Wrapping up 2018 - Updates, End of Year Giving & Looking forward...

Thank you all for supporting Recess Collective, being a part of our community, and sharing our new space with us.  

What a whirlwind of a year! In 2018:

• We closed Recess in Potrero Hill, after 10 and a half years of operation

• We established Recess Collective, a non-profit entity to continue offering play and parent support to local families

• We built out and opened a new space to house Recess Collective, at 2226 Taraval. It has all the same elements as “the old” Recess, but is in a more sustainable space that incorporates the values of a collective. Working together - our staff, our volunteers and our partners - are able to leverage connections to serve the community in a broader way.

• Our founder, Lisa’s family, welcomed a new baby boy!

Looking Forward! 2019’s goals:

• Provide space to play for our new community and continue to build the awesome web of families we get to work with.

• We will seek volunteers to assist with fundraising, grant writing and special events so that we can extend the offerings of Recess to any family who would like to utilize them.

• Expand the Collective. It’s incredible to think about the amount of talent right here in San Francisco and the surrounding bay area. We are fortunate to have such a wealth of resources for folks from all walks of life. The primary intention of Recess Collective is to harness that talent to serve all people. So in the new year, we will continue to work toward that mission. This includes:

  • Organizing special events & programing for families of for children with disabilities, and their siblings

  • Training in conjunction with Our Family Coalition for LGBTQ families

  • Continue partnering with Nurse-Family Partnership and build our scholarship fund to include at risk mothers & families who could not otherwise access a safe space for play,

  • Functioning as a space to bring together generations. By working with SF Village, we will develop programming for intergenerational play with local seniors.

  • Working with other organizations to deliver creative solutions for families to make life with young children more collaborative. There are real life solutions to easing the load we each carry and Recess is designed to create the back drop for those to come to life. Look forward to childcare co-ops, toy swaps, craft nights and recipe swaps. It’s exciting stuff!

  If you would like to support this mission and have the means to contribute toward it’s fulfillment, we’d love to invite you to get involved. There are options for end of year giving that include $5 / month contribution, or a one time donation of any amount.

Every dollar raised will ultimately go toward growing this incredible community hub, creating space for healthy child development, welcoming in families from all walks of life, and making the journey for parents and caregivers a joyful one.

$5 a month goes a long way to helping us build up our programming to reach more families.
$10 a month will allow us to provide a parent with weekly playgroup and play access.
$20 a month could be your way of giving a group of at risk mothers monthly playdates to connect with one another and have a safe space for play.
$50 +/mo gives us an opportunity to gift families full memberships and birthday parties.

Anyone who makes a donation of $25/mo or more will receive recognition on our founders wall with a 3x3 tile and an invitation to our Spring Festival! All donations are tax deductible.

Donate to Recess Collective
via our fiscal sponsor Birth2Work

• Make this a monthly donation

• Donate with PayPal

• or

• Donate with a Debit or Credit Card

• You can change or cancel a recurring donation anytime in your PayPal account settings.

The amount you enter will be paid to this organization each month from your PayPal account. Don’t have PayPal? Sign up easily while entering your payment information.

Giving Tuesday

During this giving season, please consider a small donation — $5/mo, or making a larger commitment if you can. If money is tight (& we totally get that!!), just sharing this cause with 5 friends would make a huge difference!

Every dollar raised will ultimately go toward growing this incredible community hub, creating space for healthy child development, welcoming in families from all walks of life, and making the journey for parents and caregivers a joyful one.

As we get ready to launch a new community space for local families, we would love your support.

$5 a month goes a long way to helping us build up our programming to reach more families.
$10 a month will allow us to provide a parent with weekly playgroup and play access.
$20 a month could be your way of giving a group of at risk mothers monthly playdates to connect with one another and have a safe space for play.
$50 +/mo gives us an opportunity to gift families full memberships and birthday parties.

Anyone who makes a donation of $25/mo or more will receive recognition on our founders wall with a 3x3 tile and an invitation to our Spring Festival! All donations are tax deductible.

