NorCal AIDS Cycle, which raised a record-setting quarter-million dollars for local HIV/AIDS service agencies in 2011, has more than doubled in number of cyclists and crew members leading into the May 2012 ride. The Sacramento-based four-day, 330-mile HIV/AIDS fundraising ride registered a record number of cyclists and volunteer crew members—85 cyclists and 61 volunteer crew members—in a one-day Dec. 1 World AIDS Day campaign. With another three cyclists signing up since Dec. 1, the 2012 ride, which will be held May 17-20, now has a total of 212 participants registered. In comparison, only 72 cyclists and crew had registered for the 2011 ride as of Dec. 15, 2010. In a Facebook-organized d

Winter Sanctuary, Sacramento’s interfaith, rotating homeless shelter, is currently facing a substantial gap in its budget. The program, which nightly shelters 100 homeless adults, is set to open on December 1st and run through March 31st. However, the program will not be opening on December 1st if the funding gap is not significantly narrowed. Christie Holderegger, Vice President of Volunteers of America, spoke of the urgent need for this program, “Our neighbors are experiencing homelessness for a variety of reasons and many for the first time. They are looking to us, all of us to help them out of this desperate situation. As a community we can reach and uplift them. We saw hundreds of li

Lace up your shoes, Sacramento -- the 18th annual Run to Feed the Hungry is only a couple weeks away! Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS) encourages you to be part of Sacramento's Thanksgiving tradition. The 5K and 10K fun run and walk launches from Sacramento State, 6000 J St., on Thanksgiving morning. With 30,000 participants expected to be involved, you are guaranteed a morning of fun with family and friends. Every week up until then, we will interview a new Run to Feed the Hungry runner. We will ask a handful of different past and present runners the same questions. We have found that people are motivated by many different reasons to be involved in this incredible event.

Each year, parents are asked to bake cupcakes; sell wrapping paper, sees candies,magazines, cookie dough, and entertainment books, and all for the one thing our State undervalues most - public education.  With education funding in California challenging other States for the lowest of the low, parents are forced to reach into their wallets, again and again and again to support their child's school.  At its inception, Westlake Charter School decided that it would forego the frequent traditional small fundraisers in exchange for three large fundraisers; a golf tournament, student olympics, and ...well that has been the problem... that third large fundraiser.  No matter what we did, we never m

Music lovers and philanthropists alike will have the chance to see legendary rock band KISS perform live at this year’s annual Walk ‘N Rock For Kids fundraiser on May 29 at Raley Field. The combination concert and 5K walk event is hosted by the Hope Productions Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to “provide resources to children and youth charities to ensure sustainability, viability and awareness,” according to its website. The foundation provides marketing and fundraising training to area nonprofits at no charge in an effort to aid in their ongoing success. This is the third year that the Hope Productions Foundation will host Walk ’N Rock For Kids. Last year, Walk ’

Wellspring Women’s Center announced today they are launching a new fundraiser to raise money to support the organization and its mission to provide community services to women and children. Wellspring’s first annual Girls’ Night Out event will be held on June 16, 2011 at Plaza Five Fifty Five at 555 Capitol Mall in Downtown Sacramento from 5:30pm to 8pm. Event attendees will catch the latest in hot summer fashions with a fashion show courtesy of local Sacramento area boutiques like Serendipity Boutique, Sequels Consignment Boutique, and Runway Boutique. “We are very excited to introduce a new fundraising event to benefit Wellspring Women’s Center,” said Sister Judy Illig, Executive Direc

By Amy Serna Keith Lowell Jensen has 21 days and counting. But by the time you read this he will have even less time than that to get strangers to pledge $2,250 for his new project. His new live stand-up comedy CD and DVD called “Cats Made of Rabbits” is a project that will only be funded if he raises that much money before the “expiration date.” But back in the day, before this stand-up comedian, from Sacramento, California was filming a comedy DVD, he found his love for comedy when he worked as a promoter for the Spike and Mike's Festival of Animation. “Mike noticed that I always watched him really carefully when he was MC'ing the shows and so he just shoved me on stage one night an

