Have you ever attended Friday Night Concerts in the Park, grabbed a deal at Dine Downtown Week, shopped at the Downtown Farmers Markets, or skated at the Downtown Holiday Ice Rink? Most likely--even if you’ve lived in Sacramento for just a short period of time--you’ve crossed paths with one of these events. But, do you know who puts in all the behind-the-scenes work? It’s the Downtown Sacramento Partnership (DSP), a hard-working organization dedicated to the ongoing preservation and improvement of the Downtown Sacramento area. In addition to producing fun-filled events, the DSP works tirelessly throughout the year to provide ongoing services and programs to the downtown neighborhood, comm

The Harvey Milk Foundation celebrates the third annual Harvey Milk Day in Sacramento, Calif. and joins together with the California Legislative LGBT Caucus and Equality California (EQCA) to host a breakthrough conversation on the implementation and benefits of Senate Bill (SB) 48. This is an important event that families, educators, students, policy leaders and civil rights advocates should attend. Given the importance of the conversation, and the special holiday to celebrate one of our LGBT heroes, this event is free to the public with RSVP: http://harveymilkday.eventbrite.com/ Substance and celebration: The Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act (SB 48), autho

AmeriCorps Week is March 10th-18th this year. We honor the hard work of service Corps members in our communities. I asked local AmeriCorps Volunteers in Services to America (VISTA) members to write about their experience doing a year of service building capacity and fighting poverty at local non-profit agencies. Below Jessy Wei shares her story of service as AmeriCorps VISTA at Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services.  She is the last in a series of VISTAs to share their story this week. For more information about AmeriCorp programs go to http://www.americorps.gov or check out my SacPress article from March 9th titled "AmeriCorps Works". As a current VISTA at the Sacramento Food Bank & Fam

AmeriCorps Week is March 10th-18th this year. We honor the hard work of service Corps members in our communities. I asked local AmeriCorps Volunteers in Services to America (VISTA) members to write about their experience doing a year of service building capacity and fighting poverty at local non-profit agencies. Below Lamara Burgess shares her story of service as AmeriCorps VISTA at Folsom Cordova Unified School District's Parent Engagement Project. For more information about AmeriCorp programs go to http://www.americorps.gov or check out my SacPress article from March 9th titled "AmeriCorps Works". Born and raised in Bronx, New York, I was exposed to many inequalities within my neighborh

AmeriCorps Week is March 10th-18th this year. We honor the hard work of service Corps members in our communities. I asked local AmeriCorps Volunteers in Services to America (VISTA) members to write about their experience doing a year of service building capacity and fighting poverty at local non-profit agencies. Below Jamie Ports shares her story of service as AmeriCorps VISTA at UC Davis Communities and Health Practitioners Together. For more information about AmeriCorp programs go to http://www.americorps.gov or check out my SacPress article from March 9th titled "AmeriCorps Works". Prior to my AmeriCorps service, I was working as a Peace Corps Health Volunteer in Malawi, Africa from 20

AmeriCorps Week is March 10th-18th this year. We honor the hard work of service Corps members in our communities. I asked local AmeriCorps Volunteers in Services to America (VISTA) members to write about their experience doing a year of service building capacity and fighting poverty at local non-profit agencies. Below Courtney Jallo shares her story of service as AmeriCorps VISTA at Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. For more information about AmeriCorp programs go to http://www.americorps.gov or check out my SacPress article from March 9th titled "AmeriCorps Works".   My name is Courtney; I am a twenty-something female VISTA working at Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. Fuele

AmeriCorps Week is March 10th-18th this year.  We honor the hard work of service Corps members in our communities.  I asked local AmeriCorps Volunteers in Services to America (VISTA) members to write about their experience doing a year of service building capacity and fighting poverty at local non-profit agencies.  Below Deborah Elliot shares her story of service as AmeriCorps VISTA at The GreenHouse. For more information about AmeriCorp programs go to http://www.americorps.gov  or check out my SacPress article from March 9th titled "AmeriCorps Works".   Deborah's Story: I am a middle child of seven children. Because I grew up in a large family, I didn’t grow up with a lot of things. We

While decision-makers can’t seem to agree on how to improve the economy and tackle the country’s toughest challenges, one thing even Congress can agree on is the value of service in strengthening communities. This year, during AmeriCorps Week, March 10-18th, we honor the service of AmeriCorps members and alumni in our communities. What is AmeriCorps anyway? It can be difficult to explain. Most people are content with the explanation that it’s the “domestic version of the Peace Corps”, but that doesn’t scratch the surface of the diversity of projects AmeriCorps Nation Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), and State and National members tackle during the

People sit quietly in a small, undecorated room. There’s no need for small talk. Each one knows why the other is here. A middle-aged woman at my left sits quietly, holding a clipboard with a printed application. A random assortment of second hand children’s clothes hangs casually on a portable rack. More clothes sit in assorted large plastic boxes. This is the waiting room, where clients complete their paperwork to receive food donations. I make my way out to the loading dock, where I observe the real saints of St. Vincent de Paul, hard at work. The concept is simple. They see to it that those in need of food receive it. It’s 9:30 on a Friday morning at the food locker in Roseville. The i

Huggies delivered 100,000 diapers to the Lighthouse Counseling & Family Resource Center today as part of Huggies Every Little Bottom campaign to help families in need. One-in-three American families struggle with the ability to provide their children with an essential need – clean, dry diapers. To help address this issue, Huggies brand announced the launch of The National Diaper Bank Network. As the Founding Sponsor of the National Diaper Bank Network, Huggies Every Little Bottom is organizing “12 Days of Thanks,” a cross country tour where the brand will donate 12 million diapers in 12 cities over a 12-day period – including Sacramento. Angela Ponivas, Executive Director of Lighthouse

