Sebastopol Community Center

Enriching the Spirit of Community Since 1982

Building a Vision for Our Future

Vision Statement To build a new community center that offers a flexible, multi-purpose, state of the art, green facility, which will continue to accommodate and foster quality programs and performances while addressing the growing needs of our community.

Mission Statement To enrich the spirit of our community by providing opportunities that enhance education, recreation, and culture.

Sebastopol Community Center Sebastopol Community Center (SCC) was incorporated as a community-based, not for profit organization in 1982 and has been under the leadership of Kim Caruso, the Executive Director since 1995. Located at 390 Morris Street in Sebastopol, CA, the center sits in the picturesque Laguna de Santa Rosa Wetlands Preserve where recreational walking trails, an outdoor labyrinth, park and baseball field are easily accessible to all SCC visitors.

SCC hosts over 125 classes per week for infants, children, teens, adults and seniors, and provides a variety of educational enrichment programs that bring quality experiences to our community. Additionally, SCC provides services and facilities for community gatherings which support the need for recreational and enrichment opportunities. SCC also provides a framework for leadership by facilitating community projects.

Responding to the ever changing needs of our community, SCC has positioned itself, not only as a vibrant and integral part of western Sonoma County—but a necessity!

SCC Community Education

Classes Responding to the varied requests and community needs, SCC offers over 125 classes a week for people of all ages. Classes include: music, art, dance, self-help, exercise, writing, martial arts, and science. SCC continually strives to present quality classes with expert instructors. Each class is dynamic and responsive, meeting the demands of our community.

Sample of Weekly Classes

Kindergym	Middle Eastern Dance	Computer Education
Ballet	Jazz Dance	Dog Training
Gymnastics	Hip Hop	Feldenkrais
Fencing	Capoeira	Hula
Judo	Latin Dance	Jazzercise
Karate	Afro-Haitian Dance	Medical Qigong
Resistance Training	Tap and Jazz Dance	Meditation
Teen Babysitting	A Cappella Jazz Singing	Musical Mothering
Parenting Classes	Afro-Haitian Drumming	Piano
Art for Seniors	Ballroom Dance	Pre-school
Art for Kids	Baseball Clinics	Science Makes Gizmos
Drumming for All Ages	Basketball Clinics	Senior Tap
Dance Swing, Ballroom	Brazilian Soccer Clinics	Singing
Modern Dance	Business Consulting	Tai Chi
African Dance	Communication	Tennis Clinics
Brazilian Dance	Conflict Resolution	Yoga

SCC Recreation and Enrichment Camps for Youth

The Sebastopol Community Center offers several camps for youth during spring, holiday and summer breaks. We offer weeklong camps in piano, singing, music recording, art, and science, as well as, sports camps in soccer, tennis, basketball, baseball, and fencing. This summer, SCC offered a nine-week, full-day camp focused on sports, fitness, and fun! SCC camps are located at the Sebastopol Super Playground and local schools.

Tiny Tots Preschool Since 1988 children ages 3 to 5 have attended SCC’s Tiny Tots program, located in the Garzot/Duffield Building. Under the direction of Kathy Clifton, Tiny Tots is praised for its developmental approach to each child. Here the need for order and freedom, socialization, and early education is recognized. Age appropriate activities are designed to give children the opportunity to develop motor control skills, physical coordination, enhance their self-esteem, initiate social skills and cooperation, and encourage independence. Tiny Tots preschool is in operation during nine fun-filled months of the school year.

Sebastopol Ballet School Since 1995, SCC has collaborated with the Sebastopol Ballet School. Under the direction of Sue Borgeson, Lois Hartman, and Paula Martens, over 100 ballet students a week study the art of ballet and perform an annual production of The Nutcracker Ballet.

SCC Educational Programs and Partners

This was the most powerful and significant day of my teaching experience.

-Andy Delmonte, Analy Honor Choir Director, in reference to the choir performing with the Persuasions.

Jugalbandi Music and Arts in the Schools Our music and arts education program for school-aged youth K-12 was initiated in 2000. Jugalbandi is an Indian musical term meaning “exchange.” Within this program, artists exchange their talent and artistic values with students. SCC believes that dance and music are an essential educational experience. In response to funding cuts, SCC created Jugalbandi to help sustain the arts in our schools. Each year Jugalbandi brings world-class artists to our community, where students are able to experience and learn about the artistic process firsthand. Students and teachers enjoy performances and are able to engage in the powerful influences of dance, music, and storytelling. Each performance reaches 500-950 students.

