Over the years, Carmel-by-the-Sea has been blessed to have many incredibly dedicated groups that have left their mark on the Village and there are plenty of them doing that right now! It is our goal to do things that aren’t being addressed by them and work with all of them as much as we can to achieve our mutual goals. We suggest you get to explore them all as we have done so you can find which ones are the best fit for you. Or, just work with us for a while if you want to get started and we’ll point you in the right direction after we get to know you a little better.
Carmel Chamber of Commerce
For 100 years, the Chamber has been a mainstay of the Carmel business community. They operate the Visitors Center which is located in the plaza.
Carmel Foundation
www.carmelfoundation.org
The Carmel Foundation is an incredible opportunity for those over 55 to have access to a wealth of interesting classes, programs and hot lunches at their facility at Lincoln & 8th. They also have housing opportunities for seniors and much more. If you are over 55 you should be a Foundation member.
Carmel Gives
www.carmelgives.org
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Carmel Gives Fund is a fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County. Started by Tim Allen, it is a movement that supports Win/Win projects that help local business who then help nonprofits in surrounding communities. They also support Carmel Cares with grants that help conduct valuable improvement projects in Carmel.
Carmel Heritage Society
This group is in charge of the fantastic First Murphy House which is the closest thing Carmel has to a museum. You should go there and explore what was M.J. Murphy’s first house which is aptly named now. Carmel Cares is very interested in preserving historic assets in the Village.
Carmel Police Officers Association
They provide a variety of services to our officers but also look for opportunities to help the community at large. You should check out their coffee with the officers event which happens from time to time. A great way to meet Carmel’s finest and get a free coffee besides!
Carmel Preservation Association
Dedicated to protecting the architectural quality of Carmel-by-the-Sea, this group has the support of hundreds of Carmelites.
Carmel Residents Association
The CRA is dedicated to preserving what makes Carmel Carmel. If you care about that you should be a member. In addition to their advocacy for important issue for residents, they also provide social opportunities, an informational website and a Village Incentive Program to members.
Carmel Woman’s Club
This is an incredible organization that has been offering interesting meetings twice a month November through May since 1925! They are a philanthropic and community service organization that does a great job on anything they do and owns their own building at San Carlos & 9th. And, it’s not just for women!
Community EmergencyÂ
Response Team (CERT)
CERT is a dedicated group of our fellow citizens who have been specially trained to be the support team for our first responders in an emergency. They also assist in non-emergencies to assist the City in special situations. You can join CERT by attending a training class that is offered from time to time but you can also study the materials so that you are better prepared to take care of yourself and your neighbors. There are CERT teams in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel Mid-Valley, and Carmel Valley as well as other communities throughout the Monterey Peninsula.
C4G2
About C4G2
Connections 4 Growth 2 Communities 4 Good recognizes the gap in our educational programs has been increased by the poandemic and social inequity. They have created communities that empower parents, children and teachers to connect and facilitate growth and created MasterMind programs that helps parents help their children.
Communities for Sustainable Monterey County
http://www.sustainablemontereycounty.org
As their name suggests, this organization is a parent group that has branches in communities on the Monterey Peninsula, including Carmel. We have worked with them to do some interesting projects over the last couple years and will be working with them to encourage good recycling habits.
Forest Theater Guild
www.foresttheaterguild.org
The Forest Theater Guild has a rich history of being the organization that put on shows at the Forest Theater. We don’t have time to get into it here but we hope to work with this group as they struggle with the effects of COVID-19 and their relationship with their namesake theater.
Friends of Carmel Forest
These are the tree people in Carmel. Our urban forest is a challenging project and they work tirelessly to make sure we are protecting existing and planting new trees and taking care of them until they can survive on their own. We look forward to working closely with them and supporting them over the coming years.
Friends of Mission Trail Nature Preserve
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In addition to being the group with the longest name they also have one of the biggest jobs in town. They look after their namesake location by putting together a long-term plan and then executing it over time working with the City. We look forward to working with them as we learn more about their needs. But, for now, go out for a walk and explore this treasure.
Harrison Memorial Library
Carmel loves its library so much that we have two of them. Both are well run and great resources for all of us. Go there and explore. Or, get most of what you need online. We’ll be exploring this great information source in our Education Outreach section of this website.
Pacific Repertory Theater
Better known as PACREP, Stephen Moorer has been working for decades to create this extraordinary organization that has its own theaters at the Golden Bough (which is a great story in and of itself) but also is the leaseholder for the outdoor Forest Theater. How great is it that we can just walk down the street to see incredible live shows? Well, it’s really great and you should do it!
Peace of Mind Preparedness
Wanda Vollmer, who is a hard working volunteer in town, started this company to share her knowledge gained in many years working with the Red Cross and her experience with the CERT program. We found her service very worthwhile and sleep better knowing that we are better prepared to face any emergency that might pop up.
Save the Whales
http://www.savethewhales.org
Save the Whales was founded in 1977 when Maris Sidenstecker was 14 years old. They focus on educating the public, especially children, about marine mammals and the fragile ocean environment. They believe that children, the future of the planet, need to be empowered and know that their actions can promote change. We were recently working with them on a recycle effort and on a video they are making with local school children as actors.
Sunset Center
We are fortunate to have a world-class concert hall in our little town. In addition to Sunset Center sponsored concerts this is the home of the Bach Festival and other community organizations. There is a new yoga center on the campus and there are great art shows in the halls of the business offices.
Visit Carmel
They are Carmel’s Destination Marketing Organization. In other words, the hotels and restaurants as well as the City itself, finances Visit Carmel to provide sophisticated marketing programs, mostly online, to attract people to the Village, especially in non-peak periods. Their board meetings are public and we highly recommend you check one out to see what goes on behind the scenes.
