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| San Francisco Bay Area |
San Francisco Bay Area
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Welcome to The Giving List San Francisco Bay Area, 2023/24
I
t is my great pleasure to present to you The Giving List San Francisco/ Bay Area, 2023/24 edition. The Bay Area is one of my favorite places on Earth. With its cultural and geographic diversity unmatched, each county, indeed each neighborhood, has its own unique culture and rhythm. Even its own microclimate. Its waterfront towns, its dramatic bridges and beaches, San Francisco’s stunning Victorian architecture, to the southern end of the bay where the latest tech innovations are changing the way we live in real time, it is like no other place I’ve ever spent time. But like so many communities, the San Francisco Bay Area is straining under the weight of these complicated times. And as economic challenges rise, so do the needs of our local communities. Luckily, what also seems unmatched, is the hard work and unrelenting commitment of the Bay Area’s local nonprofits! On the frontlines of a cataclysmic housing crisis, massive environmental challenges, assaults on women’s reproductive rights, and the growing need for greater racial and gender equity, these organizations are what stand between the Bay Area’s most vulnerable residents and what lies beneath the safety net they provide. The Giving List was created to help nonprofits tell their powerful stories in a way that would allow donors to better understand and appreciate the critical services they provide. It was also intended to expose donors to nonprofits that may
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otherwise not make it onto their radar. We hope that this publication will help you break through some of the noise created by so many pressing needs. Needless to say, the organizations in this book are not the only ones that are doing great work in our communities. But they are certainly representative of the Bay Area’s vibrant nonprofit and philanthropic culture. They are organizations doing vital work at a critical moment in this community’s history, and we believe that they are among the best of the Bay Area’s nonprofit organizations and are worthy of your strong support. We hope that you will use this book as a resource as you decide where to invest your much-needed resources at this time. With Gratitude, Gwyn Lurie CEO, The Montecito Journal Media Group
| San Francisco Bay Area |
Giving Back
How to DAF?
e launched The Giving List to help the nonprofit organizations featured in this book spend less time fundraising and more time doing the critical work demanded of them.
An increasingly popular and efficient tool to manage your giving is a donor-advised fund, or DAF.
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Confronting the myriad and mounting challenges facing communities, the nation, and globe requires the ingenuity and dedication exhibited by the nonprofits that fill our pages. We have assembled their stories with the hope that you will see their value and invest in them. A large proportion of the nonprofits we feature are smaller and more grassroots. This means that while they may have the ideas and leadership to forge change, they don’t necessarily have the diversified revenue streams to reach their fullest impact. We are hoping you will change that by donating and helping them secure the predictable, unrestricted revenue they need to focus on what’s most important: the work. With you, we have the chance to invest in organizations with the potential to take on some of our most pressing challenges.
A DAF is like a charitable banking account, managed by a community foundation or by some of the world’s largest investment banking firms, where you can make a donation today and direct grants to worthy nonprofits later. A key advantage with a DAF is that it allows you, the donor, to take a tax deduction in the year you donate money or complex assets, while not compelling you to distribute the money immediately. This can mean time to make more thoughtful decisions about how you want to direct your charitable contributions. Many financial institutions and community foundations have low to zero start-up fees, making it possible for donors at any level to DAF.
Please join us by supporting your local nonprofits on the front lines of justice, whether that be fighting racism; using the arts to change culture; helping children, youth, and families in need; or striving to preserve our environment. We will all be better for it.
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How To Read This Book
T
he Giving List was created to make it easier for you to navigate the dizzying array of worthwhile causes and nonprofit organizations. To that end, we have distributed The Giving List to people like you: individual donors, staff within the region’s small and large private foundations, and to philanthropic advisors, wealth managers, and estate planners. As you dive into this book, we want to point out some of its unique features, and of The Giving List program as a whole. Ongoing Support Our partnerships with the nonprofits in these pages do not end with the printing of this book. Each profile will live on TheGivingList.com through 2024, where we will be updating each profile once a month so that you can continue to track the important ongoing work of each and every Giving List organization.
Since launching January of 2022, our bi-weekly newsletter, The Giving List Newsletter, has become a venue for updates from our nonprofit partners and stories from the frontlines of philanthropy. We would love for you to join The Giving List Newsletter; please visit www.TheGivingList.com and follow the prompts.
You can also join our newsletter...
We hope that you will use the website as a guide not only for yourselves, but as an easy way to share the work of our partners – whether they be nonprofits, community foundations, or funder affinity groups – with your friends, family, and colleagues. Staying Connected We are building a community of people who care deeply about philanthropy and understand the vital role it plays in our world, and we want you to join.
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... by waving your phone’s camera over this QR code.
| San Francisco Bay Area |
Contents
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Profile – Jamie Allison.
A Philanthropic Leader Paving the Way for Equity in San Francisco ������������������������������������������������������������������������P. 30
Voices of the Marginalized
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Listening at the Speed of Trust. Editorial – P. 14
A Home Within identifies, recruits, trains, and supports a network of licensed therapists who each provide free, weekly, one-to-one therapy to a single foster youth “for as long as it takes.” ����������������������������P. 20 California Institute of Integral Studies gives
people of all backgrounds and beliefs the opportunity to transform themselves, society, and Earth through a program of integral education and evolution of consciousness. Their progressive program combines Eastern spirituality with Western psychology to form a new model that marries consciousness (body, mind, and spirit) with well-being (self, society, and Earth). . ���� P. 22
Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ) has, since 2011, been building
Getting Needed Health Care Mental Health Staff, Bed Shortages Delay Critical Care for Bay Area Residents Amid Growing Demand. Editorial – P. 34
Help a Mother Out works to improve baby and family well-being by increasing access to diapers for families in need. Their vision is a day when every baby has a healthy supply of diapers ������������������������������������� P. 40
community and mobilizing young leaders in the movement to end youth criminalization and mass incarceration. Led by individuals who have lived through systemic violence and incarceration, CURYJ engages youth most impacted by the injustice, immigration, and foster care systems so that they can be the ones to close youth prisons and heal our communities. ������������������P. 24
Ohlhoff Recovery Programs has been at the forefront of addiction treatment in Northern California. Their campus, located near the iconic Alamo Square, offers all levels of care for those seeking lasting relief from addiction – from non-medical detox services to short- and long-term residential, to intensive outpatient programming. ��������������������������P. 42
East Bay Children’s Law Offices’ (EBCLO)
Peninsula Volunteers, Inc. redefines what it means to be a senior in society. Their mission is to empower older individuals to lead independent lives, engage with their communities, and continue to get the most out of life. Through care and connection, they help seniors remain vibrant while lightening the load for their caregivers. Whether it’s through home meal delivery, fun events, wellness services, and more, they are committed to enhancing the quality of life for older generations. ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������P. 44
mission is to protect and defend the rights of children and youth through holistic, vigorous legal advocacy. EBCLO strives to provide a voice for children in and out of the courtroom and to promote positive outcomes for them. ��������������������������������������������������������P. 26
Youth Leadership Institute builds communities
where young people and their adult allies come together to create positive community change that promotes social justice and racial equity.. ��������������������������������������P. 28
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ACCESS U Foundation believes that every soccer player deserves a chance to succeed. They provide Black and Latino scholar-athletes with mentors who guide them through the college recruitment process and help them fulfill their academic and athletic potential. ��������������������P. 68
No Kid Left Behind Filling in Gaps When Resources Are Dwindling.
John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY)
Editorial – P. 48
CASA of San Mateo County pairs children
in the foster care and juvenile justice systems with community volunteers who provide one-on-one support, mentoring, and advocacy in the courtroom and beyond. . ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������P. 52
San Francisco Youth Soccer is a comprehensive
community soccer organization, benefiting San Francisco youth. Their mission is to support youth soccer and leadership through sport. . ������������������������P. 54
Vision To Learn is helping students to see clearly
by providing eye exams and glasses at no cost to kids in underserved communities. ����������������������������������������������P. 56
Wayfinder Family Services ensures that children,
youth, and adults facing challenges always have a place to turn. ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������P. 58
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Young Community Developers believes that
every individual should have the right to sustainable and generational economic mobility. Positively impacted lives empower people to break cycles of poverty for themselves, their families, and their communities.. �P. 72
Profile – Sara Lomelin.
Making Philanthropy Diverse, Accessible to All. ���� P. 74
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Arts as a Catalyst for Change Dispensing Arts to Heal Society. Editorial – P. 78
Connecting Youth to Opportunity Editorial – P. 62
Aurora Theatre Company is a space of shared imagination. A space where stories allow us to relive and reexamine our past, and envision bold new futures. Theater allows us the opportunity to step outside the boundaries of our own lived experience to gain greater understanding of our shared humanity – to build compassion, empathy, and solidarity. ����������������������������������������������������������P. 84
Bay Scholars makes it possible for promising
Creativity Explored (CE) is changing lives
Providing Underserved Youth With Pathways to Opportunity.
under-resourced students to receive an empowering, change-making education. They financially and personally support Bay Area families that cannot afford the high school education they want for their children. ����������������������������������������������������������������������������P. 66
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improves the quality of life for youth in California who have been in foster care or are homeless by advocating for better laws, training communities to strengthen local practices, and conducting research to inform policy solutions.. ������������������������������������������������������������������P. 70
through art. As the organization looks toward the future, their artists are leading the way. Their work is centered around the passions, joys, and comforts that drive CE artists to stay with the organization for years and even decades. ���������������������������������������������P. 86
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The Joy Culture Foundation is a community
resource center and platform for families with children interested in Chinese literacy and culture. Its mission is to support diversity and become a Chinese cultural hub through childhood education in the Bay Area. ����������������P. 88
Napa Valley Education Foundation (NVEF)
seeks to inspire Napa Valley public school students to broaden horizons, deepen knowledge, and develop skills to become confident, healthy, and successful individuals in the community. Through collaborative community partnerships, NVEF programs increase student performance, inspire teacher innovation, and build community engagement. ��������������������������������������������������������P. 90
Youth Speaks creates spaces that challenge youth to develop and amplify their voices as creators of societal change. Youth Speaks encourages youth to express themselves using their own idioms. .. ��������������������������P. 92
One Love Foundation empowers young people with the tools and resources they need to see the signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships and bring lifesaving prevention education to their communities. ������������P. 106 Profile – Stacey Keare.
‘All Girls Should Be Afforded the Same Rights and Freedoms My Daughters Enjoy.’.. ������������������������������� P. 108
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The Bedrock Right of Housing Nonprofits Offering Lifelines to the Bay Area’s Unhoused.
Profile – Monetta White.
Museum of the African Diaspora: A Vital Center of Black Culture and History in San Francisco.. ����������P. 94
Editorial – P. 112
Five Keys – through the use of social and restorative
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justice principles – provides traditionally underserved communities the opportunity to improve their lives through a focus on the Five Keys: Education, Employment, Recovery, Family, Community. �������� P. 116
Dismantling Hate, Crime, and Violence The Pressing Need to Protect the Younger Generation from Rising Violence and Crime in the Bay Area.
Legal Assistance to the Elderly (LAE) seeks to protect and advance the right of San Francisco’s seniors and adults with disabilities to be housed, healthy, financially stable, and safe. When eviction, elder abuse, problems with benefits or creditors threaten, LAE is the lifeline. ������P. 118 PICO California is the largest faith-based community
Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence unites
organizing network in the state. PICO’s mission is to catalyze faith-based and spiritually-centered people power in California to create systemic change for the most vulnerable so that all Californians thrive. ��������P. 120
Holocaust Museum LA is the only cultural institution in Los Angeles with a sole focus on the horrific impact and the enormity of the Holocaust that is free for students. ������������������������������������������������������������ P.104
Raphael House helps low-income families, and families experiencing homelessness, strengthen family bonds by achieving stable housing and financial independence. Raphael House is 100% privately funded and their personalized family-centered solutions model has a tremendous success rate: More than 85% of all Raphael House families go on to achieve long-term housing and financial stability ������������������������������������������������������������������������� P. 122
Editorial – P. 98
people of all identities, races, and ethnicities from coast to coast, young and old, and everything in between, fed up and fired up, to protect our country from what is killing it: Guns. ������������������������������������������������������������������� P. 102
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To learn more about joining The Giving List Community, please contact: vicki@thegivinglist.com
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Preserving a Thriving Environment Sustainability and the Right to a Future.
CEO & Founder Gwyn Lurie
gwyn@montecitojournal.net President & Founder Tim Buckley
tim@montecitojournal.net Executive Editor Vicki Horwits
vicki@thegivinglist.com Art Director Trent Watanabe Deputy Art Director Stevie Acuña Director of Partnerships & Operations Jessikah Fechner
jmoran@montecitojournal.net Copy Editor Lily Buckley Harbin Administration & Billing: Valerie Alva
frontdesk@montecitojournal.net Contributors:
Zachary Bernstein, Guillaume Doane, Karen Gaspin, Brenda Gazzar, Miranda Green, Stella Haffner, Steven Libowitz, Gary Marks, Nadra Nittle, Brian Rinker, Karen Romero, Dan Schifrin, Jeff Wing, Dipti Vaidya
Editorial – P. 126
Center for Environmental Forensic Science aims
to broaden the focus of forensic scientists, raise awareness of how science can empower law enforcement investigations and prosecutions, and expand this capacity in source and transit countries.. ������������������������������������������������������������������������ P. 130
Climate Rights International believes that progress
on climate change cannot succeed without protecting human rights – and the fight for human rights cannot succeed without protecting our planet against climate change. ��������������P. 132
Tuolumne River Trust strives to sustain the health and diversity of both the biological and human ecosystems along the River, from its origins in the Sierra Nevada, through the San Joaquin Valley, and out to the San Francisco Bay. �P. 134 Profile – Dan’l Lewin.
Championing Civic Technology for Human Progress. .. P. 136
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Animals Lead the Way
Everyday Animals Are Superheroes.
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is published by: Montecito Journal Media Group, LLC. Corporate Offices located at: 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite G, Montecito, CA 93108 For inquiries: phone (805) 565-1860 email tim@thegivinglist.com
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Editorial – P. 140
National Disaster Search Dog Foundation’s
mission is to strengthen disaster response in America by rescuing and recruiting dogs and partnering them with firefighters and other first responders to find people buried alive in the wreckage of disasters. �������������������������������������������P. 142
Brady Riding Therapy has provided the highest quality of equine therapy through horsemanship, riding lessons, physical, and social therapy to Bay Area youths with physical, emotional, and developmental disabilities for the last 35 years. . ��������P. 144 | San Francisco Bay Area |
Nonprofit by Category Index Advocacy
Ohlhoff Recovery Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Homelessness & Housing
Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence . . . . . . . . 102
One Love Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
John Burton Advocates for Youth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
East Bay Children’s Law Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
San Francisco Youth Soccer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Legal Assistance to the Elderly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
John Burton Advocates for Youth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Tuolumne River Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Raphael House of San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Legal Assistance to the Elderly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Vision To Learn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Young Community Developers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
PICO California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Environment
Human Rights
Tuolumne River Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Center for Environmental Forensic Science . . . . 130
Climate Rights International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Youth Leadership Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Climate Rights International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Ohlhoff Recovery Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Tuolumne River Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Animals
Social Justice California Institute of Integral Studies . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Brady Riding Therapy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Family Well-being
Climate Rights International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
National Disaster Search Dog Foundation . . . . . . 142
A Home Within . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice . . 24
Bay Scholars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Creativity Explored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
California Institute of Integral Studies . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Five Keys Home Free . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Children Brady Riding Therapy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
The Joy Culture Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Holocaust Museum LA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
CASA of San Mateo County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Help a Mother Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Legal Assistance to the Elderly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
East Bay Children’s Law Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Peninsula Volunteers, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Raphael House of San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Help a Mother Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Wayfinder Family Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Youth Leadership Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Raphael House of San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Youth Speaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
San Francisco Youth Soccer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Foster Care
Wayfinder Family Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
A Home Within . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
The Arts
CASA of San Mateo County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Aurora Theatre Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Community Resilience
East Bay Children’s Law Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Creativity Explored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice . . 24
John Burton Advocates for Youth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Holocaust Museum LA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Creativity Explored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Wayfinder Family Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Youth Speaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
The Joy Culture Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Global Reach
Youth Development
National Disaster Search Dog Foundation . . . . . . 142
Center for Environmental Forensic Science . . . . 130
ACCESS U Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Peninsula Volunteers, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Climate Rights International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Bay Scholars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Five Keys Home Free . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
PICO California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Brady Riding Therapy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Health
CASA of San Mateo County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
A Home Within . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice . . 24
ACCESS U Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
California Institute of Integral Studies . . . . . . . . . . . 22
The Joy Culture Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Bay Scholars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Help a Mother Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Napa Valley Education Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence . . . . . . . . 102
Napa Valley Education Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
One Love Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Center for Environmental Forensic Science . . . . 130
Ohlhoff Recovery Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
San Francisco Youth Soccer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Five Keys Home Free . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
One Love Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Young Community Developers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Holocaust Museum LA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Peninsula Volunteers, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Youth Leadership Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Napa Valley Education Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Vision To Learn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Youth Speaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Education
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Listening to the Voices of the Marginalized Learning to listen and respond to vulnerable populations is at the core of meaningful, equitable, and successful advocacy.
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Listening at the Speed of Trust BY DAN SCHIFRIN
P
edro Arista, senior director at San Francisco’s Hirsch Philanthropy Partners, has a saying: “Collaboration moves at the speed of trust.” Arista, a philanthropic advisor at Hirsch, is a strong advocate for community-centered approaches to philanthropy that are influenced by Trust-Based Philanthropy and Participatory Grantmaking. In these frameworks, funders look to communities for insights, solutions, and decision-making power, treating them as trusted partners working together to achieve greater racial equity and systems change. Since 2017, in partnership with the Hellman Foundation team, Arista has led the Hellman Foundation’s Collaborative Change Initiative, which has provided nearly $16 million to cross-sector collaborations in Alameda and San Francisco counties to pilot or scale creative solutions to intractable local issues. Pedro Arista, Senior Director at Hirsch Philanthropy Partners.
The initiative has created a lasting impact on important local issues including health, education, and access to opportunity. Crucially, the work has led to authentic relationships between the Hellman Foundation’s Board of Directors and community leaders, “representing the foundation’s long-term commitment to trust-based values,” according to Arista. In 2022, the foundation took a more radical step toward collaborative philanthropy by creating a community panel comprised of local leaders and current grantees to assess and select new collaborations to fund, replacing the Board and staff review process typical of most foundations. D espite momentum towards more community-led philanthropy, said Arista, there is much more the sector must do. For funders to truly achieve trust and partnership with communities, and to confront the power imbalances inherent
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Youth Leadership Institute staff, volunteers, and participants gather for an outdoor session.
