A Note from Biz & Livia

Since we moved to the California Bay Area eight years ago, my wife and I have made amazing friends and experienced life changing opportunities. Livia and I have also noticed how so many of the lives around us are unlikely to have such wonderful opportunities. We have realized too, that if people like us work to find meaningful ways of giving back, then there is potential for some lives to be changed for the better. The Biz and Livia Stone Foundation focuses on supporting education and conservation here in the Bay Area with special attention paid to helping kids.

Together with Students and Teachers Restoring a Watershed or “STRAW,” we fund a program that connects scientists with teachers and students through environmental restoration projects. Young Imaginations immerses students in a variety of cultures through music and dance. The Museum of Children’s Art or “MOCHA” builds creative and academic socio-emotional skills through hands-on visual arts learning. The Whale Bus and Nature Van from the Marine Mammal Center and WildCare bring the natural world straight into the classroom. All curricula meets high standards.

By working with Bay Area organizations dedicated to education, we help make learning fun by bringing nature into the classroom, getting kids moving with dance and music, and providing opportunities for hands-on visual arts experiences. These are things that may be unattainable in many schools because of budget cuts, yet they are an integral part of a total learning experience. Underpaid teachers in underserved schools are often reaching into their own pockets to pay for supplies–these are the teachers we get directly in touch with to make a difference.

Regarding education, our mission is to make long-term commitments to the schools we work with so that we may have a positive impact on communities as a whole. Our environmental education and advocacy work is similarly focused. We work with organizations supporting our natural world and it’s habitants including WildCare, PRBO Conservation Science, and The Marine Mammal Center. In addition to financial support, we have volunteered our time–Livia especially in her role as a wildlife rehabilitation specialist. Our efforts are incredibly rewarding.

Thanks,
Biz and Livia Stone

Photo by Dunstan Orchard