Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "non-profits"

183 foster youth receive holiday gifts and stockings

2011-12-15T23:20:12Z

Ninety-six women donated 133 stockings and 150 gifts through United Way’s Women in Philanthropy so 183 local foster youth, and those emancipated, would have holiday wishes fulfilled. Fifty foster youth in Sacramento County’s Gifts From The Heart program received the holiday gifts they requested. United Way’s Women in Philanthropy and community members also filled stockings for 133 current and emancipated foster youth with United Way’s $en$e-Ability project funded partners: Amador-Tuolumne Community Resources, Child Abuse Prevention Council of Sacramento, Koinonia Family Services and New Morning Youth and Family Services.

“Some of these kids are scared, suddenly removed from their homes during what is supposed to be the happiest season of the year,” said Lisa Watts, chair of United Way’s Women in Philanthropy. “Others have experienced years of pain as they bounce from one foster home to another and now prepare to live on their own. United Way’s Women in Philanthropy gives women across the region a tangible way to touch these kids’ hearts during the holidays.”

United Way’s Women in Philanthropy brings women together to foster the future, preparing foster youth for a successful adulthood. A dynamic group of businesswomen, homemakers and community leaders, Women in Philanthropy members raise funds, hold drives and provide trainings focused on helping foster youth rise to their dreams. The group also is a partner in United Way’s $en$e-Ability project, helping foster youth become financially self-sufficient through financial literacy courses and individual development accounts that provide a matched savings program. For more information, visit www.yourlocalunitedway.org/wip.

Sacramento County’s Gifts from the Heart is an annual holiday gift-giving program that operates on donations and benefits children and seniors who are in the Department of Health and Human Services’ system of care. For more information, call (916) 875-2027.

Disclosure: Kristin Thébaud is the marketing consultant for United Way California Capital Region, as well as other local nonprofits and philanthropic companies.

Huggies Donates 100,000 Diapers to Lighthouse Counseling & Family Resource Center

2011-12-02T23:24:53Z

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 Counseling & Family Resource Center, a non-profit organization that provides Placer County with counseling, education and easy access to community based resources, said this donation is a miracle for Lighthouse’s most financially vulnerable families.

“We are thrilled to have been selected for this donation,” Ponivas said. “We will start by distributing diapers to Lighthouse clients and then move on to other non-profits throughout Placer County. While so many struggle to provide their children with diapers, it is important that those most in need have access to this very generous donation.”

In Sacramento, Huggies will also be donating diapers to Sacramento Emergency Foodlink and the Sacramento Food Bank.
The “12 Days of Thanks” campaign plans to make stops in New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, Kansas City, Dallas, Denver, Minneapolis, Detroit and Columbus.

Since 2010, Huggies has donated 22.5 million diapers per year through the Every Little Bottom program to families in need in North America.

For more information on The National Diaper Bank Network, visit www.diaperbanknetwork.org. For more information on Huggies Every Little Bottom, visit www.everylittlebottom.com.

Lighthouse Counseling & Family Resource Center’s mission is to strengthen families and improve the physical and emotional well-being of residents of Placer County by providing counseling, educational classes and easy access to community based resources. Lighthouse serves approximately 3,000 people each year. All services provided are free to the community.

United Way grants more than $1.1M to nonprofits across five counties

2011-11-24T00:29:13Z

United Way California Capital Region will make grants totaling $1,168,008 to 13 local nonprofits, United Way president and CEO Steve Heath announced today. Funded partners serve people across Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties and participate in United Way’s projects: STAR Readers, $en$e-Ability and Fit Kids.

“All of our funded partners have proven their incredible abilities to produce profound change in our community,” Heath said. “They know how to achieve measurable outcomes on important issues, and we’re excited to see what they do in the very important areas of children’s education, financial literacy and childhood obesity.”

United Way’s STAR Readers project is working to ensure all children are reading at grade level by fourth grade, a key indicator of whether or not a child will eventually graduate high school. The project uses a three-pronged approach: after-school tutoring to at-risk children from kindergarten through third grade, tools and resources for parents to involve them in their children’s reading, and summer reading programs for children.

STAR Readers partners are Amador-Tuolumne Community Resources ($48,903), Boys & Girls Clubs of El Dorado County Western Slope ($82,000), New Morning Youth and Family Services ($54,281), Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento ($50,000), Sacramento Children’s Home ($70,000) and Sacramento Chinese Community Services Center ($94,283).

United Way’s $en$e-Ability project is working to ensure low-income households are financially literate so they can meet their current obligations and maximize longer-term financial well-being. United Way partners are providing financial education and follow-up support on bank services, budgeting, saving, debt management, retirement planning and insurance.

