Arlington Garden in Pasadena, 2019 Annual Report

2019 Annual Report

ARLINGTON GARDEN in PASADENA

S. PASADENA AVE

Instead of a freeway, we built a garden.

MISSION Arlington Garden (est. 2005) is a climate-appropriate, habitat garden offering learning, inspiration, and enjoyment for all.

VISION A transformed urban landscape where healthy gardens combat climate change and connect people.

ArlingtonGardenPasadena.org 275 Arlington Drive Pasadena, CA 91105 info@arlingtongardenpasadena.org (626) 578-5434 ph Report design by designSimple.com Cover photo by Gabriel Roberto @roberto.p.photography 2

ARLINGTON DR Photo of AG as an empty lot

Dear Friend of Arlington Garden, I’m proud to say, we accomplished a lot last year!

Last spring we hosted our first ever dual private + public school tour, with Chandler and Pasadena Unified’s Cleveland Elementary. We continue to work towards hosting more educational tours, and developing educational programming for school-age children. It was quite a surprise to us to be awarded 25th Senate District Nonprofit of the Year by Senator Anthony Portantino.

Leigh Talmo accepted the award in Sacramento, and I had the opportunity to testify on behalf of the nonprofits in support of SB7, which passed in October.

We became the first LA Compost co-op hub in Pasadena, providing free access for neighborhood compost. We completed the construction of the gorgeous Craftsman Commons fountain, the realization of founder Betty McKenney’s dream, and fruitful design collaboration between garden designer Mayita Dinos and fountain designer Cha-Rie Tang. We couldn’t have done it without the generous financial underwriting of Bob Bozzani, Don and Nancy McIntyre, and the custom tile fabrication and in-kind donation from Pasadena Craftsman Tile.

We received our very first capital grant from Pasadena Community Foundation, and are in the midst of concluding our Annenberg Foundation Alchemy Tech program. We grew our board of directors, advisory council, and staff, and threw a wonderful Autumn in the Garden celebration.

We continue to increase our earned revenue with our ongoing marmalade sales, and booking photo permits, while limiting the amount of weddings and other large events.

As we kick-off our 15th Anniversary, I look forward to sharing the results of our board retreat, and our visioning work with you. In the face of climate-change, we hope to better communicate why we do what we do, and the need for all of us to shift to habitat-creating, regenerative gardening.

Our door is always open to the community and we very much look forward to the coming year and celebrating with you all. We hope you enjoy our second annual report!

Thank you in advance for your support of Arlington Garden.

Michelle Matthews

Leigh Talmo, Director of Horticulture at Arlington Garden, receives the 2019 Nonprofit of the Year award from Senator Anthony Portantino

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Annual Report Mission Statement

SB7

Our Board of Directors adopted a new mission statement: Arlington Garden is a climate-appropriate, habitat garden offering learning, inspiration and enjoyment for all.

In Sacramento on July 5, Michelle Matthews and Ronald McDonald House Board Vice President Megan Foker appeared before the Assembly Transportation Committee in support of this bill.

Passed by the legislature in September and signed by the governor in October, this bill (sponsored by Senator Portantino, for over 20 years a consistent and strong opponent of the completion of the freeway’s completion) finally ended the long-proposed 710 freeway extension project and, among many other things, mandates terms on which Caltrans is to offer non-residential property (like our garden) to a tenant that is a city (like Pasadena) or a tax-exempt 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization (like us). How Caltrans and the City handle this opportunity will have an important impact on the future of our garden. Please stay tuned . . .

Nonprofit of the Year Award State Senator Anthony Portantino chose Arlington Garden as the 25th Senate District Nonprofit of the Year, saying: “I am very excited to honor Arlington Garden in Sacramento today and to have this outstanding nonprofit represent our district. Arlington Garden was created through local volunteers and has blossomed into a local destination for students and casual visitors to find a peaceful outdoor experience in the heart of Pasadena.”

Leigh Talmo, our Director of Horticulture, accepted this award in Sacramento on June 5.

Advisory Council and Board of Directors Kimberly Fung Jacobsen chaired our Autumn in the Garden event last September, and Palin Ngaotheppitak Samuelson joined our board of directors, and Rachel Young, Alex Ford and Billy Zane joined our Advisory Council, all adding welcome strength and diversity to our nonprofit leadership.

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Autumn in theGarden

This page: Carlos NiĂąo & Aaron Shaw of Black Nile perform under the pepper tree in the garden.

