Luis Hakuta

November 1, 2016

Pinnacles

Luis Hakuta

November 1, 2016

Thank you to the family and friends of David John Kangas, who have donated to Sacred Rok in his memory. Dr. Kangas received his PhD from Yale University in philosophy of religion, and was an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Cal State Stanislaus. An avid mountaineer, hiker, and skier, he loved Yosemite. When he passed away in September 2016, his family asked that donations be made to Sacred Rok in his name. We are honored and grateful.

San Benito County Probation – Trips to Pinnacles

Executive Director Ron Kauk along with Board member and former Superintendent at Pinnacles Steve Shackelton have led several trips to Pinnacles National Park for incarcerated youth in San Benito County. Here are some of their reflections.

From E.E.:

Being out in nature reminds of life before I started getting locked up. ” Peacefulness.” That peace is still there… if you have the desire to go out and find it.

From J.P.:

When I first went I was afraid. I thought differently about life when I was at Pinnacles. I felt like I was escaping from my problems & it felt good to get a little bit of freedom.
Nature is so beautiful, Pinnacles is such a peaceful place to be at & let go of problems. It cleared my mind.
My favorite part was that I actually made it, without giving up! At first I wanted too… But I put my mind to it and did it…… So now I know if I put my mind to something…… I can make it in Life!

From D.C.:

I felt free yesterday… I felt like we were back in time when our ancient brothers walked the earth. I realized that, in life… when you put effort in good behavior, good stuff happens to you.

Everything has a story, water, rocks, animals and humans… we all learn from one another.

From G.Z.:

The “Go Day” – The Day I went to the hiking at Pinnacles was Heaven to me. I loved it. It made me think about life. Being out there, in the mountains, climbing high in the rocks, getting a beautiful view of everything… The reason I’m calling this “Go Day” I because I never thought I was going to go hiking at Juvenile Hall and because we were stomping and stomping our way to the top… Me personally, I didn’t want to stop! I wanted to keep going and going… How much I love being out there! Hopefully, I will be gone when the next group of kids makes the trip…. Maybe they will realize what can be accomplished.

Luis Hakuta

January 1, 2016

A Letter from the Chair

Luis Hakuta

January 1, 2016

Happy New Year!

We are delighted to share our 2015 Annual Report, highlighting our accomplishments and reflecting our plans for the future. Please click to see the Annual Report.

We have continued to work closely with Merced County’s Probation Department, Merced Boys & Girls Club, and other youth-serving organizations in the Central Valley and Northern California.We completed a short video, Unifying Spirit – Honoring Indigenous, with the American Indian tribes of Yosemite, funded by an America’s Best Ideas grant from the National Parks Foundation.

All pictures are excerpts from our book, “Voices From the Inside”

We have especially focused on our relationship with the Merced County Probation Department. Almost every week Ron goes to the Merced County juvenile justice complex, Iris Garrett, for lunch with the youth. He brings healthy organic food and they share lunch and talk about their experiences in Yosemite. Ron and his work with Probation was also featured in The Search for Freedom by filmmaker Jon Long.

Our new book, Voices From Inside Out, was developed jointly by Sacred Rok and the Probation Department youth whom are incarcerated. This inspirational book tells the stories of 22 young people who have come to Yosemite with Sacred Rok, and what it has meant to them.

With the support of our donors, last year Ron led twenty-six day trips and five camping trips with Merced County Probation, Boys & Girls Club of Merced, EMQ FamiliesFirst, Yosemite area Native American Tribes and Symple Equazion. These trips provide the opportunity for these young people to experience nature and to build ongoing relationships.

Ron has also made presentations to groups throughout the Bay Area, as well as showing his movie Return to Balance: A Climber’s Journey at the Yosemite Visitor Center on weekend nights during the spring and summer.

We are grateful to our many supporters and donors, who share our values and commitment to our future as an inclusive society connected to nature and its wonders.These projects have been supported by Clif Bar Family Foundation, The North Face, Patagonia, Yosemite Conservancy, Merced County United Way, and the National Parks Foundation. All of our trips are at no cost to the participants. We are 100% funded by donations (monetary and in-kind), grants, and contracts. We are especially grateful for the donation of a camper vehicle from Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford of Clif Bar, providing amenities such as refrigeration and hot water for our camping trips.

Thank you for the opportunity to share the healing experience of nature with the young people we serve as well as with the larger community.

And please let us know if you would like a copy of Voices From the Inside Out – you will love it! We ask a $20 donation if possible, thanks!

Nancy Goodban, Board Chair

Click here for Voices from our Youth

Donate to Sacred Rok for #GivingTuesday

Please join us in celebrating #GivingTuesday – a day where giving back takes center stage over the shopping and spending of the holiday season. Sacred Rok reflects the importance of slowing down, paying attention to our surroundings, honoring the present, and respecting nature.

If you donate to Sacred Rok through PayPal’s Giving Fund today, they will add 1%.

https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/search-cause?charityId=117921&s=3

Thank you for your support!!

The Search For Freedom

As we continue our relationship with Bear Creek Academy Juvenile Hall we’re happy to share our part in a feature length film called The Search for Freedom; which has played in 80 theaters across the US and winner of numerous awards.

Here is the short:

RON KAUK SHORT from Jon Long on Vimeo.

In our commitment of being with the youth at Juvenile Hall we keep building our story through camping trips, day trips, and lunch outings, which your donations help us to do.

We humbly thank you for your generous donations because it is with your support that we can continue to follow our mission.

We also would like to remind you that we offer a series of prints, t-shirts, and books in exchange for your contribution. Please check our website for more details: http://sacredrok.org/donate-now/