I’m guessing most of my friends know that I do the www.Bodie.com website. I love Bodie, and I’m heavily involved in the non-profit group that raises money in support of Bodie.
The State of California has been doing a terrible job of supporting the Department of Parks and Recreation. DPR has had to cut the budget at Bodie many times over the last several years, leaving Bodie with insufficient funds to operate the park.
Thanks to Friends of Bodie, the park has been able to remain open the past several years. If FOB had not been around to raise money for the park, there would not have been enough money to pay for the seasonal park aides that do foot patrols of the park, give tours, answer the phones, run the visitors center / museum (and consequently sell more items that raise money), work on educational programs, fill mail order requests. Without those sales, and those functions, there simply wouldn’t be enough money to pay the park aides or care for the park when it’s full of visitors. The three full time State Park Rangers could not possibly do all of those functions on their own and have the park run.
So now, we (a small group of us who are big Bodie people) are working to grow "Friends of Bodie". That means we are hoping to start selling more items online and via wholesale to California businesses, as well as start on a major fund-raising campaign (more to come on that later.)
We need an attorney
Part of what we REALLY need is an attorney willing to donate some time to answer questions for us when they come up. Someone who has experience with non-profits would be great, but anyone who is willing and able to research and answer (usually) simple questions and issues.
So, if you know of anyone who is interested in Bodie and would like to volunteer – or any attorneys or other specialized professions that could help Friends of Bodie, please give them my email address or send them to the www.Bodie.com website.