Several $en$e-Ability partners are working specifically with foster youth to create Individual Development Accounts so they can be self-sufficient when they leave the foster care system. These special bank accounts earn one dollar for every dollar the foster youth saves, and the matching funds can be used to purchase specific items. While earning, foster youth take financial literacy classes and receive financial counseling.

$en$e-Ability partners are Amador-Tuolumne Community Resources ($81,791), Koinonia Family Services ($40,175), Child Abuse Prevention Council of Sacramento ($81,836), Community Link ($94,070), Women’s Empowerment ($40,000), New Morning Youth and Family Services ($27,500) and Yolo Family Resource Center ($70,000).

United Way’s Fit Kids project is working with several nonprofit partners to address the rise in obesity and challenges related to weight gain so that more people will live a healthy lifestyle and fewer people will battle obesity and its corresponding health challenges. Fit Kids partners are teaching kids about nutrition and physical activity and providing opportunities for healthy eating and exercise.

Fit Kids partners are YMCA Superior California ($40,160), Child Abuse Prevention Council of Sacramento ($72,347), Sacramento Chinese Community Services Center ($63,429) and Health Education Council ($197,393).

United Way is the region’s leading provider of innovative solutions on the community’s most pressing issues, including high school graduation rates, household financial stability and obesity. United Way’s team of nonprofits, businesses, donors and volunteers work together to provide positive, measurable results on these issues through United Way projects: STAR Readers, $en$e-Ability and Fit Kids. Community members can give, volunteer and advocate in support of the causes they care most about, benefiting United Way and hundreds of nonprofits in Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties. United Way is an independent, local affiliate of United Way Worldwide. For more information, visit www.yourlocalunitedway.org.

Disclosure: Kristin Thébaud is the marketing consultant for United Way California Capital Region, as well as other local nonprofits and philanthropic companies.

Keeping community centers open without city funding

2011-07-06T01:49:43Z

When City Council members approved the 2011-12 budget in June, they said that the city’s community centers would not be closed – but the centers won’t receive any city funding to keep them open, either.

Now, a team of people at the city’s Neighborhood Services Department, along with the Department of Parks and Recreation, are trying to keep the 15 community centers in Sacramento open by partnering with nonprofit and community-based organizations.

Late last year, Neighborhood Services had already begun looking for ways to make the idea work when it sent out “requests for proposals” seeking groups interested in overseeing the centers and providing the financial backing needed to operate them.

But the responses the department received weren’t quite what staff had hoped for, said Vincene Jones, a director with Neighborhood Services.

Some of the responses involved a single organization taking over, while others were just not financially feasible, Jones said.

“We want an organization to take the lead, perhaps a (nonprofit),” Jones said, “but we also need other partners who will bring additional services to the centers. No one group can do it all for any center.”

Jones said the department has had to review its criteria and “be more specific” about what it is looking for in public-private partnerships for the centers.

“It’s not an easy process. There’s a lot of pieces necessary to make it work,” Jones said.

Jones said she and Sylvia Fort, parks and recreation program manager, and Dave Mitchell, parks and recreation operations manager, are reviewing the proposals received so far, and they will continue to look for “innovative” ways to save the community centers from closing.

“We want it to be a success,” Jones said, “not hurry into something that just falls flat later on down the road.”

Jones said the centers may end up with reduced hours or fewer open days each week, but the goal is to continue providing services as they have always been delivered at “the same or better” level.

Some of those services include after-school tutoring, computer training, classes and social opportunities for seniors and facilities for neighborhood gatherings.

According to Jones, the community centers in the greatest danger of being closed are George Sim, Hagginwood, Oak Park and Southside Park centers because of challenges in finding either enough support – or, in the case of George Sim center, finding properly skilled support.

George Sim is a difficult center to find community partners for, Jones said, because the center is has a lot of new equipment and systems in the facility that require specialized training.

“It’s not a center that we can send just anyone into and expect them to know how to do things,” Jones said.

So far, though, Jones said efforts to keep the centers open are progressing well, and the department has “good prospects” for volunteer involvement that will make continuing services more likely.

“We’ve found some good (partners), and everyone is hopeful,” Jones said.

In Oak Park, Pastor Jones and the Oak Park Methodist Church have come forward to help the center in that neighborhood remain open.

“(Pastor Jones) has strong ties to the community,” Jones said, “and he’s well-respected. (Oak Park Methodist Church) may not be a leading (support), but they really want to help, and they can do a lot for the center and the people there.”

No permanent agreements for operating the community centers have been made between any of the interested organizations and the city, Jones said, but “we’re all working together and we will see what can be done.”

Keith Hart, chief service officer for Mayor Kevin Johnson, said that when it comes to projects involving public and private collaboration, a volunteer effort is going to be essential.