“Young people – particularly youth of color and their allies – are deeply motivated to address inequities in their communities. At Youth Leadership Institute, young people realize their power by learning to use their voices to create meaningful change. Change happens when conversations take place. At YLI, we believe that conversations of real significance only occur when all voices are heard. And we’re here to ensure that youth voice is heard. Loud and clear.” – Patricia Barahona, CEO of Youth Leadership Institute
YLI develops its programs in support of the local LGBTQ+ and queer communities. (Photo courtesy of Youth Leadership Institute)
YLI’s programs develop participants’ leadership skills and empower them to advocate for changes in their community. (Photo courtesy of Youth Leadership Institute)
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in philanthropy, “You need to be in a relationship with the people. And to do that, you need to listen.” Easier said than done. “As a culture we seem to be losing our listening mojo,” says best-selling author Kate Murphy in her new book, You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters. In a hyper-connected world, where the loudest voices get the most attention, listening has become the neglected step-child of performance. “Online and in person, it’s all about defining yourself, shaping the narrative, and staying on message,” Murphy writes. “Value is placed on what you project, not what you absorb.” Rachel Bryant, vice president of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), agrees that true, patient listening isn’t a skill our society appreciates or values. “People are not good at listening, because they have not been listened to deeply. It’s not built into our culture.” The result, she says, is a “transactional” model of listening that is in dire need of reform. As the former director of CIIS’ Mental Health Services Act Project, Bryant has seen the implications of poor listening not just on individual wellness, but on community health, especially when funding and support is predicated on communication that is “performative,” as opposed to authentic. Many economically or socially marginalized communities, said Bryant, feel listened to in the most superficial way, usually when they are being researched or studied with an eye toward a pre-determined solution. “This kind of listening just compounds the fatigue” of presenting one’s goals and needs.
Rachel Bryant, Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at CIIS.
“And in the end, nothing much changes anyways.” Dara Papo, a veteran homeless health care administrator in San Francisco, has noticed a dynamic in which, almost by definition, society doesn’t want to hear what those who are unhoused have to say. “Our society still feels that people who are poor or experience homelessness are somehow…choose your own negative stereotype here,” she said. “If you look down upon somebody, and not trust that they actually know what’s best for themselves, you’re unlikely to really hear them.” Papo points to a successful experiment in listening: UCSF’s Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative. One of the Initiative’s strategies is community-engaged research, in which researchers and community members collaborate as equals to fill in gaps of communication and insight that might not otherwise be visible. The program’s training of formerly unhoused staff to both do research and present their findings means that the stories of those struggling with homelessness “are humanized, and the narrative doesn’t become what it usually does, which is ‘poverty porn.’” Ellie Tumbuan has worked in almost every part of the philanthropic ecosystem, from advising major donors on strategy, to raising money for nonprofits, to evaluating program success. In 2015 she co-founded The Justice Collective, a social impact consulting firm that brings a racial equity lens to leadership and organizational development.
(Photo courtesy of California Institute of Integral Studies)
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
In her estimation, effective listening is already an advanced step, predicated on layers of donor awareness. “Funders generally believe that they are listening, that they are doing all they possibly can to listen,” she says. “But because they don’t have a fundamental understanding of the power dynamics at play, it’s hard to be effective. You have to do the work first.” And what is the work? The lowest-hanging fruit, Tumbuan said, is technical: designing meetings so that listening can happen. That means doing your homework beforehand, so the time together can be spent
“In listening to clients that have experienced foster care, A Home Within recognizes the longstanding barriers of receiving therapy to include cost, insurance complications, and lack of holistic care. AHW responds with innovative strategies that increase access and equity by cultivating a volunteer base that is diverse on every axis – demographics, geography, discipline, modality, and career stage – and by offering therapy without geographic constraints.” – Candice Simonds, A Home Within Chief Program Officer
exploring issues, and not just repeating basic information. It also means building in time for open-ended conversation, and then leaning into whatever comes up, “demonstrating that you are capable of making space for what might be challenging for grantees to share.” Donors who take these steps indicate that they are “willing to build resilience to their own discomfort, of sitting with things they don’t want to hear.” The deeper strategy, though, is both emotional and structural. On a personal level, the first step is “knowing it’s possible you might have something to learn around listening, and your own willingness to grow your emotional intelligence.” A structural approach, Tumbuan explained, involves acknowledging the systems of oppression that make philanthropy necessary in the first place. As major philanthropies are vocalizing in increasingly public ways, the existence and size of the philanthropic sector is itself a sign that our social and economic systems aren’t working. But funders don’t have to do this work of listening, and learning to listen, alone. Diverse organizations like The Justice Collective, Northern California Grantmakers, and The Center for Effective Philanthropy work with funders and nonprofits to create a shared framework of ideas and language. Organizations like Feedback Labs, which partners with foundations like the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Siegel Family Endowment, provide research, training, and support for funders looking to model and inspire listening for their peers, as well as for grantees. “Foundations increasingly recognize that it’s essential that grantees be able to listen and respond to the people most impacted by their work,” wrote Megan Campbell, senior director of programs and strategy, for Feedback Labs. “Asking grantees how they listen, starting a conversation about what they need to listen better, and then providing support to help them increase their ability to meaningfully respond to the people at the heart of their work are easy ways that foundations can support more equitable programs and advocacy that align with community desires.” For nonprofits that work with vulnerable youth populations, whose voices often disappear into the ether, listening is mission-critical. For Kristin Mateer, executive director at East Bay Children’s Law Office (EBCLO) in Oakland, “It is our duty and our privilege to listen to the true experts, the children we serve.” Listening to youth who are embroiled in the legal and foster systems is “at the very core of our work,” and requires a significant investment in time and energy, Mateer explained. To get
| www.thegivinglist.com |
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“At CURYJ, we believe those closest to the problem are closest to the solution, but often furthest from the resources. This is why we center the voices of youth who have been negatively impacted by the criminal, immigration, foster care, police, and education systems. We uplift their lived expertise, leadership, and inner power through our policy work, where we hold regular youth policy circles to both educate our participants about how law and policies are passed as well as to learn about the issues closest to their hearts. Together, our youth and CURYJ policy mentors design policy solutions and lead campaigns in which directly impacted youth can create the change they want to see in their communities.” – Sonja Tonnesen-Casalegno, Policy and Legal Director at CURYJ
Dream Beyond Bars fellows and alumni attend CURYJ’s Media Careers Day event.
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
the information they need, and to empower children to believe they deserve respect and care, EBCLO “has to listen in the context of their family, community, and culture. It’s listening to hear their long-term goals and their short-term needs. It’s the only way we can be sure that the judge making important decisions about children and their families truly knows what is important to them.” The sudden ubiquity of Artificial Intelligence in our apps and businesses suggests that there might be a shortcut to certain kinds of communication, especially the creation of reports and presentations. But there doesn’t seem to be a hack for the quiet, deep work of listening as the basis for relationships across the funding and nonprofit ecosystem. The comedian Maria Bamford put it well when she joked: “I wish science would come up with a brain ride, where you could get inside somebody’s brain and see all their thoughts and their experiences and memories, and why they believe and think the way they do, and how they see the world. “I know there’s a low-tech version of this. It’s just called listening.”
(Photo courtesy of East Bay Children’s Law Offices)
(Photo courtesy of East Bay Children’s Law Offices)
(Photo courtesy of East Bay Children’s Law Offices)
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A HOME WITHIN
A Home Within – 30 Years of Offering Free Life-Changing Therapy to Foster Youth "F
In 2024, AHW will be celebrating 30 years of our community of commitment.
A
s Joymara Coleman, a former foster youth, got ready to start college, she wanted a therapist in the Bay Area with the skills to deal with her complex trauma to help her withstand the triggers she’d surely encounter in a challenging academic environment. A former foster youth peer suggested Coleman try A Home Within, an Oakland-based nonprofit with 30 years of experience connecting high-quality therapists with youth currently or formerly in foster care. The founders of A Home Within were keenly aware of the inadequate availability of mental health services for young people in foster care. To address that, A Home Within offers free, relationship-based therapy for an indefinite amount of time. “We approach the therapy with the understanding that youth who’ve been in foster care have experienced very serious trauma that was compounded by the dysfunction of the system,” Reed Connell, the organization’s executive director, says. In the three decades since A Home Within was established, the organization has cultivated a community of therapists dedicated not only to supporting the mental well-being of foster youth but also to mentoring other therapists as they hone their skills in the best
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practices of working with youth who have significant histories of trauma. A Home Within further supports volunteer therapists by offering those early in their careers access to numerous professional development resources, including continuing education, high-quality consultations, and the opportunity to engage with a robust network of mental health providers. Additionally, A Home Within empowers new therapists with tools to curate their own private practice by offering members access to a “private practice start-up” guide and ongoing support in becoming a sole proprietor. Connell says their own research findings show statistically significant improvements in symptoms among young people participating in the program. For Coleman, the care, trust, and lifelong commitment the therapists at A Home Within offered was exactly what she needed, and she jumped at the opportunity. Coleman was tired of the merry-go-round of overworked, unfocused, disconnected therapists she’d had over the years. Now 33, Coleman is still loving her A Home Within therapist, a Black woman who Coleman says “speaks my language, accurately interprets my non-verbal communication styles, isn’t intimidated by my demeanor, and under| San Francisco Bay Area |
or foster youth, whose access to mental health services is often short-term, episodic, or compulsory, the voluntary long-term one-on-one therapy provided by A Home Within’s therapists can be transformative. The May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust has long supported A Home Within because it is one of the few organizations that matches foster youth with volunteer therapists who build long-term relationships with youth and commit to working with them for as long as they need. A Home Within is meeting a critical need that has only grown during the COVID pandemic and as mental health challenges continue to be among the top pandemic-related issues cited by youth and youth-serving organizations, A Home Within’s work is more important now than ever."
– Elisabeth Cutler
Senior Program Officer, the May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust
stands my dialect, tonality, and the many other nuances of my Blackness.” “The work that I am doing in therapy has truly helped me come into a better relationship with myself and has created the space for me to do the lifting that I need to do to meet my goals,” Coleman says.
Cheers to Another 30 Years of EXTRAORDINARY Therapy
I
n celebration of the upcoming 30th anniversary of the founding of A Home Within, the organization seeks to raise $300,000 to help secure decades more free high-quality therapy for foster youth. The funding will allow the nonprofit to expand its community of therapists even further while also investing in a diverse mental health workforce by offering more training and mentorship for early-career therapists of color. “We need your support to have another extraordinary 30 years and help thousands more foster youth,” says Executive Director Reed Connell.
A Home Within volunteers gather at an in-person chapter event this year.
There are over 391,000 children and youth in foster care across the country, and research finds that mental and behavioral health care is their largest unmet need. We need your help to meet the needs of the hundreds of current and former foster youth on our waitlist.
“W
hen I became an AHW volunteer, I had lingering doubts — I wondered if my contribution was actually necessary or impactful. Now, I have discovered working outside of the mental health system liberates and expands my ability to provide health care rather than focus primarily on symptom reduction for financial reimbursement. Contributing and responding to a new health care model has inspired and revealed the benefits of whole person interventions.”
– Candice Simonds
AHW Chief Program Officer & Volunteer
Artwork by Poe the Creator, an artist with lived experience in foster care that AHW has had the pleasure of collaborating with.
A Home Within www.ahomewithin.org 195 41st St. #11172 Oakland, CA 94611 (510) 387-7518
“I'm so impressed — and inspired — with the courage and growth in my clients.” - AHW Volunteer
Contact: Reed Connell Executive Director (510) 387-7518 rconnell@ahomewithin.org
KEY SUPPORTERS May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust Sarnat-Hoffman Family Foundation In-N-Out Burger Foundation Kaiser Permanente MYDAR Foundation Glass Half Full Foundation Mental Insight Foundation Aviv Foundation The Louis and Harold Price Foundation CASA organizations throughout California Foster Care Research Group at the University of San Francisco 11 California Family Foundations Over 350 Individual Donors
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: A Home Within 195 41st St. #11172 Oakland, CA 94611
| www.thegivinglist.com |
By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 94-3402610 By Credit Card:
www.ahomewithin.org
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CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF INTEGRAL STUDIES
California Institute of Integral Studies Is Building a Diverse Mental Health Workforce “W
e are honored to support CIIS in its transformative work of healing and communitybuilding. If we can make it easier for students to become the best therapists they can be, we want to do that. Everyone deserves to thrive. This is why we give with all our hearts.” Emerging Black Clinicians and members of CIIS' Class of 2023: Ahsabi-Monique Burris, Ashley Kellem, and Jennifer Larsh. All three graduates are now working toward licensure as therapists in the community, using Black Psychology frameworks at agencies throughout the Bay Area.
A
s Rachel Bryant, a Black-Latina alumna of the counseling psychology graduate program at California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco, prepared to take a state-mandated test needed to become a licensed therapist, a fellow classmate of color who’d already completed the exam told her: “Just think like a white man and you’ll pass.” A decade later, as mental health crises deepen and California’s population becomes ever-more diverse, Bryant now serves as Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at her alma mater. “The fact that diverse clinicians and their clients still need to think outside their cultural contexts and norms to navigate the mental healthcare system underscores the urgent need to increase the number of therapists who can offer holistic healing in their communities,” she says. CIIS has a storied reputation in the Bay Area as a culturally forward institution with a variety
“I
felt seen, held, cared for, and educated in a way I have never experienced in my life. I now have tools that were created specifically to uplift my community.”
– Anonymous CIIS student, and clinical trainee
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of holistic and spiritual classes not typically offered in standard counseling programs, such as somatic psychology, indigenous wellness, LGBTQ+ perspectives, Black Psychology, and drama therapy. “The history of the profession of counseling psychology has really been centered around the dominant culture,” says Dr. Danielle Drake, CIIS’ Dean of Faculty Development, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. “Alternative offerings tend to work well with historically underserved communities because they more closely mirror the ways that people of color relate to one another.” The school also supports trainees through initiatives like the Emerging Black Clinicians Fellowship, and in 2022 launched the Center for Black and Indigenous Praxis, which counters academic inequity with inclusive pedagogy and mentorship. CIIS provides $10,000 diversity scholarships to help offset tuition and other expenses such as books, transportation, childcare, and required personal therapy, which can cost upwards of $200 an hour. The scholarships are essential in alleviating some of the financial barriers that can prevent marginalized students from becoming licensed therapists: affording and balancing graduate school with job and family needs, and then working for low pay during the 3,000 hours of postgraduate training required by the state. Dr. Drake says the field needs more clinicians | San Francisco Bay Area |
– Michael & Gityjoon Hebel Longtime CIIS donors
of color not just in provider, supervisor, and professor roles, but also in county and state mental health positions where they can influence funding streams and regulations that alter the pathways to how clinicians gain licensure. “As the field changes and becomes more diverse, we need to be able to respond in kind – bolstering the workforce pipeline with the support necessary to train a new, more diverse generation of licensed therapists with culturally relevant resources and mentorship,” she says.
Prior to her work at CIIS, Rachel Bryant (left) administered behavioral health services at the Alameda County Public Health Department and the Mental Health Association of San Francisco. CIIS Dean Danielle Drake (right) also serves clients at the Rafiki Coalition for Health & Wellness in the Bayview/Hunters Point community of San Francisco.
Making Mental Health Therapy Culturally Accessible ith the explosive need for mental health services in the wake of the pandemic, which disproportionately impacted communities of color, California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) is seeking $100,000 in donations – which will W be matched with a $100,000 gift from the school’s board – to build a pipeline for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) to advance from graduate students to professional mental health clinicians. CIIS SUGGESTS THREE TIERS OF DONATIONS: $1,500 - Provides 1 year of professional mentorship. $5,000 - Secures 1 year of financial support for a therapist-in-training. $15,000 - Funds 1 year of culturally relevant programs for clinical trainees.
Roughly 30% of California’s licensed therapists are swiftly approaching retirement age—a looming crisis that will only exacerbate the state’s already-acute shortage of mental health workers. SCAN TO MAKE A DONATION...
CIIS maintains active partnerships with nearly 150 respected Bay Area nonprofits and government agencies, where CIIS students complete practicum training with vulnerable populations. These include La Casa de las Madres, Homeless Prenatal Program, Instituto Familiar de la Raza, HealthRIGHT 360, UCSF, and the Oakland and San Francisco Unified School Districts.
California Institute of Integral Studies 1453 Mission Street San Francisco, CA 94103 www.ciis.edu (415) 483-5127
Contact: Rachel Bryant Vice President of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion rbryant@ciis.edu (415) 917-3771
...AND LEARN MORE ABOUT CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF INTEGRAL STUDIES
KEY SUPPORTERS California Department of Health Care Access & Information San Francisco Department of Public Health Bothin Foundation California Wellness Foundation Evolve Foundation Fetzer Institute Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation Templeton World Charity Foundation William G. Irwin Charity Foundation Union Bank/U.S. Bank Association of Black Psychologists, Bay Area Chapter Association of Ramaytush Ohlone GLIDE Memorial Church Huckleberry Youth Services Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies Rafiki Coalition for Health & Wellness Angela Alioto Angela Davis Helen Desai Michael & Gityjoon Hebel Jon Kabat-Zinn Joanna Macy Lynne Twist Alice Walker
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: California Institute of Integral Studies Attn: Office of Advancement Memo: The Giving List 1453 Mission Street San Francisco, CA 94103
| www.thegivinglist.com |
By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 94-2254303 Memo: The Giving List By Credit Card:
www.ciis.edu/the-giving-list
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COMMUNITIES UNITED FOR RESTORATIVE YOUTH JUSTICE
CURYJ Is Helping Once Incarcerated Youth Find ‘Their Voice and Power’ "W
e share a long-standing, meaningful relationship and know that our enduring partnership will now bear fruit. The Oscar Grant Youth Power Zone, grounded in a commitment to racial solidarity and radical community transformation, will not only bring vital services and programs to Oakland youth, but will be a safe space that’s both nurturing and inspirational."
– Dr. Robert K. Ross President and CEO, The California Endowment
CURYJ's new home at the Oscar Grant Youth Power Zone at Fruitvale Station will open in May 2024.
