We are looking for people that are passionate about Carmel-by-the-Sea and aren’t afraid to push forward to get things done quickly and efficiently. We are passionately persistent, don’t let things get in our way, and enjoy inspiring others to get involved to help out.
There are many ways you can help out. We have discovered that, over time, little things can make a big difference and you can help with light gardening, adopt a median island, or help pick up litter, or help us with bookkeeping tasks.
Of course, you can also make a donation of any size
Leader – Scenic Pathway Restoration Project
Born and raised in Indiana, Shirley obtained her B.S. Degree in Elementary Education from Ball State University in Indiana. From the first time she saw Carmel-by-the-Sea in the early 1970’s, she was captivated by the charming Village and the stunning beauty of the area. Moving here in 1973, she bought her first Carmel cottage two years later which she still owns as an investment property. She happened to move here when the school districts were flush with teachers, so she obtained her real estate license and started a new career.
Thirty-plus years of being a Realtor and an independent contractor further honed the skills she used in teaching: creating goals and being disciplined and organized. She feels like she never really sold real estate; she only taught people what they needed to know about real estate in order for them to make sound decisions.
In her 47 years on the Peninsula, 42 of them have been in Carmel-by-the-Sea. She has led several other beautification projects in Carmel-by-the Sea where she coordinated volunteer efforts with support from the City. She brings those organizational skills and determination to Carmel Cares as she leads the volunteer team for the Scenic Pathway Restoration Project which has had over 180 weekly maintenance sessions with 5-13 volunteers and 3 professional gardeners. She also created the Pick Up Posse concept. Shirley has used her marketing skills to develop some of the key messaging for Carmel Cares and is instrumental in planning, supervising, and fundraising for the many significant projects taking place on the Pathway.
Leader – Downtown Detail
Volunteer, Downtown and Scenic Pathway Pick Up Posse
Co-Creator Carmel Cares Business Partner Program
Kelly grew up on the Monterey Peninsula living at the Presidio of Monterey and in Carmel. She is a High School graduate of Santa Catalina School for Girls which provided a stellar education and a foundation of good work ethics. Kelly attended The University of Southern California, graduating with a B.A. in Sociology and while there was a proud member of the Women’s Tennis Team for 2 years. After college, she moved to the east coast living in Manhattan and Connecticut. Kelly’s career was in Corporate Real Estate, focusing on the Relocation Industry by selling Corporate owned properties and being an Account Manager for GE.
After leaving corporate life, she moved to Los Angeles and became a dedicated mother to her son, Sean. Her other interests included traveling, photography, tennis, cycling, and polo. Kelly has invested in several real estate projects over the years including designing and remodeling her home in Montecito and her ranch in Santa Ynez.
In 2018, Kelly returned to living full time in Carmel and is happy to be back home. Growing up surrounded by such natural beauty gives her a deep aesthetic appreciation of the nature around her. In this way, Carmel Cares has become a passion in which Kelly can help keep Carmels’ beauty the way she remembers it growing up.
Kelly has been working with the Downtown Detail team from the beginning, recruiting a dedicated group of volunteers that come together every Thursday and Saturday morning to attack a street or area in downtown Carmel. You will see her white Range Rover, filled to the gills with gardening tools, the Carmel Cares signs, and orange cones next to a group that are having fun, laughing a lot, and working hard while pulling weeds, planting, and talking it up with passersby and local businesses. Their efforts are very visible to visitors and residents and greatly appreciated.
She is also a co-creator of the Carmel Business Partner program and will be rolling it out to local businesses over the next 6 months. Kelly has also volunteered with Meals on Wheels training new volunteers.
Kelly represents what being a volunteer is all about…dedication to the mission, spreading the positive message of how everyone can make a difference, and representing the organization with a smile that brings joy to everyone she is around.
Leader, Cigarette Litter Prevention Program
Co-Creator Carmel Cares Business Partner Program
Volunteer, Downtown Detail
With over 25+ years in the real estate industry, Carol Crandall has developed a stellar reputation as one of the top real estate agents for Carmel and the Monterey Peninsula. Leveraging her expertise in this real estate market and her loyalty, integrity, and professionalism, Carol is sought out by Silicon Valley tech founders, community leaders and people who appreciate the life that Carmel has to offer. The most important reason that people choose Carol is that she truly cares. Carol loves her clients and treats them like part of her family. You don’t step into her office; you step into her home, which has become a popular spot for impromptu Carmel Cares meetings.