“It’s not so much about money,” Hart said. “It’s about new ways of working together. (It’s about) private citizens (and) nonprofit organizations volunteering their time and energy and talent to help keep (community) centers going.”

With so many budget cuts and the shifting around of staff positions that came with it, Jones said she is uncertain “who will be where” until “the dust settles from all the changes.”

For Jones and volunteer coordinators working with the community centers, this means July will be a month to “reset” and take stock of what the city and the parks department have to work with before they really see what they will be able to do with the centers.

Hart said there is not a timeline in place for reorganizing the way the centers are operated, but without any collaboration with outside sources, a decision will eventually have to be made.

“If nothing happens soon, there will be a time when we have to say, ‘The doors are closed,’ ” Hart said. “But right now, the city is keeping as much open as they can.”

See a map of community center locations here.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Mutual Housing raises nearly $65,000 at breakfast

2011-06-20T17:00:57Z

Sacramento|Yolo Mutual Housing Association recently raised nearly $65,000 at their second Building Up Breakfast in one-time donations and multi-year pledges. As expected, attendance was higher this year than at the inaugural event in 2010.

Thanks to the sponsors, Bank of America, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Roseville Bank of Commerce, Sierra Health Foundation and Vital Networks, the nonprofit will be able to use all the money donated by individuals for programs, services and operations

Mutual Housing develops and operates well-designed rental housing for modest-income households in Sacramento and Yolo counties. The communities are home to some 2,600 residents, nearly half of whom are children.

Through Mutual Housing’s focus on leadership, the nonprofit also provides training and mentoring as well as educational programs, community-building activities and services for residents and neighbors.

For more information, visit http://www.mutualhousing.com..

Disclosure: A former journalist, Dell Richards runs Dell Richards Publicity, a Sacramento public relations firm. Sacramento|Yolo Mutual Housing Association is one of her clients.

Chic for Change – Becoming a Force in the Community

2011-02-01T07:32:58Z

I live in the ‘burbs and I can get to feeling pretty isolated from my neighbors. Okay, I have that feeling a lot of the time. It’s mostly my own fault – I don’t always make the effort because I’m kinda shy and different… I don’t always know where to start. Give me the right setting and a reason to chat, well that definitely helps. I’ve discovered one such setting and no, it’s not a support group (though I could probably use one of those). It’s a new shop near El Camino and Fulton called Chic for Change.

Teshala Paradiso, who everyone calls “Tesh,” is working to realize a vision that came to her during a year-long turn with a very serious illness. She described how on one particularly bad day, “I was laying in bed and thought, ‘If I ever get better, what would I do next?’ I knew I wanted to do something more." She continues explaining, "I liked to shop, loved thrift stores and had a great interest in building community, and this idea formed.” Tesh, who is married with two young children, realized her vision on January 3, 2011 by opening a unique high-end second hand store, which just so happens to be large enough to also serve as a community gathering place.

Chic for Change also benefits several local area nonprofits. 20% of every purchase goes directly to either Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, Sacramento Area Emergency Housing Center, or Wildlife Care Association. The customer gets to choose which one. It works like this: you purchase $40 worth of items; $10 of your purchase goes to one of the three nonprofits, providing each with a steady stream of financial support. But this is about more than just money.

Tesh explains that she wants Chic for Change, “…to be a place where people can come and get nice things they can afford and at the same time support their community - and also as a place where people can socialize, collaborate and build friendships.” The large store encourages this by having a homey area with a couch, chairs, coffee table, and pillows providing an area for customers to sit and chat, wait for a slower shopping partner, or enjoy a mocha from the coffee bar, which will soon offer a full menu of espresso drinks.

I went in for a visit myself last Saturday afternoon. I walked into a large store with high ceilings, still a bit sparse and still a work in progress but looking visually appealing. Toward the back of the store, local singer/songwriter Christian DeWild and percussionist Mike Pavisch played a two-hour set for customers while the store offered free refreshments, a 50% off clothes sale, and a big discount on the cost of a Disaster Survival Skills class.

While others shopped, I kicked back on the couch with my coffee, turkey sandwich roll and brownie and listened to Christian’s ear-pleasing, gravelly roots-rock sound. I did a little shopping too, picking up a nice Crate and Barrel tablecloth for $5, a set of three heavy duty stainless steel pots and pans for $20, a nice Fossil handbag for $10 and, of course, some clothes. A huge calendar behind the counter provided sale dates, classes and special events such as fundraisers, and said I wanted my donation to go to Wildlife Care Association (I do some volunteer fundraising for them, and this is how I found out about the store).

