Save the California Delta Alliance (STCDA)

On April 8, the Discovery Bay Yacht Club and its Splashers organization held a wonderful event – the Fire & Ice Masquerade Ball. The purpose: to raise money to Save the Delta.

It all started when in January, after our STCDA Board Meeting, it became clear that the fight against the Delta Tunnels was heating up. There were permit hearings and other activities going on to meet Gov. Jerry Brown’s goal to start the Tunnel project by 2018. The year 2017 was going to be busy indeed.

As Michael Brodsky, STCDA Legal Council, began explaining the challenges and milestones and money required, concern swept through me. We hadn’t done any significant fund raising for several years.

During a meeting at the DBYC in 2009, after attending the USBR’s “Two-Gates Fish Protection Project” meeting in the DB Elementary School Gymnasium, it was clear the government was going to ruin boating in our area by installing two gates (i.e., dams) to block boats from going in or out of Discovery Bay. DBYC members at the meeting generously pledged various amounts, from $100 to $1,000, to start the STCDA organization and to stop the 2-Gates.

In 2013, those funds and other individual donations we’d received through the years, were diminishing, so we held the first Save the Delta Charity Golf Event and raised $25,000. That money kept us rolling since. You see, we have no paid administrators, no paid anything. Even our Legal Council works pro-bono. The only thing we’ve needed funds for are preparing educational collateral (pamphlets about the 2-Gates project and later the Delta Tunnels) and hiring expert witnesses to back our position that gates in the water and now, even mores, the Delta Tunnels project will ruin the South Delta waterways in more ways than one.

So last January, with our pockets feeling empty, we realized we needed an aggressive fund raising year. I started email blasting members and others to raise money. Our generous community and STCDA members responded to the call and our Fundraising Thermometer started to rise.

But we needed a LOT of money for 2017.

I called Erlyn, past commodore of the DBYC and said, “Hi there. In 2009 the DBYC pitched in $1,000 to fund STCDA. Well, we need money again. Do you think the DBYC could pitch in another $1,000?”

Erlyn said quickly, “I think we can do better than that. Let me talk to the Splashers and get back to you.”

I really didn’t know much about the DBYC Splashers organization before that. I found out they are the service arm of the DBYC and put on various events through the year to raise money for charitable organizations.

Before long Lisa Ackerly from the Splasher’s called me. I found out that they had already held the meeting where they decide what charities to donate to through the year. But, she informed me, the Save the Delta organization is perhaps the most important organization for Discovery Bay. Stopping the Tunnels is key to every person in Discovery Bay and the Yacht Club. She thought she could get us on the list, but we’d need to share the funds with another needy group. “We’ve never given donations to just one group before. We always do two or three at each function. We could probably limit it to two,” and we discussed what kind of organization might be the best match.

The next day she called me back. “Good news. The Splashers have all agreed to have STCDA on the list and, even more, to make you our only donation for the event!” She proceeded to tell me that they talked about making this event a big deal. An evening event instead of smaller daytime tea or fashion show. Something to get the men out also. Even make it black tie. A BIG event.

The Splashers went out and found sponsors, donors, and attendees. The Community, as it keeps doing over and over, stepped up. The room was sold out. The entertainment, decorations, and everything was over-the-top. Tables were bidding $1,000 and $2,000 for the desert cakes. It was very exciting and rewarding.

In May, the Splashers presented the check for the profits to STCDA. Amazing!

Photo and write-up from the Delta Sun Times

A HUGE THANK YOU TO THE SPLASHERS AND THE DBYC FOR YOUR SUPPORT !!!

A couple of pictures from the Event.