Volunteers will get down and dirty at the annual Great American River Cleanup on Saturday, Sept. 17. From the parking lot to the riverbanks to the riverbed, people will donate their time to collect thousands of pounds of trash along the parkway. Volunteers can choose from 20 sites that the American River Parkway Foundation (ARPF) has designated for the annual cleanup, from Discovery Park to Paradise Beach. The cleanup, scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon, is set to clear out garbage from the parkway areas as well as debris in the river that allows pollutants to enter the watershed and harm wildlife. “It’s a full-fledged, shoulder-to-shoulder effort,” said Stacy Springer, volunteer manager and

Residential communities in Oak Park and South Sacramento are in good hands under the umbrella of the Sacramento Building Healthy Communities coalition for funding programs and collectives geared towards making Sacramento safer and healthier. Several projects funded by the BHC are underway to create healthier food access for low-income families, better transportation, and safer neighborhoods by engaging youth in community service and leadership training. Projects already initiated include an EBT dollar-for-dollar match incentive at the local Oak Park farmer’s market, assistance in building a home or community garden, and teaching youth the basics of news writing and reporting on issues in

Fifty-eight local Girl Scouts will receive their Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouts, during the annual Recognitions of Excellence Ceremony this Sunday. Girl Scouts who earn this award have demonstrated leadership skills, career planning and community involvement. To earn the Gold Award, girls are challenged with the task of choosing a community issue and addressing the root cause with a sustainable solution. Girls choose issues they are passionate about and spend a year or more planning and executing their projects. Nationally, only 5.4 percent of girls eligible to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award actually receive it, so this is a huge accomplishment for these local gir

To celebrate its 10th year of community benefit funding, Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento (SMCS) will award one of its community partners an additional $10,000 grant for 2011. The winner will be determined through online voting that will close on February 16. The Downtown Sacramento Partnership (DSP) and 16 other local agencies are using social media to help garner the votes they need to win the additional grant money. "If the DSP is fortunate enough to be granted the additional funding, our organization plans to use it to fund homeless and youth outreach,” said Ryan Loofbourrow, DSP community services director, “Mental illness is one of the leading causes of homelessness. We would love

Four local nonprofit members of the Sacramento Metro Chamber are finalists for the first Inspire Giving award—a $10,000 grant—to be given during the 116th Annual Dinner & Business Awards on Friday, Feb. 4, at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento. The Inspire Giving program is part of the Metro Chamber’s recently launched Project Inspire that promotes leadership, volunteerism and philanthropy in the community. Finalists are the Outbound program of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Sacramento, the Kinnections Initiative of Lilliput Children’s Services, the Transitioned Aged Youth Program of Lutheran Social Services and the Rebuild initiative of River City Food Bank. “This first award represents a

The spirit of giving lasts all year for Julie Ann Twyman, who spends her time coordinating a number of programs benefiting the homeless. The mother of two runs a catering business, takes culinary courses at American River College and reaches out to the community for donations. Eight years ago, after shedding the weight of a troublesome past, Twyman devoted herself to bringing improvements to the homeless and needy citizens of Sacramento. With sponsorship from the Sacramento First Church of the Nazarene, she began with a coat and backpack collection drive. When many other similar drives began around the community, Twyman refocused her programs on the needs of the homeless that other drive

In March, 2009, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger launched California Green Corps, in order to place at-risk young adults aged 16-24 into jobs in California’s emerging green economy. The Center for Land-Based Learning is one of the three youth service providers in the greater Sacramento region, serving a total of 130 youth. CLBL is serving 25 of those 130 youth, aged 16-19 years old, for summer work experience in sustainable agriculture, natural resource conservation, and habitat restoration. The Center for Land-Based Learning is well known for their two model high school programs, the FARMS Leadership and SLEWS Programs, that reach out to inner-city students and introduce them to a new worl

     By now most of us are getting a little tired of hearing about Christmas, but this is one short story that we all want, and need, to hear about. On December 22 my six year old son and I went to the Saca center on Del Paso Blvd. This day is one of the most memorable days of the year as we were able to witness a true Christmas miracle that most people only see in the classic Christmas movies. What we saw was the Saca center giving an awesome Christmas to over 274 families in the surrounding neighborhood of Del Paso Heights. Most of these families came from the local neighborhood of the Saca center, probably clients of their Community center and Mother Baby program. It is especially nice

During these tough economic times it is refreshing to see a company not only donate money but continue leading the way in ensuring that important non profit services are not interrupted in their communities. A service company, Waste Connections, is embedded in their neighborhoods and has been supporting more than fifteen local charities for many years. Their grass-roots outreach has proven to be the most effective and cost efficient. It works! Many local nonprofits have been struggling in this downturn to stay afloat and Waste Connections has come to their aid - very quietly, but consistently. Government agencies, local governments, please take note. Local grass-roots efforts are the most

On November 18-19, 2009, Cosumnes River College will host the second-annual SHAREfair.  This event highlights community service and philanthropy.  On the 18th, students have the opportunity to hear from non-profit and social service leaders to learn about the benefits of giving time, money, and talent to local efforts. On the 19th, as part of the fair, students will get information from local organizations seeking enthusiastic and intelligent volunteers (or employees)  for long-term, short-term, or permanent assignments.   Also, SHAREfair organizers will conduct campus-wide drives for canned foods, clothing, hygiene items/toiletries, and school supplies to deliver to local groups. The C