Chic for Change aims to be a higher end thrift store with reasonable prices. To accomplish this, Tesh has to be a little picky bit about the items sold in the store. Those that can’t be sold are donated back to the partnering nonprofits, especially the Sacramento Area Emergency Housing Center who benefits from clothing, blankets, linens, furniture and kitchen items and more. As put so very well by Ms. Paradiso, “There is no reason for any of us to stand alone.”

About the nonprofits:

Sacramento Area Emergency Housing Center (SAEHC) - This program started as a family shelter back in 1972 and now serves over 500 homeless people. Their website explains, “SAEHC runs one of only two shelters in Sacramento that accepts two-parent households, single fathers, and sons over the age of 14.” They also recently received funding to start a program for homeless seniors. Their goal is to help these struggling families and individuals to learn the tools needed to become more self-reliant.

Wildlife Care Association (WCA) –For the past 29 years, WCA has been providing medical and rehabilitation services to over 6,000 injured, ill, orphaned, injured and displaced wild animals each year. Hundreds of baby birds fill the nursery every spring but critters are brought in year-around to the facility, which recently located to McClellan Park. Once the animals have recovered or have grown and learned to fend for themselves, they are released back into the wild, giving them a second chance at life.

Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA) – Since 1977, CASA has trained volunteers to advocate for foster children in the juvenile court system. These children only end up in court as a result of having been abused, neglected or abandoned and in the child welfare system. The volunteer gets to know the child and helps to avoid any additional trauma by ensuring that each child has a voice in the system. The CASA volunteer works closely with the child to understand, for example, does the child want to be reunited with his or her parents, or would she prefer to stay in foster care or to be adopted, and then speaks up for them in court, ensuring the child's needs and wishes are heard.

Sixth annual Operation Backpack campaign under way

2010-07-12T15:48:21Z

The start of a new school year is daunting enough for homeless children without adding the stigma of sitting down to a desk without the essential tools many of their classmates may take for granted.

Volunteers of America’s Operation Backpack, which continues through July 23, aims to boost the confidence of Sacramento-area youth in need by providing new backpacks and school supplies to help them achieve academic excellence in spite of their frequently precarious living situations.

The sixth-annual community drive invites the public to support these children and their families by bringing a new backpack filled with fresh school supplies to one of the more than 130 Operation Backpack drop-off locations, including 22 area Tri Counties Bank branches and over 100 Starbucks. Donations also will be accepted at the Volunteers of America administration office (1900 Point West Way, Suite 270, Sacramento).

Operation Backpack drop-off sites will be identified by promotional posters featuring Sacramento River Cats players Michael Taylor and Mickey Storey. Contributions also may be brought to the daylong community drop-off event July 23 at the Sacramento Arden Fair Tri Counties Bank parking lot, 1760 Challenge Way, Sacramento (4:30 a.m.-7 p.m.).

For a list of drop-off locations, and to download one of the three grade-specific school-supply lists, go online to www.OperationBackpackSac.org. Information on the many ways the community can support Operation Backpack – from contributing financially, to volunteering, to hosting a private drive at a workplace, at a house of worship, or through one’s service club – also can be found at OperationBackpackSac.org.

“Sacramento City Unified School District serves many students who live in shelters, run-down motels, in cars, on the street, etc.,” said SCUSD program director-homeless liaison Monica McRho. “With the economic crisis, many housed families are now on the brink of joining this homeless population. Despite the bleakness and uncertainty in their lives, these students have one thing in common ... they want to be in school with their peers. But they lack adequate school supplies, which leads to embarrassment and absenteeism. New backpacks and school supplies help motivate them to attend school, succeed in their work, and fit in with their peers. It is so rewarding to see the excitement and joy on their faces as they receive their backpacks. The students waste no time in opening them up, and pulling out the contents for everyone to see. It is a small thing to most of us, but means everything to them.”

The statistics are startling: Homeless children who attend school (more than 6,000 in Sacramento County alone) face a variety of challenges. Compared to other children, national statistics show they are:

four times as likely to have developmental delays
twice as likely to have learning disabilities
twice as likely to repeat a grade (most often due to frequent absences and moves to new schools)

Operation Backpack seeks to provide some sense of normalcy to these children’s lives – boosting their self-esteem by giving them new backpacks and school supplies so they may start the school year feeling more like “regular kids.”

Sponsored this year by Tri Counties Bank, KCRA 3/KQCA 58, PG&E, the Sacramento River Cats and Thunder Valley Casino Resort, Volunteers of America hopes to exceed last year’s distribution of 3,000 supply-filled backpacks.

Established locally in 1911, the Greater Sacramento & Northern Nevada affiliate of Volunteers of America is one of the largest providers of social services in the region, operating more than 40 programs in eight categories: homeless services; homeless shelters; substance abuse treatment and recovery services; senior services; youth services; transitional housing; permanent supportive housing; and low-income housing. For more information about Operation Backpack or Volunteers of America, please go to www.volunteersofamerica-sac.org, or call (916) 442.3691.

