Awards and Non-Profit Foundation Launch Mother Earth’s Third Year
August 2006, Sunnyvale, CaliforniaJuly marked the two-year anniversary of the opening of Mother Earth Clay Art Center in Sunnyvale. 
This 10,000 square foot ceramics wonderland, nestled among the low-rise high-tech of Silicon Valley, just off Wolfe Road near Central Expressway, houses ceramics classrooms, a members’ studio, an art gallery, a library, a photo studio and a retail ceramics art-supply store. Mother Earth offers classes, workshops, studio workspace and exhibitions for ceramic artists and art lovers from all over Northern California.
On July 4th, at Sunnyvale’s “State of the City Celebration”, Mayor Ron Swegles presented Abby O’Connell, Mother Earth’s owner and founder, with the city’s 2006 Outstanding Contribution to the Arts Award. With over 1,500 people in attendance, Mayor Swegles commended Ms. O’Connell for starting Mother Earth Clay Art Center in 2004 with her own savings and a small business loan. Ms. O’Connell thanked the mayor and the City Council, and spoke of the opportunities Sunnyvale had offered her since she first arrived in the area, “With a diploma in one hand, and a job offer in the other.”
The third year of Mother Earth looks to be another busy one for Ms. O’Connell and her staff of six. In February, she incorporated the Mother Earth Clay Art Foundation, a non-profit sister organization to the for-profit Mother Earth Clay Art Center. The foundation has already submitted its application for 501(c) 3 status from the IRS, and expects to receive a letter of determination from the IRS in a matter of weeks.
The new foundation will offer educational and community events to promote the ceramic arts and increase community awareness, including regular classes, special clay art workshops, community and family events such as Mother Earth’s popular Family Clay Day as well as providing a venue to other local non-profit organizations for their art outreach programs. The foundation will also present an opportunity for private and corporate sponsors to contribute to the success of the foundation’s community and arts mission.
The big event in the launch of the Mother Earth Clay Art Foundation was a gala fundraiser on Saturday, September 9th. The event titled “Community Clay: Bridging Neighbors, Resources and Ideas”, introduced the new foundation and its mission, and sought funding to make that mission a reality. The gala included live entertainment, food, drinks, beautiful ceramic art in the gallery, a raffle and clay art demonstrations. It also included a silent auction of services, artwork and gifts donated from friends of the foundation, and from area merchants. Prizes included tickets to shows at the Mountain Winery, a romantic get-away to the Cypress Hotel and Spa, and artwork donated from local artists.
Editor’s note: Even though the intent here is clearly to ask that you give a donation to the non-profit foundation, I find the story even more exciting. You see Abby O’Connell has a 
Ph.D. from Cornell University in electrical engineering. Abby was in corporate America and worked for a premier firm, “CEL” California Eastern Laboratory which is a firm that represents NEC in America. She was fully involved every day in the future of the cell phone industry. She earned a great income, raised two boys as a single mom and did a good job at both. Her children are clearly achievers and honor students and she has had much to be proud of. When Abby would meet with Gary Mountain of California Star Properties, she always said she was not satisfied with status quo. Gary asked Abby to attend a By Referral Only “Main Event Seminar.” Here Gary introduced Abby to the idea of creating systems to operate your business vs. trying to manage people. By Referral Only is a firm that coaches businesses that sell real estate and mortgages without the high cost of advertising and promotion. It is about creating the experience that clients become your advertising agency and bring to you your next client.
Gary then introduced Abby to Klemmer and Associates and she entered the four seminar classes which are Personal Mastery, Advanced Leadership, Heart of the Samurai, and Samurai Camp. Here Abby learned to take ownership of her power and to venture out beyond corporate America. She quit cold turkey to take time to write her business plan. She traveled the U.S. to interview others who have done this type of business before her. Abby became fully committed to working her passion. Abby O’Connell is very brave to step out of the safety of a large firm paying her a pay check and to liquidate her entire retirement account to follow her passion for this art.
Abby has been a client of California Star Properties and has accepted the same training that our staff has gone through. We work our passion every day. Our passion is making people’s dreams come true. We assist people to grow their net worth, increase their assets and reduce their cash outflow. We assisted Abby in these areas and we now ask that you consider visiting her at Mother Earth. Find out more about making a clay object with your hands and how very rewarding it can be. See the beauty of the art; discover where you can buy your client appreciation gifts or art for your home and office. Bring your firm down for a “team-building day,” as some of the largest firms in the Silicon Valley use the Mother Earth Center for just that.
Abby O’Connell and Mother Earth Clay Art Center are an excellent example of what can happen when you reach out and follow your dreams. If your life is not going just right then go meet Abby and get a dose of her excitement and confidence. If your life is going really well and you want to know what is on the other side or what could be, then go see Abby and get a dose of “dreaming bigger dreams, learning to follow your passion.”
The bottom line is that Abby O’Connell can cause you to want to be a better person. Bring your entire family down and get involved. Through working the earth you find peace. We at California Star Properties create wealth by selling people the land (real estate), so get a little dirt under your finger nails and find the value is in the land.
We at California Star Properties always ask people to be their best, and we ask that you accept the challenges to make your dreams real. Abby is working her dream and she is working her passion. She can be a person that can cause you to reach for your dreams as well.
Can you send a check to this worthy cause? It’s tax deductible. Can you bring your family members to learn the creative way that is centuries old? Are you willing to preserve the past and to make it a future? Can you ask your firm’s HR department to have a team-building exercise at Mother Earth? How can you get involved? What can you do to make a difference in another person’s life without the expectation of repayment? When you support Mother Earth you are supporting the community. Go down there and experience the vision.
