Accomplishments | Our Mission | Recognition
Site Use | Llewellyn Bixby, Jr. Endowment Fund
2008-2009 Board of Directors | Donor Form

Invest in History!

Strong Roots, New Growth...Big Finish!
A $5,000,000
Capital Campaign
Chairman:  Jean Bixby Smith

We are pleased to share with you that construction will begin shortly on our new Visitor Education Center and Arroyo Rehabilitation! 

The recent success of our Groundbreaking Ceremony for these and other projects also provided the perfect kick-off for the community phase of the Capital Campaign.  We look forward to sharing news of our upcoming events and accomplishments with you as we all move forward to our                 Strong Roots, New Growth...Big Finish!
 

Please Join Us Today with your generous contribution
Make an Investment in History Where Dividends Grow Strong!



 

Improvements will enhance educational programs and the visitor experience at the Rancho.  Key projects include:

• New Visitor Education Center with interactive exhibits and video to orient visitors
• Expansion of the Visitors from the Past living history program to share the Rancho’s many layers of history
• Restored and new garden areas with water-wise native plants will provide a sanctuary in these stressful times             
• An attractive entryway that welcomes visitors and encourages them to step back in time
• Off-site parking to accommodate modern horses and wagons!
   

Rancho Los Cerritos is an asset
that will only appreciate!


 

Please send your tax-deductible contribution to:

Rancho Los Cerritos Foundation
4600 Virginia Road, Long Beach, CA 90807

Or contact the Rancho at (562)570-1755 for other options.
 

History of Accomplishments

Preserving Our Cultural Heritage
Shortly after incorporation, the foundation funded a comprehensive Master Plan with its initial partners The John & James Knight Foundation, The Spring Street Foundation and The Bixby Land Company. The idea for such a plan was proposed in a Self-Study report funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The plan provides a detailed guide for innovative ways of interpreting the 19th Century site for our 21st Century visitors. Most importantly, the plan recommends the restoration and reconstruction projects that will play an integral role in preserving the site for future generations.

The Rancho Los Cerritos Master Plan won national acclaim as a "Save America's Treasures" project in 1999; a distinguished "2001 Design Award" from the California Preservation Foundation in recognition of outstanding achievement in the field of historic preservation; and, in 2003 a "Merit Award" presented by Long Beach Heritage.

Following completion of the plan, the City of Long Beach received $1,600,000 in public funds on behalf of the Rancho through the 1996 Los Angeles Park Bond Act, FEMA and Proposition 12. With these grants, safety issues were addressed. Construction was completed in the areas of seismic retrofitting, disabled visitor access, and roof and woodwork restoration. The Long Beach Navy Memorial Heritage Association added to the excitement by funding the restoration of the 1930s orchard designed for the Bixby family by Ralph Cornell, a well-known landscape architect of the time.

Work continues on Master Plan recommendations. The Rudolph & Daphne Munzer Foundation has generously funded architectural designs for entryway improvements and these plans should be available by 2004; and the LeBurta Atherton Foundation has made an initial gift for the proposed Visitor Center. Additionally, design work for the arroyo restoration, perimeter landscaping and California native garden has been funded by a generous grant from the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy.

Interpretive Programming
Museum, school and family relationships are effective partnerships in educating children. Teachers, students, caregivers and parents look to historians for bringing our cultural heritage alive, in an exciting and educational format.

The City of Long Beach provides for staff salaries and basic operational costs, yet it is only with support from our philanthropic partners that we are able to fund the many special initiatives that make local history fun and stimulating.

The J. Paul Getty Trust has provided a summer intern through the foundation since 1999. The intern assists in researching collections and planning family events. The Earl & Lorraine Miller Foundation funded the production of a popular video now used in our Speakers Bureau program. This video served as an important classroom outreach tool while the Rancho was closed for construction projects in 2001-2002. Public Corporation for the Arts has also generously underwritten family and children's programs.

Planned Giving
The Llewellyn Bixby, Jr. Endowment Fund

Managed by RBC DainRauscher, this growing investment fund was established in 1996 through a bequest from Llewellyn Bixby, Jr. and The Bixby Family Trust. Please consider adding Rancho Los Cerritos Foundation as a beneficiary to your will or living trust, as a recipient of your estate, your retirement funds or a portion thereof. Your tax advisor can explain the many tax benefits your estate and your heirs will receive by making this important gesture today. Let us know of your bequest so that we can recognize you as a contributor to the Llewellyn Bixby, Jr. Endowment Fund.

*Rancho Los Cerritos Foundation recommends that you always consult your tax advisor, accountant and/or legal advisor when establishing a planned gift.

Board of Directors 2009 - 2010

OFFICERS Lovetta Kramer - Chair Craig Carter - Vice Chairman Mary Hancock Hinds - Secretary Jean Bixby Smith - Financial Officer

DIRECTORS Barbara Bixby Blackwell Dennis Eschen John Fielder David George Bob Hagle Vicki Holden Harriett Ibbetson Kevin Kayse William W. Lorbeer Margie Newell Vicki Pard Craig R. Smith Lee Shoag Rob Webb

Associates of RCF Sheriden Beebe Shirlee Bouch Gloria Bryant Robert Cardoza Steve Conley N. Jack Dilday Lorie Merrill Stephen Salyer Sam Santana Mary Stanton Chris Steinhauser James Sullos Ken Velten

Special Thanks Website Underwriting:
TOSHIBA 
Employees Community Fund of Boeing California
Bess J. Hodges Foundation
Will J. Reid Foundation

Accomplishments | Our Mission |  Recognition
Site Use | Llewellyn Bixby, Jr. Endowment Fund
2007-2008 Board of Directors | Donor Form