My name is Mark Rittenberg and 10 years ago, I lost my daughter, Annais. She was the love of my life: My soulmate, my grand inquisitor, my greatest critic and my greatest teacher. There is not a day that goes by that we do not think of her and miss her. Our lives changed forever on that day.

Wherever she is, her spirit and energy call to many of us still on planet earth.

Since 2015, the Annais Circle of Love at UC Santa Cruz has become a source of support to so many students who participated in the Natural History Field Quarter program through “Annais Scholarships.” Nearly 150 scholarships have been provided to students who wanted to continue their environmental studies journey with Chris Lay, their beloved instructor. Chris was Annais’ primary environmental studies teacher during her time as a student at UC Santa Cruz.

The Annais Circle of Love is a place of gathering, ritual practice, blessing the environment, awarding prizes and scholarships, and a constant reminder about what Annais often said: “To do everything you can with a mantra of love.”

As we honor Annais 10 years after she passed, I am hoping to raise funds for the following projects:

1. Scholarships for the Natural History Field Quarter trips led by Chris Lay. We want to raise enough money for 50 scholarships over the next five years.

2. Annais’ mother Penny has written an amazing play about Annais called: “If a Tree Falls.” There have been performances in South Africa and Israel, and a recent reading in Chicago. We want to help this remarkable production take the next step and ultimately be performed here in the U.S.

3. Annais Empowerment Nature Camps: Several weeklong camps into nature led by women for young girls from low-income backgrounds, in order to raise confidence and self-esteem to live successfully in a complex world.

4. Seed money to train UC Santa Cruz students in leadership development. Our goal is to have these students lead six weekend seminars to help disadvantaged youth develop a greater sense of empowerment. They will go through job interview training and how to best live in their own values.

Please join us in honoring the legacy of an amazing young woman, who, despite her short life, managed to touch so many people with her beliefs in humanity and faith in the natural world as a source of healing.

Love and Blessings,

Mark