In a small family acreage in nearby Capay Valley, farmers Annie and Jeff Main have worked their land for more than 30 years so they may provide diverse, organic produce to the local community. But the threat of increasing costs, commercial development and their approaching retirement motivated the Mains to take action and collaborate with the community to preserve their farm, Good Hummus Produce.  Starting about 10 years ago, the Mains have devoted themselves to not only preserving their own land, but making all family-operated farmland accessible and affordable for future generations. Realizing the challenge that the community faces as the owners of local organic farms reach retirement

Homeless in America come in all colors, all ages and their number continues to grow. Homelessness in Sacramento is also on the rise. This past Tuesday, March 8, 2011 a fundraising reception was held at Beatnik Studios for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) homeless youth of Sacramento. The humanitarian issue of homelessness is addressed differently depending on the areas that it affects. In Sacramento and other cities little has been done to meet the needs and challenges of the LGBTQ homeless youth. These challenges are being addressed by the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center along with individuals and community groups. As a result The Sacramento LGBTQ Homele

Lace up your shoes, Sacramento -- the 17th annual Run to Feed the Hungry is only a couple days away. Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS) encourages you to be part of a Thanksgiving tradition. The 5K and 10K fun run and walk launches from Sacramento State, 6000 J St., on Thanksgiving morning. With 30,000 participants expected to be involved, you are guaranteed a morning of fun with family and friends. Every week up until then, we will interview a new Run to Feed the Hungry runner. We will ask six different past and present runners the same questions. We have found that people are motivated by many different reasons to be involved in this incredible event. There is still time t

Honored at film festivals nationwide, the independently produced and locally filmed “Elsa Letterseed,” has far exceeded its modest beginnings. Gathering up no-longer-needed clothes, books and other items collecting dust in closets, Northern California sister and brother duo Sarah C. Kreutz and Paul A. Kreutz funded their first film project’s tiny budget on garage sales. Over the course of two years, the funds needed were raised while filming took place in Placerville over three-day weekends. “Garage sales are probably not the most conventional way to fund a film, but we were eager to get the project off the ground, and the timing was right. We had to get creative to raise money,” Sarah

Sacramento Steps Forward, an initiative that works to end homelessness in Sacramento County, launched a campaign last week to raise $25,000 to help fund winter shelter efforts this year. In Sacramento, cold and wet weather conditions threaten the lives of the approximately 1,200 homeless men, women and children sleeping outside in the county. Without winter shelter, people experiencing homelessness are at an even greater risk of injuries, illnesses and fatalities. Winter shelter begins in three weeks, on Nov. 22, and will last until March 31, 2011. Historically, winter shelter in Sacramento has been publicly funded. However, budget cuts have significantly decreased funding throughout th

Looking for designer clothes at warehouse prices? Sound too good to be true? That’s what the Maryhouse staffers thought also when they first heard they would be hosting a designer warehouse sale to benefit their charity. The fundraiser will be held Friday and Saturday on the 25th floor of the U.S. Bank building at 621 Capitol Mall. The space has yet to be rented and was offered to them to hold the event. “This is a huge, unusual opportunity that came our way,” said Connie Frank, Maryhouse co-director. “We’re used to doing other smaller fundraisers, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” The opportunity came along in September when a benefactor, who wishes to remain anonymous, cl

University of California, Davis, officials plan to kick off the public portion of a $1 billion fundraising campaign Friday – and they’re already halfway there. The Campaign for UC Davis has already raised more than $605 million in pledges during its quiet phase, which started in 2006. Last month, the UC Board of Regents agreed the effort could go public with a billion-dollar goal they hope to meet by the end of 2014. The campaign is the biggest in the 102-year-old institution's history. It’s also the university's first comprehensive fundraising effort, stretching across all schools, departments and programs. Such a bold initiative is needed to help UC Davis continue its work to improve

