ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL AT THE BERKELEY FINNISH HALL

The Finnish Hall is a local treasure that has been supporting Berkeley arts and community for almost a century. Built in 1932 by immigrant families with volunteer labor, today we are a home for a diverse span of groups focused on kids, mycology, spelunking, textiles, tango, ballet, myriad dance and improvisation modalities, community organizing, and so much more.
Adding much needed accessibility upgrades will cost $300,000.
***We have raised $265,000 TO DATE!**
We’re almost there!
Let’s work together to welcome EVERY body to this historical community space.

ABOUT THE ACCESSIBILITY PROJECT

FHS is proud to have stewarded this historical community resource with care and can-do spirit. Over the years, the community has always pulled together to make upgrades to the building as necessary: mitigating leaks, installing new stage curtains, upgrading electrical circuits and plumbing, etc. Through careful stewardship, we weathered the closures of the Covid years. Now, it’s time to tackle accessibility. During the Covid closure, we added an accessible bathroom in the main auditorium. Now, we are putting in place ramps to two levels, a new entrance and hallway, plus another fully ADA compliant bathroom in the basement. Your contribution gets us closer to being the inclusive and welcoming space we want and need to be, and helps us avoid needing to shut our doors!

Why does it cost so much?
The Berkeley Finnish Hall is a historical building with lots of quirky features. It is a split level building, meaning ramp construction has involved several feet of excavation into the foundation. Building an entrance at the right slope meant cutting through walls and creating a new hallway, which required rerouting HVAC. The placement of the ramp also require us to rebuild a third story fire escape. We have been working on this project for almost a decade, and have considered every possible placement of ramps, lifts, even multi-story elevators! We are confident that with the help of our architect, Greg VanMechelen, we have reached the most cost effective and feasible plan possible, meeting legal obligations and creating accessibility to a majority of our spaces, if not all. Construction is very expensive, but we are confident that with the help of our community, we'll be able to pull this off and stay open, preserving this beautiful space for generations to come.

CONTRIBUTE

To raise funds for this accessibility project, Finnish Heritage Society is partnering with Sense Object, the 501(c)3 arts organization in residence at the hall, which has been producing community arts programming here since 2014.

Donations processed via Sense Object are tax deductible to the full extent of the law
(EIN #93-1507563)
If desired, you may choose to make a donation directly to Finnish Heritage Society, however please note that because FHS holds 501(c)4 status, such donations are not tax deductible.

If your employer offers gift matching, we encourage you to donate to Sense Object, Inc. using Benevity: https://causes.benevity.org/causes/840-931507563

“Accessibility for All at the Berkeley Finnish Hall”

GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/171f3236

Zelle contactsenseobject@gmail.com
Paypal contactsenseobject@gmail.com
Venmo @senseobject

By Check:
Make out to "Sense Object", and send to:
1970 Chestnut St.
Berkeley CA 94702

(Please note “ADA” if making your donation via Zelle, Paypal, Venmo, or check.)

***

The names of all donors will be included on a special commemorative plaque.
We are committed to full transparency with any donor who wishes to track how funds are spent.

THANK YOU!

The new accessible ramps and bathrooms at the Berkeley Finnish Hall are being made possible by
the enormous generority and stupendous support of the following:

City of Berkeley Civic Arts Commission
Estate of Raymond Lifchez

Fred Mork
Sara Rudner
Stephen Schiller
Kirsti Bellows
Jill Cooper
Mike and Jennifer McDougall
Keri Ferencz & James Levine
Kristen Stone
East Bay Waltz Community

John Benson, Yosh Haraguchi, ri Dym,
Rosemary Hannon, Tom Rockwell, Cole Lehman, Shana Sturm

Rene Alvarez, Ellen Raney, Tina Amidon, Libby Lee-Egan, Brett Weinstein,
Amy Kingwill, Finlandia Foundation SF Bay Area Chapter

Dharam Khalsa, Trent Watson, Anjaleena Laitakaripyyko, Peitsa Hirvonen, Bruce Holgers, Joe Dumit, Robin Lassonde, Dharam Kaur Khalsa, Zoe Feld, Ruthann Sherrier, Andrew Saul, Io Bones, Dan Nazarian, Robin Lassonde, Zoe Chamberlain, Neil Goldberg, Daiane Lopes da Silva, Elaine Jegi, Karen Ivy, Glenn Goffin, Neil Goldberg, Angela Heyun, Barbara Saarni Oddone, Jenica Hierman, Kari Autio, Seppo Rantala, Anna Kipnis, Jessica Wahl, Andie Hoyer, Hannah Westbrook, Johanna Rauhala, Ubani Balogun, Neil Sethi, Cathie Caraker, Gabriel Grant, William Devore, Sarah Kurtz, Skp Pham, Hend Saadeh, Claudine Jones
Anna-Linnea Rodegard, Paul Aho, Andrew Jacob, Sarka Briel, Keith Caceres, Kristina Kessel, Gabrielle Wolodarski, Seth Little, Josh Merlin, Suzi Garner, Eduardo Poyart, Sarah Young, Carol Swann, Leon Young, Irene Hsi, Gee Bee, Melissa Crago, Frederick Soo, Karla Quintero, Aryn Faur, Richard Villa, Barbara Kaplan, Schuyler Ingle, Debbie Taylor, Louis Caditz-Peck, Sophie Bransfield, Jenny Miner, Jonathan Devoto, Eva Lyons, Lauren Brazell, Igor Chernyshev, Jo Kreiter, Rebecca Strull, Elyse Jacob, Elina Juvonen, Ava Maag, michael fleit, Nicco Tyson, ainsley tharp, Cheryl Fralick, Shaham Shira, Alanna Krowiak, J Miakoda Taylor, Suzanne Blumenthal, Maica Folch, Christine Renaudin, Hanna Sistek, Risa Jaroslow, ri dym, Stephanie Frankle, Marie Hoff, Jules Brouillet, Catrina Sheen, Olivia Trevino, Nina Bayley, Sasha Wright, Mihyun Lee, Angela Heyun, Gabriel Diamond, Dena Holper, Michael Reinhold, Riki Bloom, Ro Stratton, Katie Ring, Saana Deichsel, Elizabeth Rojas, Robb Godshaw, Ezra LeBank, Daniel Moreh, Travis Jungroth, Tamera Lanham, Marisa Handler, Anneli Berry, Emily Leap, Jennifer Allen, Shira Yaziv, Erica Stevenson, Jessica Mayer, Natalia Mäntynen-Smith, Riitta Maunus, Heikki Koskinen, Linnea Due, Rent Romus, Jonah Kagan, Daniel Deslauriers, Sam Seppala

And many generous donors and volunteers who wished to remain anonymous.

THANK YOU.