Michael Franti and his powerful film “I Know I am not Alone” a musicians journey into the war zones of Baghdad, Palestine and Israel.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo South African musicians performed and spoke with 950 students about their music, instruments, and their country in 2006.

The Campbell Brothers Gospel and a pedal steel group from Rochester, New York, engaged by the Smithsonian Institute to chronicle the sacred steel music genre. They performed in 2003.

Second City The famed Chicago-based improvisational theater worked with our high school drama students. They performed and provided workshops in 2001 and 2003.

Persuasions An a cappella group from New York City worked with high school choir students and later performed together at an evening concert for the community in 2002.

Arlo Guthrie, Barachois (Celtic Music from Prince Edward Island), Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar, Shangri-La Chinese Acrobats, San Francisco Mime Troupe, Axe Abada (Capoeira from Brazil), Caminos Flamencos, Thomas Mapfumo and Blacks Unlimited (from Zimbabwe)

SCC School Partners Partner Schools include Analy High School, Brook Haven, Pine Crest, Park Side, Willowside, Apple Blossom, Harmony, Forestville, Gravenstein, Willow Springs, Orchard View, and Sunridge.

SCC Concert and Festival Production

In response to the community needs for quality performances, SCC created the Concert and Festival component in 1995. SCC’s performance focus has been primarily on folk and Celtic music, spearheaded by two of Northern California’s most respected festivals—the Kate Wolf Memorial Music Festival in June and the Sebastopol Celtic Music Festival in September. Working with director Cloud Moss of Cumulus Presents, SCC has presented 12 to 15 community-wide concerts each year to Sebastopol. SCC brings a rich entertainment value to Sebastopol; well over 10,000 people a year have enjoyed artists and entertainment from all over the world.

Joan Baez Jennifer Berezan Eric Bogle Karla Bonoff Greg Brown Jackson Browne Mary Chapin Carpenter Bruce Cockburn Iris Dement Donovan Steve Earle Ramblin Jack Elliot Nina Gerber Eliza Gilkyson John Gorka Nancy Griffith Arlo Guthrie Richie Havens Lucy Kaplansky Jimmy LaFave Kathy Mattea Kelly Jo Phelps Utah Phillips Karen Savoca Rosalie Sorrels Linda Tillery Richard Thompson Doc Watson Cheryl Wheeler Jesse Winchester Ali Akbar Khan Baka Beyond Habib Koite Ladysmith Black Mambazo Thomas Mapfumo R. Carlos Nakai Vassen Altan Patrick Ball Barachois Black Brothers Kevin Burke Chris Caswell Johnny Cunningham Cherish the Ladies Dervish Alasdair Frasier Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill Lunasa Dougie Maclean Liam O’Flynn Le Vent du Nord Old Blind Dogs Rohn Renbourn Solas Wake the Dead Keola Beamer Led Kaapana George Kahumoku Jr. Cyril Pahinui Daryl Anger American Fiddle Ensemble David Bromberg Nickel Creek Jerry Douglas David Grissman Barbara Higbie Laurie Lewis Tom O’Brien Peter Rowan Blind Boys of Alabama Campbell Brothers Katie Jackson Eric Bibb David Lindley Taj Majal Jeff Muldaur And many more!

SCC Facilitated Community Projects

SCC serves as a community resource for community members to manifest their dreams and passions by facilitating and sponsoring projects. Under SCC’s leadership the Super Playground was built, the Community Garden was founded, and the Analy Tennis Courts and Brook Haven Tennis Courts were rebuilt. A current work in progress is the Academy of Bolts and Volts.

The Super Playground: A 10,000 square foot Arthurian Castle that serves hundreds of children a day and was built by 2000 volunteers over a 5-day period in March 1992. SCC coordinates the maintenance and volunteer “keepers” for the Super Playground.

Sebastopol Community Garden: Born in 1997, this effort, inspired by two passionate women in our community, was brought to fruition through the direction and sponsorship of SCC.

Analy High School Tennis Courts: In 2001, SCC was instrumental in assisting the local Analy High School in rebuilding their tennis courts. SCC initiated a youth leadership project with a high school senior, and through a largely grass root effort, raised over $225,000 to rebuild the courts to meet regulation length and tournament level lighting. These courts host many school sponsored programs and events, as well as community sponsored league play and public play.