Disclosure: Barry Wisdom is the public relations and marketing officer for Volunteers of America Greater Sacramento & Northern Nevada.

Of Cabbages, King, and Homeless Veterans

2010-04-20T07:06:09Z

Every time I eat rice now, I've become 13 again on a tiny fishing boat, bounding on the choppy green swells of the South China Sea.

I was terribly nauseated, light-headed and felt quite limp sitting on the uneven surface of fishing nets. They felt damp, ropey, and stringy on my boney buns. My stomach felt mossy green, my throat overloaded with anxiety, big fat tears poised behind my weary eyeballs and anytime now everything could all scream out to match the roar of the wind, the tempestuous ocean. But neither tears nor screams came because survival was paramount.

My mother hydrated the rice in a heavy-gauge plastic bag with hot water, and within minutes we had rice in bowls that we passed around. I was seasick and stopped eating because gusts of wind picked up every grain of rice, and like a terrible joke, blew them all away before the chopsticks reached my mouth. It was more than I can bear in one week.

In April of 1975, I was in eighth grade at an all-girl school in Danang, Vietnam. That day, 35 years ago, my family of eight was on the South China sea, somewhere between Nhatrang and Saigon. I was going through puberty, and my irregular periods started again on the boat, hemorrhaging before I knew what happened. My older sister panicked but quietly tucked some cotton washcloths in my white hands to remedy the situation.

We didn't anticipate becoming refugees like this, especially since my father was a high-ranking officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam.

Emotionally and physically drained, I needed a flat surface to sleep, but there was none. We all lay our insecure and frightened bodies on mountains of fish nets, trying to even out the lumpy tools of livelihood as best as we could. I held on to some structures on the boat as not to roll right into the sea. I also held on to my sister's arm. We drifted into stints of deep sleep while listening to the gusts, the putt-putt outboard motors and smelling the pungent fish nets, the diesel fumes infiltrating the salty sea air. My mouth tasted hunger, nausea, discomfort, and fear.

I feared of falling overboard, of one of my family members falling overboard, of being capsized, of running into pirates, of the uncertainties of tomorrows. I feared the communists capturing and killing us, of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam arresting my father for taking care of his family now instead of his men.

Even in the darkest time of the night when I was awake, the sky remained poignantly peaceful and beautiful. Black clouds were briefly silver-lined as they passed the unaware and unconcerned moon. Earth was indifferently oblivious of my troubles and sorrow, and I felt disconsolately tiny and insignificant, though benignly grateful that we headed somewhere promising, anywhere away from this seemingly omnipotent and omnipresent ocean.

I thought of the last night we spent in Danang, of being in the room I shared with my three siblings. I slept on the top bunk where I had been conditioned to hit the floor during air raids. We threw our shocked and disoriented bodies on the cold tiles under the bottom bunks, hugging each other sometimes because the sounds of rockets got louder, meaning nearer. I could hear myself whimpering and my brother comforting me, perhaps himself, with the hushing sounds. He rocked me back and forth, saying, "Sh...sh," and he continued until my whimpering subsided. Sometimes the rockets sounded like thunder cracking overhead. Sometimes the deafening whistling sounds made me visualize the ravenous grim reaper cursing and spitting for missing us once more.

I thought of the finest things we left behind and laughed out loud. My parents only brought out porcelains and delicate linens when my father brought American officers over for dinners. The towering men in their olive-drab uniforms and shiny, black boots. Their appearance was as foreign as the language they spoke. Their voices deep, their eyes deeper-set yet and their red-scared mission was the deepest of all. I was mystified by their appearance but in awe of them for their sacrifices on our behalf, for they were oceans away from their loved ones.

And now I am here in Sacramento, in America. I often come to the Vietnam War Memorial at the California State Capitol. It is small but visually high-impact. The names on the walls list the soldiers' ages and hometowns. The oldest soldiers were 24, but most were 18 and 19 years old. I was and still am sickened at the abrupt ends of these youthful soldiers, barely older than my son now. They died for my people, for my family and me, a misdirected intervention. I felt sicker for the grief their families must still endure. I'm compelled to tell their families that I am profoundly sorry for their losses.

Thirty-five years after the war ended in Vietnam, I am now reading about returning veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars struggling to reintegrate. Some are homeless, and there's a suicide trend among enlisted soldiers. So when Loaves and Fishes called and asked if I could come in for three hours and help make egg rolls, my response was an emphatic, yes – of course I would.

"Why egg rolls?" I asked Eddy, the kitchen coordinator, when I settled down at a table with other volunteers at Loaves and Fishes.

