Saving the Historic COD Ranch: A Place to Connect
Donation protected
NOTE: This GoFundMe campaign is all about saving a well-loved retreat center and gathering place that has been supporting families, organizations, and workshops for over 25 years: My brother Steve Malkin's Historic COD Ranch. The following letter from Steve says it all. Please take the time to read his touching letter below. For anyone who would like retreat centers like the COD to survive so we'll be able to have places to go to for in-person gatherings, please consider contributing anything towards our goal to save the ranch. All the best, Gary Malkin If you have any questions, call Steve at his number below, or email me at [email redacted]
A LETTER FROM STEVE MALKIN,
FOUNDER OF THE HISTORIC COD RANCH
Dear Friends and Extended COD Ranch Family:
It has been more than a quarter of a century that I have been pursuing a life-long vision of bringing people together under an umbrella of friendship and goodness. My purpose has always been to extend our ability to connect with each other. The COD Ranch has been the physical manifestation of this life-long purpose.
Over the last 26 years with limited capital, I have built 22 casitas, a beautiful barn meeting space, a dining room, and a yoga meditation and exercise room on a gorgeous property adjacent to the national forest outside Tucson. Each and every time I needed to build something to accommodate a specific need for our guests, somehow the funds miraculously appeared. Sometimes it came from my Uncle Julius and my cousin Martino Magid, to whom I am lovingly grateful for all the ways they’ve shown up for me.
Ironically these past months were going to be our most successful year ever. We were booked almost every week with a high quality of wonderful groups that truly represented everything I dreamed the COD could be. I can’t tell you how much I was looking forward to hosting these groups. With our fabulous chef David and our long-time staff member, Daniel – along with the rest of our small and dedicated staff- we have kept the ranch going for 25 years!
But we all know what happened.
Suddenly, starting in early March, the groups started to cancel their bookings, one by one, in response to the pandemic. It was painful to listen to each group regretfully cancel their time with us. We lost literally all of our bookings, adding up to a financial amount that would have amounted to almost our entire yearly gross.
Now, after surviving the last five months without any income, as I've attempted to stay afloat, I find myself in a difficult situation. After weathering these last months, I hoped that I could start taking reservations again for months ahead - since all of our groups have wanted to return. (For years, we’ve have been operating at a 90% return rate- and we love our returning guests. ) People started to book reservations again recently, but now due to the rise in Pandemic cases in Arizona, these bookings are all being canceled again, as we speak.
While we have attempted to get Small Business Administration support, unfortunately, we have not been successful in our efforts. I am of the opinion that if we could hold out for another 6 - 12 months, better COVID treatments might become available, more mitigation and sanitation protocols could be adopted, or perhaps even a possible vaccination might emerge. If we can prevent losing the ranch to the banks, we could start serving our guests once again.
Most of the folks I know are not wealthy since the COD Ranch was never created as a playground for the rich and famous! This is why I am reaching out to my friends - and friends of friends - to consider contributing financially to the COD ranch’s GoFundMe Campaign. The ranch has always been a simple, down to earth and affordable place where people can truly be themselves, and share the gift of being together far from the pace of the city, in the natural beauty of the high desert.
The COD ranch is a very special place that has survived numerous challenges these many years, but this challenge is unprecedented. If you can't contribute, I fully understand. But truly, anything you could afford would be greatly appreciated from the bottom of my heart.
Those of you who know me know that it is difficult for me to ask for help - since I am more used to being a helper. But with this pandemic, I have met my match. Everyone is emphasizing the importance of social isolation these days. However, the Ranch remains a place that is all about the importance of coming together, sharing, and celebrating our connectedness. After all this time, we're all going to need to be with one another again.
Given how much open space surrounds us, we assure you that we will do everything in our power to come up with ways to safely convene when state officials tell us we can. This nightmare – or some call “reset” - will hopefully come to end soon. I can only pray that the COD Ranch will remain standing strong as a port in the storm, continuing to nurture all who want to come together as only the ranch can provide.
It is this hope that is at the core of this campaign to save the Ranch, directed to anyone - whether you’ve been here or not - who believes in supporting places that enable us to simply be ourselves, celebrating life, together. In spite of the current conditions, we will remain open to booking groups at this time.
We encourage you all to consider making a reservation for future plans, with safe and secure protocols. Until then, I hope I'll be seeing you at the ranch sometime soon. In the meantime, please consider joining us to help the spirit of the Ranch stay alive. (For those of you who have never been the the ranch, please consider looking at our website, at www.CODRanch.com.)
We will be here at the COD, with our doors and hearts open, waiting.
With all my gratitude,
Steve Steve Malkin
Founder and Owner,
The Historic COD Ranch
All contributions can be made on this GoFundMe platform
OR
you can also mail contributions and communications to:
The Historic COD Ranch
P. O. Box 241 Oracle, Ca. 85623
(520) [phone redacted]
[email redacted]
If any of you know of anyone who would like to interview Steve about the ranch's origin story, to spread the word about our mission or our ranch, contact us at the email above. Thank you!