Opposite: Advisory council member Billy Zane and Executive Director Michelle Matthews at Autumn in the Garden

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ur annual Autumn in the Garden fundraiser in September, chaired by new board member Kim Jacobsen, began with a VIP reception in the Craftsman Commons area of our garden, where we dedicated the just-completed fountain to the memory of our founders, the late Betty and Charles “Kicker” McKenney and to the memory of our late longtime neighbors Jo and Mary Bozzani. Special guests included State Senator Anthony Portantino, LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger and Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek. Fountain underwriter Bob Bozzani and our Advisory Council member Billy Zane also joined us. Meera Manek MC’d. Mayita Dinos, who designed our garden, gave a moving tribute to the McKenneys.

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Opposite page, left to right: Art installation by Compassionate Arts, Side Street Projects, and community members; Mayita Dinos giving a toast honoring the McKenneys at Autumn in the Garden VIP reception.

This page: Completed Batcheder-inspired fountain by Cha-Rie Tang and Pasadena CraftsmanTile 9

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The fountain, faced with tiles made in original Batchelder molds, was created by Cha-Rie Tang, of Pasadena Craftsman Tile, who donated her time to design and fabricate the tiles.

Following the dedication of the fountain, over 200 guests enjoyed the beautiful autumn evening with food, drink and wonderful live music curated by Dublab and performed at various locations in the garden by musicians Fabiano do Nascimento, Mia Doi Todd, SK Kakraba, Carlos NiĂąo and Aaron Shaw of Black Nile, and Dexter Story.

Opposite page, clockwise from lower left: Volunteers Misty Rose, and Andrew Jewell, and Programs and Development Manager Paloma Avila; The McKenney Children (Stephen, Sara and Brendan) with Supervisor Kathryn Barger and Senator Anthony Portantino at Autumn in the Garden; Mia Doi Todd playing at the garden Left: Board member Kim Jacobsen (L) with friend Ansook.

Above: Arlington Garden bloomed with sound as Fabiano do Nascimento, Mia Doi Todd, SK Kakraba, Carlos NiĂąo & Friends, and Dexter Story performed live. Dublab DJs Gabrielle, Mark Maxwell, and Frosty soundtracked the native foliage, and plants sang as Data Garden activated their interactive MIDI Sprout listening station.

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Eagle Scout Volunteer Project From Eagle Scout Troop 355 in San Marino, Will Farhat organized 31 fellow scouts over two days to repair rain-damaged decomposed granite (DG) in garden pathways. Will also raised $675 on the crowdsourcing platform, Go Fund Me, to cover the cost of the DG. Many thanks to Will and his fellow scouts!

Cal Poly Pomona In a two-semester course led by Cal Poly Pomona professors Dina Abdul-Karim and Nicole Lambou, students of Cal Poly’s Introduction to Urban Design Theory for Planning course studied how we engage with the community and how we might do it better. At the end of the process, we hosted a neighborhood breakfast where the students shared their observations and recommendations, including ideas for a four-way crosswalk on Pasadena Avenue and a bulletin board that would encourage visitors to post questions, comments and suggestions – boosting community ties and connections.

Grants For the second consecutive year, we received a $10,000 unrestricted grant from the Green Foundation. The Pasadena Community Foundation gave us $5,000 to update and fabricate educational signage. The Annenberg Foundation gave us an Alchemy Technology grant, a comprehensive sixmonth program that provides support, feedback, and training related to the garden’s use of technology, including coaching related to digital project management, and website interface and usability.

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Above, top to bottom: San Marino Eagle Scout Troop 355; Proposal by Cal State Poly Pomona students Opposite page: Chandler and Cleveland Elementary students walk the labyrinth during their field trip; Wild L.A. by Natural History Museum Lila Higgins, Gregory Pauly, Jason Goldman, and Charles Hood

Publications & Press Pasadena Outlook, Arroyo Monthly, the Pasadena Weekly, and Pasadena Now all featured us, also the garden is field trip #12 in Wild LA: Explore the Amazing Nature In and Around Los Angeles, published by the LA County Natural History Museum, a new kind of nature guide that tells stories of the surprising number of plants and animals in Los Angeles and how people interact with them.

Chandler School and Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) Our multi-year partnership with Chandler School in Pasadena continued in 2019, with secondgrade students coming to the garden throughout the school year to learn about nature, including biodiversity, scientific observations, watershed and wildlife habitat. For one visit, Chandler sponsored a bus which brought 50 students from PUSD’s Cleveland Elementary School to experience our garden on a gorgeous spring day.

