort level and broadens their vision of what their own future might hold.

In 2011, 11 of 19 camp staff were former participants. These young adults are now undertaking educational and professions in environmental fields ad committed to passing on what they’ve learned.

”Ian V., Counselor-In-Training said, “The first step towards conservation is education and this camp is the best way to offer children knowledge about how sacred nature is.”

The Achievement in Nonprofit Excellence Award and $5,000 is presented to two (new this year) organizations that have demonstrated exemplary service to its constituents.

Download 2011 Heart of Marin Brochure and Form

1. Briefly state the organization’s mission and services offered.

2. What community need or problem is addressed? Explain how the organization benefits the constituents/community.

3. Describe the measurable outcomes and outputs that have resulted from the program(s).

4. Illustrate how the design and/or delivery of the program(s) are exemplary and how they will be sustained.

5. How has the organization demonstrated excellence in client/constituent services, financial performance, board and volunteer involvement or resource development?