B
y age 17, Xochtil Larios had experienced the foster care system, homelessness, and incarceration in juvenile hall for “like my fourth time.” Upon her release, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ, pronounced “courage”) stepped in and changed her life. They helped her apply for housing for transitional-age foster youth, offered her a paid internship, and then hired her to teach critical life and leadership skills to currently incarcerated youth – tools that helped her beat the odds. Larios went on to become a Soros Open Society Justice Fellow, a recipient of the California Endowment Youth Awards, and a Laney College grad who aspires to lead CURYJ someday. CURYJ “believed in me versus labeled me… so that I can be the leader that I never thought I would be,” says Larios, also a youth commissioner for Alameda County’s Juvenile Justice Commission. The East Oakland-based nonprofit works with young people, mostly in Alameda County, who have been affected by the justice system. Their goal is to end youth incarceration in the state. Since most incarcerated people have experienced trauma, part of CURYJ’s work is to help their clients move from their traumatized selves to their authentic selves so they can “find their voice and power and lean into their innate leadership,” says Executive Director George Galvis. CURYJ was born in late 2010 when its co-founders set out to defeat local gang injunctions that typically criminalized Black and Brown people, Galvis says. They knew that defendants of these restraining orders would need support creating a new vision for their lives and communities. Today, the nonprofit is creating its first “youth power zone” at BART’s Fruitvale Station, where Oscar Grant was infamously killed by a transit officer on New Year’s Day in 2009. This intentional community will offer their young people leadership and workforce development, life skills, and culturally-rooted healing. “The safest communities don’t have the most police or the most
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prisons. They have the most resources – and we’re trying to provide resources to our community through this space,” Galvis says. Designed to serve as a national model for what decarceration can look like, the Oscar Grant Youth Power Zone will include program space for youth leadership development, organizing, legal services, arts and cultural activism, as well as a digital media lab and a multi-purpose gathering and events space. An arts café will employ the young people they serve while helping to fund the nonprofit’s work. The youth power zone will enable society to divest from systems that have caused harm and trauma to families and communities of color while replacing them with spaces and opportunities for these formerly incarcerated young people to “heal, grow, and thrive,” Galvis says. “It’s an alternative to incarceration,” he said. “CURYJ unlocks the leadership of young people to dream beyond bars.”
| San Francisco Bay Area |
Participants in CURYJ's Youth Policy Summit at the organization's Fruitvale Community Garden.
Help Build the Community Infrastructure to END Youth Incarceration
“[A
s youth] we skipped school because we didn’t like it, we don’t like the system, then we go outside, we get tickets, citations, we go in and out of juvenile hall, it’s always that system. We can’t ever level up… OGYPZ will be a safe place where youth can go, they’ll be actually provided resources. For example, the OGYPZ will have a café that will be a place for youth to work, it will show youth how to run a business; it’s a start, it’s a café, but you have an idea of how to start a business.”
C
ommunities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ) is seeking $1 million to complete fundraising for the first phase of its Oscar Grant Youth Power Zone, which is slated to open in May 2024 at Fruitvale Station. The project will serve as a larger home base for CURYJ and the formerly incarcerated young people they serve, wrapping them with a continuum of care through a mix of in-house programming and strategic partnerships. “It’s really just about having a place where they feel loved, supported, and safe,” says CURYJ Executive Director George Galvis. “It’s a home away from home.”
– Brenda Gomez
CURYJ Dream Beyond Bars Fellow
With the closure of the DJJ, we are seeing a "net-widening" effect with more youth being locked up for lower-level offenses. The number of youth in the secure unit at Juvenile Hall has jumped from 3 to 23 in just one year. KEY SUPPORTERS
Executive Director George Galvis leads CURYJ staff and youth participants at the Quest 4 Democracy in Sacramento.
Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice www.curyj.org 1946 Embarcadero Oakland, CA 94606 (510) 842-9365
Contact: Jessica Miller Director of Development (707) 477-5600 jmiller@curyj.org
Alcibie Alliance Aleah Bacquie Vaughn Andrus Family Fund Dorsey Nunn Galaxy Gives Ken Oliver Nick Tilsen Quinn Delaney Shawn Ginright Shiree Teng Sierra Health Foundation Stephanie Autumn The California Endowment The San Francisco Foundation TOMS Zellerbach Family Foundation
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, dba CURYJ 490 Lake Park Ave Ste 16086 Oakland, CA 94610
| www.thegivinglist.com |
By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 27-5008441 By Credit Card:
www.curyj.org/donate/
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EAST BAY CHILDREN'S LAW OFFICES
Advocating for the Most Vulnerable Children To Be Seen and Heard
EBCLO currently represents 191 young adults who are working, going school, or otherwise engaging in extended foster care services. Extended foster care serves as a safety net for youth until age 21 and has provided thousands of EBCLO clients needed stability and financial support since the program began in 2012.
“W
e would love it if kids didn’t need to go through a legal process that removed them from their family’s home at all,” says Kristin Mateer, the executive director of East Bay Children’s Law Offices (EBCLO). If families could be supported within their community, the 1,700 Alameda County kids EBCLO serves each year would not need representation in juvenile dependency court at all. Until then, EBCLO fills an essential and ever-vigilant role. From Oakland, EBCLO operates in a complex child welfare system where legal advocacy is often the best and only recourse. Beyond striving for the best possible outcomes for the children they work with, managing complicated cases (sometimes as many as 100 children’s cases per lawyer and social worker), and traveling to meet each of their child clients where they are (a collective 70,000 miles per year for kids who live in foster homes in and outside of the county), the heart of their work is, well, heart. “Ensuring that children know that their opinion matters in the important decisions being made about their lives by lots of other adults is critical,” says Mateer. The EBCLO team’s holistic approach means that, in addition to amplifying children’s voices in court proceedings, they are also playing many other roles and constantly assessing the children’s need for support in other areas of their lives: educational, mental health, and development support, to name just a few. The EBCLO team knows that while the work is complex, it is critical that they do it, even if the positive results sometimes take years to be seen. Mateer remembers the case of a young man named Andrew who
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Our young adult clients live in 50 different cities across California, and even out of state, as they build community with relatives, go away to college, or remain in the community in which they grew up. We take the time to visit them where they live, work, and study.
had been a client in the dependency system for many years but became addicted to drugs before he disappeared without a word upon emancipation. That was eight years ago. In May, Andrew reached out to Mateer, wanting to reconnect. “He’s been sober for two years and has a steady job driving a truck. He did that on his own, and yet somehow he remembered me,” Mateer shared, recalling what Andrew shared about his journey to stability in his adulthood. “It’s the best job in the world, and I feel really privileged to do it.”
"W
hen we give, we want to make sure that our contribution is put to good use and used where it matters. EBCLO is such an organization — from the holistic approach they take to advocating for youth (across the courtroom, schools, social welfare system, and wherever the youth need it most), to the way they commit to influencing systemic change at the county and state levels, one step at a time. As a board member, I have been impressed by the standards that EBCLO leadership, lawyers, and social workers hold themselves to, ensuring they are doing the best they can for their young clients. Join me in supporting EBCLO in their fight for the best possible outcomes for youth in our community by donating today!”
| San Francisco Bay Area |
– EBCLO Board Secretary Charmaine Wong and her hus band, Daniel Kim
Helping Children To Be Seen and Heard he 18 lawyers and six social workers of East Bay Children’s Law Offices (EBCLO) represent hundreds of children and youth who have been abused or neglected. State funding and federal matching dollars only cover a bare T minimum of the nonprofit’s needs.
Donations from private donors can help lighten the burden on lawyers who manage over 100 cases a year and also enable the nonprofit to provide more holistic support for children whose needs go well beyond the four walls of the courtroom. This includes the Community-based Advocacy for Resources and Education (CARE) program, which provides intensive and individualized education and mental health support for children and youth. In 2024, EBCLO will be celebrating its 15th anniversary and looks forward to celebrating its anniversary with the community!
EBCLO lawyers and social workers made sure children were seen and heard at 4,388 separate juvenile court hearings. "H
ow did EBCLO help me? Where do I start?! It is so important to have a lawyer — it’s someone who can vouch for you and be another voice for you when you can’t talk. Sarah was that for me. And she listened. She was reliable — she was always there and making things happen. She constantly asked me if I wanted to come to court and was always willing to come see me at home or school or wherever. She made me feel comfortable. It was like having an extra auntie.”
– Keke D.
EBCLO Youth Voices Group Leader and Former EBCLO Client
In 2022, 73 young adults exited the system after completing extended foster care at age 21.
In 2022, 88 children had their cases closed because they entered legal guardianships; another 94 children were adopted.
East Bay Children's Law Offices www.ebclo.org 80 Swan Way, Suite 300 Oakland, California 94621 (510) 496-5200
Contact: Kristin Mateer Executive Director (510) 496-5261 kristin.mateer@ebclo.org
KEY SUPPORTERS Younger Family Fund Zellerbach Family Foundation The Greg Smith Charitable Fund Bernard E. & Alba Witkin Charitable Foundation Sky Ranch Foundation Van Loben Sels/RembeRock Foundation The Morris Stulsaft Foundation Firedoll Foundation Jennifer & Steve Roop Bigglesworth Family Foundation Share the Spirit In-N-Out Burger Foundation Susan Cody The Barrios Trust Tri-Universal, Inc. William G. Gilmore Foundation Advanced Cooling Technolgies, Inc. Daniel Kim & Charmaine Wong Chip & Becky Conradi James McElhinney Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe Sidney Stern Memorial Trust Venable Foundation
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: East Bay Children’s Law Offices, Inc. 80 Swan Way, Suite 300 Oakland, California 94621
| www.thegivinglist.com |
By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 26-4504468 By Credit Card:
ebclo.networkforgood.com
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YOUTH LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Youth Leadership Institute Is Inspiring Today’s Youth To Speak Up and Create Change “Y
outh Leadership Institute is the antidote to doom scrolling on your phone - young people energized and creating solutions in their community.”
– James Wiley,
Principal Counsel & Senior Manager at Apple
Winners of the YLI Youth Fund Award discuss their project, The Stop Asian Discrimination project, with NBC Bay Area News reporter Gia Vang. This project addresses Asian discrimination and advocates for more American high schools to raise awareness on the topic and pay more attention to their Asian American students.
Y
outh Leadership Institute (YLI) is redefining leadership for the youth of 21st century America. Faced with deepening inequities in their communities, traditionally underrepresented youth have searched for a way to make their voices heard. YLI is their megaphone. Located throughout California, YLI and its team of trained adult mentors guide marginalized young people in how to be inspiring advocates so they can create and effect change. CEO Patricia Barahona recognizes the importance of YLI’s mission, because they were a person who felt unseen and unheard in their youth. “We work with non-traditional young people across the state of California to ensure that young people who feel disconnected and marginalized feel that they are at the center of change,” they say. “It’s something that I always craved as a young person. And Barahona now sees it at work every day. Embedded in many schools across the state, YLI members meet with students to identify what is really happening in their communities, what needs to change, and how to improve the community experience. YLI workshops involve leadership development training, they teach how to facilitate a youth meeting, how to develop a compelling case
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for an issue, and how to identify, study, and analyze research allowing for more thoughtful and successful issue advocacy. Their model is working. To date, YLI has effected over 130 policy changes throughout the state of California. And they’re just getting started. YLI boasts many individual success stories as well. When Fahad Qurashi found YLI, he was awash in despair and anger. The son of Pakistani immigrants, Qurashi grew up in east San Jose, keenly aware of the economic disparity and inequity all around him. By the time he was 18, he had already been incarcerated for a few years and smoked a pack of cigarettes a day because, as he says, “it just didn’t matter.” He joined YLI simply because there were few organizations that would help him build his résumé, which already had a felony on it. While there, he became interested in the tobacco prevention program, ironically. It was an epiphany to discover the targeting of youth and predatory practices of tobacco companies. YLI helped Qurashi discover that he could work within the system to combat the forces that were systematically oppressing him and people like him. He became a program assistant at YLI, and rose within the ranks to ultimately become Bay Area Director. From there, Qurashi left YLI and became | San Francisco Bay Area |
a successful private consultant. Recently, when some students in Marin felt particularly unsafe in school bathrooms, because as Barahona explains, “For folks who are trans or gender queer, non-conforming, or non-binary, the bathroom can become an awkward space and doesn’t always feel super welcoming,” Youth Leadership Institute went to work on their behalf. YLI participants quickly came to understand how the problem and solution for these Marin students impacted their allies and their peers, and they rallied support for a policy change. They used what YLI had taught them, harnessed their voices and their power, and were able to procure gender-neutral bathrooms for these students.
Journalists of Color reporters Gloria Flores and Jazmin Alvarado interview Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the First Partner of California, at the Capitol building in Sacramento during a press conference discussing the effects of social media on mental health.
Your Donation Powers Youth Voice and Community Change outh Leadership Institute (YLI) helps harness and shape the energy, passion, and voice for those who are Y traditionally unheard and unrepresented. With proprietary
training tools and a team of adult mentors, their innovative workshops help create effective policy change. A $5,000 donation helps fund YLI’s youth development model workshops that focus on leadership, research, storytelling, and campaigns that ultimately change communities. Your donation can also change the life trajectory of someone just like Fahad Qurashi, a Pakistani immigrant, who went from being incarcerated to joining the staff of YLI. He is now the Chief Programming Officer.
YLI youth march against climate change and call for clean energy in their communities.
It costs $5,000 per year to provide programming to each young person at YLI - donate now to increase the amount of youth leaders in California!
YLI youth celebrate the reveal of a new mural at McNamara Skate Park. The mural is the culmination of a Youth Fund Award winning project led by Young Revolutionary Front.
“I
would tell any superintendent or school board member that the gold standard for student voice is going to come through a partnership with YLI.”
– Todd Lile
Superintendent, Madera Unified School District
Youth Leadership Institute www.yli.org 209 9th Street, Suite 200 San Francisco, CA 94103 (628) 400-9252
Contact: Tim Haydock Chief Development and Communications Officer (626) 375-6513 thaydock@yli.org
Bay Area YLI youth attending a Help@Hand event. Help@Hand is a program in partnership with San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services that helps to reduce the stigma associated with mental health in transitional age youth (15-25 years).
KEY SUPPORTERS Brandon Brown Maureen Sedonaen William Leitsch
Ivoree King Kenneth Preston Karissa Yee Findley
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: 209 9th Street, Suite 200 San Francisco, CA 94103
| www.thegivinglist.com |
By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 68-0184712 By Credit Card:
www.yli.org/donate
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A Philanthropic Leader Paving the Way for Equity in San Francisco By Brian Rinker
J
amie Allison, an experienced leader in philanthropy, is on a mission to catalyze meaningful change in the eclectic San Francisco Bay Area. Originally from Tennessee, Allison has cultivated deep roots in San Francisco for more than 20 years. Her daily enthusiasm for the city’s beauty and potential is palpable. Recently, while driving on Market Street with her godsons, Asher and Kyle, the view of downtown appeared before them. Allison bounced in her seat, grateful for and astonished by its splendor. “This is home for me. I 100% absolutely love San Francisco. I love waking up here every day and I get excited about the city every single day,” Allison says. With over two decades working in philanthropy, Allison has steered the Walter & Elise Haas Fund for the last six years as its executive director, furthering its mission to keep the San Francisco Bay Area vibrant and healthy so that everyone can thrive. In a conversation with The Giving List, Allison shares details about the Walter & Elise Haas Fund’s latest initiatives to address wealth disparities in the Bay Area and discusses her vision for driving philanthropic change for the betterment of San Francisco and its residents. Q: Could you share your journey in philanthropy and how you came to be involved with the Walter & Elise Haas Fund? A: I always knew that I wanted to have a career that was community-oriented, values-based, and mission-based. My mother worked for the public school system. My father was career military. We were a family that volunteered together. I grew up with a real sense of civic engagement and civic responsibility. My start in philanthropy began when I was working for the City of Chattanooga and I was recruited for a position at the Lyndhurst Foundation. I didn’t know much about institutional philanthropy but the office was next door to my house. I thought this was going to be amazing – zero commute. The job did turn out to be amazing. In addition to being next door, it launched me into a deeply fulfilling career in philanthropy. Can you highlight a particularly inspiring or impactful project or partnership that the Haas Fund has been a part of recently? It’s no secret that the San Francisco Bay Area has huge in-
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come and wealth disparities. This is both a community that has great wealth and a community where far too many families are struggling in poverty. One of Walter & Elise Haas Fund’s biggest efforts is to close the racial and gender wealth gap. This year, we announced a new initiative called Endeavor Fund – a $24.5 million investment in organizations that are supporting education, workforce development, and policy. The goal is to help create a Bay Area for all of us; where we can all live with dignity. I’m really proud of this particular work. We have a cohort of grantees who are part of the Endeavour Fund and all of them are receiving $500,000 a year each year for seven years. Could you elaborate on how the Walter & Elise Haas Fund’s recent commitment of $500,000 as a grant represents a shift in your approach to funding nonprofit partners, and how you envision this larger commitment impacting the nonprofit organizations you support? We recognize the nonprofit sector as the essential workers for philanthropy. Philanthropy can’t achieve any of its goals with-
| San Francisco Bay Area |
out nonprofit partners. We think a lot about how philanthropy should treat its closest partners. The nonprofit sector has been really clear about what they want from us as partners: longer-term grants and larger grants, and they want to spend less time on administrative burdens and more time doing the work. For the Walter & Elise Haas Fund, $500,000 is a huge commitment from us. Over the last decade, our average grant was $50,000. We want the nonprofit sector to be funded in ways that they can provide high-quality jobs for the people who work inside the nonprofits that are fueling the work in the community that we all want. Can you highlight a particularly inspiring or impactful organization that the fund is supporting as part of the Endeavor Fund? Yes, one of the organizations is the East Bay Community Law Center. It provides legal services to primarily low-income women of color in the East Bay – anything from wage theft to disputes with a landlord. During COVID-19, Alameda County had the longest and most robust eviction protection in the county because the East Bay Community Law Center helped write the policy, linking the moratorium on evictions to the declaration of the public health emergency. As a result, low-income families who had lost wages and lost jobs were able to stay in their homes. The organization not only does direct services helping people with individual legal cases, but also can identify trends and pain points where families are struggling, and then work with policymakers to try to address those struggles at scale. Your bio mentions a focus on advancing liberation and community transformation. Can you elaborate on the definition? For me, advancing liberation and community transformation is about self-determination and privilege. I consider my-
“We recognize the nonprofit sector as the essential workers for philanthropy. Philanthropy can’t achieve any of its goals without nonprofit partners.” self to be a privileged person. Because, as I go through my life, all day, every day, I have enough protective factors that allow me and my family to make decisions between really good options, even on our worst days. For folks who are less privileged, all day every day, even on their best day, they’re choosing between really crummy options: ‘Am I paying rent today? Am I buying medication today? Am I paying for extracurricular activities for my child? How do I make all of these puzzle pieces fit together?’ On their worst day, if something happens, the options that they have are even worse, and that can cause a spiral of despair; that’s how you get into medical bankruptcy; that’s how you lose your job. My personal commitment and the work that I do at the Walter & Elise Haas Fund is to create a community where there are enough protective factors financially and socially so that on anyone’s worst day, they can get through any difficult situation without spiraling into the depths of despair.
