Fairy Godmother's Society

by Meredith Florian

Believe it or not, Fairy Godmothers exist in the East Bay. They may not alight with fabled gossamer wings and glimmering wands, but they touch down long enough to rescue worthy causes from the cinders. These local sprites, founded by Laurel resident Karen Lassen, call themselves the Fairy Godmother Society, and they create magic by sending checks to local grassroots organizations rather than waving wands.

Ms. Lassen, a marriage and family counselor with a private practice in Rockridge, grew up in Los Angeles and, like many progressive young people in the 1960s, came to UC Berkeley for an education. "It was a time when people were breaking loose from old ideas and thinking they could make a difference in the world. A lot of it fell apart and backfired, but we can't give up."

The seeds for Ms. Lassen's organization literally sprouted and flourished in the median strip on High Street across from her home. Disturbed by the lack of greenery she saw in the Laurel when she moved here 13 years ago, she started taking flowers from her own yard and planting them in the median strip. Though she carefully chose plants that could "thrive on neglect, exhaust, and bad soil," she noticed that they started to wither. She soon found out that the local Parks and Recreation representative was spraying the median strip with Round-up. She approached him and worked out a solution. He agreed to stop spraying (and would supply wood chips) if she and the neighbors would maintain the area. Since then, the concept has expanded. Ms. Lassen and her neighbors recently hosted a festively successful cleanup of the median for Earth Day.

With this initial success, she began to wonder how she and her neighbors could contribute to the larger community on an ongoing basis. In October 1999, realizing that there must be myriad small organizations running on a shoestring, she invited friends to get together for a potluck and jointly decide on whom to contribute money to. To her amazement, everyone supported her vision, and now the "fairies" meet three times a year, coming prepared with both casseroles and causes.

The idea is for each member to look within her neighborhood for groups that are trying to make a difference and present that organization as a prospective charity. After all the presentations from the group of about nine women, the group votes and chooses one or two causes. Then each member contributes as much as she can. "The point was that we wanted to give more than $5, but if that was all, that was fine but it should be whatever is pushing it for you."

This diverse group of women, ranging from the early 30s to age 86, works on a consensus basis. Once a charity is chosen, the Fairy Godmother Society sends the charity a check along with a thank-you letter for their community service.

The championed causes represent both the passions and neighborhoods of the Fairies' members. After Ms. Lassen read an article in the Metro about Gwen Jackson and the "Grandmothers" who were working to transform a drug turf on Coolidge to an after-school programs center, she met with Ms. Jackson, and the fairies decided to contribute rent money for the next month. When a member told the group about the need for a meal program at the American Indian School, the group voted not only to supply enough fruit and oatmeal for six months, but to monitor the program as well. The idea is not to perpetually rescue any charity, but to plant a seed. "Perhaps the PTA will pick up the food program."

Berkeley Youth Alternatives, a recently chosen charity, is a perfect case in point. Berkeleyresidents found a vacant lot, donated their time to set up a vegetable garden to teach youth at risk not only where fruits and vegetables come from but also how to garden. Someone also taught them how to arrange flowers, so the youths learned marketable skills, "something with a future."

"If everyone in the community felt like what they did mattered, how much better would people feel individually? What a better community would we be?"

I asked Ms. Lassen what her future plans were and if she had any ideas for expanding her group. Though the Fairy Godmothers is an open group which would not exclude new members, she had a broader vision for the altruistically inclined. She envisions clusters of new FGMS's "lots of fluttering wings." Each block could have its own neighborhood group. Yearly, all the groups in the MacArthur Metro area could meet and decide upon a larger charitable contribution.

As Ms. Lassen speculates, "Who gets the most out of this is really questionable." If you'd like to find out, please contact her at 530-1537.