The 3rd Annual Clean and Sober Poker Run benefitting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Great Sacramento will be taking place this Sunday, September 19th. The fee for each rider is $20, which includes a meal, ride pin (for first 1,000 riders) and best high and low hands. Enjoy a live band, raffle, bounce house, food, beverages, fun and so much more! The starting point is at Folsom Harley Davidson, located at 115 Woodmere Rd., Folsom, Ca 95630. Registration is at 10am and the run starts at 11am. Also, this afternoon is the Poker Run Pre-Party taking place from 4pm-7pm at the Folsom Harley Davidson. There will be music, food, beverages, raffles and more. Showgirls in bikinis will wash your motorcy

Since 1958, Robbie Waters has served Sacramento as an officer with the Sacramento Police Department, as Sacramento Sheriff, and as Councilmember for District 7 for the last 15 years. A uplifting seal of closure was given to his years of service at Saturday morning’s opening of the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library. “The library is an accomplishment for the entire community,” said Waters to a crowd of approximately 500 people. “I have no doubt it will be well used.” The $15-million library consists of 45 public access computers, a 72-seat capacity community meeting room, a teen room, a quiet room, two study rooms, and a Ready to Read room for kids. The library is designed for 67,00

 Moms and children strode in fashionable attire on a pink and white striped runway last Friday to raise funds for the Sacramento Children’s Museum. A couple hundred people gathered at 33rd St. Bistro in Midtown to support the fundraiser for the museum that begins demolition today. Ten dollar tickets benefited the museum directly. Sponsors Koukla Kids Boutique, M.E. Boutique, Firefly Salon and Boutique and 33rd St. Bistro began planning the event only three weeks ago. Kathryn O’Connell, co-owner of Koukla Kids, said they saw a need for a fundraiser to benefit a place that could be fun, safe and educational for children of the Sacramento area. “All the other major metropolitan cities have

Great Chefs 2010 is coming this August! Great Chefs is a gourmet celebration to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Sacramento. It will be taking place on Saturday, August 21, 2010 from 6p-9p at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Capitol Plaza. For this 9th annual event, head chefs from some of the area’s finest restaurants, wineries and breweries will be pairing foods and beverages for a fun-filled, one-of-a-kind evening. In addition, the evening includes a silent auction and dancing. And the delicious desserts are not to be missed. Some of the featured restaurants will be Aioli Bodega Espanol, Bake Sense Inc., Just 4 U Catering, Event Architects, California Capitol Chefs Association, Sa

Stretch those legs and flex those paws for the 17th annual Sacramento SPCA Doggy Dash June 5 in William Land Park. Approximately 4,000 people and their canine companions are expected to attend, and will gather in the Village Green Area of the park. Festivities begin at 8 a.m. and will continue until 1 p.m. Participants may register with or without a dog. The SPCA hopes to raise $250,000 through Doggy Dash. "This is our largest fundraiser of the year," SPCA public relations director Lesley Kirrene said in an e-mail. "All funds raised go to help us care for the more than 12,000 homeless animals that will come to the SPCA this year alone. We have had such a terrific response to the event i

Share the news! The Wellness Task Force unofficially declares the third week of May, "Health and Fitness Week." To celebrate we are offering two great opportunities to engage in some fun activities with us. Let’s Move! Walk the Park Join the Wellness Task Force and your downtown Sacramento friends in a fun walk around the Capitol and receive a free goodie bag for participating! Thursday, May 20, 2010 from Noon to 12:30pm West Steps of the State Capitol   RSVP here by May 17th to ensure you receive your goodie bag. We'll need your name, email address and phone number. View event flyer. This event is sponsored by the SmartSpot division of PepsiCo. Fit Crawl 2010  There are still a few ti