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Side Street + Compassionate Arts Side Street Projects and Compassionate Arts hosted four free therapeutic art workshops in July. Each workshop featured discussions on the therapeutic nature of gardens and how art in the garden can help heal communities. The culmination of the event was creating an art installation with Posts for Peace and Justice lead artist Hilliard Bonds, and over 20 participants sharing their ideas and designs. The Therapy Labs, hosted by Side Street Artist-In-Residence, Felecia Lenee, called on guests to participate in creative experiments, compassionate conversations, and meditation circles, centered on the conversation, “When Black and Brown Go Green.”

Hugelkultur Workshop Leigh Adams, eco-sensitive designer and horticultural interpreter at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, and Shawn Maestretti of Studio Petrichor, hosted a workshop in the garden to teach 20 attendees about the benefits of regenerative garden design, and led a hands-on demonstration of how to build a hugel—a slowly decomposing compost pile that provides nutrient dense soil and typically requires less water.

This page: Board President George Brumder, Executive Director Michelle Matthews, and Union Station CEO Anne Miskey Opposite page, top to bottom: Attendants of the Compost with Care workshop holding pots they painted after a talk on healing through gardening, a partnership of Compassionate Arts, Side Street Project’s artist in residence Fe Love, and Arlington Garden; LA Compost’s co-op hub bin 14

Executive Directors Leadership Institute (EDLI)

In November, Michelle Matthews graduated from the EDLI, an intensive 12-month coaching, peer-learning and training program of the Executive Service Corps (ESC), seen here celebrating with EDLI cohort Union Station CEO Anne Miskey, Arlington Garden Board President George Brumder and her ESC coach Mona Field.

City Nature Challenge

Arlington Garden initiated a partnership with the City Nature Challenge, led by the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum. This worldwide challenge enlists cities to make observations of wildlife, using the iNaturalist app to find the most species in urban settings.

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A field trip lead by Learning Naturalist Levi Brewster

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LA Compost We became Pasadena’s inaugural community coop compost hub, the only publicly-accessible bin in Pasadena, with LA Compost providing free workshops and opportunities for local residents to learn about three-bin composting, and how to reduce food waste. The program allows residents to bring scraps and green waste, learn how composting works, help turn and sift the compost, and take home finished compost or give it away.

Very Nice In the fall, Very Nice founder Matthew Manos led a “Time Machine Visioning” workshop with AG staff and board members to kick off a year-long, pro bono strategy for 2020 that will help the garden envision ways of becoming more financially diverse, independent, and agile.

Time Machine is a workshop that makes it easy and fun for organizations to map out their possible futures. This series of activities begins with an exploration into the past, present and future context of the Arlington Gardens. Next, we’ll explore trends and emerging issues and what those might mean for the organization. Finally, we’ll generate a range of future scenarios and pathways toward those futures to understand possible directions the organization can take.

Very Nice helps businesses, non-profits and governments expand their capacity for impact through design-driven innovation. They provide hands-on strategic consulting and design services, facilitate workshop sessions, and publish a variety of open-source design methodologies.

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Annual Orange Harvest We partnered again for the fourth year in a row with Food Forward to harvest approximately 3,100 pounds of oranges. Working with over 20 volunteers, we donated 50 boxes to Friends in Deed and Seeds of Hope.

Volunteers In the garden: Director of Horticulture Leigh Talmo continued to work closely with volunteers while teaching them about regenerative and climateappropriate gardening methods. We’d like to thank longtime volunteer Lynn Spanovich for her many years of service. Thanks to volunteer Andrew Jewell for taking over as Volunteer Coordinator. We clocked over 1,200 volunteer gardening hours for the year.

Selling Marmalade: Marmalade volunteers Coral Crawford, Nelsa Teran and Jay Houser, continued to sell marmalade at the Pasadena Farmers Market on Saturdays during the winter.

Other volunteers: Author and visitor survey expert Kate Clavijo helped update and improve our educational signage in the garden. And special thanks to Mayfield students Anika Ash and Abigail Holtz who volunteered for a full week in May in the garden.

