Partners

We are pleased to be working together with the following outstanding partners:

Marin CASA
Our charitable recipient for 2023 is Marin CASA. Marin CASA’s goal is to see every child live in a safe, permanent and supportive home.

To reach that goal, the Marin CASA program recruits, screens, trains and supervises volunteers who play a critical role in providing a voice for children in the courtroom. Their highly trained, court-appointed volunteers are responsible for making recommendations to the court for the safety, permanence and well-being of every child assigned a CASA.

Marin CASA volunteers remain with their child from the beginning to the end of the case and advocate for their child’s fundamental needs including: medical, mental health, educational, cultural and permanent placements. They review records, research information and talk to everyone involved in their CASA child’s life. CASAs have contact with social workers, attorneys, parents, teachers, family members, foster parents, health professional and, of course, the children themselves. They establish a relationship with their child, getting to know his or her unique history while providing consistency and stability during an extremely difficult time in that child’s life.

Camp Navarro
Camp Navarro is much more than just a beautiful venue for an event such as the Redwood Ramble. It is a group of dedicated individuals who feel that getting close to nature has a very positive impact on all who experience it. The assistance of Camp Navarro‘s management and staff has been integral in making the Redwood Ramble become a reality. Keep in mind that the Camp Navarro can host any number of types of events, both large and small.

Anderson Valley Brewing Company
Anderson Valley Brewing Company has been hand-crafting authentic ales and lagers with balance, complexity, and a passion for sustainable brewing practices for over 30 years and we are excited to have them as a sponsor this year. Quality obsessed and relentlessly innovative, they strive to perfect every style of award-winning beer they brew; from balanced IPAs, patiently barrel aged bottlings and industry leading goses. Anderson Valley Brewing Company beers will be served backstage to the performers as well as being available for purchase during the event, so be sure to given one their fine beers a try!

PAST CHARITABLE RECIPIENTS

Northern California Innocence Project (2022)

Northern California Innocence Project was started in 2001 by Kathleen “Cookie” Ridolfi and Linda Starr at a moment when new legislation was adopted in California that permits convicted inmates to seek DNA testing to prove their innocence. Both Ridolfi and Starr worked as trial and appellate attorneys in the criminal justice system and sought opportunities to rectify errors in the system that wrongfully incarcerated the innocent. Originally working with volunteer staff and law students at Santa Clara University School of Law, NCIP’s first exoneration was in 2002.

Today, NCIP has 10 full-time staff members, led by Executive Director, Linda Starr. NCIP partners with dozens of volunteer attorneys and investigators from over 20 firms, along with law students and other community advocates.

As a non-profit program of Santa Clara University School of Law, NCIP is focused on educating students, exonerating the innocent, and reforming the criminal justice system to prevent wrongful convictions. Since January 2001, NCIP has processed thousands of requests for inmate assistance, investigated hundreds of cases, pursued litigation or collaborative resolution in dozens, and obtained the freedom of 30 wrongfully convicted inmates.

The mission of NCIP is to promote a fair, effective and compassionate criminal justice system, and to protect the rights of the innocent. NCIP envisions a criminal justice system that makes us safer, is cost-effective, and is fair and equitable. Through many pro-bono and community partnerships, NCIP works to create a system that accurately separates the innocent from the guilty and treats all people with fairness, respect, and compassion.

Insight Out (2019)

Insight-Out runs the Guiding Rage into Power (GRIP) Program which is, “a year-long transformative program that provides the tools that enable prisoners to turn the stigma of being a violent offender into a badge of being a non-violent Peacekeeper. Not only have the men transformed their own behavior, they have become agents of change – people with skills to defuse conflicts around them.”

The GRIP Program has been developed over 20 years of direct work with thousands of prisoners. It offers an in-depth journey where participants explore the origins of their violence, build skills to track and manage impulses, develop emotional intelligence, cultivate mindfulness and understand victim impact. The program currently runs in 5 different state prisons (including San Quentin) and serves 550 prisoners with 110 instructional hours each to provide a deeply transformational journey. Over a 6 year period, more than 177 GRIP graduates have been released and 0% (not a typo) have returned to prison. That compares to the 65% recidivism rate for the general prisoner population in California. It is an exceptional program and we are honored to partner with them in the year ahead.

