June 27, 2023
City Council
DATE: June 27, 2023
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM: Vice Mayor McLaughlin
Subject: Recognition of Dr. Carol Weyland Conner’s legacy and service to the City of Richmond
FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact related to this item.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
None
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
Dr. Carol Weyland Conner is being honored by the City
of Richmond for her contributions and humanitarian
efforts to serve the underserved community in not only
Contra Costa County, but also in Richmond through the
creation and service of the White Pony Express.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: PROCLAMATION recognizing Dr. Carol Weyland Conner’s legacy of giving to people in need and the
resources she provided to benefit many residents of
Richmond and the greater Contra Costa County - Vice
Mayor Gayle McLaughlin (510-620-6636).
DISCUSSION:
In 2013, Dr. Carol Weyland Conner founded White Pony Express, the volunteer- powered nonprofit which delivers fresh, surplus food gathered from supermarkets and restaurants to the hungry throughout the county.
AGENDA
REPORT
June 27, 2023
Dr. Conner believed, “There is a simple solution that can end the problems of hunger and marginalization for good—a new paradigm: voluntary shared abundance. In this model of life, responsibility for helping the family of man is assumed by everyone, or in the phrase White Pony Express uses, ‘all of us taking care of all of us!”
Over the last 10 years, White Pony Express has delivered thousands of clothing items to Richmond service organizations who have distributed these items to Richmond residents. White Pony Express provides fresh groceries and nutritional meals to Richmond students at Coronado Elementary, Ford Elementary, Golden Gate Community School, and Verde Elementary.
Dr. Conner also founded the nonprofit Following Francis, inspired by the values of Francis of Assisi, which has staged colorful outdoor “fairies”, musical plays, and other activities for nearly 15,000 children throughout the nation, including the children of Richmond, with the aim of nurturing feelings of kindness, courage, and self-worth in children. Following Francis has also distributed groceries, holiday gift baskets, clothing, and envelopes of cash to the families of Richmond school children.
During the pandemic, volunteers of White Pony Express and Following Francis volunteers participated in one of Dr. Conner’s projects that involved distributing cash in many cities equal to the amount of the stimulus checks ($1200) that the U.S.
Government gave to those severely impacted by COVID. Overall, the amount distributed under this project, which spanned the nation, was about $1 million. Those in Richmond who received these stimulus distributions, which amounted to thousands of dollars, included the families of children who attended several Richmond elementary schools.
Dr. Conner was the spiritual director of Sufism Reoriented, an American spiritual school founded by Meher Baba that honors all spiritual traditions and the essential unity of all life.
The City of Richmond on June 27, 2023, hereby recognizes the impact of Dr. Conner’s contributions and humanitarian efforts to serve the underserved community in not only Contra Costa County, but specifically in Richmond. Moreover, we are deeply grateful for her compassionate heart, dedicated work, diligent hands, and exceptional leadership. Her legacy will continue to live on through her nonprofits which serve food, clothing, and beautify our neighborhoods throughout the country.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Proclamation Recognizing Dr. Carol Weyland Conner