Left: Betty and Charles McKenney’s grandson Charlie, picks oranges at the annual harvest 18

8,000

ESTIMATED VISITORS INCLUDING •••

243

ELEMENTARY THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS LEARNING ABOUT THE GARDEN AND USING IT AS A LEARNING LABORATORY

1,203

VOLUNTEER HOURS IN THE GARDEN, INCLUDING OUR DEDICATED WEEKLY VOLUNTEERS, EAGLE SCOUTS, AND SCHOOL SERVICE PROJECTS •••

36

VOLUNTEERS (NOT INCLUDING EAGLE SCOUTS) INCREASED FROM 19 LAST YEAR •••

$24,000 182 FROM

PHOTO PERMITS

80

CUBIC YARDS OF MULCH DONATED TO THE GARDEN

OVER

400 TREES

47

WASHINGTON NAVEL ORANGE TREES GENERATING •••

$14,491

FROM MARMALADE SALES DISTRIBUTED AT •••

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RETAIL LOCATIONS

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Thank You.

Poppy $1-499 The Baltimore Family Fund The Olson Family Charitable Fund Sun An

Grants

Karen and Doug Axel

Green Foundation • Pasadena Community Foundation • Annenberg Foundation Alchemy Technology

Elita and David Balfour Sally Barngrove Good Times Travel, Inc.

Champion $10,000+

Toyon $500-$999

Nancy and Don McIntyre

Blaine Cavena

Michael Barnes

Kate Clavijo

Carollynn Bartosh

Glenna Avila Esmeralda Arias

Oak $5,000-$9,999

Catherine Dees

David Basilio

Jennifer and Matt DeVoll

Matthew Beckwith

Cheryl Bode and Robin Colman

Darrell Done

John and Martha Bell

Nicole Fiorenza Cece Horne

Cynthia Bennet and Ed de Beixedon

Candis and Lawrence Ipswitch

Christine Benter

Sycamore $1,000-$4,999 The Pasadena Garden Club George and Marilyn Brumder Nicholas Campbell Stephanie and Leo Dencik John and Bonnie DeWitt Katherine and Robert Gillespie Taylor and Donald Hall Diana Hawes Kimberly Jacobsen Hayley MacKenzie Steve Madison Meribeth McIntyre-Greynald Palin Ngaotheppitak Samuelson Partners Peg Stewart Joni and Joseph Topper Judith and John Whiting Rita Whitney 20

Uju Alexander

Missy and Paul Jennings

Lasley Biven

Olive Jordan McCloskey

Mercedes Blackeheart

Judith and Stephen McDonald

Janet Blake

Carlos Mendez

Claire and Bill Bogaard

Forrest Miller

Marsha Bohr

Linda Gates Moore

Franklin and Debe Booth

Fred Schwarzenbach

Bridget Brewster

Dennis and Alison Slattery

Pascal Brunet

Elayne and Thomas Techentin

Annette and Sheldon Bull

Linda Zinn

Nancy and John Carlton Christopher Carranza Joan and Mike Cathcart Anthony Chavira J. Thomas Chess Iris Chi Caroline Chouinard Barbara and Bill Christopher Camille Cimino Tobin Clark

Tim Clark

Debora and Scott Jackson

Sally Clark

Madelyn and John Jameson

Jean Parry

Kaly Trezos

Susan and David Codiga

Catherine “Tink� Cheney and Barry Jones

Barbara and John Poer

Jennifer Trotoux

Anthony Portantino

Paulina Truong

Bette and John Cooper Jennifer Cowan Dr. Cheryl Craft and David Lain

Jean and James Keatley Anne and Peter Kennedy Lisa Kenyon

Gary Crews

Afshin Ketabi

Nadine and Tony Danz

Alfrida and Gregory King

Dan Davila

Tara King Hagaan

R-Lene de Lang

Darleen and Richard Kleinert

David and Edwina Dedlow

Susan and Douglas Kranwinkle

Virginia and Robert Doyle Gary Dye Mary Ferguson Ruth and John Fleck Megan Foker Emmanuelle Franks Anita and Haley Fromholz Marquisha Frost Judith Gain Jill Ganon and David Arnay Brooke Larsen and Edward Garlock Kelly Garrison Bonnie Gavel Ruth Gibson Sara and Michael Gillissie Susan Goodyear Marsha and Joseph Grieco Julie Gutierrez Elaine and Ed Haley Bradley Hanson and Rhett Judice Chrisitne and Curtis Hessler Sally Hinkley Delia Hitz Gerben and Jill Hoeksma Mary Fauvre Holmes Marisa Iglesias Leslie Ito