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At Recess Collective we focus locally, on parents, caregivers and young children. We work to build the infrastructure necessary to support those during a challenging albeit joyful journey. Support is provided by connecting families with one another, bringing in experts, working with local seniors to add multigenerational perspective and play, and bringing in creative folks to introduce music, art, and storytime to all of us.

Recess Collective is opening THIS WEEK and we are incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported Recess - urban recreation in the past decade. We can’t wait to thank those of you who will support us in the next decade & beyond.

We do need your support. We’ve created a gorgeous new space on Taraval St, and are currently accepting of donations (small or big), volunteers, and new families as we move into our new neighborhood!

“As much fun as my kids had, you saved me when I was at my lowest... you gave me a place to see other parents (aka adults), a place I knew my kids would have fun and be safe, and a community which helped pull me through PPD, even if they didn’t know it. I wish you all the best in your next endeavor and look forward to hearing all about it. Thank you for being part of my SF village!!!”

— Christina

A BIG thank you to our opening party sponsors who also recognize that community is vital in supporting new parents. We’re honored that they’re supporting us!

Donate to Recess Collective
via our fiscal sponsor Birth2Work

• Make this a monthly donation

• Donate with PayPal

• or

• Donate with a Debit or Credit Card

• You can change or cancel a recurring donation anytime in your PayPal account settings.

The amount you enter will be paid to this organization each month from your PayPal account. Don’t have PayPal? Sign up easily while entering your payment information.

Plan your Fall Family Fun

Prenatal Classes, Parent Workshops, Parties & More!

The show goes on, and this show is moving to the Outer Sunset and will be open later this Fall!  We're excited to show you our new space.  In the meantime, grab your calendar and reserve your fall/winter birthday party, parent support class, prenatal workshops, and more.  

Oh, and membership packages are the lowest they'll ever be...so take advantage before Sept 15 when prices go up!

Leave your mark!

News of Recess' Potrero Hill location's closure has been met with notes of appreciation, gratitude and a bit of sadness.  We are slated to open our new location later this fall, but need your support to get it up and running.  

“As much fun as my kids had, you saved me when I was at my lowest... you gave me a place to see other parents (aka adults), a place I knew my kids would have fun and be safe, and a community which helped pull me through PPD, even if they didn’t know it. I wish you all the best in your next endeavor and look forward to hearing all about it. Thank you for being part of my SF village!!!”

— CG

We have secured a long term lease, and have the benefit of ten years of experience necessary to create build a sustainable community for families in San Francisco.  In order to become operational, we need to raise $20,000...and we have a long way to go.

Over the past 10 years, we've served over 12,000 families.  We've hosted parties, provided a safe space to play for infants, toddlers & preschoolers, donated monthly visits to Nurse Family Partnership to give first time at risk mothers an opportunity to meet up & play for the past 2 years, we've partnered with Our Family Coalition to provide respite services to LGBQT parents and worked with countless other small businesses and nonprofit organizations to make San Francisco a better place to raise children, get support from other parents and caregivers and lighten the load for families with young children.  

“Without the infallible and incredible support of your staff and facilities, I would have never ever made it through my daughter’s infant stage. You affected this first time mom’s life in a way that could never be measured. Thank you and we look forward to Recess Collective.”

— MM

This kind of center must continue exist for the wellbeing of new moms, for the sanity of those caring for and raising young children and for the health of our society.  We do not want a lack of funds to stop us, but the financial realities have set in and we need to ask for support in order to move forward.  

Leave your mark

Please consider purchasing a founding community tile which will be proudly displayed in the lobby of Recess Collective.  Tiles range from $75 to $500.  We'd love to be able to see your name, your child's art work, or a note on there from you every day. 

View fullsize

If you can donate $10 or $100, or even purchase/gift a 2 year membership to the new location for $1000, please do so today.  We need your support to (re)create this oasis for families in SF.  

Please don't hesitate to reach out with questions, potential sources for funding, or just to say hello.  Our community has been integral to our success over the past 10 years and we know it will continue to be for decades to come.  

Looking forward to the future, 

Lisa