Visit the ranch's Website at www.CODRanch.com
A LETTER FROM STEVE MALKIN,
FOUNDER OF THE HISTORIC COD RANCH
Dear Friends and Extended COD Ranch Family:
It has been more than a quarter of a century that I have been pursuing a life-long vision of bringing people together under an umbrella of friendship and goodness. My purpose has always been to extend our ability to connect with each other. The COD Ranch has been the physical manifestation of this life-long purpose.
Over the last 26 years with limited capital, I have built 22 casitas, a beautiful barn meeting space, a dining room, and a yoga meditation and exercise room on a gorgeous property adjacent to the national forest outside Tucson. Each and every time I needed to build something to accommodate a specific need for our guests, somehow the funds miraculously appeared. Sometimes it came from my Uncle Julius and my cousin Martino Magid, to whom I am lovingly grateful for all the ways they’ve shown up for me.
Ironically these past months were going to be our most successful year ever. We were booked almost every week with a high quality of wonderful groups that truly represented everything I dreamed the COD could be. I can’t tell you how much I was looking forward to hosting these groups. With our fabulous chef David and our long-time staff member, Daniel – along with the rest of our small and dedicated staff- we have kept the ranch going for 25 years!
But we all know what happened.
Suddenly, starting in early March, the groups started to cancel their bookings, one by one, in response to the pandemic. It was painful to listen to each group regretfully cancel their time with us. We lost literally all of our bookings, adding up to a financial amount that would have amounted to almost our entire yearly gross.
Now, after surviving the last five months without any income, as I've attempted to stay afloat, I find myself in a difficult situation. After weathering these last months, I hoped that I could start taking reservations again for months ahead - since all of our groups have wanted to return. (For years, we’ve have been operating at a 90% return rate- and we love our returning guests. ) People started to book reservations again recently, but now due to the rise in Pandemic cases in Arizona, these bookings are all being canceled again, as we speak.
While we have attempted to get Small Business Administration support, unfortunately, we have not been successful in our efforts. I am of the opinion that if we could hold out for another 6 - 12 months, better COVID treatments might become available, more mitigation and sanitation protocols could be adopted, or perhaps even a possible vaccination might emerge. If we can prevent losing the ranch to the banks, we could start serving our guests once again.
Most of the folks I know are not wealthy since the COD Ranch was never created as a playground for the rich and famous! This is why I am reaching out to my friends - and friends of friends - to consider contributing financially to the COD ranch’s GoFundMe Campaign. The ranch has always been a simple, down to earth and affordable place where people can truly be themselves, and share the gift of being together far from the pace of the city, in the natural beauty of the high desert.
The COD ranch is a very special place that has survived numerous challenges these many years, but this challenge is unprecedented. If you can't contribute, I fully understand. But truly, anything you could afford would be greatly appreciated from the bottom of my heart.
Those of you who know me know that it is difficult for me to ask for help - since I am more used to being a helper. But with this pandemic, I have met my match. Everyone is emphasizing the importance of social isolation these days. However, the Ranch remains a place that is all about the importance of coming together, sharing, and celebrating our connectedness. After all this time, we're all going to need to be with one another again.
Given how much open space surrounds us, we assure you that we will do everything in our power to come up with ways to safely convene when state officials tell us we can. This nightmare – or some call “reset” - will hopefully come to end soon. I can only pray that the COD Ranch will remain standing strong as a port in the storm, continuing to nurture all who want to come together as only the ranch can provide.
It is this hope that is at the core of this campaign to save the Ranch, directed to anyone - whether you’ve been here or not - who believes in supporting places that enable us to simply be ourselves, celebrating life, together. In spite of the current conditions, we will remain open to booking groups at this time.
We encourage you all to consider making a reservation for future plans, with safe and secure protocols. Until then, I hope I'll be seeing you at the ranch sometime soon. In the meantime, please consider joining us to help the spirit of the Ranch stay alive. (For those of you who have never been the the ranch, please consider looking at our website, at www.CODRanch.com.)
We will be here at the COD, with our doors and hearts open, waiting.
With all my gratitude,
Steve Steve Malkin
Founder and Owner,
The Historic COD Ranch
All contributions can be made on this GoFundMe platform
OR
you can also mail contributions and communications to:
The Historic COD Ranch
P. O. Box 241 Oracle, Ca. 85623
(520) [phone redacted]
[email redacted]
If any of you know of anyone who would like to interview Steve about the ranch's origin story, to spread the word about our mission or our ranch, contact us at the email above. Thank you!
Visit the ranch's Website at www.CODRanch.com
Organizer
Gary Malkin
Organizer
Larkspur, CA