About Us
"You are unique, and if that is not fulfilled, then something has been lost." – Martha Grahm
A traditional circus fosters an environment where eccentricities are valued and unique talents are praised. It is in this spirit that we created Circus Fund. Circus Fund is a supportive environment in which people can laugh, connect, overcome barriers and develop their unique talents. We come from all walks of life, and have various vocations which we do in "real life". As a tribe however, we agree that it’s our uniqueness realized that make us special. We want to help you continually become a better version of you. At circus fund you can expect to explore your limits, set yourself free and fly. We’ll help you discover your wings!
Circus Fund was born from a shared love of flying trapeze. We began teaching flying trapeze and other circus arts in 2002 under the name Trapeze High. In November of 2008 we filed for our non-profit status, and now we are called Circus Fund. Circus Fund is one of only a handful of non-profit Circus Schools in the United States.
Because flying trapeze lessons can be an expensive habit we created Circus Fund as a non-profit organization to share our passion with anyone who wants to learn, regardless of his or her financial situation. People who can afford our services help support the folks who can’t. Robin Hood would be proud of our financial model.
Everybody loved Jacob, who was affectionately known to us as "Monkey". There was nothing not to love about him. He was a perfect kid...kind, warm, helpful, happy, respectful, good-natured, and well intended. Jake, as he was also lovingly called, didn’t have a bad bone in his body. He grew up on the trapeze and started flying at age 4. By the time Jacob was 14, he was already catching and helping people on the board. If a person was scared and afraid to fly, Jacob would encourage them to face their fears. If a person happened to be in a bad mood, all they had to do was look at Jacob and he’d make them forget that they were upset to begin with. He was just that kind of kid.
Jacob was taken from us in a motorcycle accident on September 26, 2009, at age 19. Though Jake will be greatly missed, his legacy and his love of the circus arts will live on.
In celebration of Jacob’s life, Circus Fund created the Flying Monkey Program for at-risk youth. The Jacob Ayers Kids Enrichment Scholarship Fund (JAKES Fund) helps support this program. We think there should be more people like Jake in the world, so we’re going to create an environment in which they can grow.
Jake’s memory lives on through all the little monkeys who learn to fly at Circus Fund.
Click here to download a J.A.K.E.S. Fund Application
Our mission is to transform lives by leading participants to overcome their self-imposed limitations.
- To instill character in kids so they are prepared to embrace life’s challenges with the inner strength to make good choices
- To reduce risky behaviors by providing beneficial stimulation through circus activities
- To make fitness and healthy living fun through circus activities
- To promote artistic expression through circus-style performing arts
- To provide an environment where participants are cheered on, so they can collect ‘wins’, in order to build confidence
- To promote teamwork by creating an environment where differences are valued
- To support cultural and ethnic diversity by increasing access to our programs to people from all walks of life
- David Ayers
- Dave has been teaching flying trapeze for over 8 years and enjoys helping anyone who aspires to try flying trapeze. He trains both brand new students who have never flown before as well as experienced fliers, assisting them in improving their skills. Dave is the best line-puller in the world (seriously), and is one of the co-owners of Trapeze High. He is also the father of Jacob Ayers.
- Lindsay Van Voorhis
- Lindsay first flew on the trapeze and found her passion at Club Med for her 40th birthday. She dreamed about flying for the next five years until a circus school opened near her home in Northern California. When it closed 3 months later, she followed her mentor, the legendary and very patient, Tony Steele to Sonoma. There she joined the Sonoma Trapeze Troupe mostly by showing up, being polite, and cleaning the bathroom a lot. Ultimately she fell in love with her line puller (Dave) who shared her love of flying trapeze. Together they dreamed of teaching flying trapeze to others. She is the co-founder and Queen of Trapeze High. Flying on the trapeze changed her life for the better in every way. She continues flying in her 50s and would like others her age and older to join her. Lindsay is also Jacob’s step-mom.
- Lisa Ratner
- First finding the trapeze on a family vacation to Club Med, Lisa has now been flying for over 10 years. She found Trapeze High at the Leucadia opening in 2001. After practicing with Dave and the legendary Tony Steele, she went on to perform flying trapeze professionally with several famous flying troupes in circuses around the world including Cirque Du Soleil, Circus Circus Casino and Silvers Circus in Australia among various others.
- Mark Dill
- Mark started flying on vacation with Club Med in the 80's and had a short stint working the circus there. After a 15 yr break, he rediscovered the trapeze at Trapeze High and fell in love all over again. How many people get to run away to the circus twice in one lifetime?
- Tom Peterson
- Richard Sherman
- Rich started flying (as did so many others) in Club Med around the age of 5. He was sporadically sighted at various Club Med rigs here and there but his true love of circus and trapeze blossomed when he moved to San Diego and started at Trapeze High. Now he is truly in love with the circus - you'll find him teaching, learning, catching, pulling lines and most importantly cracking bad (REALLY BAD) jokes at just about any time he can.
- Tori Manning
- Kevin Six
Return to CircusFund.org