Panel at the 2019 National Center for Family Philanthropy National Forum. (Photo Courtesy of Jamie Allison)
| www.thegivinglist.com |
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
Getting Needed Health Care - The Deepening Crisis Needing medical care and not being able to find or afford it shouldn’t be an issue in a country as medically advanced, rich, and modern as ours.
| www.thegivinglist.com |
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Mental Health Staff, Bed Shortages Delay Critical Care for Bay Area Residents Amid Growing Demand BY BRENDA GAZZAR
O
hlhoff Recovery Programs Executive Director Arlene Stanich-Prince has witnessed the barriers her clients face in accessing treatment in the Bay Area again and again. But she also knows this from personal experience. Her husband, insured by a prominent managed care organization, had to wait four months to see a mental health professional several years ago, and then was allowed to see that person only five times. If he wanted to continue his sessions, he’d have to see another therapist and start the process all over again – so he decided to go outside of the organization for help. “I finally [told him], ‘We’ve got to do this on our own,’” Stanich-Prince said. This example illustrates one of the primary challenges in accessing mental health care in the Bay Area: a lack of mental health professionals. “It’s difficult to get therapy appointments,” said Michael Lighty, president of the statewide Healthy California Now coalition, which is dedicated to establishing a single-payer healthcare system in the state. “There’s a shortage of therapists and insurance coverage is inadequate in many cases. The big medical systems like Kaiser [Permanente] aren’t adequately staffed so that you can easily get an individual appointment and there can be difficulties in getting specialist appointments.” Indeed, there is “a terrible dearth” of folks who are trained and especially willing to service this population, a phenomenon that “probably COVID accelerated,” said Dr. Fumi Mitsuishi, director of UC San Francisco’s Division of Citywide Case Management Programs, which treats adults with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance misuse in an outpatient setting. As a result, UCSF is seeing between 25 percent and 35 percent vacant positions among social workers who do case management, marriage and family therapists, psychiatrists, and psychologists, Mitsuishi said.
One reason for the shortage is that there are now more options for mental health professionals that allow them greater work-life balance, including expanded telehealth options. “There are more opportunities for mental health clinicians to choose how they want to practice and align their practice style and context with their needs,” said Amanda Brewster, an assistant professor of health policy and management at University of California, Berkeley. “That means that people aren’t necessarily needing to live in a high-cost area, like the Bay Area, to do a good business.” Most of the case managers that UCSF hires for the Citywide program can’t afford to live in the city, where one needs at least $95,000 a year to afford a studio
Arlene Stanich-Prince, Executive Director of Ohlhoff Recovery Programs.
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
Dr. Fumi Mitsuishi, Director of UC San Francisco’s Division of Citywide Case Management Programs.
apartment, Mitsuishi added. The university’s starting salary is considered below poverty level in the city. “It’s a hard proposition to say, ‘Hey, do you want to take this job that will take so much of your heart, mind and use so much of your skills and licensure and work for $72,000 a year and not afford to live in the city and never afford to buy a home?’” Mitsuishi said.
A second possible reason for the shortage is that the mental health workforce, which has challenging jobs to begin with, appears to have been traumatized by the COVID pandemic, Mitsuishi said. The high demand it created for mental health treatment also created a subsequent exodus on the part of some professionals. The public or community-focused mental healthcare delivery systems – which are staffed and organized through nonprofit organizations, community-based organizations, or publicly funded healthcare systems – have been particularly hard hit, Berkeley’s Brewster said. That’s because they are more constrained in the kind of wages they can offer to attract providers and how fast they can scale up the workforce in response to growing demand, she said. “Those systems are especially pinched as we see growing demand for the workforce and growing competition to hire experts in clinicians and mental health,” she said. This means patients are facing longer wait times to receive treatment – often weeks or months – to get access to the specialist providers they need, thereby increasing their risk. “Time really is of the essence when somebody is ready to seek care,” Brewster said. Meanwhile, California is also facing a shortage of inpatient psychiatric beds as psychiatric hospitals and units have shuttered over the years while demand rises. Sonoma County, for example, lost two psychiatric hospitals in 2007 and 2008 over financial concerns, according to
Senior citizens of Peninsula Volunteers, Inc. enjoying some board games with their community. | www.thegivinglist.com |
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Jim Beall, retired state senator.
local media. While at least one other facility has opened since then, the demand is reportedly still far from being met. Such psychiatric facilities are “not profitable,” explained Healthy California Now’s Lighty. “Private insurance doesn’t cover them. Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program) reimbursement levels are low and inpatient psychiatric treatment is very expensive, so they essentially dump them onto the public sector and the public sector doesn’t have the resources.” In August, Good Samaritan Hospital closed its 18-bed inpatient psychiatric facility at its Mission Oaks campus in Los Gatos,
citing staffing shortages as the main reason. That left Santa Clara County, which declared a mental health crisis in 2022, with less than 200 inpatient psychiatric beds when it needs nearly four times as much to meet California Hospital Association standards, according to a July 2 Mercury News report. “This is more than just the number of beds and the number of patients,” retired state Sen. Jim Beall told the publication. “It won’t be just 18 people, it’ll be hundreds of people pushed into different levels of care.” Due to the shortage of such units, patients with mental illnesses often end up staying in hospitals longer because there is no next level of care to discharge them to, Mitsuishi said. Sadly, they can also end up in jail or unhoused if they don’t get treatment. San Francisco Mayor London Breed has been working to expand treatment beds for those suffering from mental health and substance use disorders. She announced in 2021 that the city will be adding more than 400 new treatment beds for this population, a 20 percent increase in the city’s residential treatment capacity. The mayor said it would remove bottlenecks in the system by helping people move into lower, less costly levels of care when they were ready. “Each one of these placement facilities takes a tremendous amount of time and effort to make happen, but we should see the benefits for years to come,” Breed said in a news release. The high cost of treatment for mental health conditions like addiction recovery – and the challenge of dealing with insurance companies – is another obstacle. Even with a doctor’s referral, it’s “like pulling teeth” for patients to get coverage for addiction treatment programs, explained Ohlhoff Recovery’s Stanich-Prince.
“... many nonprofits in the Bay Area are effectively alleviating the growing mental health crisis by helping people – still reeling from record inflation last year – meet their basic needs.” 36
| San Francisco Bay Area |
“It’s really one sided,” she said. “The insurance company gets to decide what they’re going to pay, and for how long… It’s all about money. It’s not about treatment.” Stanich-Prince often gets frantic calls from patients because their insurance companies decide only to pay five or 10 days of a 30-day inpatient drug treatment program, for example, and then cover them for a lower level of care before they are ready. “Then we have to go to our clients and say, ‘Oh, can you pay a little bit of the difference?’ Nobody can pay that. They’re not expecting to pay that so programs like ours lose a lot of money out of just the kindness of our hearts.” Ohlhoff doesn’t accept patients with Medi-Cal, which provides health coverage to low-income people and
Peninsula Volunteers, Inc. staff and members in dance class together.
those with disabilities in the state, or Medicare, which provides coverage to people over 65 and for certain younger people with disabilities, because it would require “a whole other accounting system” and “we couldn’t pay our bills” with the low reimbursements such programs offer, she said. Many who are on public assistance programs like Medi-Cal get served by county recovery programs, which tend to be of lesser quality than private programs and have higher staff turnover, Stanich-Prince said. Moreover, those who have Medi-Cal insurance tend to have more disruptions in their coverage, which can prevent them from seeking or receiving mental health treatment, said Berkeley’s Brewster. They can become ineligible due to income changes or for simply failing to complete the appropriate paperwork to re-enroll each year. There was a pause in states disenrolling people from Medicaid programs during the federal government’s COVID public health emergency. But since it ended in May, many people are finding themselves disenrolled and without health insurance. “The sense across the country is that people of all ages are losing access,” Brewster said in September. Meanwhile, many nonprofits in the Bay Area are effectively alleviating the growing mental health crisis by helping people – still reeling from record inflation last year – meet their basic needs. Peninsula Volunteers, Inc. offers safety net services such Lisa Truong, Founder and Executive Director of Help a Mother Out.
| www.thegivinglist.com |
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“Despite the importance of philanthropic dollars in supporting seniors, only two percent of total American philanthropic dollars go to seniors …” as Meals on Wheels, an adult day care service, and a senior center that allow seniors to age in place where they have better health and mental health outcomes, said Peter Olson, the organization’s CEO. Clients and their families don’t have to worry about where their next meal is coming from or how they can keep their father with dementia at home when they can’t be there all the time, he said.
“We provide them an opportunity to bring an individual to a place where they are loved and cared for and that gives peace of mind to the individual and especially to the caregiver,” he said. Philanthropy is “a huge piece” of being able to operate and support these seniors – and makes up about half of the nonprofit’s overall revenue, Olson said. While it gets some funding from the government, it mostly relies on fundraising and
Peninsula Volunteers, Inc. lei-making workshop.
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
Help a Mother Out client, baby, and social worker.
But many are now getting laid off from the tech sector. Meanwhile, Help a Mother Out can now serve only 19 percent of eligible families. “We’re trying to make this universal – like every baby deserves diapers, right?” Truong said. “If you can take away that headache from a family, that’s huge.”
(Photo courtesy of Help a Mother Out)
payments for services for those who can afford it. (They find subsidies for others.) Despite the importance of philanthropic dollars in supporting seniors, only two percent of total American philanthropic dollars go to seniors, he said. “We tend to forget the people that built the communities,” Olson said. The nonprofit Help a Mother Out gives diapers, which are not covered under federal assistance programs like food stamps or Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), to needy families in the Bay Area. A one month’s supply of new diapers, which is critical for a baby’s health, can cost up to $100 a month. “When a mother is able to meet the basic needs of her baby, then that means better mental health outcomes for everybody,” Executive Director Lisa Truong said, citing a 2013 study in the Journal of Pediatrics that found that an adequate supply of diapers can reduce parenting stress, which influences child health and development. But as the gap between the haves and have-nots widens, nonprofit organizations are dealing with fewer dollars from the state, which is facing a huge budget deficit, as well as from grassroots donors, which Truong described as “the bread and butter” of her nonprofit’s funding. The average gift from these donors can range from $100 to $1,000.
| www.thegivinglist.com |
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HELP A MOTHER OUT
Help Keep Every Baby Clean and Healthy
Caregivers said that having enough diapers helps their children to be more comfortable, sleep better, have less diaper rash, and cry less. 96% say their child is healthier after receiving diapers from HAMO.
A
ll parents want their babies to grow up happy, healthy, and well cared for. But with diapers costing a monthly $100 per child, half of families in the United States struggle to afford a healthy supply of diapers for their babies (source: The NDBN Diaper Check, 2023). Despite the need, diapers are not covered under federal safety net programs like food stamps or WIC. “Families are having to make impossible choices. It is not uncommon for us to hear that caregivers are going without meals in order to provide their children with enough diapers,” says Lisa Truong, the founder and executive director of Help a Mother Out (HAMO). According to HAMO’s annual survey of diaper retailers, the cost of diapers has risen 43% since 2020, forcing parents to scramble to make ends meet. “Diaper need is an economic justice issue. But there is a lot of individual shame around it. Caregivers don’t want to tell their social workers that they’re experiencing diaper need because they are afraid of being seen as an unfit parent,” says Truong. Without enough diapers, caregivers are often forced to ration their supply, increasing the risk of infection for their babies. Children can’t attend early start and childcare centers as most programs require parents to provide diapers. Without access to childcare, parents cannot maintain the employment they need to keep their family clothed, fed, and housed. Access to diapers opens doors for parents and their young children – HAMO believes this basic need is the right of every family, and their team works daily to make this a reality. By providing diapers to families that need them, HAMO improves child health, reduces parental stress,
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Help a Mother Out's goal is to ensure parents have what they need to focus on what matters: loving their kids... Instead of worrying about how they will afford their baby’s next clean diaper.
and increases economic stability – with 91% of families saying it is easier to pay their bills and 96% saying their baby is healthier now that they have support from HAMO. From 2022 to 2023, HAMO provided 7,709 local families with over 13.45 million diapers. These numbers show that diaper need is keenly felt in the Bay Area. “At Help a Mother Out, we want to remove this one item from a family’s budget so they can afford food, medicine, and other basic needs,” says Truong. “We have the power to put $100 back into a family’s monthly budget.” Even with the worst of the pandemic behind us, continued economic instability is impacting hard-working families across the Bay Area. By providing diapers, Help a Mother Out makes sure families have one less thing to worry about, giving mothers and their babies the chance to thrive.
| San Francisco Bay Area |
“T
he diaper program has been life-changing. With the money that I don’t spend on diapers, I can buy food for my kids — it makes a big difference. Because right now, when you go to the grocery store, it easily costs $150 for five everyday items.”
– Patricia
Mother of two and HAMO program participant
One in two U.S. families struggles with diaper need (The NDBN Diaper Check 2023), but there is no federal or statewide public assistance program for diapers.
Families participating in HAMO’s diaper programs experience improved economic stability, less stress, increased parenting self-efficacy, better child health, and stronger community connections.
“I
have been involved with HAMO for about 12 years. First, when I worked with a partner that received diapers, then as an employee at HAMO, and later as a volunteer. Now I am thrilled to be part of the Board of Directors. Although I am not a mother myself, I have witnessed in my work and my life the struggles that children and families face when they lack basic necessities. These experiences have fostered a desire to extend a helping hand to uplift those experiencing hardships. I support HAMO because they create a lasting and tangible impact that significantly improves people's quality of life.”
Every $1 Spent Through Help a Mother Out, Saves Families $2
H
elp a Mother Out (HAMO) started in 2009 with a $100 investment and two diaper donation bins. Today, HAMO provides 19% of low-income Bay Area families with free diapers. The team’s vision is to scale the HAMO program until every family receives a healthy supply of diapers. With reliable infrastructure and a cost-effective strategy, HAMO has proved that diaper need is a solvable problem – but they need your help. HAMO is asking for your generosity to raise $1.4 million, in order to scale their services and reach 25% of Bay Area families experiencing diaper need by 2025. And if you donate before the end of 2023, your contribution will be doubled thanks to a donation-match of up to $25,000 from a long-time HAMO supporter. Donate today and help end diaper need so families can focus on what really matters: loving their little ones.
Help a Mother Out www.helpamotherout.org 101 Broadway, Suite 250 Oakland, California 94607
- Claudia Ceseña
Member, Board of Directors
KEY SUPPORTERS 49ers Foundation Apple, Inc.* Barr Charitable Trust California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls East Bay Community Foundation Eat.Learn.Play Foundation Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund Google, Inc.* Intuit* Jewish Community Federation Marin Community Foundation Microsoft*
Contact: Lisa Truong Founder and Executive Director (415) 508-3710 lisa@helpamotherout.org
Netflix* Nvidia* PayPal, Inc.* Peninsula League Salesforce Foundation San Francisco Foundation San Francisco Junior League Silicon Valley Community Foundation Sunlight Giving* thredUp Wells Fargo* *Employer Matching
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: Help a Mother Out 101 Broadway, Suite 250, Oakland, California 94607
| www.thegivinglist.com |
By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 83-2001085 By Credit Card:
www.helpamotherout.org/donate
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OHLHOFF RECOVERY PROGRAMS
Substance Use Treatment Tailored for Every Stage of a Person’s Recovery
F
or the last 65 years, Ohlhoff Recovery Programs has treated people battling drug and alcohol addiction. That experience, together with its abstinence-only and continuum-of-care treatment philosophy, has made Ohlhoff one of San Francisco’s leading addiction treatment centers at a time when the city needs treatment providers most. Arlene Stanich-Prince, Ohlhoff ’s executive director, got sober 22 years ago when it was common to believe you had to “hit rock bottom” before starting the path to recovery. That was before fentanyl arrived on the scene. An opioid 50 times stronger than heroin, fentanyl was responsible for 6,054 overdose deaths in California in 2021 – more than a 1000% increase from 2017, according to state data. “We don’t want people to have to reach what they used to call ‘hitting bottom,’” Stanich-Prince says, “because the bottom today with fentanyl is death.” Urban communities, including San Francisco, struggle to provide durable and practical care to those who need rescuing from the drug epidemic, especially in the era of fentanyl. Enter Ohlhoff. Ohlhoff provides flexible and individualized treatment, including withdrawal management, outpatient services, residential treatment, and aftercare groups to support clients in long-term recovery. Working on the frontlines of the drug epidemic in San Francisco, Ohlhoff recognizes that not all clients are at the same place in their drug use, which is why clients can enter its continuum of care at any point. If the client relapses, they can come back and try again. “We’re not a revolving door, but we don’t give up on people either,” Stanich-Prince says. Ohlhoff ’s residential house has 51 beds and supports male, female, and non-binary clients. For clients who are stable in their recovery with jobs and families but still need support, Ohlhoff has intensive outpatient services. The organization also works with teenagers in high schools, providing free counseling, education, and prevention services to 200 adolescents per year. Ohlhoff has developed deep relationships with a network of com-
For over 60 years, Ohlhoff has been at the forefront of addiction treatment in Northern California. Our campus, located near the iconic Alamo Square, offers all levels of care for those seeking lasting relief from addiction — from non-medical detox services to short and long-term residential, to intensive outpatient programming. Our experienced staff of psychiatrists, addiction counselors, and licensed mental health professionals leverage decades of industry knowledge to offer the most current treatment options available. With our personalized, holistic approach to treatment, we look to maximize our clients’ chances at a long-term, sustainable recovery. We provide multiple levels of care designed to help individuals find their path to recovery.
munity providers over the decades and can link clients struggling with co-occurring disorders – such as eating disorders or schizophrenia – with the appropriate care, Stanich-Prince says. The nonprofit makes it a point to remain affordable and accessible to clients, accepting many different insurance providers and offering sliding scale and scholarship options for those struggling financially.
“G Each month, we invite the men and women from the long-term residential programs for a special activity. Last month they experienced the Ropes Course at San Bruno Mt. State Park. Ropes course therapy can help people develop healthy coping skills. Learning how to cope with challenging situations is a cornerstone of effective treatment. By developing these skills, people can avoid relapse and achieve successful ongoing recovery.
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
ifting to Ohlhoff means you understand the power of living your best life and want others to share in the joy of what is essential on this beautiful journey. Making good choices and helping others is crucial for advancing physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual purposes in this uncertain world. By supporting recovery opportunities for men, women, and youth, we know our families and communities will benefit from these life-changing second chances.”
– Nathan Ogle
Chairman, Board of Governors & Alumni Henry Ohlhoff House
An Urgent Need for Women’s Residential Treatment Beds hlhoff Recovery Programs is raising $300,000 to remodel a brand-new women’s-only residential treatment home with O a communal room, a dining room, private bedrooms, two full
Women face tremendous obstacles when battling drug and alcohol use and the numbers in need of treatment are drastically increasing. Recognizing these burdens and the need for women-specific treatment options, Ohlhoff is expanding a sober facility for women.
bathrooms, and a kitchenette. Arlene Stanich-Prince, the executive director of Ohlhoff Recovery Programs, says the new house will allow women to stay up to six months, allowing those with young children the time and support they need to help mend those relationships. “I had little kids when I went to treatment and the stigma then was horrible, and it still is,” says Stanich-Prince.
Generous donations from grants and individual contributions will help to remodel the facility. Our goal is to create a safe and comfortable home for women in early recovery. Having a place to call home is essential for the healing process.
