Gang violence took what officials described as a drastic drop since July 2010, attributing the drop to Mayor Kevin Johnson’s gang-prevention programs initiated in June of 2010 and again after last December’s fatal barbershop shooting. Since implementing some of the measures, Lt. Bill Champion of the Sacramento Police Department said that the results have been effective. The number of gang-related firearm assaults has dropped by 60 percent, and the overall rate fell by 39 percent. In addition, there has been a 75 percent drop in homicide rates, and a 100 percent drop in non-fatal shootings. Community leaders gathered at City Hall Monday morning to discuss the mayor’s plan. Speakers, inc

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

In a tiny, 12-by-10 room cluttered with microphones, headphones, soundboards and telephones, a message will soon escape from the confines of the small studio suite and spread throughout Sacramento and its surrounding regions. A message that, according to its messenger, transcends its own transmission. Robert Briggs, 43, a pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in midtown Sacramento, burns the candle at both ends with one end in mind: that the kingdom of God be furthered in the souls of men and women unfettered. On this particular December, Wednesday morning, Briggs prepares to record a pair of 24-minute messages from the book of Romans that will subsequently air two consecutive Friday aftern

The House of Plight, which provides a refuge for single mothers and their children, opened its doors to the public in a housewarming celebration on March 20, 2010. The program is an extension of Commissioned II Love (C2L) Outreach Ministries and Discipleship Centers Inc., a nondenominational outreach ministry and nonprofit. Startup funding for The House of Plight came from college students at Consumnes River College in Sacramento, Savannah State University in Georgia, and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee, where C2L has campus ministry divisions. "The vision came from our pastor, Lardina King, who has a real heart for single mothers" said marketing and public

Three local non-profit organizations were featured in a Sacramento Social Media Club panel on Tuesday evening hosted by the Sacramento State College of Continuing Education. The panel included Celia Cortez, Projects and Event Manager for the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Jordan Blair, Board Member for River City Food Bank; and Jon Benorden, Program Coordinator for the Center for AIDS Research, Education and Service (CARES). Lesley Miller, Media Director for 3Fold Communication, also sat on the panel. Moderator Josh Morgan, principal at Morgan/Dorado and program director for the Sacramento Social Media Club, focused the discussion on how non-profits are using social media to educ

From the City of Sacramento Department of Neighborhood Services newsletter The Bridge. By Brit Irby, Neighborhood Resources Coordinator serving Council District 1 During the busy autumn season, where can you find your Neighborhood Resources Coordinator? You can find her coordinating City Department booths and bringing helpful information for your neighborhood special event such as the Alkali Mansion Flats Celebration, the Creekside Community Fair, or Celebrate Natomas. Or maybe you’ll catch her working with business representatives and the City to help revitalize Chinatown Mall. You’ll likely sit next to her at a neighborhood meeting for Gardenland/Northgate, Valley View Acres or the Na

From the City of Sacramento Department of Neighborhood Services newsletter The Bridge. By Derrick Lim, Area Manager serving all Council Districts Neighborhood Services has engaged in a great deal of community outreach this year. Upon reflection, several themes come to mind in relation to levels of service and customer service. Neighborhood Services can do a better job of articulating outreach levels of service, which in turn results in better customer service to the public. Using Olympic medals as an analogy, outreach can also be categorized into three major categories: gold, silver, and bronze. Gold is the highest level because the objective is not only to get the word out, but to als