Please take time to watch their introductory video below to hear directly from the inmates about the impact of the program on their lives and visit their website for more information.

Bread and Roses (2018)
Bread & Roses Presents is a nonprofit arts organization with a human services mission that brings hope, healing and joy through live music and the performing arts to people who are disadvantaged, marginalized, or otherwise isolated in diverse institutional settings in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Bread & Roses presents free, live music and entertainment for Bay Area children, teens, adults, and elders— who don’t have the ability to easily experience the uplifting power of the arts in any other way. Their performances, well over 600 last year alone, bring joy to children undergoing chemotherapy, teens battling substance abuse, families in homeless shelters, veterans recovering from trauma, seniors in hospice, and others facing challenging times alone.

A great way to find out more about Bread & Roses is to check out their introductory video below and to visit their website.

Project Avary (2017)
Project Avary offers long-term support, resources, guidance and training for children with incarcerated parents. Through it important work, Project Avary is changing the lives and outlooks of these young individuals and, in doing so, helping to curb the generational cycle of incarceration which is so prevalent. A great way to get to know Project Avary is to check out their introductory video below.

The LymeLight Foundation (2016)
The LymeLight Foundation’s mission is to, “help young people struggling with Lyme disease access and pay for proper medical treatment, and to prevent the long-term effects of Lyme disease through public awareness and education.” Lyme disease is the fastest growing infectious disease in the world, yet many people (including doctors) are unaware of how to identify infections, so cases go untreated for prolonged periods – years, decades and even lifetimes. And, the longer the infection goes untreated, the harder it can be to address. To make matters worse, treatment of chronic Lyme disease is not typically covered by insurance because of the lack of consensus among the medical community, the insurance companies and the Center for Disease Control (aka the “CDC”).

The LymeLight Foundation offers Lyme education and awards grants of up to $10,000 to children and young adults (up to 25 years of age) who cannot afford treatment so that they can receive the care they so desperately need. Best of all, because all of the LymeLight Foundation’s operating and program costs through 2020 are being covered by generous donors, 100% of the funds raised by the Redwood Ramble will go directly toward treatment grants.

Knowledge is key to the early identification and treatment of this devastating disease, which is called the “great imitator” because it mimics so many other diseases through its wide range of symptoms. We urge you to be part of the solution, not only by attending the Ramble, but also by reading more about Lyme disease and the LymeLight Foundation. We also encourage you to watch a very informative Channel 7 News Report documenting the impact that Lyme has had on well known author Amy Tan and other victims of the disease.

Another great source of information about the LymeLight Foundation and Lyme disease in general is the foundation’s YouTube Channel. Finally, for you bike riders out there please consider taking part in the LymeLight Foundation’s Ryde for Lyme which takes place in Marin County on August 6th.

Exploring New Horizons Outdoor School (2015)
Because of their important work in connecting children to the natural environment and, in doing so, helping to foster our next generation of environmental stewards, Ramble on Productions selected Exploring New Horizons Outdoor School as the recipient of all proceeds from the 2015 Redwood Ramble. The Ramble’s contribution will be used to fund scholarships for children from underserved communities who would not otherwise be able to take part in these programs. While at the Ramble, you have an opportunity to meet the dedicated people involved with Exploring New Horizons and see them in action as they bring an environmental education component to our Kid’s Program. We also encourage you to visit Exploring New Horizon’s website and consider making a direct donation to support their work.

Save the Redwood League (2014)
Because of their extraordinary work protecting our state’s redwood groves for nearly 100 years, Ramble on Productions has selected Save the Redwood League as the recipient of all proceeds above operating costs from the 2014 Redwood Ramble. Since 1918, Save the Redwood League has protected and restored redwood forests and connected people with their peace and beauty so these wonders of the natural world flourish. Donations to the League help purchase redwood land, restore logged forests, study how to best protect them and teach children and adults about these magical expressions of life. Representatives from the League will attend the Redwood Ramble, so you’ll be able to get to know them and their work better over the course of the July 4th weekend. We also encourage you to consider donating directly to the League to support its ongoing work.