"I
wake up every morning excited to come to work! Once a week, I facilitate a Heart Talk Process Group and meet with couples and families for private therapy sessions. A person's recovery is built on their strengths, talents, coping abilities, resources, and inherent values. It addresses the whole person and their community, and is supported by peers, friends, and family members."
– Arlene Stanich-Prince, Executive Director , recently celebrated 19 years with Ohlhoff and 22 years of recovery.
KEY SUPPORTERS Board of Governors/ Emeritus Board Members/ Individual Donors: Luis & Nancy Belmonte Timothy Gibbons Michael Dennis Kevin & Devan Martin Nathan Ogle Cully Fredricksen Stephen Donela Denise Lepley Max Yusim Rev. C. Dominic George Burgess Chan Regina Walton Sid Hartnett James Wagner
Ohlhoff Recovery Programs www.ohlhoff.org 601 Steiner Street San Francisco, CA 94117 (415) 621-4388
Dane Shikman John Kirkwood Louis Fletcher Goodmon Joe Kendrick Foundations: DEVTO Foundation Morton Foundation Episcopal Charities Bella Vista (GGS) Foundation Bothin Foundation Wells Fargo Foundation US Bank Foundation Lucas Family Foundation
Contact: Arlene Stanich-Prince Executive Director / CEO (415) 621-4388 x210 aprince@ohlhoff.org
The Many Ways to Give... Arlene Stanich-Prince, Executive Director at Ohlhoff Recovery Programs, helps provide training for students pursuing a degree or licensure in counseling and psychology who wish to learn about substance abuse and co-occurring disorders, the spiritual basis of recovery, the social model of reintegration into the community, and multi-cultural issues.
By Check: Henry Ohlhoff House 601 Steiner Street San Francisco, CA 94117
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By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 94-1422466 By Credit Card:
www.ohlhoff.org/getinvolved
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PENINSULA VOLUNTEERS, INC.
Transforming Aging One Senior at a Time! "P
eninsula Volunteers, Inc. is an extraordinary organization, one that I am so honored to serve and support. My eyes have been further opened to the extent of the ongoing needs of our diverse senior community. It is vital to remember how lonely and challenging aging can be when you lose a spouse or close friends or a loved one struggles with declining health, memory, and nutrition issues. PVI empowers these wonderful seniors and their families with essential programs and activities that enhance their daily wellbeing, freedom, and independence. The staff are outstanding and have such enormous hearts. Our passionate CEO, Peter Olson, takes such pride in the organization and growing PVI’s impact on the way seniors are cared for today and in the years ahead."
– Susan Martin
PVI's Meals on Wheels deliveries are so much more than a meal. PVI's drivers check on our recipient's overall well-being and alert PVI if additional support is needed. Often our driver interaction is the only outside contact our client will experience, making the visit a true lifeline.
P
eninsula Volunteers, Inc. (PVI) was founded in the old-fashioned spirit of charity. A group of forward-thinking women in Menlo Park understood that GI’s returning from the war needed proper child care while they attended college at Stanford University. So they raised funds to start Bing Nursery on the Stanford University campus, which is still in operation today. However, the founding women quickly recognized there was another population with an even greater need for their help: seniors. A long-ignored segment of the population, PVI has focused their efforts for 75 years on helping seniors in the San Francisco Peninsula and Silicon Valley area, with the vital mission to enable seniors to age in place. According to Peter Olson, PVI’s long time CEO/Executive Director, “Seniors live longer, happier, and more fulfilled lives when they are able to stay in their own homes with access to our programs and services to make it possible.” In 1949, PVI launched Little House, the first suburban senior center in the United States. It became the paragon for senior centers that followed. In the ‘70s, they opened Rosener House, a facility for seniors with cognitive issues like Alzheimer’s and dementia, again paving the way for dealing progressively with senior health issues that otherwise were not being openly discussed. The thrust of the organization’s work remains helping seniors to retain as much independence and social connection as possible through its core offerings. PVI’s Meals on Wheels program delivers freshly prepared meals from their commercial kitchen to homebound seniors and adults with disabilities, addressing growing nutrition and food security needs. PVI is now beginning expansion of their Meals on Wheels program into Santa Clara County to help with the accelerating needs. A recently launched Got Groceries? program is also providing weekly bags of nourishing food to more than 450
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CFO Harvard Investment Company, PVI Board member, and BBB Chair
families monthly, including over 6,000 pounds of healthy protein, produce, dairy, and staples. The Roslyn G. Morris senior activity center at Little House and PVI’s Adult Day Services program at Rosener House provide stimulating and supportive environments for the aging members of the Bay Area Peninsula to thrive. And it helps battle another major problem in the senior population: social isolation. “I can’t tell you how many people have said, ‘This organization has saved my life,’” Olson recalls fondly. PVI helps preserve independence by offering RIDE PVI to provide older adults with on-demand transportation services for senior activity center visits, shopping, or medical appointment needs. Now PVI is making a bold effort to expand its support of the senior population by focusing on caregivers. Olson points out that caregivers of loved ones need a framework of nurturing as well. Many caregivers, he says, become ill and pass away before the person they are caring for does. To address this problem, PVI is launching a concierge service for caregivers, a program, in essence, that allows each caregiver to have a kind of “executive assistant,” someone who can make sure, “that necessary medication is set, the weekly schedule is set, the shopping is done, needed resource options are arranged for, and that appointments are kept,” Olson says. “Basically, someone who is managing the household in regard to the caregiver and the loved one receiving the support,” he adds. Today, PVI serves over 6,000 households annually with their core programs in the San Francisco Peninsula and Silicon Valley area, impacting more than 400,000 seniors and their families over seven decades. PVI’s goal is unwavering – provide seniors with loving, supportive, compassionate care options allowing them to retain their dignity and independence.
| San Francisco Bay Area |
Your Donation Helps Seniors Stay Active and Engaged $500
– Funds one month of Peninsula Volunteers, Inc.’s (PVI) nutritious Meals on Wheels for two at-risk older adults. $700 – Funds one week of Adult Day Services for Alzheimer’s at PVI’s Rosener House. $1,200 – Funds a one-year premium membership for all activity offerings at PVI’s Adult Activity Center “Little House.” $2,500 – Funds a new iPad and training for a senior to access the internet and prevent social isolation.
Coming together for PVI's Lunar New Year celebration event at our Little House senior activity center. One of the many opportunities for seniors to engage with others, enjoy good food and entertainment, and overcome loneliness.
"I
unexpectedly became my mother's caregiver after her Alzheimer's diagnosis. Three family members passed away shortly afterwards, leaving us without family to help deal with this devastating diagnosis and the overwhelming grief from our loss. Our family physician recommended PVI’s Adult Day Services when it became impossible for me to both care for my mother and work. My mother responded wonderfully to the specialized care, experiencing new joy and purpose in her life. The quality is extraordinary. Everything is so thoughtfully and personally tailored. And I found peace of mind and a community of support for what I was trying to manage all alone. We have the deepest gratitude to each of you at PVI for the care and kindness you provide to our family."
– Sunita P.
Daughter of PVI client
CRITICAL ISSUES FOR SENIORS:
1 in 6 seniors is facing hunger. 1 in 2 seniors dies with Alzheimer's. 1 in 5 spousal caregivers passes away before their loved one. 1 in 4 seniors lives alone and feels isolated. 50% of seniors living alone are without finances for basic needs. Peninsula Volunteers, Inc. www.1pvi.org 800 Middle Avenue Menlo Park, CA 94025
Contact: Rebecca Matteson Nelson Director of Development (650) 272-5002 rnelson@1pvi.org
KEY SUPPORTERS Meta Platforms, Inc. NTT Global Networks NTTVC Regalis Networks Peninsula Healthcare District Sequoia Healthcare District Silicon Valley Community Foundation Sue and Dick Levy Susan Martin Sutter Health/Palo Alto Medical Foundation The Kerfuffle Foundation Troper-Wojcicki Foundation Woodlawn Foundation
Ann Griffiths Anne and Richard Melbye Barbara and Arnold Silverman Carolyn and Preston Butcher Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative/Community Fund Dignity Health Gloria Kennett Howard and Betty White Foundation Hurlbut-Johnson Charitable Trusts Jeanne and Frank Fischer Kaiser Permanente Marylue Timpson
SCAN TO MAKE A DONATION... ...AND LEARN MORE ABOUT PENINSULA VOLUNTEERS, INC.
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: Peninsula Volunteers, Inc. 800 Middle Avenue Menlo Park, CA 94025
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By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 94-1294939 By Credit Card:
www.1pvi.org/donate
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
No Kid Left Behind Making sure kids who fall outside traditional safety nets have the support, resources, and love they need to succeed and thrive.
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Filling in Gaps When Resources Are Dwindling BY MIRANDA GREEN
A
t the start of the 2023 school year, San Francisco public schools received $1.28 billion to spend on 48,000 students – that’s nearly $27,000 per child. But in the coming years, that number is expected to decline dramatically. The city gives out funds based on school attendance, and numbers are expected to go down. That’s due to a number of factors, including people deciding to pull their kids from public schools and moving out of the Bay Area entirely. With the needs of students having only increased in the wake of the pandemic, educators and parents fear that the funding will be barely enough to pay the bills – let alone enrich the lives of the children attending schools or for those who need extra help in the Bay Area. For child welfare activists, there’s concern that less funding will only widen the city’s already extreme wealth gap. “I’ve never seen the city this horrible,” said Queen AduPoku, who is a San Francisco native and Licensed Clinical Social Worker and CEO of Royal Emotional Care. “I grew up on the American dream of going to school with all ethnicities, all races, and we got along. I went to public school throughout. Now there’s this issue of education availability and how that is playing out for people of color in a city. There’s the fact that there is a mass exodus of human people. They basically are priced out.” For years, Bay Area advocates have known an uncomfortable truth: the money the city and state spent on childhood education, enrichment, and support just wasn’t enough. While the already limited funding goes towards teaching children in largely traditional educational settings, it often can’t fill the need for or wade into the reality that many children and families face: limited resources at the public schools they attend, crippling poverty at home, or unstable or even abusive family situations. Nearly a fifth of residents in San Francisco county are under 18 years old, according to Census data. And child poverty hovers around 20 percent.
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County, state, and federal funds that go towards child-focused services, in education and other sectors, often have blind spots when it comes to filling non-traditional, but yet equally important, needs that children and youths face in the Bay Area’s racially and socio-economically diverse neighborhoods. Adu-Poku said that’s most apparent in the healthcare and child welfare sectors, where she works. The bureaucracy can be as equally daunting for those who are looking for resources as it is for those who work within the agencies. Philanthropy, however, can be more nimble. Nonprofit organizations funded by individual donations and family grants
| San Francisco Bay Area |
Queen Adu-Poku, CEO of Royal Emotional Care.
(Photo courtesy of Wayfinder Family Services)
don’t have to wait for annual education budgets to be approved in order to move resources to programs that kids urgently need. And volunteers and staff don’t operate in the same heavily administrative systems typical of governmental agencies or government-led programs – they can cut through the red tape to get funding directly to kids. “Our volunteers know how to navigate it, but we have the benefit of not being part of the same bureaucratic system. We are more removed from the bureaucracy that can sometimes get in the way,” said Nkia Richardson, executive director of CASA of San Mateo County, a group that provides otherwise unavailable youth advocates for children going through the foster system. CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) is a nonprofit organization that trains volunteers to advocate for young people in the foster care and juvenile justice systems. It began in Seattle, where a judge realized that children, not just their family members, needed specific advocates to help them through the sometimes traumatic experience of going through the court system. Its success is due in large part to trained volunteers who advocate for children and youths from birth to age 21 in the courtroom and also serve as mentors, spending time with their CASA mentee each week to provide fun activities and emotional support for a minimum of 18 months. “Our reason to exist is to encourage the village to acknowl-
edge the responsibility of the community. Every child is all of our responsibility,” said Richardson of the program’s driving motto. In the late ‘90s, researchers were taking note of the soaring impact of nonprofits on social work across the country. They found widespread growth in the nonprofit sector in the field of social services across 285 major metropolitan areas in the United States largely because of increased social cohesion, higher diversity, needs for more resources, and a market failure. The healthcare system is one clear example of a market failure due to its inefficient distribution of services to kids in need.
“Philanthropy, however, can be more nimble. Nonprofit organizations funded by individual donations and family grants don’t have to wait for annual education budgets to be approved in order to move resources to programs that kids urgently need.” A Vision to Learn client on their way to receiving a new pair of glasses.
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(Photo courtesy of Mira)
It’s too often that the real needs of a community are not clear to the naked eye. The nonprofit Vision to Learn in San Francisco has found that to be especially so with children who are visually impaired but don’t necessarily know how to ask for glasses. While the government, through Medicaid, has covered pediatric vision since 1966, kids are still unable to obtain the glasses they need at an alarming rate because there is not equitable access to optometrists and vision prescriptions in underserved communities. According to the American Optometric Association, one in four children has vision problems. Vision to Learn is embedded in local communities and schools in the Bay Area, and therefore is able to make sure children directly receive the resources they need in order to succeed at school. It sounds simple, but giving kids glasses is the equivalent of two to four months of additional learning time, according to a study conducted by Johns Hopkins’ Wilmer Eye Institute. According to the study, giving kids glasses is one of the most effective interventions known to raise academic performance. And what happens after a child gets their first pair of free reading glasses? “I think the thing that we most often hear is that kids say
they didn’t know that trees had leaves,” said Hollister. “We had a little guy just a few weeks ago. I thought he was brilliant. He was a first grader and he said he didn’t know rice had grains until he got his glasses.” But communities need partnerships to thrive – the same goes for the working relationship between the government systems and the nonprofits who serve the same populations. There has to be a symbiosis to achieve successful outcomes, studies show. While nonprofits largely exist to offer alternative options for families or options that didn’t exist at all, they can only succeed at fulfilling their mission if the community trusts them and utilizes them. Research shows that nonprofits are more fully trusted by the public when they also trust government services in that area. Whether residents actually seek out nonprofits depends on a number of factors. An American University study found that the more positively they viewed their government services, the more likely they were to seek out and use nonprofit services too. The data shows that nonprofits and the local government actually rely on one another, rather than working to supplement each other. A 2006 study published in the Public Administration Review additionally found that it’s not just cohesion and cross-collaboration between the government and nonprofit sectors that are needed to make both sets of programs truly helpful to the populations they serve, but across multiple sectors. “People who want to tackle tough social problems and achieve beneficial community outcomes are beginning to understand that multiple sectors of a democratic society – business, nonprofits and philanthropies, the media, the community, and government – must collaborate to deal effectively and humanely with the challenges,” it read. Adu-Poku sees checks and balances as largely positive for both government and nonprofit services. It keeps all programs and workers aligned, it makes sure the money is used
“People who want to tackle tough social problems and achieve beneficial community outcomes are beginning to understand that multiple sectors of a democratic society – business, nonprofits and philanthropies, the media, the community, and government – must collaborate to deal effectively and humanely with the challenges.” 50
| San Francisco Bay Area |
appropriately and fairly, and that everyone weighs in on where it should go. But it can also cause frustration. In social work, she said it has recently led to what she describes as “The Great Shortage” in the number of people actively applying to be child welfare advocates in the city. She herself served as a Child Protective Services worker for 20 years. Government services, like the foster care system, can be rather black and white. For example, the government program’s focus on the safety and well-being of children. But studies have shown that kids who are taken away from their homes and family members experience detrimental psychological impacts that span into their adult years. Wayfinder Family Services, a nonprofit based in the Bay Area, works to help family members maintain parental guardianship of children, despite or in spite of any financial strains. Here’s a likely little known fact: There are more than 600,000 grandparents in California who are raising their grandchildren, more than anywhere else in the country. The nonprofit’s nationally recognized Kinship Support Services Program specializes in supporting grandparents, extended family members, or close family friends who step up to raise children when their birth parents are unable to. It exists because the state on its own does not offer funds to cover children’s basic needs to family caregivers. A very essential cross-sector to the success of a social program is also community. And communities are built in classrooms, through volunteer work, and on the playground. In the years directly after the COVID-19 pandemic – where kids spent hours learning and playing in front of computer screens and consoles – integrating interactive play back into children’s lives is especially important. Studies have found that play is crucial for a child’s emotional, social, and even educational health. Children learn just as much through play as they do through work. “The presence or absence of play, particularly in child development, has a great deal to do with competency, resiliency, emotional health, [and] brain size,” psychiatrist Dr. Stuart Brown told the Hechinger Report. Brown, who is the founder and past president of the National Institute for Play, said that play is “not frivolous and not just for kids, but something that is an inherent part of human nature.” Such is the emphasis for San Francisco Youth Soccer, a nonprofit based in San Francisco that focuses on providing equitable access to the sport through coaching, training, and open fields.
For Scotty Kober, executive director of the organization, opportunities for children after school are just as tantamount to their personal growth as those inside the classroom. She says soccer was a personal savior for her growing up, and helped her come out of her very nervous shell. “I was incredibly shy. I was incredibly introverted. And yet on the field, I was a leader,” said Kober. “I found my voice. I found that I could be a leader with my voice. I could be a leader with my body on the pitch. And that was a mental health savior for me.” Soccer is the most popular sport in the world and especially a favorite among the hispanic and Latino students in the San Francisco Unified School District, which is roughly 29% of the student body, the second largest racial group of students in the system. But the public and charter schools children in San Francisco attend often lack adequate fields to play on, or any outdoor space at all. SFYS stepped in to try to find a workaround to make sure kids could still access the sport, even if their local community centers or schools didn’t have the resources. Kober says what her organization does is offer two bridges – one between work and play, and another between what the local school system offers kids for sports and what she knows the community can come together to offer them. “We are filling gaps,” she said. “If you have an excellent coach, that’s wonderful. If you have parents who are allin, that’s the dream. But you’re still an individual that has to make your own way in the world, and if sports is how you find yourself and if sports is where you get your mental health, if that’s how you get your movement, if it’s how you find your voice, and it’s how you feel your camaraderie or get out of a home environment that’s dodgy, then we want to support you there too.”
Advocate and youth member of CASA of San Mateo County enjoying a sweet treat together.
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CASA OF SAN MATEO COUNTY
CASA of San Mateo County Provides a Safety Net for Foster Youth
W
hen Alyssa was 15, she came under court protection due to physical abuse. In the foster system, she endured 17 different living situations in six years, understandably facing significant mental health challenges throughout her youth. Thankfully, with the help of CASA of San Mateo County, Alyssa didn’t have to face this alone. CASA (Court Appointed Spe-
"I
’ve never been close to anyone before, and my CASA is the first person I’ve let get close to me. That’s what I like, that our relationship can be honest. [My CASA] can tell me how it is: 'You kind of messed up on that part, but you can do better next time.'"
