Monday, October 29, 2012

Nonprofit Charity, Fiscal Sponsor and Incubator, MarinLink serves Marin County and the San Francisco Bay Area


Who is MarinLink? A San Rafael based organization providing fiscal sponsorship to individuals and groups in Marin County and the San Francisco Bay Area. An Incubator for community based projects.

MarinLink is Marin County's Community resource. For over a decade MarinLink has helped community-minded people realize their dreams.

About MarinLink

MarinLink finds and fills community needs by connecting resources, ideas, and expertise.
MarinLink helps community-minded people realize their dreams, serving as an incubator, fiscal sponsor, and multi-faceted resource for real solutions:

Homeless services,

Community gardens,

Environmental education projects,

Veterans programs,

Health and transportation initiatives.

Marin Link Projects

There are dozens of nonprofits projects that have benefited from working with MarinLink.
Connecting people to resources and expertise, MarinLink identifies and fulfills unmet community needs, strengthening Marin with nimble, solution-based innovation, and collaboration.

Sample Projects:

Warm Wishes distributes 5000 “StreetPacks” filled with new warm globes, scarves, hat6s, wool socks, and rain ponchos to homeless men and women throughout the Bay Area every winter. 

GetMoneySmart.Info provides a comprehensive resource for financial education, trainings, and counseling in Marin.

Earth Day Marin is a family-oriented, environmentally centered annual celebration at Marin Civic Center.

Marin Trolleys is working for a demonstration line providing connectivity from SMART to Fairfax. The vision is for six lines connecting Marin’s cities and linking to regional transit. Marin Trolleys is rooted in “Back to the Future.” Marin County was established along rail lines, making Marin unique in that 70% of urban Marin is still within ½ mile of an original rail right-of way.   Most of the original rail routes in Marin still exist. www.marintrolleys.org

Stroke Directory – The Marin County Stroke Directory — Resources that may save your life or someone you love.

Fiscal Sponsorship Program and Projects

Through its Fiscal Sponsorship Program, MarinLink assists individuals and community organizations engaged in projects consistent with its mission by providing administrative support and tax-exempt status.

For more information about MarinLink and their fiscal sponsorship program visit, http://marinlink.org or call (415) 472-0211.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

What are Warm Wishes? Winter Holiday Backpack Donations packed by Volunteers for Homeless in Marin County and Bay Area

What is Warm Wishes? 

Warm Wishes is nonprofit distributing warm clothing items to San Francisco Bay Area homeless. Warm Wishes is a MarinLink project founded by Bill Hamm.

Mission

Warm Wishes creates a personal relationship between our volunteers and the street community when once a year volunteers distribute 5,000 “StreetPacks” or backpacks stuffed with new, warm gloves, scarves, hats, wool socks and rain ponchos to homeless men and women and children, living on the streets of the Bay Area. The winter accessories, manufactured under the direction of and funded by Warm Wishes, help them survive the difficult weather months.
One of the most valued pieces in each StreetPack is the heart-warming, personal holiday card hand-written by one of 5,000 Bay Area children.

Join Founder Bill Hamm on Distribution Day for this year on Saturday, December 1, 2012 8:00am. Volunteers, including families and their children, meet at Unity in Marin (Novato) and within two hours assemble the StreetPacks. They then take to the road to personally distribute the packs to the Bay Area homeless. The purpose is for the homeless people to stay warm; perhaps to save a life. But Warm Wishes purpose is for volunteers to reap the rewards of looking into the eyes of a stranger, of coming closer to understanding his or her plight, and filling with the feeling of doing good for others.

This year Warm Wishes is requesting donations at the door on Distribution Day to offset the cost of the items for the homeless. Suggested donation is $10.00 for adults (children FREE) but please be as generous as you can. Warm Wishes is committed to providing NEW items that are purchased specifically for this population and need your support.

Volunteer on Warm Wishes Assembly & Distribution Day 

Come one, come all and join in the fun! Experience the true meaning of giving this holiday season. This project is for anyone; of any age–so bring your family, friends or just yourselves. Warm Wishes needs volunteers to stuff backpacks and/or distribute them to the homeless. They have items that include gloves, socks, caps, rain ponchos and holiday cards that all need to be put inside 5000 backpacks (StreetPacks). And will then literally distribute them to over 40 agencies that serve the street communities, and go out into the Bay Area streets and shelters to distribute them one on one to homeless people.

Warm Wishes Art Project

Are you a teacher? Warm Wishes needs your help with a special project that will brighten up the lives of the homeless during the Holiday Season. This year, they will be handing out 5,000 backpacks filled with a pair of socks, a scarf, gloves, knit cap, and a rain poncho. Warm Wishes would love to include a holiday card from a local child to warm the heart of the recipient.
The card should say “Warm Wishes” and the FIRST NAME ONLY of the child who makes the card.

Please note: No glitter,  crayons or paint (or anything that will run or come off on  the clothing in the pack). 

Call for more information: 415-472-0211

Send your student’s cards to (or drop them off):

Warm Wishes/MarinLink
5800 Northgate Mall Ste250
San Rafael, CA 94901

Bocce Tournament Fundraiser

Every year Warm Wishes hold its Bocce Invitational fundraiser to benefit the Homeless Holiday Backpack Project.

