THANK-UARY + Matching Gift Foundation

The John + Elizabeth Leonard Foundation Supported Our Successful Matching Gift Season

It’s Thank-uary! We celebrate all of you who made a year-end donation to our $50,000 matching gift campaign.

Thanks to you, and The John + Elizabeth Leonard Foundation, we met our goal that fuels growth for the New Year. Your commitment to our vision that everyone can connect with, experience and protect nature makes 2020 an exciting beginning!

We reached out to the Leonards to share their inspiration for nature protection + access. In their own words, here is a glimpse at their story:

Your foundation is actively involved in the vision of Nature Collective. Can you share what inspires your continued commitment?

One of our family foundation’s tenets is to actively support organizations that work to restore, protect and preserve our local environment.   

We feel that is very important to educate the public about land conservation, saving the habitats and waterways for animals and plants to rest and to thrive, and preserving the beauty of our environment. The more one knows and explores these natural areas, the more one is interested in sustainability and conservation. The Nature Collective is very good at what they do, including the educating of the public, and that is why we support the Nature Collective and why we invite you to also support the Nature Collective.    

As children, what activities outdoors deepened your love for nature? How did raising your children mirror this passion?

John and his brother are both Eagle Scouts, as are their sons, and they engendered that love of the outdoors in their families.

As a child living in Southern California, Elizabeth’s parents would take her and her sister on adventure outings to our local mountains, to the desert or to the beach.  She was always fascinated by the natural landscapes that each environment had to offer. 

But it wasn’t until their honeymoon when John took Elizabeth to Yosemite National Park that she really fell in love with rocks, the dogwoods, the pine trees, the cedar trees, and, of course, the waterfalls. We took multiple hikes on the valley floor which left us tired, but so inspired. 

When our children (Matthew and Katherine) were young, Elizabeth and John began taking them to Yosemite and on family and Boy Scout camping trips. They both have carried on their strong commitment to the environment in their own professions. Matthew works as an environmental ranger for the Center for Natural Land Management. Katherine is a naturopathic doctor in Seattle who treats patients with exposure to environmental toxins.

We are happy to say that we return to Yosemite many times and still vacation there whenever we get a chance. We returned multiple times so that our two children would be exposed to the very essence of serenity, calmness, and the beauty of nature. 

Those majestic mountains really do tug at the heart and call us back year after year. Our now adult children also have carried on the tradition of visiting these mountains and also protecting and conserving our wondrous open spaces from here in San Diego all the way to Seattle. 

What thoughts do you have on how people can connect, experience and protect nature?           

People can volunteer to work with the staff at Nature Collective, work in the plant nursery, or remove invasive plant species and replace them with native plants. 

People also can connect with nature by taking a very simple walk around the block, a neighborhood park or a National Park. Little things make a difference for the health of the plants and animals in the environment. Picking up trash, staying on the trail, and not disturbing natural habitats are all important in protecting the environment.

If one person has respect for the environment and cares about it, you will have others wanting to do the same thing. 

