Hearst Castle brings hundreds of California kids to the “enchanted hill” in San Simeon
The Foundation at Hearst Castle has launched a new educational program that exposes hundreds of kids across California to the castle in San Simeon.
The Foundation’s mission is to preserve and restore the art, artifacts, and grounds of the museum according to representatives.
However, the foundation also strives to expand education, specifically surrounding underserved middle school students in California, said foundation officials.
“Our mission is not only to preserve the amazing art and architecture at the castle but to provide a unique educational experience for future visionaries, using the examples of Julia Morgan and William Randolph Hearst. They are out there in our junior high schools right now, but if they are never exposed to the magnificence of historic art and the kind of spectacular natural beauty that exists along the San Simeon coastline…,” said Board President Jeanette Trompeter.
The Foundation also hired a new executive director, Michael Young, to help bring in the necessary funding for the educational program.
“We needed a leader who could help make our vision happen. Convincing Michael to reconsider retirement and believe in our board’s vision was my primary goal. He’s one of those people who went out and conquered the world and now wants to come back and give to the community, which he intends to call home from here on out, and we will all be the benefactors of that.”
Young spent 32 years in professional sports and entertainment and ultimately retired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017 after serving as the Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships and Chief Revenue Officer.
Young started advising The Foundation at Hearst Castle in early 2018.
The Foundation is working to fund an expanded full-time conservation staff to provide Hearst Castle with more stability and efficiency to address the extensive current restoration and conservation projects.
Over 95 percent of the visitors of Hearst Castle are from outside the Central Coast and over 50 percent are outside of California, and The Foundation at Hearst Castle aims to grow their membership outside of the Central Coast to help the success of the new initiatives.
Tickets for the charitable event, Twilight on the Terrace, have gone on sale April 1st. Members can receive a discount on event tickets. Prices are expected to go up May 1st, according to foundation representatives.
