POST Raises $784,000 at 'Under the Harvest Moon' Event
September 26, 2005
The Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) hosted 500 guests at its 'Under the Harvest Moon' event at Runnymede Farm on September 17. The sold-out event raised $784,000 to support open space protection through POST's $200 million Saving the Endangered Coast campaign, and contributions from event guests continue to come in.
"We are pleased that so many friends and supporters of POST were able to join us to celebrate the land and the generosity of our community," said Mark Wan, a member of POST's Board of Directors and an event co-chair. "We are thrilled with the gifts guests made and continue to make, as POST is still $4,585,800 million away from completing the campaign."
Emceed by Doug McConnell, host of "Bay Area Backroads" on KRON- Channel 4, and featuring a performance by legendary singer-songwriter Joan Baez, the evening began with remarks from event co-chairs Mark and Lisa Wan and Steve and Karla Jurvetson. Campaign chair Karie Thomson took the stage to welcome guests and announce a stunning $3 million gift from Woodside resident Kathleen Scutchfield.
"We were delighted to announce Kathy Scutchfield's gift at Under the Harvest Moon," said Thomson. "The audience was truly thrilled to learn about this incredibly generous gift, and the announcement electrified an already exciting evening."
After dinner, POST President Audrey Rust invited guests to give to the campaign by bringing her cell phone on stage and providing the number to the guests. As she continued with her remarks, her phone rang periodically with gifts from guests at the event. "I hope her battery holds out," remarked Gordon Moore.
Rust then welcomed longtime POST supporters Gordon Moore and Julie Packard to the stage. Both the Moore Foundation and the Packard Foundation contributed $50 million each early in POST's coastal campaign. Moore spoke to a rapt audience about his experience growing up in the coastal town of Pescadero and his childhood memories of the beach at Whaler's Cove near Pigeon Point Light Station. Packard engaged the audience explaining the importance of land conservation to her family and to all Californians.
"The evening was filled with enjoyable speakers and tributes to the land and the families who have been instrumental in protecting it," said event co-chair and POST Board member, Karla Jurvetson. "The event underscored the devotion of POST supporters to protecting the threatened lands of the San Mateo Coast."
As the evening drew to a close, Susan Ford Dorsey, current chair of the POST Board, introduced Woodside resident and legendary folk singer, Joan Baez, who serenaded guests with two poems and four songs, including "Diamonds and Rust" and Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall."
When the event was over, guests exited the 9,000-square-foot tent, admiring the large-format photographs of properties protected by POST through the campaign. Of the eight 6' x 10' photographs, seven are the work of Robert Buelteman and one is the work of William Matthais.