November + December 2019 Gifts for Nature Collective

Alan Alcorn*
Alexander z”l. + Valerie Viterbi Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation
John + Linda Alspaugh
Nicholas Alston
Carla Anderson***
Dale + Sharel Andrews
Chris Angioletti***
Anonymous (23)
Dennis + Margo Astroth***
Anthony Cerami + Ann Dunne Foundation for World Health**
Jon + Clemencia Appel
Patricia Astier
John + Elizabeth Bagby
Gladys Baird
Jeffrey + Barbara Beaupain
Walker Burkhard***
The Bernstein Family
James Beyster
Mike + Janice Blanco
Albert + Cathleen Bourdon
Helen Bourne
Ashely Waddell + Christi Brockway
Cristina Burlem
Cheryl + Thomas Burns
James + Joanne Callan
Bill + Willi Caylor
Pat Churchland
Wayne + Barbara Coleman
Lou Ann Countryman
Alan + Jerelyn Creutz
Charles Cuccaro + Ana Maria Grace
Richard + Lynn Cusac
Seth Cutter Jr.*
Barbara Daedlow-Schweller
Gary Danielsen + Anthea Beletsis
Gary + Denise David
Michael Davidson + Lori Chamberlain
Joan Davis
Paul + Linnea Dayton
John DeBeer + Mona Baumgartel
Nick + Cristina DePolo
Steve + Jane Dempsey***
James Determan
Steve Dinkin + Tara Fuad**
Sage Cerami Dunne
James + Jewel Edson
Steve Eilenberg + Marie Tartar
Jim + Susan Elliott
David + Peg Engel**
William + Ann Marie Engfelt
Robert + Mary Jane Engman
Daniel Essig
Tom + Mary Evers**
Robert Farber + Kelley Martin
Gerald + Janne Fecht
Harold Feder + Gloria Sandvik
Teri Fenner
Edith Fine
Sally Foster***
Warren Fox
Charles Freebern
Fulton Family Legacy Fund at The San Diego Foundation
George + Kathy Furgerson
Ryan Gates
Don Geiger + Emmy Garnica**
Ron George + Tricia Takacs**
Jason + Jesse Giessow
Carla Gilbert
Dan + Cathy Gill
Douglas Gillingham + Dana Friehauf**
Girl Scoot Troop #2357
Tom + Donna Golich**
Richard Gomez + Lina Mendenhall
Bruce Green
Renita Greenberg
Jim + Carrie Greenstein
Brenda + Larrie Hall**
Terrence + Martha Hallaren
Donald + Deborah Halliday
Dan Hammer
Bill Harman***
Carol Hart
Chip + Nancy Hatch
Chuck + Lee Hawley
John + Jane Helmer**
Steven + Sarah Henriksen
Scott Henry + Kim Lande
Thomas Hermann
Robert Higuchi
Mike + Dawn House**
Peter House + Carol Childs**
Mark + Davi Huffman***
Carl + Lisa Hulle
Julie Hunter
Robert Hyman
Bob + Sandy Irwin
Mary Jane Jagodzinski
Mark Jenne
Linda Joerden
Carl + Charlotte Johnk***
Kevin Johnson***
Franklin + Patricia Jones
Herschel + Mary Ann Jones
Jennifer Jones
Doug + Carolyn Jopes
Carol Kane
Joe + Mary Kellejian***
Joe Kellogg
Margaret Kessler
Jonathan Kies + Kristine Brady
Jim + Janie King
Katherine + Thaddeus Kousser
John + Joan Kroener
Artun Kutchuk
John LaGrange
Wells + Betty Lange
James Lauer
Larry + Joyce Laveman
Dawn Lawson
Michael + Teresa Lea**
Dennis + Kathleen Lees
Charles + Marianne Leighton
Jon + Judy Lelevier
Bill Lester
Paula Levin
Mark Levin + Carol Levin
Paul + Eva Linke
Martin + Mary Lighterink
Michael + Julie Luther
Kim MacConnel + Jean Lowe
Anne Magoffin
Bill Maris*
Dr. Jack + Mrs. Jack Martin
Andy + Kathleen Mauro**
James + Carol McCall***
Michael + Karen McClune
Kevin + Margaret McGinnis
Karen Merril
John Meyer***
John + Torre Middleton***
Stephan Miller + Elisabeth Walcott
Bonnie Minamide
Mike Minneman***
Robin Mitchell
Louis Montrose + Caroline Ding
Barbara Moore***
Cindy Moore
Richard + Frances Moore
Andra Moran**
Bill + Mary Moser
Robert Murashige + Marsha Richards
Jon + Sharon Nachison
George Nakamura***
Northup Nathan*
Barry Naughton
Michael Newhouse + Rose Lochmann
Ken Owen***
John + Linette Page
Kevin Parra**
Caryl Parrish
Robert + Shauna Patton
Leonard + Joan Pecchia*
Cindy Pedersen***
Michael Peeler
Claudia Perdomo
Hans Petermann***
Dr. Annkatrin Petersen
Anthony + Lori Petosa
Nancy + Michael Pfeiffer
Ryan Pingree
Wayne + Carol Pletcher
Kenneth + Sheila Poggenburg
Dadla Ponizil + Judy Berlfein**
Daniel Powell***
Marcus Presar
Jeffrey Pressman + Nancy Kollisch
Bernard Preyer
Lindsay + Debra Quackenbush***
James + Denise Quigley
Susan Randerson
Susan Reel
Ross Ridder + John Spencer
Jack Ross + Barbara Bolton
Peter + Winona Rowat
Karl Rudnick + Jill Cooper
Yas Saotome
Nancy Satur
John + Linda Scales***
Rich + Lindy Schermerhorn***
Marcia Schofield
Mary Schwalen
Tom + Veronica Seay
Fred + Jean Sebold***
Lucy Sharp
Dave Shaw + Anita Hayworth
Richard Sheridan + Nancy Perry-Sheridan**
Jerry + Jamie Shiller
I-Wei Shu*
Ed Siegel*
Ronald + Katharine Silveira
Eric Slater + Marcia Pilatti
Dane Soderberg
Aaron + Kaori Sokoloff
Sandy Somerville
Albert Somit + Linda Corder
Barbara + Mark Spiro
Robin Stark
John Steger + Debbie Zmarzly
Billy Stern + Carolyn Whitehouse
Maggie Crawford + Timbo Stillinger***
James + Kathleen Stiven
Martin + Maryann Stone
Debby + Barry Strauss
Barbara Swanson
David + Judie Swinington***
Alan + Steve Tarkington**
Lori + Ken Taylor*
Audrey Terras
Donna Thal***
The John + Elizabeth Leonard Family Foundation**
John Thompson + Victoria Gramoy
William Thompson***
John Tolpa
Amy Trujillo
Daisy Valdivieso*
Mike Varney + Jennifer Ball
Robert Weisgrau
Sarah Westling***
Mark + Deborah Whitehouse***
John + Christine Willems
Brian Wood***
Paul + Jane Woody
Dean + Susan Work
Art + Sandy Yayanos
Mary Yount
Sandra Zarcades
Bradley Zlotnick

In Memory of Alan Thum
Judy Thum

In Memory of Morgan Mallory
Dianna + Eric Heffner*
James Morrison
Nahid Nikzad*
Patricia Taylor*

In Memory of Margaret Schlesinger
Ed Siegel

Corporate Members
American Society of Landscape Architects*
Tony’s Jacal
New England Biolabs

*New Member
**President’s Circle Member
***Monthly Giving Member