Our History

The First Five Years — 1998-2003

In early 1998 a small group of elders in the San Francisco Bay Area founded Earth Elders as a nation-wide network to connect, support and encourage midlife and older persons to honor their own aging, honor elders and honor Earth. Founding Council Members were: Connie Mahoney, founder; Shepherd Bliss; Cecelia Hurwich; Helen Lewis; Tom MacLachian, Michael McAvoy, Anabel Pelham; Krista Thomas; and Paul Takayanagi. The Earth Elder vision was rooted in the legacy of our ancestors. Throughout history and in traditional cultures worldwide, elders have been peacemakers and earthkeepers, sharing their wisdom, vision, and compassion through story, teaching of each new generation how to care for Earth, its people, animals, plants and elements. That heritage has sustained life — up to now. Today, the need to care for Earth is greater than ever. To address that need, Earth Elders is dedicated to honoring aging, elders and Earth as our legacy for future generations.

Earth Elders received its formal designation as a nonprofit organization in February 1998 through designation as a project of New College of California, North Bay Campus (a 501[c] [3] educational institution. The first action taken by Earth Elders was sharing the Earth Elders' vision through presentations and distribution of our first brochure at the March annual meeting of the American Society on Aging (ASA) in San Francisco. Earth Elders then hosted a series of four Conversations on Aging and the Environment public forums at New College in Santa Rosa, CA. In summer, we published our first quarterly newsletter Earth Elders' Connections (later changed to Earth Elders' Connecting) to a mailing list that already numbered 225. Earth Elders received national publicity in the journal of the Association of Humanistic Psychology and in EarthLight magazine; In September, Earth Elders was a presenter at the first national gathering of elders hosted by Jubilados in Santa Fe, NM. The first year ended with the addition of a Steering Council to work with the Founding Council to oversee program activity.

 The year 1999 began with the sponsorship of a workshop in Santa Rosa for the senior community on Seniors and Y2K, with speakers from Social Security, the Council on Aging and concerned citizens. In March, the Earth Elders' message was presented at ASA in Orlando, FL. On a cold, windy April Sunday, Earth Elders held its first Earth Day Celebration for the larger Sonoma County community: Walking a Labyrinth for Peace. In August, Earth Elders began holding regular monthly meetings at New College in Santa Rosa. The intention of the monthly Circle of Elders gatherings was to build community and support elders in caring for one another and sustaining the Earth. Rabon Saip was Circle Chair. September marked the first year of Earth Elders' participation in the Celebration of the Russian River and its Watershed festival. The year ended with the mailing of our first fundraising letter to our mailing list of over 500, and the reorganizing of the Steering Council to focus on Sonoma County, and a Christmas Party.

 In Spring of 2000, Earth Elders named six persons to its Council of Honored Elders: Thomas Berry, David Brower, Ram Dass, Cecelia Hurwich, Helen Lewis and Joanna Macy. The story of their lives, accomplishments and work as elders were featured in the Spring and Fall newsletters. The Earth Day Celebration Earth Elders Honor Sonoma County Elder Earthkeepers of the 20th Century was a gala event. Because of heavy rain, the program was held indoors (Burbank Heights Senior Housing Community Center, Sebastopol); however, spirits were not dampened. Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, First Congressional District, presented hand-turned wooden bowls crafted by Earth Elder honoree Brad Lundborg to the 21 elders (65+) nominated by the community. In early summer, we launched our web site: www.earthelders.org. We visited Brad Lundborg's Palmer Creek Ranch in Healsburg, hiked, shared stories, songs, and homemade blackberry ice cream.

 During the summer and into the fall, a separate local organization: Earth Elders of Sonoma County was created to focus resources locally. Earth Elders, as a project of New College, continued to promote the vision on the national or global level. Later that year, Earth Elders of Sonoma County renamed its leadership council as the  "Nuts and Bolts Committee" (members:  Nancy Fitzpatrick Myfanwy Plank, Lillian Reinhart and Rabon Saip). "Nuts and Bolts" remains the leadership body for Earth Elders in Sonoma County to the present time.

 Locally, Circles were held monthly; fall brought sponsorship of the Circling of Elders Celebrating the River event and the year closed with another Christmas party. On the national level, Earth Elders marked its presence at ASA (March) through organizing and participating on a panel on elder values. In October, the Earth Elder message was presented at the third conference on aging, contemplative practice and permaculture sponsored by Jubilados. The ninth newsletter was sent to a mailing list of over 800 persons; due to high costs, this was the final edition.

 The 2001 Earth Elders' Earth Day celebration at Gold Ridge: Luther Burbank's Experimental Farm in Sebastopol honored The Next Generation: Sonoma County Earthkeepers recognizing 25 persons aged 50 - 65 nominated by the community.  Honorees were presented awards by the previous year's Elder Earthkeepers in an emotion-filled ceremony that included music, song, poetry and a tree planting in their honor. Earth Elders of Sonoma County held Circle of Elders gatherings monthly, visited Oceansong in Occidental, celebrated the Russian River, and closed the year with its Christmas party. In national endeavors, Earth Elders' founder, Connie Mahoney, carried the Earth Elder vision to the Earth Spirit Rising Conference on Ecology, Spirituality and The Great Work in Louisville KY and the post-conference Council of Earth Elders event where she was a featured presenter. Later that month, she co-facilitated the Re-Connecting with Earth and Elder Wisdom weekend retreat in Asheville, NC, sponsored by Second Journey, a nonprofit organization for elders based in North Carolina. In August, Earth Elders of Sonoma County held a healing circle for Connie at Gold Ridge to support her in her struggle with cancer.

 In January 2002, Connie relinquished her leadership of Earth Elders. Second Journey began maintaining the Earth Elders' website and committed to holding the Earth Elders' vision as a program initiative. In September, Connie Mahoney participated in a national conference in Asheville, NC: Earth Spirit Rising: A Council of Earth Elders joining speakers Thomas Berry, Miriam McGillis, and Brooke Medicine on a morning panel. The Earth Elders' vision and website were recognized as valued resources and legacy for future generations. In Sonoma County, Earth Elders continued their monthly "Circle of Elders." They also continued the tradition of celebrating Earth Day as a community event by holding an Earth Walk commemorating 5 billion years of Earth's presence in the Universe (Gold Ridge in Sebastopol). Summer brought participation in the Summer Solstice at Oceansong, and a delightful potluck and hike at the home of Madeline Sone, Earth Elder Honored Earthkeeper. In September, Earth Elders took part in the fifth year of the Celebration of the Russian River Festival and a new banner for Earth Elders of Sonoma County which was carried proudly in October at the Council on Aging's March to support senior programs and, in November at a Peace March in Santa Rosa. The year ended with the Christmas party.

 The arrival of 2003 marked the fifth anniversary of the founding of Earth Elders and Earth Elders' presence in Sonoma County. The birthday was celebrated at Earth Elders' annual Earth Day Celebration at Gold Ridge; special guests included Sonoma County's Elder Earthkeepers of the 20th century and The Next Generation of Elder Earthkeepers and Connie Mahoney, founder of Earth Elders. Music and poetry marked the event, and yes, there was a birthday cake!  The vision continues.