"Someone donated a ton of cabbages, and we thought that it'd be a nice change in the menus, ya know?" He casually offered as he wiped his brows and turned the radio on for us, and Coldplay pined away, "I used to rule the world..."

Fifteen volunteers donned their aprons at 10 a.m. in the dining room. We chopped cabbages, shredded them, cracked too many eggs and rolled about 2,000 egg rolls in less than three hours. They will be fried tomorrow and possibly serving up to 1,200 diners.

I neatly rolled my share of egg rolls for the homeless. I don't know the statistics but I would not be surprised if some of them were returning veterans. The economic inequity is so gapingly monumental, and all I can do is make egg rolls while feeling a sense of camaraderie with the volunteers at my table. View my amateur video taken on my Blackberry of the volunteers at Loaves and Fishes.

Here's to the returning veterans. I will correspond with those who would like to share experiences and feelings, and I will attempt to advocate and champion for your welfare, for I am indebted to you for your services.

Last week I provided the Social Services Map at: http://bit.ly/dnaUkR . And this week I would like to share with you the "Green" and Recycling maps and invite your collaboration. Respectively, they are: bit.ly/9mU70R and bit.ly/b6V6tp, or visit our website at http://cartographyfornonprofits.org/24101.html

Photos by HML Photodesigns. Email hmlphotodesign@gmail.com . Facebook HML Photodesign

Events planner rolls with times

2010-04-09T03:56:23Z

Sharon Gerber has been planning nonprofit fundraising events in Sacramento for more than five years. And she's never experienced such a challenging climate for giving.

She started her business, Six Degreez, after working as a community development manager for Wells Fargo.

Gerber knew she could make more money if she arranged events for corporations. But she chose to work with local charitable organizations after becoming aware of the great need there.

"My passion, my heart, goes out to the nonprofit sector," she said. "That's where I feel like I can have the most impact on this community. And it makes me feel good at the end of the day."

Since then, Gerber has developed signature events like the "Suits & Slippers" breakfast for the Roberts Family Development Center and shows such as "Blues for Baby & Me" for the Mercy Perinatal Recovery Network. Her fee for an event usually ranges from $5,000 to $40,000.

With her buoyant personality, Gerber has also developed a reputation as a community development specialist and event planner no one can say "no" to. She persuaded Sacramento City Councilman Steve Cohn and Ken Larson of Hewlett-Packard to play the Blues Brothers and Sen. Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento to dress like Neil Diamond and lip-sync to "Forever in Blue Jeans" at the perinatal event in 2008.

"She has very unique events where she tries to have a lot of fun with so-called celebrities in town," said Cohn, who's volunteered at several. "She also tends to pick really worthy charities to help out with, so you're willing to embarrass yourself."

This year, Gerber and her clients have noticed a trend due to the continuing recession: Businesses haven't been able to provide the same size sponsorships. Corporations, developers, banks and law firms that have bought $10,000 to $25,000 sponsorships at an event — with a few reaching $50,000 to $100,000 — are now giving $5,000, $1,000 or nothing at all, Gerber said.

Big corporations are also getting more donation requests from struggling nonprofits. They're coping with the increased need by spreading donations out more. That sometimes leaves companies making the same amount of donations but in smaller amounts.

Wells Fargo, a regular sponsor at Gerber's events, expects to donate to more nonprofits this year after the number of requests has grown.

"At this time, we are receiving 20 to 25 grant requests a day from various organizations, which is a large increase from years past," said Julie Campbell, a spokeswoman for Wells Fargo in Northern and Central California.

However, the company is not cutting its charitable giving in 2010. The company will give away $3 million in its Northern California region — the same as last year — and more than $200 million nationwide, making it one of the largest corporate givers in the country, Campbell said.

Cécile Mouette Downs, executive director of the Sacramento French Film Festival, said many regular sponsors — a marketing firm that's given $2,500 and a travel agency that has given $1,000 to $1,500 for several years — can't support the festival in June. Her nonprofit is still waiting to hear from donors who would have already given answers by this time in years past.

"Last year was a start," she said. "This year's even worse."

Gerber said she has always kept event costs down for clients by recruiting local celebrities to star at events, rather than building events around a keynote speaker costing $25,000 to $100,000. She's now making other adjustments so clients' events can continue to draw people.

For example, she's keeping ticket costs down by developing more unique events around cocktail receptions, breakfasts and coffees, instead of more traditional lunches and dinners.

She's using unusual locations such as art galleries and courtyards rather than hotels. Normally, half of her events have been staged in hotels. Last year, she staged only 25 percent there. This year, only one event will take place at a hotel, Gerber said.

Gerber is also making events shorter and ending them earlier — by 8:30 p.m. instead of 10 or 11 p.m.

