President’s Report
Diamante Bridge Collective – General Assembly
20 September 2025 on eartHeart Commons at Diamante Luz
Presented by Danielle “Dani Bellavita” Gennety, President and Convener
I would like to open this post by especially acknowledging the individuals who were present at the General Assembly to receive this report in person, to ask questions and engage in dialogue, to listen to the story of the stones, tune in with the fire, and prioritize communing in civic participation on behalf of the land and waters we are so blessed to steward here each in our own way. The warmth of expression I experienced in the circle and the high level of coherence we co-created was truly magical.
And to all for whom it was not in your capacity to be present, we held space, gratitude and respect for your contributions with deep honoring of all that has been given. We see and feel, that we are able to enjoy this space of so much beauty and power flourishing here now as the fruits of your cumulative care and service, however great or small.
1. Present – Where We Are Now
Our Constitutional Moment
Today we stand at a lively threshold: after four years of steady tending, the Diamante Bridge Collective has become a circle where long-time stewards who have carried the work from the beginning now stand shoulder-to-shoulder with new friends arriving with fresh curiosity and a readiness to step into leadership. Four years ago we formally registered as the Asociación Puente Diamante Colectiva, and those founding roots continue to nourish us as we enter this next season.
We have arrived at a crossroads we planned for in our formation. The DBC/APDC Constitution calls for:
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Annual Ordinary Assembly in the second half of September
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Election of the Board and Fiscal every four years—including this very year
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Quorum rules: first call requires half plus one of members in good standing; if that fails, a second call one hour later can proceed with as few as the number of people equal to the Board plus Fiscal
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Vacancy provisions: if seats remain empty, the Board may temporarily fill them until an Extraordinary Assembly elects replacements for the remainder of the term
These clauses give us a steady bridge. Even if we cannot reach quorum today, we can lawfully move forward by recording attendance, reconvening on second call, and—if necessary—calling an Extraordinary Assembly in late November.
Governance Reality
More than half of our seven Board members, including the Secretary and Treasurer, have not been active this past year and will not seek renewal. Our active core—Vice President and President among them—continues to meet and steward the work, joined now by a handful of newer participants eager to take on membership and leadership.
Today we honor both the constancy of our active stewards and the natural ebb of initiator and volunteer cycles. We also mark a wider flowering: the emergence of bioregionalism in our networks. DBC remains rooted in the Diamante Valley “ecoregion,” yet our members collaborate across Costa Rica—from neighbors organizing on the Chirripó mountain to allies on the Osa Peninsula, and onward into global regenerative networks.
Through our partnership with the Bloom Network, DBC hosts Diamante Bloom, where local members receive rewards for documenting volunteer service and telling stories of impact—showing how our valley’s work resonates on the world stage.
Treasury Review – Bridging Finance and Renewal
The Donner Foundation’s second grant round is in process and anticipated at $20,000.
The first grant of $50,000 seeded everything from children’s programs and waste processing equipment, to legal and engineering groundwork; $36,240 has been spent and $13,760 remains committed to construction readiness…
With the new award we can:
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Secure essential infrastructure—electrical, water, and sanitation systems, and finalize engineering and legal steps for the Coliazul Centro Cultural.
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Invest in human infrastructure—modest stipends for key active roles and project leads, ensuring that the people who hold our commons together are supported and that leaders see their time and talent valued.
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Pursue matching and supplementary fundraising through multiple approaches—including updating our Giveth projects, participating in the current Bioregional “cause” campaign, and actively seeking new partners to infuse financial capital into our base of other forms of capital.
As we steward our next stage of funding and governance, the same care we give to the land, community and our finances now guides our membership renewal.
2. Past – Acknowledgment and Recognition
Four years ago, on 24 September 2021, a group of neighbors signed our Constitution and became the founding Asociación Puente Diamante Colectiva.
Together we built more than a project: we built trust.
We honor every steward who has contributed—from those who turned soil and drafted permits, to those who quietly kept the books, taught children, and wove the cultural fabric that makes the Diamante region hum. Some of our founding Board members and many early participants have stepped back in recent years; their season of service is part of the Collective’s story and we hold it with gratitude.
3. Going Forward – An Invitation
The statutes we wrote in 2021 foresaw this moment. Board terms were set to expire this month, and more than half of the current Junta Directiva will not seek renewal. Today, we did not reach quorum. That is not a failure; it is the natural pause before a next generation steps in.
Here is our path:
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Extraordinary Assembly: We will call an Extraordinary Assembly for late November. Notices will be sent with the eight-day written notice required by our Constitution…
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Membership & Nominations: From now until that date we invite written self- or peer-nominations for new members and for the Board and Fiscal roles. New membership requests require two recommendations and a Board vote, with decisions communicated within 15 days…
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Caretaker Period: The current Board remains legally in place and may fill vacancies temporarily until the November vote. Randall, SeJo and myself will continue to serve as interim VP, Treasurer and President during this caretaker period, as we actively work to grow the leaders of the future.
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Priorities and Budget: To prepare for stipends and clearer responsibilities, we will convene a small committee to draft and/or review role descriptions for approval. This will guide the stipend proposal included in our budget forecast and give new leaders a clear path into meaningful work.
This is the turning of a season. We welcome those ready to steward our next chapter—whether in governance, in culture-making, or in the practical work of bringing community projects to life.
The resources now in hand are not only dollars; they are a call to shared responsibility and to the kind of prosperity that grows when people choose to serve the commons together.
Closing Reflection
From the founders who first dared to imagine the Diamante Bridge Collective to those who arrive today with fresh curiosity, we are bound by a shared experiment: practicing new forms of governance, trust-building, and right relationship with place.
Our membership is not just a list of names—it is a living network of individuals, teams, and organizations who work side-by-side to steward this valley. Many among us care for land directly; many have spent these years shaping draft agreements that link land “ownership,” the people who tend and steward, and the DBC as the legal vessel for our commons.
Those drafts—between Diamante Luz, the DBC, and the Coliazul Centro Cultural—have been discussed, refined, and carried by several of you here. Yet none are formalized. That is not a weakness; it is an unfinished conversation awaiting the next circle of stewards.
The path ahead asks us to cultivate a Board, member roles, and committees of representation from local land-based projects so that these agreements can at last take root. Work done here will send ripples through the valley, across the Brunca bioregion, and into the wider world.
I invite each person present to consider this call: to become the stewards we have been waiting for, and to carry this living experiment forward.
Thank you for your presence, your patience, and the quiet courage it takes to build a commons worthy of this place. ~Danibelle