Marina Ancestor City Fund
This community campaign is built on the belief that our students thrive when our community stands together.
In October of 2025, the team welcomed Dr. Mette Miriam Böll, Executive Director of the Center for Systems Awareness to a community convening at Vince Dimaggio Park. The gathering brought together school leaders, Mayor Delgado, city representatives, civic partners, and community members for dialogue, planning, and systems exploration.
It was here that the group made a powerful collective declaration: to recognize Marina as an “Ancestor City”—a community that places the well-being of future generations at the center of its decisions, designs, and relationships. More can be read about this event and previous work in this area here in the Newsletter for the Center for Systems Awareness.
As this work moves forward, a cross-sector working group is taking shape to coordinate ongoing action. While improved attendance remains a goal, the deeper aspiration is clear: to cultivate a compassionate community culture where being present—at school, in relationships, and in civic life—is both meaningful and joyful for students and adults alike.
This is a school and community-organized effort supported by a collaborative group of community members, including Alessandro Tani, George Lange, Leland Hansen, Alan Crawford, Bruce Delgado, Liesbeth Visscher, Dorothy Emerson, Kyle Van Sant, and Valarie Brown-Klingelhoefer.
The goal is to honor Marina’s long tradition of family engagement, supporting its schools, and getting things done by exploring new opportunities for collaboration in our students’ highest areas of need—such as attendance and belonging—so we can collectively support our youth now and into the future and ensure Marina remains a safe haven for every young person.
If you are interested in making a donation, here is the link.