– Jeremy
CASA Teen
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cial Advocates) is a nonprofit organization that trains volunteers to advocate for young people in the foster care and juvenile justice systems. In addition to their courtroom advocacy work, volunteers also serve as mentors, spending time with their CASA young person each week to provide fun activities and emotional support. Nkia Richardson, Executive Director of CASA of San Mateo County, describes CASA’s work as “creating space where young people feel seen and heard. It lets them know that they have someone in their corner.” Richardson joined CASA of San Mateo after years of practicing in Los Angeles’ dependency court. Coming from a family that itself welcomed foster kids, she has long understood the value of the kinds of support CASA volunteers often provide – a net for youth who might normally “fall through the cracks.” Daria, the CASA volunteer assigned to Alyssa, changed the trajectory of her life. They first connected over a shared love of animals and volunteered together at animal shelters. Daria brought a consistency to Alyssa’s life that had been previously lacking | San Francisco Bay Area |
as the pair faced Alyssa’s life challenges together. When Alyssa became pregnant at 17, Daria took her to medical appointments, accompanied her on visits to the ER, signed her up for prenatal classes and, after the birth of her baby, encouraged her to complete high school. Now an adult, Alyssa appreciates the far-reaching benefits of her experience with CASA. She says, “A CASA volunteer is someone who comes into your life, who wants to help you with your goals, your education, your coping skills, and your mental health. You can depend on this person; they’re taking their time to be in someone else’s life.” Alyssa is now a certified nail technician and is looking to start her own business to support herself and her daughter. Through her connection to Daria, Alyssa has learned a lot about healthy relationships and is beginning to build a loving home for her own family. Daria is also part of that community, as Alyssa considers her not only a friend and mentor, but family.
Be an AGENT FOR CHANGE – Provide an Advocate for Vulnerable Youth $5,000 donation helps support one CASA volunteer and the youth they work with over the course of a year. Your donation would provide training A and support for the volunteer, as well as needed supplies and activities for the youth
(such as a computer for school, new shoes, or registration for a soccer team). You can be the agent of change and make all the difference for a young person who needs CASA to support them, represent them, and help them heal and thrive.
1 in 4 children in California experiences a child abuse or neglect investigation by age 18. KEY SUPPORTERS Andrew and Judy Mendelsohn Betsy and Peter Chung Box, Inc. Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Crown Family Philanthropies Gus Panos John Stephenson and Beth Walsh Joseph W. Welch Jr. Foundation Kaiser Permanente Kerns Fine Jewelry Laura and David Krane Michele and John McNellis Peninsula Health Care District Quest Foundation Renee Van Dieen Sequoia Healthcare District Sobrato Family Foundation Sumir Chadha Violet M. Johnson Family Foundation Wollenberg Foundation
"G
rowing up in San Mateo County, my parents always instilled in me the importance of giving back to our community, and I was honored to join CASA's Board of Directors in 2020. CASA's network of volunteer advocates who give their time to help young people is a truly special program that serves as a vital lifeline to many of our county's most vulnerable youth."
– David Mendell
CASA of San Mateo County Board Chair Proprietor of Kerns Fine Jewelry
CASA of San Mateo County www.casaofsanmateo.org 330 Twin Dolphin Drive, #139 Redwood City, CA 94065 (650) 517-5840
Contact: Leila Watkins Director of Development (650) 449-7371 leila@casaofsanmateo.org
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: CASA of San Mateo County 330 Twin Dolphin Drive, #139 Redwood City, CA 94065
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By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 04-3849393 By Credit Card:
www.casaofsanmateo.org/giving-1
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SAN FRANCISCO YOUTH SOCCER
San Francisco Youth Soccer: Teaching Kids Valuable Lessons on and off the Field "I
've been a soccer parent, a STAR, a team manager, and a coach. SFYS has been more than just a game coordination organization, and I've really appreciated all of your efforts towards building up grassroots soccer in the city. The coaching resources, the STAR program, and the focus on sportsmanship and development are just some of the things that come to mind."
– David Wehr
SFYS Volunteer
W
hen Lee Dunne was growing up in England, football (or soccer – depending on who you’re talking to), was the “lifeblood” of his childhood. Not only did it bring his community together, but the sport taught him the important lessons of life: resiliency, determination, teamwork, commitment, and compassion. Soccer is a foundational part of personal development for millions of children the world over. Based on a 2018 study conducted by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, over 6.65 million children play soccer. That’s 6.65 million children looking up to the likes of Marta, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappé. 6.65 million children reaping the rewards of personal development just like Lee Dunne did as a child. But despite the sport’s popularity, there are also millions of children who are left out of participating in the sport, who can’t afford the life-affirming lessons soccer has to offer. That’s where Lee Dunne and San Francisco Youth Soccer (SFYS) come in. Dunne, the Director of Coaching & Programming for SFYS, wants to give every child in San Francisco the same opportunity to play the game that helped change his life when he was a child. SFYS is a nonprofit, soccer-based community organization and is one of the largest youth participation programs in the city. More than 500 teams (6,000 kids) play soccer within SFYS leagues and an additional 2,000 players and youth benefit from SFYS free and low-cost programming and SFYS underwriting of technology and equipment grants used by SF Rec & Park for the benefit of all. “Our mission is to get players playing and to grow the game,” says Dunne. They do this by offering a wide range of play options for every level of player and by offering team spots for a nominal fee so play is accessible. They also offer financial aid. Soccer with SFYS is all about including everyone who may want to play, at any level, wherever that player is located. “No kid needs to travel outside of the city or
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spend thousands of dollars on travel soccer with our program,” Dunne explains. In order to reach as many players as possible, SFYS meets parents and coaches where they are: creating coaching curriculum, offering free SFYS @ School soccer, and encouraging or supporting play at locations other than traditional soccer fields. As part of this broad approach, SFYS also offers a Junior Coach program, a Youth Advisory Council, Referee and Coach training, multiple Mentor programs, and a comprehensive website and portal with vast parent, neighborhood, and sport resources. The impact SFYS has on the community extends far beyond the game of soccer. Every program is designed to support the players, the families, and the community, says Dunne.
SFYS Youth Leadership Programs focus on educating and training middle and high school students to contribute, coach, referee, and mentor. Game Officials FC (GOFC) coached by SFYS Program Manager David Reardon is a team of high school-age players who also referee and mentor in SFYS leagues. In the 2022-23 seasons, they covered almost 30% of SFYS matches!
| San Francisco Bay Area |
SFYS @ School Access to Sport for All Youth
T
he San Francisco Youth Soccer SFYS @ School Program needs your financial support to expand its current reach to additional schools in the San Francisco area. Your donations will allow their program to send coaches to more elementary schools during lunch, recess, and after school, allowing students who may not otherwise be able to play soccer to engage in pick-up games. This innovative approach to making soccer available to all children allows kids to play soccer with their friends in a familiar space. There are no tryouts and no driving to get to a field. It’s inclusive sports at its best. While the program is free to the schools, it requires funding to pay the coaches. $1,000 provides 20 hours/a semester of enriching, emboldening soccer play within a San Francisco school. More than 60 local elementary and middle school SCAN TO MAKE A DONATION... teams participate in SF Youth Soccer leagues. Please consider supporting their efforts to extend that community off the ...AND LEARN MORE ABOUT SF YOUTH SOCCER pitch and onto the playground!
"I
t’s a wonderful opportunity for all of our students that you all come during our lunches to be able to teach kids and play soccer with them and as you can see, our kids LOOOOOVE that soccer! … It is such a great, great program that you have where you’re able to come onto different school sites throughout San Francisco and to start training and teaching our kids how to play soccer, how to be good teammates, and how to work together. Keep up the good work, we love you guys and want to see you all in more schools!"
– Henry Wong
Principal, West Portal Elementary School
KEY SUPPORTERS The Spaan-Woodruff Family The Ghali Family The Bronson Family The Sewell Family The Danison Family The Kwan Family The Fritz Family
The Colella Family The Blessing Family Sandy Choi Loretta Choy Sylviane Francou San Francisco Orthodontics John and Rosemarie Shield
SF Youth Soccer is celebrating 25 Years! SFYS utilizes all funds generated by registration fees to run the leagues, while additionally fundraising to support year-round supplemental soccer and leadership programming and to provide financial aid.
SF Youth Soccer www.sfyouthsoccer.com 1434 Taraval San Francisco, CA 94116 (415) 504-8131 Contact: Scotty Kober, Executive Director (415) 504-8132 | scotty@sfyouthsoccer.com Lee Dunne, Director of Coaching & Programs (415) 572-9623 | lee@sfyouthsoccer.com
The Many Ways to Give... San Francisco Youth Soccer (SFYS) is a comprehensive soccer-based community organization. Roughly 8,000 families from nearly every neighborhood and school in San Francisco participate with SFYS. SFYS supplemental programming is considered integral to the foundation of our soccer community and for building future leaders on and off the field.
By Check: SF Youth Soccer 1434 Taraval, San Francisco, CA 94116
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By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 94-3322034 By Credit Card: www.community.sfyouthsoccer.com
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VISION TO LEARN
Providing Glasses To Help Children Succeed in School "V
ision To Learn is making sure that access to a pair of glasses never stands between children and their ability to see the board, read a book, or participate in class. It is such a cost-effective yet powerful way to improve a child’s learning experience and make sure they do not fall behind. Vision To Learn helps some of the hardest-to-reach children and your donations will mean more students receiving the eye care and glasses they need to learn and live clearly.”
– Nicholas Kristof
Providing students in need with glasses helps them gain 2-6 months of additional learning time.
S
ix-year-old Yahaira’s favorite part of school was looking at picture books. But as her vision became worse, she couldn’t enjoy storytime with the rest of her classmates. This all changed when Vision To Learn visited her school, giving Yahaira a vision screening, eye exam, a prescription, and a pair of glasses all at no cost. “I’m happy to have these glasses because I can do so many things. I can hula hoop, play with dogs, and draw pictures,” said Yahaira. Yahaira’s story is a common one in neighborhoods throughout the Bay Area. According to the American Optometric Association, one in four children has vision problems. Despite this, most children in low-income areas don’t receive the glasses they need to see clearly at school. Instead, children like Yahaira are too frequently labeled “slow” learners and are more likely to drop out of school. The real tragedy is that our country has the resources to prevent this. Most children in underserved communities are eligible to receive eye care coverage under Medi-Cal. But as Austin Beutner, founder of Vision To Learn (VTL) reminds us: “Coverage is not access.” At VTL, the team strives to solve vision care inequality at the source. VTL provides vision screenings, eye exams and glasses to all children in need at no cost to them or their families, while working with government partners to advocate for greater vision care accessibility. With help from dedicated donors, since their founding in 2012, VTL has made great progress towards their mission to help every child in need get the glasses they need. Last year alone, VTL provided more than 80,000 children with glasses they needed but did not have, in 13 states and the District of Columbia. Without VTL’s intervention, these children would be left with vision problems that, at best, will set back their education and, at worst, could be caused by a condition like amblyopia or strabismus that, left untreated, may cause permanent blindness. A groundbreaking 2021 study from Johns Hopkins University showed
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Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist
the potential that is unlocked when children are provided with the glasses they desperately need. According to the study, providing children with glasses is among the most effective interventions known to raise academic performance. By simply helping these children see clearly, academic performance improved above and beyond other, more complicated school-wide initiatives such as lengthening the school day, buying iPads, or creating charter schools. Providing students with glasses was also the most cost-effective solution. From initial screening to providing the actual glasses, VTL only needs to spend $150 to treat each child. While Vision To Learn has visited thousands of schools and provided millions of children with no-cost vision care and eyeglasses, there are still millions more underserved students out there who need glasses and are struggling to see the board, focus on a book, read a computer screen, or catch a ball. VTL needs your support to allow these children to focus on their future.
Vision To Learn's mobile vision clinics help kids at schools and community organizations every day.
| San Francisco Bay Area |
For Just $150, You Can CHANGE a Child’s Life a student comes to school with a physical disability, state law the school to make accommodations. But we don’t have “Ithefrequires same legal requirement for glasses. Yet hundreds of thousands
of kids in the state of California go to school and cannot see the board, cannot read a book, and cannot fully participate in class simply because they don’t have this one basic tool,” says Damian Carroll, Vision To Learn’s national director and chief of staff. These students already have the power to succeed inside of them. Underserved California students can reach their potential by simply being provided with the glasses they need to see and thrive. For $150, you can sponsor a child’s eye care and change the course of their life. For $25,000, your contribution will help an entire school reach their potential.
On average, 1 out of 4 students needs glasses. In underserved communities, up to 95% of students who need glasses, don't have them. KEY SUPPORTERS Beutner Family Foundation Blue Meridian Partners Boeing Global Engagement Foundation Deerbrook Charitable Trust Focusing Philanthropy Frank McHugh-O’Donovan Foundation, Inc. L.A. Clippers Foundation L.A. Dodgers Foundation MetLife OneSight Essilor Luxottica Foundation Panda Cares Shea Family Charities Silicon Valley Community Foundation Sobrato Philanthropies The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation Warby Parker Warriors Community Foundation
Vision To Learn www.visiontolearn.org 12100 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 1275 Los Angeles, CA 90025 (800) 485-9196
Contact: Damian Carroll National Director and Chief of Staff (310) 893-2336 damian@visiontolearn.org
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: Vision To Learn 12100 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 1275 Los Angeles, CA 90025
| www.thegivinglist.com |
By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 45-3457853 By Credit Card:
www.visiontolearn.org/donate/
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WAYFINDER FAMILY SERVICES
Stepping Up To Help Children Stay in Stable, Loving Homes “I
tell my grandkids, I am so blessed to have you with me, to see you at night when you’re sleepy. I get to cover you with a blanket and give you a kiss goodnight.”
– Elizabeth*
Kinship Caregiver
There are more than 600,000 grandparents in California who are raising their grandchildren. These families need support.
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lizabeth received the heartbreaking call that no grandmother is prepared for: her daughter, Maria, was neglecting her six young children and they were in danger. Once a great mom, Maria had slid into drug addiction after her abusive husband had abandoned the family. She was unable to care for her kids. Elizabeth was more than willing to take in all six of her grandchildren, but she needed help. That’s when Wayfinder Family Services stepped in. The nonprofit’s nationally recognized Kinship Support Services Program specializes in supporting grandparents, extended family members, or close family friends who step up to raise children when their birth parents are unable to. Wayfinder’s free program is designed to help struggling kinship families, particularly those formed voluntarily without assistance from a child welfare agency. Kinship care-
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givers like Elizabeth don’t qualify to receive state funds to cover children’s basic needs. Wayfinder offers comprehensive services that include counseling, support groups, legal referrals, guardianship workshops, adoption assistance, mentoring, assistance with basic emergency needs, and much more. Wayfinder helped Elizabeth find a larger rental home and paid the security deposit, assisted with paperwork for family court, and offered additional support for Elizabeth as her household increased once more. Maria subsequently gave birth to two more children and Elizabeth took them both in. “Eight kids suddenly coming to live in your home can be a challenging situation, especially with no public funds,” said Celeste, a Wayfinder social worker. Wayfinder helps keep siblings together in loving extended families, which eases the | San Francisco Bay Area |
trauma of children being separated from their birth family and reduces the burden on the foster care system. “I call them angels. I never have had so much help like this before,” Elizabeth says of Wayfinder. “They actually ask what I need and then do their best to provide it. I’m so blessed.” The gratitude goes both ways. “Elizabeth is super resilient,” says Wayfinder’s Celeste. “She puts others first before herself. It’s a privilege to be able to help her. She’s changing the trajectory of her grandkids’ lives and I believe they will grow into compassionate, successful adults thanks to her.” Founded in 1953 on the belief that those facing the greatest challenges deserve the chance to thrive, Wayfinder has developed a strong reputation for helping children and families that many other organizations are unable to serve. More than 90 percent of the people Wayfinder supports are low-income, and its services are always free. Last year alone, more than 21,000 children, youth, and family members across California benefited from the nonprofit’s services. The Kinship Support Services Program is one of dozens of Wayfinder’s programs that help change the future for families in California. *Please note that names and minor details were changed to protect privacy.
Change the Future for Children in Foster Care here are more than 600,000 grandparents in California who are raising their grandchildren, more than anywhere T else in the country, and the need is growing. Current
research indicates that children placed with kin statistically have better employment and education outcomes as adults, more often avoiding homelessness, public assistance, and incarceration than their peers in traditional foster care. A donation of $1,000 supports Wayfinder’s kinship program to cover emergency essentials for a child newly placed in a relative’s care including clothing, furniture, and bedding, while $500 provides a gift card to grandparents or other kinship caregivers for food, gas, and clothing.
Elizabeth took in her eight grandchildren when their birth mother could no longer care for them. Wayfinder helps families like this, which keeps siblings together in a familiar, loving home and reduces the burden on the foster care system.
There are more than 600,000 grandparents in California who are raising their grandchildren, more than anywhere else in the country.
KEY SUPPORTERS
"Grandparents and relatives who step up to raise children who would otherwise go into traditional foster care are extraordinary and they need our support." — J.L.
Wayfinder Family Services www.WayfinderFamily.org 5300 Angeles Vista Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90043 (323) 295-4555 Ext. 205
Contact: Vanessa Botshekan Associate Vice President of Development and Donor Relations (323) 295-4555 Ext. 205 vbotshekan@wayfinderfamily.org
Board of Directors: Harold A. Davidson Scott M. Farkas, Esq. Erica Fernandez Timothy E. Ford, Esq. Robert D. Held Steve L. Hernández, Esq. Jonathan I. Macy, M.D. Linda Myerson Dean John Nicolaus Glenn A. Sonnenberg Fernando Villa, Esq.
