As our dear Dave and Barb celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary, we know full well they are a pair of like spirits with big hearts committed to sharing, caring, and enriching the lives of those they touch. In their decades together, they have tallied up an impressive record of volunteerism, making the community a better place for all of us! It’s time to share their goodness with you!

When a shrinking budget threatened music education in 2001, Dave mounted a successful “Save the Music” parent fundraising and advocacy campaign that led to the founding of SchoolForce, the Belmont-Redwood Shores Public Schools Foundation. In 2018, SchoolForce membership established the Dave Karlin Endowment Fund in recognition of Dave’s founding of SchoolForce, which is still going strong today.
And due to Dave’s passion of music for all ages, he volunteer teaches music appreciation at the Twin Pines Senior & Community Center, as well as English as a Second Language (ESL) class to help his students improve conversational skills.

In addition, Dave has volunteered at and supported the Bach Beach Club on the Half Moon Bay coast. Perhaps Dave’s greatest legacy to the non-profit is equal parts spiritual and financial. By becoming close to the club’s late founder, Pete Douglas, Dave helped to make the Bach an institution. Following Pete's passing, Dave stepped in to encourage Douglas’s daughters to keep their father's institution alive and thriving.

Over the years, Dave has also helped those in need through Peninsula Food Runners, been a guide at Tide Pools at Fitzgerald Marine Preserve, and shared his can-do energy with many other organizations.

Barb’s volunteerism is wide ranging. She loves to take Penny, the Karlin’s Share-A-Pet Certified Therapy Dog, to schools to help kids improve reading skills and to senior centers to visit memory care unit patients. As a docent at Año Nuevo State Park, Barb shares her love of nature and is known for her talent at catching must-see moments with the elephant seals and other species.

When not sharing her love of animals with others, Barb can be found at the Congregational Church of San Mateo, where she has taught Sunday school, made meals for the homeless, done fundraising, and served on committees.

“We Believe”—Dave and Barb’s annual SF 5K team to raise funds and awareness for the Addario Lung Cancer Foundation—embodies their spirit of optimism, hope, and giving. In 2018, Dave and Barb led huge teams—both in SF and Chicago—of up to 70 friends and family to show their support for the organization that has helped them navigate the multiple challenges of living with lung cancer.

THANK YOU to our dear Dave and Barb for living by the words “We Believe” and for sharing your 35 years together, enriching the lives not only of your family, but of so many others.

Happy Anniversary from your loving parents, your brother, both sisters and their families!