Phoenix Krebs Erin and William Kruse

Phoebe Ozuna

Rachel Tran

Shannon Porter

Chris Tucker

Max and Stacey Pray

Susan Tuemmler

Jennifer Prince

Cathy Tyner

V.E. and Amelia Prohias

Ram Vasudev

Tadea Pylko

Char and Paul Vert

Margaret Quigley

Nathaniel Vinson

Nat Read

Iesha Wadala

Susan and George Reardon

Anne and Carl Weinberg

Frances Regalado

Brandi Welles

Brock Robertson

Carl and Peggy West

Harriet Robinson

William Whitney

Andrew Romatz

Daniel and Susan Wier

Joan Lamensdorf

Kathy Rose

Holly Williamsen

Natalie Leach

Hovhannes Saakyan

Susan Wilson

Joyce and Charles Lee

Reid Samuelson

Judith and Randy Wilson

Myron Levin

Jim Schafer

Susan Wilson

Cynthia Kurtz and James McDermott

Joanne and Ethan Lipsig

H. Kent Schmidt

Macy Wilson

Bradford Macneil

Dorothy McCay Scully

Vance Winbush

Richard and Mary Mader

Virginia and Francis Scully III

Rika Woelfel

Shawn Maestretti

Dianne Philiobasian and Thomas Seifert

Kathy and Tony Magistrale

Martha Siefert

Karen and Richard Mandeville

F.H. Simmons, Jr.

Kawai Matthews

Tanuja Singeetham

Dorothy and John Matthiessen

Luchus Smith

Joshua McBride

Toni M. Smith

Ian and Elizabeth McGregor

Frank Smith

Stephen and Maria McKenney

Anne-Elizabeth Sobieski

Stephen Mermis and Catherine Allyn Pearman

Benjamin Stafford

Pamela Meyer Mary Anne and Lary Mielke Peter and Susan Morris Charles Morse Vicki and Gary Olson Robert Ortiz

Jeta Steff Lindsay Stewart Pat Stoll Jacky Surber Nick Taylor Carol Togneri Bahar Tolou

Janet D. Wood Andrea and Walter Yoka Rob Young

In-Kind Partners designSimple, Bill Smith Domaine De Calla Holland and Knight In The Mix Lighting Jericho Road Patina Catering Superba Very Nice

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ADVISORY COUNCIL

STAFF

President

Cheryl Bode Marilyn Brumder Matt Devoll Mayita Dinos Alex Ford Bob Gillespie Kathy Gillespie Ashley Hart John Howell Brendan McKenney Stephen McKenney Todd Samuelson Tom Seifert Peggy Stewart Tim Wendler Susan Wier Rachel Young Billy Zane

Executive Director

George Brumder

Vice-President Kimberly Fung Jacobsen

Chief Financial Officer Joni Topper

Secretary Sara McKenney Gillissie

Directors John DeWitt Don McIntyre Nancy McIntyre Shannon Smith Porter Palin Ngaotheppitak Samuelson Daniel Wier

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Michelle Ann Matthews

Director of Horticulture Leigh Talmo

Programs & Development Manager Paloma Avila

Volunteer & Communications Manager Andrew Jewell

Gardeners Gladys Bakker Jensen Talmo

Honorary Directors

Site Rep

Betty & Charles ‘Kicker’ McKenney (Deceased)

Vienna Thurlbeck

VOLUNTEERS Allison Alford Mike Blunt Mingyi Chang Jucheng Chang Kate Clavijo Coral Crawford Cathryn Rose De Leon Norman Garbaccio Susan Goodyear Robert Gorcick Pam Hammer Jay Houser Andrew Jewell Ryan Kendell Larissa Lomen Meera Manek Diane Melbar Alison McAlpine Anne McCormack Martha Owen Scott Oshima Luisa Pelipetz Antonio Pierola Misty Rose Lynn Spanovich Pat Stoll Nelsa Teran Mimi Tranh Krisztina Vargas

FINANCIALS Income $173,666

Income: $173,666 City of Pasadena 15% Corporations and Organizations 2%

City of Pasadena 15%

Foundations and Grants 6%

Corporations and Organizations 2%

Individual Gifts 31%

Foundations and Grants 6%

Fundraising Events 18%

Individual Gifts 31%

Marmalade & Merchandise Sales 4%

Earned Income (tours, photo permits, venue rental) 24%

Fundraising Events 18% Marmalade & Merchandise Sales 4% Earned Income (tours, photo permits, venue rental) 24%

Expenses $169,036

Expenses: $169,036

Administration 42% Garden Maintenance 34% Events 6%

Administration 42%

Cost of Sales 3% Insurance 3%

Garden Maintenance 34%

Miscellaneous Overhead 12%

Events 6% Cost of Sales 3% Insurance 3% Miscellaneous Overhead 12%

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