Tara Voss Elworth (Brent) Williams Jr. Stevie Wonder Community Council: Suzi Bertino Erica Fernandez Lindsey Fudge Jean Minton John Nicolaus Teri Renfrow Anna San Juan Dave Wraa
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: Wayfinder Family Services 5300 Angeles Vista Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90043
| www.thegivinglist.com |
By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 95-1977659 By Credit Card: www.WayfinderFamily.org/donate
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
Connecting Youth to Opportunity Ensuring struggling young adults can bridge the gap between destitution and opportunity and secure a meaningful, successful, and engaged future.
| www.thegivinglist.com |
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Providing Underserved Youth With Pathways to Opportunity BY ZACHARY BERNSTEIN
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education through ACCESS U Foundation, which offers soccer-based college scholarships and mentorship resources throughout the admissions process. While most scouts comb private high schools or better-funded public schools for talent, ACCESS U Foundation searches for talent among schools in more marginalized communities. Bay Scholars provides scholarships to prestigious Catho-
(Photo courtesy of ACCESS U Foundation)
t’s a cold, unfortunate fact that while growing into adulthood, a teenager’s success can be highly dependent on their financial situation. In 2022, as pandemic-related safety net measures came to a close, California saw its child poverty rate for children under 18 years old jump from 7.5% to nearly 17%, the state’s largest increase in 50 years. As these anti-poverty policies recede, teenagers and young adults across the state are caught in limbo during a pivotal moment in their lives. While the grip of childhood poverty can sometimes be too strong to escape, the key to loosening that grip is providing young adults with opportunity, the most effective of which is access to a comprehensive education. In fact, as the “great equalizer,” education is considered by academics as the key to ending poverty altogether, unlocking a world of possibilities toward attaining economic stability. Earning a diploma gives students not only an opportunity to enrich themselves as individuals, but also much-needed and sought-after skills to participate in the workforce. Unfortunately, the price of higher education continues to grow out of reach for many students coming from low-income families just as possessing access to higher education is deemed more integral to their futures. When public funding for education fails to meet the needs of the students it’s meant to provide for, scholarships can make an immense impact for students unable to make up the financial difference. Black and Latino athletes, young men and women, who are exceptional soccer players can get a foothold on a college
| San Francisco Bay Area |
Bayview Hunters Point residents celebrate the grand opening of Lucky Bayview grocery store, where Young Community Developers’ assistance led to 20 community members gaining employment. Thanks to the Neighborhood Job Center (NJC) team’s efforts, 80 candidates applied during the June job fair, and YCD continued to support their candidates by covering their work-related costs.
lic high schools in the Bay Area that normally have annual tuition costs reaching into the tens of thousands, providing an invaluable leg up for auspicious students determined to succeed. What each of these organizations recognize is that promising young people shouldn’t be priced out of a stellar education simply because of their economic status. Unfortunately, some students grapple with even more dire circumstances on their path towards ending the generational cycle of poverty. Young people who wind up in foster care due to neglect can leave foster care after turning 18 years old and find themselves being neglected all over again, lacking familial support as well as the financial resources to keep up with the costs of living, let alone the costs of college. With nowhere to go, many of them struggle with homelessness. Suddenly, the more immediate choices of where to sleep and
ACCESS U Foundation player, Noel Ortega.
| www.thegivinglist.com |
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“... as the ‘great equalizer,’ education is considered by academics as the key to ending poverty altogether, unlocking a world of possibilities toward attaining economic stability.” Isaiah Catubig, Bay Scholars Class of 2022, in front of San Francisco City Hall.
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
By working together, we can make a brighter future for the 60,000 children and youth in foster care and 15,000 homeless youth in California. (Photo courtesy of JBAY)
what to eat eclipse any choices regarding higher education. In an effort to reduce the number of young people in these conditions, the John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) group works with local elected officials to ensure a social safety net, trying to guarantee that no one has to make a choice between meeting basic needs and participating in higher education. Young Community Developers employs a direct, multipronged approach towards connecting young people in need with access to career placement, full education, and steady housing; everything to put them on the path towards a successful, meaningful future. In the country with the largest economy in the world, it’s nearly incomprehensible that there’s anybody living under such grim circumstances at all. Policymakers have the power to reduce the number of struggling young adults by ensuring equitable access to higher education, but until then, these advocacy groups are filling the gaps between destitution and opportunity. Bay Scholars, a gateway to college and beyond. (Photo courtesy of Annie Barnett Photography)
| www.thegivinglist.com |
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BAY SCHOLARS
Bay Scholars Helps Underresourced Youth Reach Their Full Potential
"A Bay Scholars promotes a life-altering experience connecting promising youth with transformative educational opportunities at Bay Area college-prep high schools.
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y the end of high school, Isaiah C. had already mapped out his future political career path. First, he’d get elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, then on to mayor, and, finally, be elected to the House of Representatives. All of this was because Isaiah had been given a chance of a lifetime. He earned a merit-based scholarship from Bay Scholars that allowed him to attend the renowned Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory High School in San Francisco at no cost. He isn’t taking the opportunity for granted; he aims to pay it forward. “I am a low-income student from two underrepresented communities – I am half Asian, half Latino – and our voices need to be heard,” Isaiah says, now 20. Bay Scholars gives “close-the-gap scholarships” to hundreds of students just like Isaiah each year so they can attend one of 17 Catholic high schools in the Bay Area, prestigious schools that cost upwards of $20,000 a year in tuition. The funding is not a handout; scholarships go to students from low-income families who’ve demonstrated exceptional promise. “That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re all the 4.0 top scholar-athletes. They’re just kids who, if given the chance to be a part of these great communities, will reach their full potential,” Caitlin Curran Kavanagh, executive director, says. Bay Scholars focuses on the transformative
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power of education, through enhancing educational equity and access to kids who would otherwise not be able to afford college preparatory high school. But being a Bay Scholar is more than just funding. It comes with a significant level of wraparound support, including college and personal counseling, opportunities for leadership, connecting with mentors, and finding their own mission-driven path, Kavanagh says. Bay Scholars students have an exceptional 100% acceptance rate into college after high school. Isaiah found a passion he did not know existed working with children. He also served as the class business officer on the school council, mentored other youth in public speaking, and ran for school president, and though he wasn’t elected, his spirit for politics remains as strong as ever. Isaiah is dedicated to service, he says, not his ego or financial rewards. “When I think about leaders, I don’t think about Jeff Bezos or Mark Zuckerberg, I think about Dorothy Day, Mother Teresa,” Isaiah says. “Real leaders are humble and don’t live in big houses... but they make sure they get the job done for their people.” For Bay Scholar Isaiah, service means representing underserved communities in California, and he believes a seat in Congress would allow him to do the greatest services. This is the promise and leadership Bay Scholars discovers and promotes in all of its students. | San Francisco Bay Area |
family’s financial background should not determine a student’s academic success. With the support of partners like Bay Scholars, we prove every day that talented, tenacious students from diverse backgrounds can and do thrive when given the chance. Bay Scholars amplifies our work as educators dedicated to making our world a better place through transforming the hearts and minds of the next generation of leaders. We know that we are stronger together. We know that excellence does not just happen. It takes the continuous effort and support of a community of folks who are committed to providing access to the best for the young people who need it most. Our students deserve the extraordinary opportunities that our school provides, and our world deserves to know what our young leaders can do when we invest in them and believe in them. Thank you, Bay Scholars, for connecting talented students to transformational learning communities this is how the world gets better."
– Dr. Liz Guneratne
President of Moreau Catholic High School (pictured above, right)
Isaiah C. with his family at the Bay Scholars 2022 Luncheon
Removing the Tuition Barrier for EXCEPTIONAL Underserved Kids
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he Bay Scholars model couldn’t be simpler: Connect great kids with great schools and make sure tuition is not a barrier. The organization gives out around $1.5 million a year in scholarships to cover the tuition not included in financial aid packages. The scholarships are made possible by private donations. $14,000 funds a student through the entire four years of the Bay Scholars program. $3,500 funds a student through one year of the program. 100% of donations go directly to scholarships. “Bay Scholars has wonderfully talented kids who would not have been able to access the private college prep education that has set them on their path of success. Your generous contributions hold the power to open doors for deserving students across the Bay Area who will be supported by Bay Scholars,” Caitlin Curran Kavanagh, executive director, says.
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“I see myself leading a business in civil engineering that reverses the effects of climate change and provides affordable housing.” – Sabrina D, Bay Scholars Class of 2023, pictured at Columbia University where she is currently a freshman.
e seek out motivated scholars who shine academically, engage actively in society and demonstrate outstanding promise and a willingness to give back to their communities, like Kamiryn G, who graduated from Salesian College Prep in the Spring of 2023, who has committed to the University of Chicago to play soccer.
KEY SUPPORTERS Cynthia and Gary Bengier Isabel & BJ Cassin Joe Cotchett Dana Emery Andrew Giacomini Arlene Inch Patricia and Michael Kelly Erin Jaeb & Kevin Kelly Julie LaNasa & John Kunzweiler Connie and Robert Lurie Joan and Bob McGrath Outrageous Foundation Marla Moresi-Valdes Joanne Murphy Dennis and Gloria O'Brien Beth O'Callahan John Osterweis Janet & Clint Reilly Larry Simi Sue and John A. Sobrato John M. Sobrato Carol and Ned Spieker Cissie Swig Dianne and Tad Taube Mary & Joseph Toboni William and Gretchen Kimball Foundation Dede Wilsey
Bay Scholars www.bayscholars.org 465 California St., 16th Floor San Francisco, CA 94104 (415) 591-1810
Contact: Lloyd Schine Director of Institutional Advancement (415) 591-1810 lloyd@bayscholars.org
The Many Ways to Give... LinkedIn’s San Francisco office welcomed a number of Bay Scholars students from our partner schools in Oakland, Richmond, San Francisco, and Alameda. Several committed LinkedIn employees hosted the event and inspired our Bay Scholars students by sharing their stories, insights, and knowledge.
By Check: Bay Scholars 465 California St., 16th Floor San Francisco, CA 94104
| www.thegivinglist.com |
By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 46-3467919 By Credit Card:
www.bayscholars.org/donate
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ACCESS U FOUNDATION
Making College Dreams Come True for Underserved, Talented Student-Athletes
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ulie López played soccer for as long as she can remember. Growing up in a family of seven in Sylmar in the San Fernando Valley, she watched her brothers play soccer and fell in love with the sport. “I remember going to my brother’s games with my father and seeing the love he had for the game, getting noticed and recognized, feeling proud for him and wanting to be where he was at,” says López. “It was a goal of mine… My dad never thought I actually wanted to play.” At the urging of her brothers, López attended a tryout for Hispanic players. Her determination and abilities caught the eye of coaches and mentors with the ACCESS U Foundation. The ACCESS U Foundation helps talented soccer players from Latino and Black communities access their college academic and athletic dreams with resources that are otherwise inaccessible or unaffordable. The nonprofit not only connects low-income student-athletes with recruiters and college coaches through a network of extensive contacts, they also spend four years mentoring students through the admissions process and college academics. “In Black and Latino communities, there are elite soccer players who are not being scouted,” said Brad Rothenberg, CEO of ACCESS U Foundation, noting that college soccer recruiters often draw from a network of expensive athletic academies that require dues, travel, and equipment. These high-priced academies often overlook talented, low-income players. “To play soccer in this country, you have to pay your way in,” he says. This is especially true for women’s college soccer, where women of color are underrepresented. ACCESS U turned its focus to female athletes in 2022. For López, ACCESS U’s guidance helped her dreams come true. Not only did she travel to India and play for the Mexican National Team in the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, she also started at
Brad Rothenberg and Joaquin Escoto launched ACCESS U to help scholar-athletes pursue their college dreams by offering free academic tutoring, college counseling, and recruiting guidance.
Long Beach State as a freshman this past fall. Since its inception in 2016, ACCESS U has helped more than 100 student-athletes attend college at institutions like UCLA, UC Berkeley, Harvard, and Duke. Fifty are currently playing college soccer with over 12 playing in the last two NCAA Division I tournaments. “If we get a kid into our foundation, we will change their lives,” says Joaquín Escoto, ACCESS U co-founder. Noel Ortega, a high school standout in Van Nuys, credits his ACCESS U mentor for turning the possibility of playing Division I soccer in the Ivy Leagues into a reality. “He would be in constant communication with the college coaches and always advocated for me as a soccer player, student, and most importantly, a human being,” says Ortega, now a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs. “The experiences that I lived at Cornell University will stick with me forever and that journey was thanks to everyone that made it possible at ACCESS U.”
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he ACCESS U initiative is an integral part in empowering these scholar-athletes to get recruited, secure financial scholarships, and play college soccer. I’m proud of our support investing in their future, breaking down barriers, and providing equal opportunities for these talented young Black and Latino boys and girls to pursue their dreams and achieve success on and off the field. Let’s support their journey to a brighter future.” Edwin Dominguez (Harvard '25) from Riverside, California is the first in his family to attend college. ACCESS U and its partners helped him secure financial aid to offset 100% of his tuition costs. ACCESS U also secured grants to pay for travel and other expenses.
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
– Jenny Macintosh
Sr. Partnership Marketing Specialist, Corporate Affairs, Chevron USA
Help Level the Playing Field for All Student Athletes
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any standout student-athletes in Latino and Black communities never get a chance to be recruited to play their sport in college because it is unaffordable or not accessible to them. ACCESS U helps them fulfill both their college academic and athletic dreams. It costs ACCESS U $12,500 to help level the playing field for one student-athlete. This provides academic support, college guidance, and mentorship to guide them through the college recruitment process over the four years of high school and to help them succeed in education, work, and life. The Foundation is seeking $500,000 to double their current roster of 40 female athletes in the coming year and continue supporting male athletes. They are seeking a $3 million goal over the next three years to continue their mission of serving 100 students per year and to expand with recruiting tournaments, enrichment programs for college freshmen, and other resources.
ACCESS U Scouts attend free, open tryouts for Black and Latino high school soccer players produced by our partners across the country. Scouts screen for talented players who upload their academic details to the ACCESS U online registration system.
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College graduates age 22-27 have median salaries 58% higher than high school graduates the same age.* -money.com, February 14, 2022 * Highest wage gap on record with the NY Fed ACCESS U Foundation www.accessufoundation.org PO Box 292 Kentfield, California 94914 (415) 305-5575
Contact: Brad Rothenberg CEO ACCESS U Foundation (415) 305-5575 brad@accessufoundation.org
CCESS U creates a more inclusive and equitable environment in college sports, offering high school students opportunities to improve their lives and fostering a stronger sense of unity within the college soccer community. ACCESS U opens doors too often closed to young people dreaming big."
– Leonard Griffin
Head Coach, UC Berkeley Men’s Soccer Team
KEY SUPPORTERS Adidas Allstate Insurance Chevron U.S.A. Inc. Dick's Sporting Goods Ford Motor Company PepsiCola Team of Champions Dena Fischer Trust For Soccer Ventures Yours In Soccer Foundation
Rothenberg Family Foundation Judge James and Jessica Dabney Family Emily and Phil Ginsburg Family James Horowitz Jared and Katherine Doumani Jennifer Betti and Peter Jackson Over 100 additional donors
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: ACCESS U Inc. PO Box 292 Kentfield, California 94914
| www.thegivinglist.com |
By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 81-1380491 By Credit Card: www.accessufoundation.org/donate
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JOHN BURTON ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH
JBAY’s Policy Reforms Increase Housing for Foster and Homeless Youth
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hen Cody Van Felden turned 18, she became homeless after her foster parents kicked her out of the house because the funding they received for her care ended. Van Felden bounced around the Sacramento area from one temporary living situation to the next: She crashed on the floor of a friend’s apartment for five months; she slept in another friend’s car for three months; she lived with an abusive boyfriend for eight months. “I felt alone, confused, and abandoned,” Van Felden says. During the years she was unhoused, Van Felden says she couldn’t find a single housing program she was eligible for and shelters felt unsafe for young women. Finally, after years of no contact, relatives from her biological family reached out and offered her a stable and safe place to stay. Today, Van Felden is pushing for housing reform as a foster youth advocate at John Burton Advocates for Youth – or JBAY for short. Since its founding in 2004 by John Burton, a former California politician, JBAY has helped thousands of California’s foster and homeless youth gain safe housing, economic security,
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and access to higher education through policy reforms, technical assistance, and research. So far, with Van Felden’s help, JBAY has pushed for state investment to ensure youth homelessness is addressed in California, resulting in $633 million in new funding for housing and services for youth experiencing homelessness. Much of the state funding will go toward new housing construction for young people. JBAY is currently working with nine housing developments, providing assistance so that the developers may submit successful applications to access the funding. JBAY’s work to prevent youth homelessness has already been profound, says Amy Lemley, JBAY’s executive director. Between 2020 and 2022 alone, the state experienced a 21% reduction in the number of unaccompanied homeless youth, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “While homelessness is increasing in California, thanks to the advocacy of JBAY, homelessness among unaccompanied youth actually decreased,” Lemley says. Van Felden uses her lived experience in foster care and homelessness to change laws, so no oth| San Francisco Bay Area |
“I
grew up with elders who challenged me to work in the community. In doing that, I realized that real impact comes when we identify unmet needs and work together to lift others up. Collaborating with the team at JBAY allows me to positively impact the lives of foster youth through mentorship, education, and advocating for good public policy. It’s critical these youth have someone in their corner as they find their path.”
– Mona Pasquil Rogers JBAY Board Member
er foster youth experience the fear and abandonment she did. During a recent briefing with 63 legislative staff, she spoke to the heightened risk of violence and abuse among foster youth who become homeless, asking that the state make more homeless youth programs permanent. “If these programs are funded ongoing, homeless youth today may struggle with homelessness for a shorter duration of time or hopefully not at all,” she says.
Be the Safety Net for Foster and Homeless Youth youth often lack a safety net of people to call on when they need help, so when unexpected costs occur, they can Fhaveoster life-altering consequences: losing a job, dropping out of
school, or homelessness. “Even though we’re changing state laws and regulations for the long term, we know young people need help today,” says Amy Lemley, JBAY’s executive director. The Burton Critical Needs and Opportunity Fund is designed to provide that safety net, with funds going directly into the hands of young people when they need it most. JBAY is raising $250,000 this year, and with a $1-for-$1 match, donors can double their impact on helping 1,600 young people with basic necessities like school supplies, transportation, medical bills, and groceries.
Cody Van Felden, former foster youth, with John Burton.
Just 10% of California youth with experience in foster care obtain a two- or four-year degree by the age of 23, compared to 36% of their non-foster youth peers. JBAY is working to make college accessible for all foster youth statewide. “W
hen I was 17, I’d been sleeping at a park for several months and my social worker came to see me. She told me about a new program called SILP. It sounded too good to be true. I cried when I got it. This option gives young people like me a sense of hope and trust in the system again. It has meant being able to hold my own and still be supported.”
– Jenny Bulanadi Former foster youth
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BAY is working to end homelessness among youth in foster care. JBAY recently advocated to increase funding for foster youth placed in a Supervised Independent Living Placement (SILP). Thanks to JBAY, over 3,200 foster youth will receive an additional $475 on average each month to stay safely housed.
John Burton Advocates for Youth jbay.org 235 Montgomery Street, Suite 1142, San Francisco, CA 94104 (415) 348-0011
Contact: Amy Lemley Executive Director (415) 348-0011 amy@jbay.org
KEY SUPPORTERS Amazon Art Carter Ash Bhatt Bluebird Legacy Catherine Cope MacMillan College Futures Foundation Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Corinne Landphere Crankstart Foundation George and Judy Marcus Help for Children John and Mary Pat Kagel Kimiko Burton Michelle Jourdak
Pinpoint Foundation Pritzker Foster Care Initiative Silicon Valley Community Foundation Sisters of St. Joseph Healthcare Foundation Stuart Foundation Stupski Foundation The California Wellness Foundation Tipping Point Community United Way California Walter S. Johnson Foundation
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: John Burton Advocates for Youth 235 Montgomery Street, Suite 1142, San Francisco, CA 94104
| www.thegivinglist.com |
By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 81-2600695
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YOUNG COMMUNITY DEVELOPERS
Smashing Cycles of Poverty and Advancing Economic Mobility
Our Environmental Protection Agency Job Readiness Training program is a 12-week hands-on training program. Participants earn eight certifications during this program, as well as career support and career placement assistance.