"People appreciate that, and in this economy, they want to be at home with family," she said.

Choreographed, musical shows continue to be her most popular fundraisers. Gerber's passion for putting on a good show hit her young. She and her sister sang duets in the garage for the neighborhood, and she later starred as the biblical Esther in her synagogue's annual performance of the Purim spiel. Every year for 10 years.

Gerber said she likes to create entertaining events so everyone walks out smiling.

"At the end of the day, I get to go to sleep knowing I made a difference," she said.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter covering business and development for The Sacramento Press.

Former Sacramento Chief of Police Joins MAAP’s Board of Directors

2010-03-26T20:07:47Z

MAAP, Inc. is pleased to announce that Arturo Venegas, Jr. was recently appointed as a new member of the organization’s Board of Directors. Mr. Venegas served as Chief of Police for over 10 years in Sacramento and for more than 23 years in various positions from Cadet to Deputy Chief in Fresno, California. A recipient of the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service and Achievement from the US Army, he is a Life Member of the 101st Airborne Division Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. Mr. Venegas has also received numerous achievement awards including the notable “Newsmaker of the Year” award from Al Dia Newspaper in Philadelphia, is a Past National President of the Hispanic-American Police Command Officers Association, and is currently a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) and the National Latino Peace Officers Association.

“It is a privilege to work with a recognized leader who has such a deep level of commitment to service,” said Lorraine Rinker, President and CEO. “With the addition of Arturo, we continue to enhance our leadership team’s ability to build a successful future for our organization and those we serve.”

In addition to his new appointment to the MAAP Board, Mr. Venegas is the Project Director for the Law Enforcement Engagement Initiative, advocating a law enforcement call-to-action campaign for comprehensive immigration reform of our national law as well as consults for organizations like the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, and Special Litigation Section.

“I’m looking forward to a bright future for MAAP and the community,” said Mr. Venegas. “There is a lot of good work being done by the people here and I’m happy to be a part of this new beginning for the organization.”

MAAP Inc. is one of the largest non-profit community organizations in northern California that provides prevention and intervention services for persons addicted to alcohol and drugs.

MAAP, Inc. Announces new Board President and Directors

2009-12-17T22:55:30Z

MAAP, Inc. is pleased to announce that Marco Rodriguez has recently taken the position of Board President. Mr. Rodriguez began his business career in 1991 with Principal Financial Group where he continues as Managing Director and Financial Advisor. His primary practice includes creating financial investment strategies for individual clients and small to midsize businesses to assist them with asset accumulation and wealth preservation. He has received numerous achievement awards including the prestigious Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), is a member of National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD), Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), and a graduate of the Life Underwriter Training Council (LUTC) fellowship.

Mr. Rodriguez is a former President of MAAP Inc.’s Board of Directors and has most recently served as a Presidential Appointee to The National Council on Disability. He has dedicated himself to contributing to his community through various non-profit organizations. “I’m excited to be a part of MAAP’s leadership,” said Mr. Rodriguez. “There is a tremendous need for our services in the local community and we’re here to do whatever we can to make a positive difference in the lives of the people.”

In addition, two new board members have been appointed: Paloma Perez and Virginia Rivera. Ms. Perez is currently Associate Legislative Counsel for Consumer Attorneys of California and is a graduate of McGeorge School of Law. Ms. Perez works with the California Legislature and our friends in the consumer, environmental, and labor movements to encourage and promote changes to California law by legislative action, opposing injustice and ensuring a person’s right to a jury trial.
Virginia Rivera is a former Vice President of Development for Mills College. Ms. Rivera brings more than 23 years of successful fundraising experience including campaign and major gifts, annual giving, corporate and foundation support, planned gifts, prospect research, donor relations and stewardship, development communications and advancement services.

“We welcome these experienced community leaders and professionals to the board,” said Lorraine Rinker, Executive Director. “This will provide us the resources we need in order to move forward with MAAP’s strategic goals for the New Year.”

MAAP Inc. is one of the largest non-profit community organizations in northern California that provides prevention and intervention services for persons addicted to alcohol and drugs. For more information go to www.maap.org

Cinco de Alchemist: A Celebration of Transformation

2009-11-06T22:37:03Z

Sacramento’s Alchemist Community Development Corporation hosted a party and fundraiser to mark its fifth anniversary Thursday evening, and veggies never seemed so cool.

At “Cinco de Alchemist,” about 150 guests enjoyed delightful offerings from local restaurants Mulvaney’s B&L, The Waterboy, Taylor’s Market, Magpie Caterers, Mikuni and more. Live music by Caribbean Jazz and Musical Charis complemented the celebratory mood.

