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Save the Date for next year’s Gala for the Gardens – Saturday, May 9, 2026
Saturday, May 10, 2025
11am – 2pm
San Francisco Botanical Garden, Celebration Garden
Gala for the Gardens, the Gardens of Golden Gate Park’s signature fundraising event of the year, benefiting the Conservatory of Flowers, Japanese Tea Garden, and San Francisco Botanical Garden on the Saturday before Mother’s Day, May 10, 2025, was a sunny, joyful, truly unforgettable afternoon in the Gardens! With the leadership of Gala Committee Co-Chairs Claire Myers and Nicola Miner, a wonderful event committee, Gardens board and staff, and amazing attendees support, we raised nearly $610,000, making this our most successful gala ever!
It was a day to remember – from New York Times bestselling author Ferris Jabr’s engaging storytelling to Gala Co-Chair Claire Myers invoking Joni Mitchell’s inspiring words “to get ourselves back to the garden.” Enthusiastic bidders and paddle raisers helped us cultivate vital resources that will support the gardens, education programs, and conservation efforts. With this generous support, the Gardens of Golden Gate Park continues to grow and thrive as a place to connect people to plants, the planet, and each other.
And while the gala may be over, the Gardens are always in bloom. You are warmly invited to return soon to enjoy the Conservatory of Flowers, Japanese Tea Garden, and San Francisco Botanical Garden. And don’t miss the next big event – the opening night of Flower Piano on September 12, celebrating an incredible 10 years of music in the Gardens!
Co-Chairs
Claire Myers
A life-long resident of San Francisco’s Richmond District, Claire Myers is actively involved in the health and welfare of this vibrant neighborhood and its natural places: Myers has served on the board of the Gardens of Golden Gate Park for a decade; partnered with the City’s Recreation and Park Department, the Presidio Trust, San Francisco Parks Alliance, Supervisors, and countless others to rebuild a decrepit playground as a Founding member of Friends of Mountain Lake Park Playground; and served on the Board of the Planning Association of the Richmond, San Francisco’s largest membership-based neighborhood organization, and advocates for projects related to recreation, transportation, and the district’s physical and social environment. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley, UPenn, and the Wright Institute.
Nicola Miner
Nicola Miner is founder of the Miner Anderson Family Foundation, a non-profit organization that funds small arts organizations and human rights education in California. She is also a founder of the Baker Street Foundation, a non-profit whose goal is to fund San Francisco arts organizations, cancer research and environmental causes. She recently retired as an instructor of English composition at several Bay Area community colleges. Ms. Miner is also on the California Arts Council and is vice chair of the Presidio Trust. She has a degree in History from Brown University, a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and a master’s degree in English literature from Mills College.
Gala Committee
Ayodele Abdul-Hadi
Don Baldocchi
Sarah Moore Barron
Margot Kramer Biehle
Christina Kramlich Bowie
Shannon Davis
Drew Denbo
Stacey Estes
William Fleishhacker
Karin Flood
Jessica Galloway
Adam Greenspan
Elizabeth Ireland
Nicola James
Janelle Loevner
Cristina Mancini
Cindy McColl
Eva Monroe
Kari Novatney
Lurline Leah Menzies O’Connell
Melissa Olson
Kimi Peters
Jennifer Petersen
Marjan Philhour
Cameron Phleger
Sarah Ryan
Juliet Sampson
Ian Shea
Sandra Swanson
Ruth Wilcox
Alexis Woods
Susan Zetzer
Special Guest Speaker
Ferris Jabr
We are thrilled to welcome keynote speaker Ferris Jabr (Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life), an award-winning science writer whose work has appeared in prestigious publications such as The New York Times Magazine, Scientific American, and The New Yorker. Known for his engaging and insightful storytelling, Jabr explores complex topics in biology, ecology, and the intersection of science and humanity.
Gala Host
Darren Peck
We are honored to have this years Gala hosted by Darren Peck. He has been a meteorologist with CBS News Bay Area KPIX 5 for the past six years. In addition to being honored with two Emmy awards for on-air performance, he is a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist by the American Meteorological Society, which was established to raise the professional standard in broadcast meteorology and encourage a broader range of scientific understanding, especially with respect to environmental issues.
Thank You Gala Sponsors!
Champion
Delle Maxwell & Patrick Hanrahan
Nicola Miner & Robert Mailer Anderson
Conservator
Don Baldocchi
Tish & James Brown
Joan Cooke & Robert Lafore
Cynthia Lowe Overbaugh
Julie Parish & Susan Stone
Kimi Peters
San Francisco Garden Club
Sarah & J. Stuart Ryan
Ruth & Ken Wilcox
Diane B. Wilsey
Susan Zetzer
Gardener
Julie Chase Baldocchi
Dr. Joseph & Mrs. Clara Barbaccia
Eliza Brown
Mrs. Shannon Davis
Randi & Bob Fisher
Elizabeth & Paul Ireland
Carol Izumi & Frank Wu
The John & Marcia Goldman Foundation
Gretchen B. Kimball
Monica Martin
Melissa & Erik Olson
Jennifer & Alan Petersen
Lawrence Pitts
Nicholas & Caitlin Sterngrove
Sandra Swanson
Alexis Woods
Kay Harrigan Woods
Sower
Tess Barbieri
Sarah Moore Barron
Christina Kramlich Bowie
Bart & Ditty Deamer
Stacey and Guy Estes
William & Ellen Kaye Fleishhacker
Karin Flood
Pat Gordon
Zane Gresham & Carole Robinson
Stephanie Linder & Eamon O’Byrne
Lurline Leah Menzies O’Connell
Eva Monroe
Claire Myers
Mary Lou Myers
Cameron Phleger & Michael Horwitz
Cheryl Traverse & Terry Turrentine
Jack & Susy Wadsworth
Nadine Weil
In-Kind Sponsors
Don Baldocchi
Eliza Brown
Susan Zetzer
Celebrations Event Rentals
Media Sponsor
Thank you to our event sponsors as of April 28, 2025
A note about event tickets/sponsorship and donor advised funds:
I.R.S. regulations prohibit the purchase of any portion of an event ticket with a donor advised fund. For information on how you can support the Gala with a grant from your donor advised fund, email Lynn Eve at lekomaromi@gggp.org.
