 |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
 
|
Dear Friends, Family and Neighbors: With great enthusiasm, we are kicking off our 2006 “Restore to Glory” capital campaign. In late 2005, the Ralston White Retreat Foundation became the trustee of a most remarkable property. The property, which is located Mill Valley, California, is virtually unknown to even the most long-tenured residents of the town. The Ralston White Memorial Retreat and the surrounding 43 acres were originally a gift from Ralston White, an early Mill Valley Resident, to his new bride on their wedding day in 1911. The magnificent Willis Polk designed mansion was constructed with materials carried to the site by the Mt. Tamalpais Railroad. The grounds include gardens, trails, meadows and a natural creek-fed swimming pool. Today the Retreat provides programs that contribute to the well being of our community through its operations as a retreat center serving environmental, educational, charitable, spiritual and other groups. The Foundation’s vision is to restore the mansion and surrounding grounds to their past glory, and to make the Retreat an important venue for musical, arts, literary, educational, and family events and activities. In so doing, the Foundation seeks to bring to life this historic treasure, nurturing an appreciation for the history of Mill Valley and the beauty of Mt. Tamalpais while enriching the cultural and family life of our community. We are kicking off our 2006 “Restore to Glory” capital campaign with a remarkably generous leadership gift of $250,000 from Anthony Symmes, a grand nephew of the White family, as well as donations from the members of the Foundation Board and others. These gifts put us significantly down the path of achieving our goal of $500,000. With this generous start to our campaign we have been able to make immediate improvements to the mansion exterior which we encourage you to come and see. There are many more infrastructure and grounds improvements that we are planning to take on with the campaign funds. The Retreat’s cultural program got off to a strong start in December, 2005, when the Foundation presented “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” performed by Contemporary Opera Marin. The Foundation has hosted additional musical events during 2006 and has planned for a children’s day in October and additional events over the holidays. We would be honored to have you as a “Founding Contributor” to the Ralston White Retreat Foundation and be part of bringing back to life this glorious historic landmark and community treasure. Thank you for your past and future support. If you would like to learn more about the Foundation and Retreat, please feel free to contact us at josh@ralstonwhiteretreat.org, so that we may arrange a mutually convenient time to discuss the Foundation and options for contributing the Ralston White Retreat. If you are interested in making a donation to the Foundation, we accept credit cards or checks as follows: Credit cards: We accept credits cards online or over the phone 1.888.388.0858. We currently accept Visa, Mastercard and Discover credit cards.
Please note our refund policy: Donations whether made by
credit card or otherwise, are non-refundable. Please consider making a donation of stock to
the Foundation. Contact us for further information at
josh@ralstonwhiteretreat.org.
|
|
 |
|
about us | history | reservations | calendar | fundraising | contact us | home |