Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "wells fargo bank"

Clunie Center saved by donations from community

2012-01-17T23:56:10Z

East Sacramento residents and businesses succeeded in preventing the closure of the Clunie Center at McKinley Park, which was scheduled for later this year, Mayor Kevin Johnson announced Tuesday.

The center was slated for closure in June because of budget shortfalls, with the McKinley library likely to follow.The Friends of East Sacramento, a nonprofit organization, set forth a plan to take over management of the facility three years ago, Johnson said. He added that under nonprofit management, the facility will save $20,000 in operating costs each year.

“Sometimes you have to draw a line in the sand and not let something you truly value disappear,” said Cecily Hastings, publisher of Inside Publications, and co-founder of the Friends of East Sacramento.

The organization needed to raise $45,000 to cover the transition and operating costs for this year. Sizable donations came from Wells Fargo Bank, Soroptimists of Sacramento, Haven Lending, Freeport Bakery and Mercy General Hospital, Hastings said. City Councilman Steve Cohn said he committed $5,000 from city funds and made an additional, personal donation of $1,000.

Community members, neighbors and small businesses also contributed to the cause.

Marissa Cruz lives in the neighborhood and said she helped raise money to keep the Clunie Center open. She said she uses the park five days per week and visits the library an average of three times per week.

“I’m really happy it’s staying open,” Cruz said, adding that it is a cause she’s been following closely.

An additional anonymous donation of $15,000 will go to a fund dedicated to pay for renovations to the building. Hastings said a total of $60,000 is needed to pay for renovations, above the $200,000 in labor she said will be donated.

Hastings said she expects the center to be self-sufficient and does not anticipate the need for a fundraising drive of this scale in years to come. Plans include marketing of the facility and a full-time manager – a position that has been vacant for five years.

“This serves as a great example as to what other parts of Sacramento can do,” Johnson said, adding that facilities like the Hagginwood Community Center can stay open under similar management.

After the press conference, Johnson briefly answered questions about the strong mayor initiative, the struggle to have a new sports facility built in Sacramento and his upcoming trip to Washington, D.C., for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. He will leave immediately following Tuesday’s scheduled City Council meeting.

Johnson said Tuesday that he expected a decision about the strong mayor initiative that evening. He said the city manager runs the city right now, and reports to nine bosses, a system that is ineffective.

“What we are asking tonight is for the people to have the ability to vote on this in June,” Johnson said.

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.

4th Annual Sacramento Homeless Connect this Saturday, May 21 at Sacramento City College

2011-05-16T21:19:36Z

The 4th Annual Sacramento Homeless Connect event will take place this Saturday, May 21 at Sacramento City College from 10:00 am-3:00 pm. It is hosted by Sacramento Steps Forward, with support from presenting sponsor The Salvation Army. Speakers at the event include Assemblymember Roger Dickinson, Mayor Kevin Johnson and Supervisor Phil Serna. Over 1,000 homeless guests are expected; additionally the event hosts 500 community volunteers and over 60 different service providers.

Project Homeless Connect is a national Best Practice model for bringing services directly to homeless folks. Started in San Francisco, it now occurs in over 150 communities across the country. Homeless Connect events are one-day, one-stop, 100% free resource fairs that bring a myriad of services all to one location, thus eliminating many of the barriers homeless folks face in accessing the services they need. Transportation is provided for guests that day (a major barrier for many homeless people), as well as pet care and childcare. Homeless folks get to meet with providers face-to-face, in a warm, hospitable environment. Additionally, the Salvation Army provides BBQ chicken meals for the guests, and bands Guitar Mac and BluSoul Band will be providing all-day entertainment.

500 community volunteers will be donating their time that day, helping with a number of different projects.

This year, over 60 different agencies and service providers will be in attendance, including:

Community housing and shelter providers, including: Sacramento Self-Help Housing; Volunteers of America; Transitional Living & Community Support; Lutheran Social Services, Resources for Independent Living; St. John’s Shelter and Sacramento Area Emergency Housing
Health Services including: the UC Davis Willow Clinic rapid HIV-testing by CARES, Hep-C, STI testing and harm reduction services by Harm Reduction Services and Oak Park Outreach Services; dental screenings by Dr. Charles Newens, and ocular exams by the Lion’s Club Vision Van and UC Davis eye doctors
Free California State IDs provided by the DMV, with help from Francis House
An Employment Triage Station, run by Women’s Empowerment, with an interview-ready clothing closet and help with resume-writing and interview skills
A new Wellness Area, including: free yoga all day, by the Yoga Seed Collective, 20-minute mini-chair massages by the Healing Arts Institute, foot washing & clean socks by Christ Church, Davis, an art therapy station (staffed by AmeriCorps NCCC members) and a Story Table (with professional portraits by Lynette Falls of Three One Photography)
A Mental Health services station, staffed by Guest House Homeless Clinic, Genesis, Social Security Administration, SMART (a brand-new pilot program that helps folks receive SSI), and Clean & Sober
Veterans Services, staffed by the California Department of Veterans Affairs, the Sacramento Veterans Resource Center, the Sacramento Veterans Support Network, the Sacramento County Veterans
Sacramento County General Assistance and CalFresh (Food Stamps)
Bike repair provided by Cycles4Hope, who is also raffling off 10 adult bikes
Free haircuts by Federico’s Beauty Institute Salon
And amazing giveaways, including: The Sacramento Public Library is giving away 200 free books; the Bra Recyclers donated 1,300 bras; Restoring Vision provided us with 300 pairs of reading glasses; a Sac State student is giving away 150 pairs of shoes; 2 clothing closets and exit gift bags for each guest.
Other elements: free transportation all day provided by Regional Transit, Paratransit, Volunteers of America and Sacramento County. Free all day pet-care provided by WOOFF and free childcare provided by the Mustard Seed School!