Carol brings that caring attitude to Carmel Cares where she embraced the job of leading the charge to capture and recycle every single cigarette butt in the village as the leader of Carmel’s effort with Keep America Beautiful’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP). She has managed the process of putting 55 new cigarette receptacles in key hot spots around the village and makes sure they are regularly emptied and the butts recycled with Terracycle.
Carol has also been instrumental in developing the Carmel Cares Business Partner Program and is a regular, along with her miniature poodle Emma, on the Downtown Detail team. As she says, “Once you see the problems around town clearly, you cannot unsee it, and it is important for all of us to take steps to become part of the solution.”
Leader, Downtown Pick Up Posse
Volunteer, Scenic Pathway Pick Up Posse
Jen Thompson is a 7th generation Californian, born & raised in Carmel. She graduated from Carmel High School and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She served as a San Francisco Police Officer until her retirement in 2019, when she was fortunate enough to move back home to Carmel.
Leader, Carmel Beach Pick Up Posse
Kelly’s background will go here.
Leader, Scenic Pathway Pick Up Posse
Cari’s background will go here.
Leaders – Vista Lobos Park Restoration
Andi is originally an “LA girl” and moved to Carmel in 1976. She taught school for a number of years, raised two daughters, and now is enjoying her two young grandchildren. Andi has a very active life playing bridge and golf, baking unique cookies, and walking their Havanese puppy. She is excited to be involved in restoring the downtown Vista Lobos Park.
Leaders – Carl Cherry Center for the Arts Restoration
When Covid entered the world, it set Nance and Denny on a new path in Carmel. As they walked around their own neighborhood it was as though they had new eyes to see and an excess time to fill every day. Nance, having been raised on a farm, found it not so strangely therapeutic to pull weeds on medians and easements in the neighborhood and replace them with low maintenance succulents.
Their next project was the grounds of the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, a hidden gem right in their neighborhood. In the Sculpture Garden, they found weeds, limbs, pine needles, dying plants, and even a kitchen sink buried in the earth. In the end, there were eight truckloads of debris which were hauled away. Now, three years later, Denny & Nance have pruned, transplanted and revived every living plant, shrub and tree struggling to survive. There are now stone pathways meandering around grounds with benches for sitting and relaxing. There is a cherry tree, a flowering peach, and a meyer lemon tree. There are also 30 cymbidium orchids perched on old telephone poles of various heights. It has become a serene beautiful environment meant to be enjoyed by locals and visitors. Donations are always helpful to support the Cherry Center garden.
It’s hard to believe that Denny and Nance have been married 60 years but their two “children” have given them seven grandkids and 8 great grandkids, most of whom live nearby. For years, Denny was a Veterinarian and Nance a “professional volunteer”, mostly working with teenagers. Currently, Denny is a docent at the Carmel Mission and is a starter at Poppy Hills Golf Course. Nance dances in San Francisco and Los Angeles and teaches Argentine Tango Classes at The American Legion in Carmel. Of course, there are also frequent beach walks.
Construction Advisor
Tim has been an incredible addition to our Scenic Pathway Restoration Project team from the beginning. He has been involved in the building industry in Carmel for over 50 years and a General Contractor for 40. In that time, he has built over 70 homes on the Peninsula and has the distinction of building all the wooden stairways on the Scenic Pathway under a contract signed by Clint Eastwood. For under $100,000 and taking only 2 months to build, they were designed to last 5 years but have lasted over 30!
He has been helping Shirley Moon coordinate the growing team on their Wednesday cleanup days and he developed the business model of hiring professional gardeners and the fundraising efforts to pay for them. He developed the plans for and managed the contractors who conducted several significant safety improvement projects on landings on the pathway and the recent renovation of the landscape barriers. He is hoping to play a key role in renovating the wooden stairways for a fraction of the cost it would normally take. You’ll may see Tim and his wife on the Pathway every day with their adorable 3-legged dog Dixie.