Brook Haven Tennis Courts: In 2004, a collaborative effort to rebuild the Brook Haven School Tennis courts was coordinated with SCC. As a result of this community-inspired leadership project, over $100,000 was raised to construct three beautiful new courts with tournament level lighting.

Academy of Bolts and Volts: Currently SCC is working with a science professor from Sonoma State University to assist him in building an Academy of Bolts and Volts, a hands-on after school science program.

Concurrently, SCC serves as a resource to help community members raise funds for myriad school projects, for ill loved ones, scout projects and service club projects.

SCC Facilities

Main Building 390 Morris St.
SCC was incorporated as a not for profit organization in 1982. Its formation was the result of Sebastopol’s disbanding the city’s Park and Recreation Department. Passionate community members met the need for a community recreation hub by founding the “Sebastopol Community Center.” This city owned building, initially built by volunteers, serving as a boxing ring for boys until it became a boy’s club; continues to serve as west-county’s most utilized meeting space.

The facility is a 10,000 square foot metal building, featuring a 4,800 square foot main hall and two 900 square foot classrooms. The facility sits in the flood plain and has been inundated by flood waters, several times over the last 20 years.

Youth Annex 425 Morris St.
What was known as the Teen Center in 1997 became the Youth Annex in 2002 under the stewardship of SCC. Today, the facility is home to a variety of enhanced learning experiences including numerous music, dance, and self-help classes attended by hundreds of students each week. This facility also serves as a gathering center for City Council meetings and public events.

Garzot/Duffield Building Valentine Ave.
This facility next to the Super Playground and Brook Haven School is the location for SCC’s pre-school, youth camps, numerous classes, programs, and community gatherings. In 1997, SCC raised $250,000 to expand the one-room, non-heated
space into a fully operating licensed pre-school. During the summer months and holidays, this site is home to SCC youth day camp.

Building Our Vision

An enduring dream of the SCC board of directors, staff, instructors, and students has been to build a community center to replace the “tin can” building that sits in the Laguna de Santa Rosa’s flood plain. SCC has been inundated by flood waters (1986, 1995, 1997, New Year’s 2005) causing major damage requiring massive efforts and funds to restore services to our community.

Mindful of the growing needs of our west county, as well as supporting the economic health and vitality of Sebastopol; we envision a new full-service, state of the art, environmentally sensitive community center. The center will compliment the cultural and physical landscape by design that is dynamic, flexible, and dry.

In order to realize this dream, six to eight million dollars must be raised within the next two years. Significant naming and legacy leaving opportunities for the community center, its theater, music, and ballet rooms are now available. A new community center will be comprised of three soundproof music studios, a conference room, two classrooms, one large dance/ballet room with a divider, and a theater designed to seat 600.

We are hoping you will take a moment to read about us and become acquainted with the programs, services, and activities we provide daily for our community.

For more information regarding pledging opportunities and how you may become involved with our fundraising efforts, or to donate to the SCC Building a Vision for Our Future Fund with the Community Foundation of Sonoma County, please contact Kim Caruso, Executive Director, Sebastopol Community Center, 707-823-1511, kcaruso@seb.org.

The New Sebastopol Community Center A Benefit to the Community

Our vision and our goal is to build a new community center that offers a flexible, multi-purpose, state of the art, green facility, which will continue to accommodate and foster quality programs and performances while addressing the growing needs of our community.

A flexible community center will continue to respond to the changing needs of west county by providing spaces for educational enrichment, family gatherings, rituals, school fundraisers, conferences, and public meetings; all part of the fabric of life in Sonoma County.

A multi-purpose community center is capable of supporting physical artists, vocal artists, educators, dreamers, and facilitators as they provide theater, dance, music celebrations, dance, new ideas, and new solutions to our community.

A state of the art community center assimilates practical solutions to public spaces such as, meeting the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, providing flooring that supports athletic movement, providing appropriate restrooms, and providing appropriate sound, lighting, and cooling systems.

A green community center is environmentally sustainable and sensitive to energy limitations. By using building products that are recycled and renewable, designing energy collection sites, and using practical architectural form, the cost and impact of the center is greatly reduced.

A community center which fosters quality programs and performances is a magnet for its community and attracts visitors willing to shop in Sebastopol–supporting economic growth.

A community center that meets the growing needs of Sebastopol is a vibrant, necessary part of the city. SCC currently serves hundreds of patrons each week; please help to ensure its future by joining us in this new adventure.