October 6, 1997

Dear friends and supporters of North Bay Aikido,

It has been an absolutely extraordinary year! Thanks to the dedication and generous help of hundreds of people, we have been able to purchase and completely renovate our long-awaited new dojo building! Both the large training area and the adjacent Blue Room mat are regularly filled with people pursuing the Way of Harmony. In the rest of the building, the carpets are down, the artwork is up, the bathrooms are finished, the showers are working, and the office, lounge, kitchen, and library are in full use.

The dojo is humming with creative activity. Last month we re-roofed part of the building. A week ago we started a pilot program of child care during class time. Recent gifts to the dojo have included a new computer and printer, books for the library, four boulders from a river in Oregon, and a stained glass image of Osensei. It seems as if every day someone goes out of their way to make the dojo a better and more beautiful place. It is an ongoing labor of love on the part of the whole community.

North Bay Aikido's Grand Opening on June 28 was a day of great happiness. Chief Instructors of twenty Aikido dojos collaborated in a day of demonstrations, training, and celebration. American Aikido pioneers Frank Doran Sensei and Robert Nadeau Sensei taught classes to over 150 people on the mat! The Summer Retreat in July was another celebration of our new facility with a gathering of Aikidoists from around the country.

Daily training is going strong as well. Attendance is up, and we will have added eight new black belts by the end of this year. We've started extra classes in response to the demand for North Bay Aikido's children's classes. Recently, community organizations and schools have been asking if they can bring groups of young people over to the dojo for Aikido instruction as a part of their own programs. It is rewarding to have Aikido recognized as the valuable community resource that it is.

Financially, North Bay Aikido is doing remarkably well, considering the huge outlay of money for the purchase and renovation of the building, and the additional overhead costs. Our relative fiscal health is due to increasing enrollment in all of our classes, and the ongoing, generous support of many people associated with the dojo. Thank you, thank you, and again--THANK YOU!

Here are several ways you can lend your support to North Bay Aikido now:

1. Make a donation to North Bay Aikido to continue your support of the dojo's programs and the development of our new facility! Contributions of any size are welcome and needed, and since North Bay Aikido is a non-profit, public-benefit, educational corporation, they are also tax-deductible.

2. Buy a beautiful new Aikido T-shirt! Artist Jeanne Rosen Sofen has created an elegant design of forests, mountain mists, and spirals, illustrating words of Osensei: We have blue and white shirts in various sizes and styles (regular, scoopneck, tanks), available for $16.50 each. North Bay Aikido's book The Art of Blending, a tasteful collection of real-life Aikido stories and delicious recipes, is still on sale for $14, and makes a great holiday gift for Aikidoists and non-Aikidoists alike.

3. Attend one or both of the benefit weekend workshops this fall! On October 24-26, and again on December 5-7, carrying on in the spirit of our Grand Opening, five wonderful Aikido instructors will collaborate in creating a weekend of great training, black belt tests, and community celebration. All the instructors are donating their time and skills, and the proceeds will benefit the ongoing development of the dojo. See enclosed flyers for details, and plan to come!

4. Train! We have more classes than ever in our schedule now, including early morning classes, Intermediate classes, Low Impact classes, black and brown belt classes, and classes for children ages 5-12 and teenagers. Join us on the mat!

I want to express my appreciation to each one of you for all the myriad ways you have given of yourself and made the dojo what it is today: a place of rigorous personal training, of community development, of inspiration, harmony, and growth.... a "Place of the Way".

With sincere gratitude,

Linda Holiday

Chief Instructor & Executive Director

Please mail this with your check to: 306 Mission Street, Santa Cruz CA 95060.

Name__________________________	Amount of contribution____________________
Address_______________________	T shirts (16.50 each)--request size;______
______________________________	blue/white; style (include phone)_________
Phone_________________________	The Art of Blending ($14 each)____________
   		                Shipping ($2/first item, $1 add.)_________
                                                       TOTAL______________
        Thank you!