By Bruce Barton
The board of directors at Hidden Villa nature preserve in Los Altos Hills made it official last week, fulfilling a promise to retain the 12-day multicultural summer camp that board members had elected to discontinue earlier this year.
At their meeting last Thursday, board members agreed to allocate $125,000 for the 12-day camp for fiscal year 2006-2007. Board Chairman Lee Price said funding allows for a “somewhat reduced” camp from this past year, where approximately 950 youth participated. Price figured as many as 750-800 could participate in 2007.
“I feel extremely positive about it,” Price said Friday. “I’m also positive that the board has come together on this.”
Faced with a deficit of more than $450,000, the board in July opted to cut the 12-day residential camp as part of a 15 percent overall budget reduction, while continuing to retain Hidden Villa’s day camp and five-day residential camp. At the same time, Hidden Villa officials appealed to donors to save the 12-day camp. A separate group comprising former campers, called Save Hidden Villa Camp, formed to pledge additional funds.
Price said nearly $160,000 in new funds has been pledged for the 12-day camp, but $66,500 of that total has conditions for spending placed by donors.
“There’s a question as to whether we could accept all of them (donations),” Price said. “We have strong hopes donors will remove these restrictions.”
Still, Price said the budget for next year is “basically balanced,” with the shortfall reduced to approximately $18,000. Hidden Villa’s 2006-2007 budget is $2.3 million.
“If we’re successful (fundraising) at the same rate we’ve been, we’ll end up with a balanced budget,” he said.
The board had earlier pledged to reinstate the 12-day camp following a retreat the weekend of Sept. 16-17.
“Board members came away with a clear sense that 12-day residential camp is integral to Hidden Villa,” the board said in a Sept. 19 statement. “This was one of (Hidden Villa founder Josephine and Frank) Duvenecks’ first programs to bring children to the ranch and is fundamental to diversity and environmental education, two of our primary missions.”
Price said that Hidden Villa securing an endowment fund “is a personal goal for me.” Such a fund would provide a consistent source of income to help make up for lean fundraising years.
To start such a fund, Price said, Hidden Villa must establish a track record of balanced
budgets and “living within our means.”
The board plans to hold an open community forum later this month to look at longer-term budgeting solutions.