The Salvation Army is our presenting sponsor, for the 2nd year in a row, and they’re providing at least $20,000 of in-kind support.

Additional sponsors: The City of Rancho Cordova, Wells Fargo Bank, Golden 1 Credit Union, Sutter Health Sacramento Sierra Region, Sacramento Housing & Redevelopment Agency, Loaves & Fishes, Sacramento Mutual Housing Association, Councilmember Steve Cohn, The Merchants National Bank, CARES, UC Davis Health System, Sacramento Housing Alliance and Councilmember Jay Schenirer.

Last year's Sacramento Homeless Connect had over 800 homeless adults and 170 homeless children in attendance.

For questions about the event, please contact Kate Towson, ktowson@communitycouncil.org

Kate Towson is an Americorps VISTA serving with Sacramento Steps Forward.

Sacramento Community Dreams Big with Lilliput Children's Services

2010-09-29T19:21:56Z

As Harriet Tubman once said, “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

On September 11th, as over 200 Sacramento community members gathered at the California Museum to celebrate the 30 years that Lilliput Children's Services has been serving the state's most vulnerable children and their families, Lilliput was humbled to remember exactly who they are helping and why. Founded in 1980, Lilliput is committed to building families and making dreams come true, and has completed over 4,500 adoptions for California foster children.

Throughout the evening, guests enjoyed food, wine and beer tastings that were donated by local restaurants, caterers, wineries and breweries. The atmosphere was fun and relaxed as they perused the beautiful artwork that was gifted by local artists for display and auction. The program was the highlight of the evening as Lilliput honored two special families, as well as a local business and nonprofit agency, for the difference they have made to our community.

The adoptive family that was honored has four children, all under the age of six, in their home. Their oldest three, now six, four and two, were all adopted from foster care with Lilliput's help. Their youngest, in their home for only 3 weeks now, is their middle child's sibling and is only 3 months old. Lilliput presented them with an "Adoptive Family Champions" recognition.

The kinship family that was honored is a family of six with five children in the home. The children were adopted by their great-aunt in 2006 and ranged in age from one year old twins to six when they first came into her home in 2002. Lilliput presented them with a "Kinship Family Champions" recognition.

The Metro Chamber's Leadership Sacramento Program was founded in 1985 and develops community-minded business and civic leaders. Lilliput makes it a priority for their executive leadership team to participate in the class and is sending their third through the program now. Lilliput was selected as the class project by the Class of 2008 and is ever so grateful for all that was done on the agency's behalf. Lilliput presented Leadership Sacramento with a "Local Business Hero" recognition, which was accepted by Shirley Smith, the Metro Chamber's Community Development Director.

KVIE Public Television continues to serve their mission of educating ,enriching, enlightening and inspiring diverse audiences and individuals with high quality television programming and related services that enhance the qualify of life for people throughout Northern California. KVIE and Lilliput began collaborating in 2008 thanks to the Leadership Sacramento Class Project. KVIE has been instrumental in helping to increase awareness about Lilliput's foster, adoption and kinship services by creating public service announcement and videos. KVIE in partnership with the Documentary Foundation facilitated the creation of the Dream Big video that was shown throughout the evening. Lilliput presented KVIE with a "Local Nonprofit Hero" recognition, which was accepted by Mike Sanford, KVIE's Vice President for Content Creation.

Dream Big was led by an event committee, Lilliput staff and the board of directors. Thanks to the time that these individuals volunteered as well as the numerous food, beverage, artwork and other in-kind donations, Lilliput was able to net over $22,000. All ticket sales, silent auction proceeds and the majority of event sponsorship dollars will go directly to Lilliput's services and did not host the event.

The support that was offered by the following, as well as those who attended, helps Lilliput to fulfill their mission - that every child deserves the opportunity for permanence in a safe and nurturing family - and to sustain services during these challenging economic times. By working together with those in the community, Lilliput can give children the chance to reach for the stars and make their own dreams come true. For more information about Lilliput, please visit www.Lilliput.org.

