I was fortunate enough to recently complete the Food Forest Course at OAEC, which was my first time…read morethere, and it was worth every penny, giving me much more return on my investment. OAEC is an Eden; full of life and love, both bounty and beauty, balanced and achieving abundance. The course was jammed packed; "skipping stones across deep waters," to quote Master Timo. With such breadth and depth to the topic of Food Forest, OAEC offered a plethora of resources to use, and even some to take home, as we dove into many topics including but not limited to: Indigenous systems, site assessment, planning, and implementation; a study and then do process as we learned and then applied knowledge and techniques to a plot of land. The site that OAEC lives with and stewards is breathtaking; the natural beauty was greatly appreciated as I could walk in various directions and experience a new microclimate and ecology. I would be completely content getting lost there absorbing all the phytoncides to my benefit. The food was phenomenal; freshly harvested, diverse both in species and flavor, and provided nutriments to fuel my learning. The food alone (three delicious meals a day plus snacks and a variety of beverages) could easily be the cost of this course attendance ($1350) plus the lodging, and the curriculum, this is a steal! Again, well worth every penny. The lodging was topnotch; various kinds of structures, all offering a safe place during the journey. The facilities were clean and maintained. Glamping without the pricetag. The instruction was unmatched; each expert had their respective, and respectable, backgrounds and articulated the subject matter peacefully and eloquently to a diverse crowd and responded superbly to questions. Kendall, Timo, Redbird, Lyla June, Anniema, Danny, Jim, Nicolas, and all of the support staff and cohort were perfect; each provided input that transformed into the collective experience as we learned together. It was a healing experience. It was a learning experience. We need more OAECs out there. I highly recommend and will be back and remain connected! P.s. The Nursery is a must stop. I stocked up on some natives to spread.

I went to OAEC for a staff retreat that my work booked. We were one of the only groups staying…read morethere not including the regular staff and residents there. We had a really good experiene there, with very great meeting spaces with good wifi, as well as different spaces for hiking. We had the meals made in their kitchen, which was prepared using eggs, fruits and vegetables that are produced there which were very fresh. They also had some homemade breads including gluten free options. One first day there, the staff gave us a tour of the grounds including the gardens where you can pick all the plants, fruits, veggies and herbs that aren't already listed "NOT TO PICK". Their housing was comfortable with the exception of bugs, but that's what happens when you're in the middle of nature. They also had a hot tub area which was very comfortable and well constructed. Also on the grounds as an arboretum to explore different plant life, a barn with chickens and goats, and pond which people can swin and paddle board on. Other wildlife including deers roam the grounds. I'd really recommend this place for a retreat space. Shoutout to the staff for maintaining it.

A family resource center whose mission is to bridge the racial and cultural divide in Healdsburg…read more Corazón offers programs to improve health and well-being for all who live and work in Healdsburg through innovative partnerships and community driven programming. Working with youth and their families, Corazón aims to break cycles of poverty and improve quality of life for those we serve. I visited the center for a training and was impressed by the warmth of the space and the breadth of programming available to community members.

Me and my son are fire evacuees in the Larkfield wikiup area. Just like everybody else he was…read moreevacuated. I waited in line for a total of 7 hours at the Healdsburg community center to get rental assistance only to find out that they don't want to help anybody from the Larkfield wikiup area or Santa Rosa. Apparently we're less important and apparently our evacuation was not as intense as everyone else's. Frankly I feel like this organization dangled a carrot in front of me and completely let me down. You should be absolutely ashamed of yourself. If you can't help everybody that was evacuated you should not offer your services to anybody.

Awesome people , awesome place . Great resource for tools you use once In a great while .read more

Great resource and helpful guys. It almost seems too fancy of a place to be lending tools and the…read moreguys seem like they could easily be sommeliers at a restaurant. I almost feel that it's so fancy that it's a front or money laundering place but that makes no sense since everything they provide is free.