Warm Wishes ask philanthropists for their support with a Bocce Ball Court Sponsorship and they as businesses to donate items for auction.

All proceeds are then used for the Warm Wishes Street Packs project.


For more information and to volunteer please call Warm Wishes at (415) 472-0211. Visit http://www.warmwishes.org/ .

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Lotus Cusine of India got voted Best Indian Restaurant in Marin County by the Bohemian

The North Bay Bohemian is a weekly magazine with news, culture and reviews for Sonoma, Marin and Napa Counties.

Bohemian_2012

In their Best of the North Bay 2012 poll, the Bohemian readers agree that Lotus Cuisine of India is THE BEST Indian Restaurant.

Congrats to Lotus Cuisine of India and thanks to all the Bohemian readers who voted for Lotus!


http://www.bohemian.com/northbay/best-of-2012-food-and-drink/BestOf?oid=2282669

Monday, October 8, 2012

Renaissance Marin is a nonprofit small business development center assisting Marin County small business



Renaissance Marin opened their offices in San Rafael in 2012. Renaissance Marin is a project of Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center dedicated to starting & growing local small businesses.

Mission

The mission of Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center is to empower and increase the entrepreneurial capacities of socially and economically diverse women and men, and thereby strengthen our communities through the creation of sustainable new businesses, new jobs, and the promotion of financial self-sufficiency.

Launched in partnership with the Marin Community Foundation, Renaissance Marin provides critical access to training, resources and support services designed to help aspiring and established entrepreneurs achieve their dreams of small business success and financial independence.

Whether you are a retailer, designer, manufacturer, contractor or bookkeeper — in the startup or expansion phase — Renaissance Marin will provide you with the training, tools, resources and networks needed to create your own thriving business.

Located at 1115 Third Street in San Rafael, Renaissance Marin provides office space in our small business incubator as well as drop in co-working space.

Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center

Launched in 1985, Renaissance has served tens of thousands of clients in a wide range of industries – from food, fashion and graphic design to education, technology and healthcare.

We offer small business training and resources at four locations:
  • Renaissance SoMa, San Francisco (headquarters)
  • Renaissance Bayview, San Francisco
  • Renaissance Mid-Peninsula, East Palo Alto
  • Renaissance Marin, San Rafael
SERVICES:

Classes & Workshops

Renaissance’s intensive business planning and introductory business classes will assist business owners in developing the marketing, finance, operations and management skills needed to write a comprehensive business plan and put you on your path to entrepreneurial success.

Advanced classes and workshops will hone your business skills. Both classes and workshops will give the opportunity to learn from successful small business owners, industry experts, graduates and your peers.

Business Incubator

Business Incubator provides both emerging and established small business owners with a vibrant and supportive community of peers and professionals.

They offer low cost office space, professional consultations tailored to business’ needs, conference rooms and building services to support the daily operations and growth.

Renaissance Marin’s building hosts 11 small businesses in a professional and supportive entrepreneurial community designed to help businesses grow and prosper. Tenants benefit from a full menu of amenities and services.

Consulting

At Renaissance Marin you will meet other business owners and industry experts who will guide, support and inspire entrepreneur in achieving their business goals.

Commercial Kitchen

Open Workspace

The Open Work Space is a collaborative community of entrepreneurs and those seeking a cross pollination of ideas to improve their concepts whether for business startups, community projects or personal development.

For more information about classes and business opportunity visit http://rencentermarin.org or call (415) 348-6300.



Thursday, October 4, 2012

Go Native! Chef John Farais from indigenousedibles.com to appear at Guest Chef in Oakland from Oct 9 - 21, 2012.


Have you heard of Guest Chef? Guest Chef is a restaurant in Oakland that invites different chefs to cook there. Guest Chef will be featuring chef John Farais for two weeks from Oct 9 through 21 to introduce his very own native edible food menu.

John Farais is a Marin County chef, lecturer, and cooking instructor with a very unique passion. He is one of the few, if not the only, Bay Area chefs who specialize in the history, taste, and promotion of The Americas’ indigenous edible plants. John uses ingredients that are native to The Americas, both North and South America. 

Although his cooking incorporates American Indian techniques, it is not necessarily American Indian cuisine, nor is John a Native American. John's company is aptly called INDIGENOUS EDIBLES.

John taught himself the natural history of California Indians, ethno-botany and native anthropology before concentrating on indigenous ingredients as food and native cookbooks. It is his goal as a chef, to help diners rediscover our proud, ancient, history of native edibles. This approach has developed a cuisine that combines the historical natives with contemporary tastes, discovering a Real “California Cuisine”.

John has lectured for Slow Food, Oakland Museum, SFSU, College of Marin and California native Garden Foundation. 

John has also cooked for Carlo Petrini, the creator of Slow Food International, Actor Peter Coyote, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, and many private clients in Sonoma, Marin, San Francisco, and San Jose.

John is a board member of the Museum of the American Indian, Slow Food USA, and Chef’s Collaborative. A portion of his proceeds will go to starting a foundation to help Native Americans regain their heritage food ways, through native plant agriculture, and teaching future generations how to grow, cook and eat whole foods.


Guest Chef is located at 5337 College Ave, Oakland, CA
telephone:  (510) 658-7378
website:  www.theguestchef.net

John Farais is online at www.indigenousedibles.com