Dream Big Event Donors

SPONSORS - Visionary: Wells Fargo Bank Hero: Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, Union Bank Friend: Teichert / Stonebridge Properties, Kaiser Permanente, SMUD, Bank of the West, Laurellen Mattos of Vitek Mortgage

Food - California Pizza Kitchen, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Crawdad’s River Cantina, Giovanni’s Old World New York Pizzeria, Hoppy Brewing Company, Jack’s Urban Eats, Paesano’s Pronto, Raley’s Bel-Air—AFC Sushi, River City Cake Company, Sugar & Spice Specialty Desserts, Taylor’s Kitchen

Wine - Bogle Winery, Crew Wines, Middleton Family Wines, Scribner Bend Vineyards, Sean Minor Winery

Beer - Hoppy Brewing Company, Sudwerk Restaurant & Brewery

Beverage - La Bou, Norcal Beverages

Monetary ($500 & up) - C.C. Myers, Kasey & Sean Cotulla, Greg & Erin Levi, Muller & Associates

In-Kind Services - Crisp Catering (Joe Thompson), Documentary Foundation (Mimi Wilcox & Oscar Boido), DS Pictures (Diego Salazar), Jack Nadel International (Bruce Pettinari), Kathryn Scott, Leslie Colby, Linda Johnson, KVIE Public Television (Mike Sanford), Tom’s Printing (Robert Tom)

Artists - Leslie Colby, Linda Johnson, Marla Kolb, Gregory Kondos, Alan Post, Mary Sorrels

Auction Items - Bidwell Street Bistro, A Dash of Panache Tea Parlor, Discovery Museum, Esquire IMAX, Fairytale Town, Freshberry Frozen Yogurt Café, Granite Arch Climbing Center, Maloof Sports & Entertainment, Middleton Family Wines, The Moak Family, Perry Creek Winery, P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Piatti Ristorante & Bar, Relish Burger, Roller King, The Sacramento Zoo, Sienna, Solomon Dubnick Gallery, Standing Room Only, Vintner’s Cellar Custom Winery

Sacramento Metro Chamber assists Salvation Army to solve toy shortage problem

2009-12-16T00:18:18Z

Facing a dramatic toy shortage,The Salvation Army of Sacramento has announced a partnership with the Sacramento Metro Chamber for an eleventh-hour push to receive new, unwrapped toys this week. The Metro Chamber reached out to many of its members to help donate to the Salvation Army Toy Drive or to host a donation bin at their business location. A couple of member businesses responded in a big way: Bank of America and Wells Fargo.

Bank of America has agreed to participate as a toy drop-off site in eight bank locations throughout the Sacramento region, through Friday, Dec. 18. Further, Wells Fargo Northern California Foundation is making a donation of $5,000 to The Salvation Army to help supplement the cost for any purchase of toys this Christmas.

Currently, only 9,000 toys have been collected, which is far short of The Salvation Army's goal of 18,000.

"This is a major uphill battle that we are facing," said David Bentley, Salvation Army Sacramento County coordinator. "It's not a pretty picture. The Salvation Army is simply facing a situation where there are not enough toys for all of the families we have committed to assist this Christmas. We appreciate what the Sacramento Metro Chamber and its members, Bank of America and Wells Fargo, have done to help us meet our goals this Christmas."

More than 5,000 families from Sacramento County have applied and have qualified to receive assistance this Christmas from The Salvation Army.

All of the toys will need to be collected before this weekend, because The Salvation Army intends to use every one of the donated toys for the Dec. 19 Christmas Distribution at Cal Expo. For more information, contact Syd Fong at 916-563-3731.

Recently Added Bank of America Locations for Salvation Army Toy drop-off locations:

Arden-Morse: 3101 Arden Way, Sacramento
Cordova Village: 10607 Folsom Blvd, Rancho Cordova
Folsom: 403 East Bidwell St., Folsom
North Natomas: 2861 Del Paso Road, Sacramento
Sunrise Center: 7850 Kingswood Drive, Citrus Heights
Elk Grove: 8959 Elk Grove Blvd, Elk Grove
Roseville: Creekside Banking Center, 1188 Galleria Blvd., Roseville
Capitol Mall: Sacramento Main, 555 Capitol Mall, Sacramento

Photo: Metro Chamber staff members recently helped bag up toys for more than 700 families for the Salvation Army Toy Drive.

City cracks down on code violations

2009-08-19T05:13:07Z

Sacramento City Councilwoman Lauren Hammond did not like what she read on the list.

At Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, Hammond was scanning a list of property owners that owe the city money for fees and fines related to housing code violations.

“There are so many bank-owned properties on this list,” Hammond said.

Banks that have not paid the city for violations at properties include heavy-hitters such as Wells Fargo Bank, Wachovia Bank and Bank of New York. Many properties owned by individuals are also on the city's list.

The city needs to examine how it can require banks to take care of properties in the same way that real estate agents do, she said.

The City Council approved liens on 250 properties for code violations Tuesday. The total amount of the liens is about $500,000.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.