Compassionate Living is devoted to animal rights, as well as the vegetarian/vegan diet. They…read moreorganize meet ups/potlucks, movie viewings, book clubs, and they have a full events calendar. They recently held their SoCo VegFest at the Luther Burbank Center. They changed their venue because they had outgrown their previous facility. The SoCo VegFest had movies, massages, a food court (with restaurants like Muir's Tea Room&Gaia's Garden), food samples, music. Folks from Califia Farms handed out free bottles of their cold brew&lemonade, while the Hare Krishnas and Ukiah's City of 10,000 Buddhas had booths. The City of 10,000 Buddhas, the largest Buddhist center in the US, was giving away free cookbooks (their version of macaroni with tomatoes, Chinese-style, is excellent) Compassionate Living is an active community, with meetings from Sonoma to Sacramento- http://www.meetup.com/northbay-vegan/ They are a great organization. The $5 admission to their VegFest is worth it. Their SoCo VegFest was packed. Great outreach to the community.

"Mad Hatter" Benefit for Mentor Me in Petaluma. Coming up this Saturday, May 1st. I've been to…read moreothers prior to being a mentor myself and it is fun, fun, fun. Tons of fundraising happening at the event, from the dinner to silent auction, wine bar, martini bar, best hat contest, live band. and all monies go to help Mentor Me Petaluma. This organization continues to serve the community, year after year. Awesome organization and now I'm a mentor and it is rewarding.

Great Bash for a GREAT CAUSE!!!…read more Don't really understand what Kathy O's problem is down there at the bottom. But like any other organization, the fund raising events are fund raising events and the work is the work. BOTH are great and the MHB is the place to be on Saturday (I'll be there!!!)

The Angela Center is in a surprisingly secluded, rural part of Santa Rosa, off the Old Redwood…read moreHighway. One can hear the distant hum of the 101, drives by a horse pasture. Parking is a tricky situation (follow the signage)- and it's an act of faith to drive on the narrow, steep roads. The main building isn't self-explanatory. On Wednesday mornings, they have a women's group called Julian's Cell, meditating to New Agey Celtic music. It's in a small chapel adorned with a cerulean mosaic. Julian's Cell is a small, friendly, welcoming group. It's a quiet, New Agey place with an androgynous crucifix, a statue of Our Lady beside a labyrinth, and an icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It's a place for rest and peace.

I attended a retreat at Angela Center through Spirit Rock. When I first learned that my retreat…read morewould not be held on the Spirit Rock campus, I was disappointed. I'd heard good things about it. The pictures I found online of Angela Center definitely made the campus seem creepy (myriad of crucifixes, stations of the cross, etc.). When I first arrived, it looked and felt more welcoming than the pictures would suggest. It's bright (except for the chapel itself), very clean, and very well-organized. The rooms are small and efficient, equipped with air conditioning and heat. The beds are super comfortable. The grounds are beautiful, peaceful, and idyllic with birds singing, lizards sunning themselves, and a couple of cats who ask for pets and scratches. It's full of fruit trees and bright flowers blooming everywhere, lush foliage, and full, healthy trees. I am certain that this was a perfect spot for a Spirit Rock (or any) retreat space. I definitely recommend this center for a retreat or meeting.

The Redwood Empire Food Bank it's a great resource for our community it is also a wonderful place…read moreto volunteer. They're not only have human food but they also have pet food programs sometimes diapers wipes. If you are in need to reach out to them if they can't help you they'll find someone. If you're looking for somewhere to volunteer they take people pretty much of any ages smaller kids need to be with their parents there's so many opportunities to volunteer it's physical labor so I considered a work out for the day.

Thank you Redwood Food Bank ! We dropped off five bags of food (pasta, peanut butter, tuna, clams…read moreand soups) yesterday at the Whole Foods here in Petaluma. Keep up your great and much needed work !! Paul and Lynn Young

Love this private fraternal organization with a social quarters inside. Service is great and food…read moreis awesome! Very reasonably priced too!

Great place to hang out with friends great dinners on Friday night and good food for the price…read moreduring the week