Alchemist CDC was founded in 2004 by Wendy Carter, Lisa Nelson and Chris Aguirre to promote equitable community development in Sacramento. The nonprofit group believes that the overall health of the region depends on the health of urban centers, and they are currently focused on serving the Alkali Flats and Mansion Flats neighborhoods of downtown Sacramento.

In 2007, Alchemist CDC and the Sacramento Mutual Housing Association began the city’s first urban farm stand at J. Neely Johnson Park in Alkali Flats. In 2009, they began a farm stand at McClatchy Park in the Oak Park neighborhood. The farm stands operate from May through October.

Urban farm stands bring improved access to fresh, seasonal, locally grown vegetables and fruit to people and communities who can benefit most from it. An urban farm stand is different from a farmers’ market. Whereas farmers’ markets involve many different producers selling their produce in a large area, farm stands involve a single vendor who resells produce they have purchased from various local farmers. The farm stand is smaller and less complex than a farmers’ market and requires less coordination and fewer people to operate.

Alchemist CDC also operates an internship program for youth ages 14 to 18. According to their website, the “program focuses on providing the interns with knowledge of the benefits of fresh produce to overall health and disease prevention, as well as the differences in conventional and organic produce.”

Land Park resident Fiona Castleberry interned with Alchemist from May through October in 2009, and she attended the Cinco de Alchemist party. Castleberry worked as a volunteer at the new farm stand in McClatchy Park, and she said it was especially interesting to see how a new farm stand was set up.

“I was a bit skeptical before I started,” she said. “I really wasn’t sure there would be a lot of interest there in a farm stand, but it turned out to be a great success, and I learned a lot.”

Cinco de Alchemist was held at the newly renovated Beatnik Studios. Alchemist board president Wendy Carter said they looked at several spaces in Sacramento, but knew right away that Beatnik was just right. Beatnik did seem the perfect match for the event with its simple, elegant decor and wide-open spaces with room for guests to stand and talk or just lounge on the couches.

Carter and other Alchemist board members were pleased with the success of the event. Many of the guests stayed for hours chatting with old friends and new acquaintances, enjoying wine and beer from local producers.

“Alchemist is very appreciative of the support that everybody has shown us,” executive director Davida Douglas said in an e-mail. “The event exceeded our expectations and we are thankful to everyone that made it out to the event, and to the donors and supporters.”

Yet, there was a bit of uncertainty in Carter’s outlook about the future of Alchemist.

“We are in an in-between phase where it’s getting more difficult to raise the funds necessary to continue and expand our efforts in the community,” she said. Carter cited the economy as a huge strain on the funds available through grants and on the ability of the individual donor to give.

Carter said she has high hopes for the future of Alchemist and for better food access in her community.

“One of the things I have talked about is possibly operating the farm stands year round,” she said. “The farm stands have the best produce available in my opinion, and I miss it when it isn’t there.”

Board Secretary Jessica Pearson also has big dreams for the future of the community and its access to fresh, healthy food. She sees a future where the urban farm stands have become self-sustaining, integral parts of their respective neighborhoods and can be operated solely by the people who live there.

According to Alchemist’s website, alchemy is the medieval science that sought to transform base metals into gold. The Alchemist Community Development Corporation, true to its name, is seeking to guide the transformation and growth of the Sacramento community by putting the tools to do so in the hands of the people who need them most. If the outpouring of love, community and dedication present at Cinco de Alchemist is any indication, the future is golden for this organization and the communities it serves.

Working Poor Hit Particularly Hard Now

2008-11-15T16:47:22Z

I'm the first Community Editor for The Sacramento Press, but my full time work is in the social services. I have the sometimes heartbreaking opportunity to learn the intimate details of people's lives- particularly their financial lives. Did you know there are people living in Sacramento who are not at all equipped to weather any hardship? For example, I routinely help people who have an income of $800 a month, and their rent is $500. And they just had a joint replaced at 73 years old. Or they need an anti-biotic that is not covered by Medi-Cal. So they can't pay SMUD this month. And then next month SMUD's $40 instead of $20, and with last month's problems and getting behind....and you could see how this chain of events could lead to disaster with such a small margin of income.

Some of my clients are never going to be able to increase their income because of genuine disability or age. It's also not uncommon for me to help someone who teeters on the edge of homelessness- an injury puts them out of work, which was a part time or a contract job to begin with, and now they're hurt and don't have disability pay and can't really get another job in their current state of health.....you get the picture.

If you are not as bad off as what I've described, maybe you would want to give back to the community- financially. Volunteer hours are great, but consider donating gifts through a giving tree, donating money to an organization where the money would directly benefit those in need, or donating food to a family in need (this can be done through the Food Bank or Wellspring.) And remember, there's a need year-round, not just at the holidays.