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rowing up in San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point, a diverse yet historically under-resourced community, Zaria Clemmons knew from a young age that education would be her protection against poverty and her pathway to a successful and fulfilling career. In high school, Clemmons discovered Young Community Developers (YCD), an organization that for 50 years has been providing services to residents of Bayview-Hunters Point by positively impacting lives, empowering people to break cycles of poverty for themselves, their families, and communities. Clemmons joined YCD’s academic program, which offers a stipend and tutoring, affording her the opportunity to focus on her academics without struggling to juggle a job and her school assignments. “YCD made it possible for me to achieve my college goals and discover that I am most passionate about social impact,” Clemmons says. Young Community Developers was founded in 1973 by a group of young African Americans who named the original program at the time “Chocolate City.” Black community residents, motivated by rampant racism resulting in the lack of employment, education, and housing options, marched to City Hall to secure funding
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to establish career pathways for people of color. During the decades that followed, YCD cultivated a mission rooted in the belief that sustainable and generational economic mobility is a fundamental right. The organization has served over 25,000 individuals through various programs that align with its three pillars of success: workforce development training and career placement, pathways from middle school through college, and increased housing stability and affordability. YCD also provides emergency community assistance with hardships including backlogged rents, utilities, union dues, and childcare. The organization knows that to successfully plan for the future, residents’ most basic needs of the moment must be met. The population YCD focuses on is the area’s most under-represented individuals ages 18 to 35, who are in the lowest median income bracket. Many individuals come from single-parent households, were formerly incarcerated, and in many cases, have not graduated high school. YCD’s Chief Executive Officer Dion-Jay Brookter says that they provide services for “anyone who walks through our doors – no matter their race, creed, color, gender, age, orientation, or any of the above.” Thanks to YCD, Clemmons graduated | San Francisco Bay Area |
high school and then joined the nonprofit’s paid fellowship program, which connected Clemmons to an internship with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, where she gained business skills and an expanded professional network. “I learned how to pivot!” she says. “By taking on whatever task I was given, it has sharpened me for my current success.” After the fellowship, Clemmons worked as a Diversity Engagement Specialist at Meta and today she is the Diversity Engagement Lead at Mercedes-Benz USA. For YCD, Clemmons and the thousands of other Bayview-Hunters Point individuals they’ve helped lift up is positive proof that their focus on workforce development training, education, and long-term housing solutions, along with their unparalleled broad-based support, is a true model that’s working.
"H
i, my name is Kaylyn Perkins. My position in YCD is as a clerical custodian technician. I learned about YCD by joining the 12-week EPA JRT Cohort 20 in August 2022 with Dr. Smith. In the program, I earned seven certifications. After the program, I was an Apprentice under Dr. Smith, Learning more about maintenance work. I always love to challenge myself, so I decided to help Dr. Smith more by becoming his assistant for Workforce Development. Since working with Workforce Development, I have learned more about YCD by getting to know the staff and all the programs that help the community. Ever since then, I want to help my community more. I always want to see my community become successful. I appreciate everybody who helped me out with bettering myself. I have more confidence in myself that I can do more."
– Kaylyn Perkins
Clerical Custodian Technician (former YCD client)
A Workforce to Fuel Generational Wealth
Y
oung Community Developers has set a visionary goal: raising $10 million within the next calendar year. This ambitious funding will fuel YCD’s general operations for three years, but more than that, it will propel the expansion of its fellowship program, securing full-time paid positions in local organizations, and creating a dual-benefit scenario: nurturing the professional growth of future leaders, while simultaneously bolstering the diversity in the local workforce which creates greater social equity. “This is how we design and build the next generation of workforce here in San Francisco, breaking the cycle of poverty and driving generational economic mobility,” says Dion-Jay Brookter, YCD Chief Executive Officer.
• 2,100+ customers served annually • 1,870 lives benefit from housing resources • $8M distributed directly to the community
OUR HOUSING TEAM: • 537 households served from May 2021-present day with financial assistance for rental debt incurred and moving from homeless to housed in SF or surrounding areas The Community Economic Mobility Vehicle (CEMVe) is a mobile unit designed to facilitate essential connections and coordination for supportive services and workforce programming within communities.
• 47% of households served were Black • 78% of households helped were low-income and either went from rent burdened or homeless to housed
• $3.5M given in financial assistance in the last three years
Young Community Developers www.ycdjobs.org 1715 Yosemite Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124 (415) 822-3491
Contact: Laila Newton Chief Advancement and Partnership Officer (415) 822-3491 lnewton@ycdjobs.org
KEY SUPPORTERS Crankstart Cruise Nektar Prologis Related Affordable Foundation Robin Hood Foundation
San Francisco Foundation Tipping Point Union Bank Walter & Elise HAAS Fund Wells Fargo
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: Young Community Developers, Inc. 1715 Yosemite Ave. San Francisco, CA 94124
| www.thegivinglist.com |
By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 94-2187776 By Credit Card:
www.ycdjobs.org/donate
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Making Philanthropy Diverse, Accessible to All By Brian Rinker
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ara Lomelin is a true believer that anyone and everyone can be a philanthropist. In a rousing TED Talk, she invited 1.4 million rapt digital viewers to join her in creating a more democratic, inclusive future of philanthropy through the power of collective giving. Her efforts are gaining traction with new collective giving groups launching regularly and increased visibility for this giving model across various channels. She recently was awarded a coveted spot on the Forbes 50 Over 50: Impact List, for her leadership in the movement to diversify and democratize philanthropy. Lomelin is founding CEO of Philanthropy Together, a global initiative launched in April 2020 following a co-design process with giving circle network leaders from across the country. With seed funding support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and Fidelity Charitable, Philanthropy Together provides training and resources to strengthen and scale the collective giving movement. She has long been a proponent of giving circles, groups of individuals who pool their resources to support issues they care about, as a way to make the world of giving a more equitable and accessible space. Now Lomelin is expanding the focus at Philanthropy Together, working to bring the organization’s infrastructure support to the rapidly growing field of collaborative funds – entities that pool resources from multiple foundations of high-capacity donors to nonprofits at scale to help advance the world’s most intractable problems. Previously Vice President of Philanthropy at the Latino Community Foundation, Lomelin, originally from Mexico City, also helped create the Latino Giving Circle Network, the largest network of Latinx philanthropists in the U.S., with 22 circles and 500 members. Lomelin also serves on the National Council of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and serves on the Board of Directors of Giving Tuesday and Battery Powered. In the three short years under her tutelage, Philanthropy Together has made a huge impact. In 2022 alone, the Philanthropy Together team garnered more than 565 million media impressions, bringing the concept of collective giving to households worldwide. They have developed programming for members and leaders of groups that center equity and justice in collective giving. And, most importantly, they have helped
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ignite interest by thousands of people to join or launch giving circles in their communities to support causes important to them. For Lomelin, who travels the globe speaking about the power of “collective giving,” it’s just a reminder that changing the world is not reserved only for the rich and famous. Q: Your mantra is that anybody can be a philanthropist. What do you mean by that? A: We define philanthropy as the “love of humanity.” Every human on Earth has the ability to love humanity. You don’t have to be a 65-year-old millionaire to be considered a philanthropist. You can be a 22-year-old young woman just out of college who volunteers at a local homeless shelter. The depth of our pocketbook has no bearing on the depth of our generosity. Every single person who gives and engages is needed if we are going to usher in the bold, beautiful world that we all so badly want. Too much of the spotlight has been on wealthy individuals, billionaires who make headlines for donating large sums of money. Don’t get me wrong, of course, we need their support and commitment as well. But it’s going to take all of us, not just those with a high net wealth in philanthropy,
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to make real change happen. Change isn’t about the money, it’s about our collective engagement. How did you get into philanthropy? My background was not in philanthropy. I started my career in the corporate sphere working at a financial group in Mexico City. I studied communications back in the early ‘90s, before the internet. I moved to the U.S. for graduate school and then started a business making baby sleeping bags for car seats and strollers. As a young mom, I wanted to give back to other moms in my community. A group of my friends came together to pool our dollars and make a collective donation to some of our local nonprofits that served moms. At the time, I didn’t know this concept had a name – a giving circle. Then in 2010, I joined the Latino Community Foundation in San Francisco. Working there I found my passion for philanthropy. As an immigrant, it was extremely important to demonstrate that our Latino community supported each other. How could I ask others to invest in our foundation if I could not show them we invest in our own community? After that realization 13 years ago, I reinvented myself as a people-powered philanthropy activist. You call yourself a disrupter. As you see it, what’s wrong with the traditional philanthropy approach and why does it need to be disrupted? We’re in a generosity crisis. We have fewer people giving and fewer people volunteering. The latest reports show philanthropic dollars are going down. This is dangerous. What it tells me is that people are not engaged or aware of the issues in their community. We cannot just cover our eyes. It will take all of us as a community, as a society, to make changes. Your organization, Philanthropy Together, invests in the giving circle movement. What is a giving circle and how does it solve this problem of less engagement in philanthropy? It’s important to note that giving circles are not new. They’re not American. They have been going on for hundreds of years all over the world. A giving circle is when a group of people – friends, colleagues, or neighbors – get together to pool their money and resources, discuss relevant issues that align with their goals and values, and, as a collective, decide where their giving can make a difference. Essentially, giving circles create opportunities to practice democracy, encouraging and making space for everyone to become a philanthropist. Members of giving circles get to hear different perspectives, educate themselves on the issues, and learn about and from community-based organizations that are on the frontline tackling some of the most pressing concerns in the neighborhood.
How do giving circles support diversity and inclusion? The stats are shocking. U.S. communities of color receive 8% of philanthropic dollars. Nonprofits focused on women and girls get just 1 to 2%. It is ridiculous. The beauty of the giving movement is that the people who are members of a giving circle are most often part of the same community they are looking to support. In fact, more than 70% of giving circles are led by women. How does Philanthropy Together support giving circles? We have a directory of giving circles on our website through a partnership with Grapevine.org, a technology hub for giving circles. You can search by zip code to find giving circles in your community. And if you can’t find one that sparks your interest, you can participate in Launchpad, a giving circle incubator that provides all the teachings and tools, for free, needed to start your own giving circle. As a graduate of the program, you gain access to a library of resources, including blog posts, training, and webinars, as well as 1:1 and group coaching. We also have an annual convening called We Give Summit with more than 150 hours of content featuring changemakers from all over the world. In 2016, researchers conducted a study on the giving landscape and determined that 1,600 giving circles in the U.S. involved 150,000 people and had given out $1.3 billion in the past 20 years. In five years, our goal at Philanthropy Together is to grow that number to 3,000 giving circles that include 350,000 people and give out $2.3 billion. Our next wave of research comes out in a few months, and early results show so much growth in the field. Have you been to any exciting giving circles lately? I’m meeting with my giving circle next week – the Peninsula Latina Giving Circle. We have a list of several nonprofits on our docket who are all serving children and families in the San Mateo County area. We’ll meet and discuss who we should consider giving to. It’s a lot of fun! We are 25 women who get together and share a meal. We always build in time before the giving circle discussion and after to talk and socialize. We have built very strong friendships – with each other and also with the leaders of the nonprofits receiving our collective funding. Though we are a small group of women, we have given out maybe a quarter of a million dollars in the past few years, together. We are not millionaires, but when we get together we can make a difference in our community. Everyone is a philanthropist.
| www.thegivinglist.com |
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
Arts as a Catalyst for Change As our own curators of creativity, we use art in all forms to help transform and better ourselves, our community, and our world.
| www.thegivinglist.com |
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Dispensing Arts to Heal Society BY DAN SCHIFRIN
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rtists, storytellers, teachers, and community leaders have long understood the power of art and story to transform individual lives, as well as society at large. From ancient times, and in cultures around the world, music, poetry, and dance were prescribed as medicine, and were viewed as fundamental to the healthy working of body, mind, and community. For the last few generations in the United States, perhaps going back to the Russian launch of the Sputnik Rocket in 1957, public support of art and culture has faltered, replaced by an intense investment in science and technology. This bias has only accelerated in recent years, as the gravitational pull of high-tech and a religion of “productivity” has made it harder to justify the social value of the arts. Ivy Ross, vice president of hardware design at Google, hopes to change all this with her new, best-selling book, Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us. Co-written with Susan Magsamen, founder and director of the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University, Your Brain on Art demonstrates how the arts are neither a luxury, nor secondary to civilization, but “are essential to our very survival.” Your Brain on Art synthesizes recent findings in the growing field of “neuroaesthetics,” in which the impact of culture on our brains is proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. The authors note that engaging with the arts for even a few minutes each day leads to a panoply of benefits, including “enhanced self-efficacy, coping, and emotional regulation,” as well as lowering our stress hormone response and enhancing immune function. “The science proves that we made a mistake, by downplaying the value of art, something for which we are physiologically wired,” Ross explained in an interview. She recently returned from addressing a group of 500 California school superintendents at the Getty Museum
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Creativity Explored artist making some finishing touches on their latest piece.
| San Francisco Bay Area |
benefits of arts for individual and collective health. Sekayi Edwards, a Berkeley-based psychotherapist, is gratified to learn that neurological studies now prove what he has long seen in his practice – the profound impact of the arts on patient health. Working with music, video games, and epic storytelling activities like Dungeons & Dragons, Edwards sees how the arts “speaks to us all in ways we are not fully aware of. When we have the opportunity to create art, whether it’s in therapy, or a class, or just meeting an artist, we become expansive, instead of contracting.” The framework of art, he continued, reduces the effect of trauma and chronic stress, which “prevents the shut-off of the
in Los Angeles, where she unpacked the physical and mental health benefits of art, and argued for the return of art teachers to the school curriculum. As we stare down an epidemic of loneliness in this country, organizations around the country are dispensing “arts” as an efficient solution, buttressed by studies proving the link between play, creativity, and health. “The opposite of play is not work,” Ross reminds us. “It’s depression.” Long a national leader in finding creative solutions to wicked social problems, the Bay Area is full of talented artists, organizational leaders, and funders who are looking to amplify the
(Photo courtesy of Sekayi Edwards)
Berkeley-based psychotherapist Sekayi Edwards.
Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us authors Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross.
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“Creativity Explored dreams of a world enriched by the creativity of disabled adults. Time and time again, our supporters tell me that they discovered a hidden gem when they learned about our work. The disabled artists we serve gain respect and much-needed
Joy Culture Foundation students enjoying time in the classroom.
income for their visionary work. And in the end, Creativity Explored’s work enriches us all, by creating space for us to see the capacities and talents we all share.” – Linda Johnson, Executive Director, Creativity Explored
A proud Creativity Explored artist sharing their talent with the world.
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prefrontal cortex, and makes it much easier to communicate and connect with others.” Through his practice, called Hidden Quest Therapy, Edwards has observed how the power of art transforms not just individuals, but groups as well. With a practice comprised mostly of teens and young men of color, he sees what happens when youth come together in a group process to co-create a narrative “that is neither stereotypical nor oppressive,” creating space for young people to “find their own voice, and a process that is bigger than just themselves.” For 13 years, Cliff Mayotte ran the educational programs for Voice of Witness, a San Francisco-based oral history program that supports storytelling in traditionally marginalized communities from Oakland to Sudan. He has seen firsthand the transformation of individuals of all ages when they are offered the chance to tell their own story. For youth, Mayotte said, “the skills of empathy,
Eric Pleschner posing with students of Desert Mission Lincoln Learning Center.
| San Francisco Bay Area |
(Photo courtesy of Youth Speaks)
self-awareness, and collaboration that come from storytelling are transformational.” In one Voice of Witness study, students were interviewed seven years after a class, and a large number had shifted their professional trajectory to areas like nursing, journalism, and therapy. These individual transformations, in other words, correlated with a sense of belonging and agency, “which inspired deeper community building and further empathy, in essence the qualities of good citizenship our country needs. These are the metrics that funders and policymakers want to see.” Eric Pleschner is one of those funders. The long-time executive director of the Charles Becker Foundation, Pleschner has developed strong relationships with Voice of Witness, as well as local arts organizations like the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and First Exposures, which pairs youth with professional photographers. He describes the effect of these programs on participants and families impacted by social and economic inequality as “exponential,” going far beyond the results of one artistic project. “We can come up with some numbers to associate with a program’s success,” he explained. “But we don’t really have a measurement system to capture the range of benefits derived from this work.”
95% of surveyed attendees shared they felt more connected to others after a Youth Speaks event.
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(Photo courtesy of Aurora Theatre Company)
“Aurora Theatre Company produces relevant, accessible, and exciting theater for our local community. Strong communities need places to gather to share stories and need local artists to share the lessons of the past and imagine possible futures. At a time of division and mistrust, theater is uniquely positioned to deepen our appreciation of each other and our world.”
Michelle “Mush” Lee, executive director of San Francisco’s legendary Youth Speaks, measures the impact one youth at a time. Her organization helps teen artists discover and amplify their voice, and by doing so creates community and effects social change. During the last few years, as she has watched a crisis of mental health unfold among the city’s youth, Lee tracked the compounding benefits of storytelling on Youth Speaks participants. Lee offered the example of one student whose first public poetry focused on a neutral topic: what she ate for breakfast. But the process of safely telling stories about simple things prompted her to share more about her history and family. By overhearing herself speak, and feeling the love of a community of listeners, she began to make profound, positive changes in her personal life. “The very process of telling stories in this way led her to new insights and new wisdom,” said Lee. For Lulu Roberts, the founder of The Joy Culture Foundation in Palo Alto, the impact of the arts can be seen in how families read, dance, or even learn calligraphy together. Serving Chinese language communities in the South Bay, the Foundation encourages the qualities of intergenerational play and discovery. Like many others working with children and families, Roberts understands the value of neurological data to support the impact she sees firsthand. “We know how important reading and visual stimulation is for young brains, and how those first five years are crucial in terms of parental and social investment,” she explained. Living in Silicon Valley, she worries about the “culture of striving” that is the dominant ethos, edging out a “culture of thriving” that encourages and celebrates play, empathy, and self-discovery. For most of human history, marginalizing art and storytelling into silos would have made no sense. Their obvious social, spiritual, and biological benefits would have bound them deeply to a community’s health and identity. But in America, where market forces overwhelmingly act as our curator of creativity, it will take the commitment of a diverse group of leaders and funders to make plain what humans have known since the beginning – we are only as healthy as the stories we tell together.
– Josh Costello, Aurora Theatre Artistic Director
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
(Photo courtesy of Napa Valley Education Foundation)
“The goal of our Music Connection program at Napa Valley Education Foundation is to ensure that every student has the same opportunity to find success and fulfillment through music. Though we invest in many initiatives to support students mentally and academically, introducing students to music has been proven to positively impact the whole child. Studies show that when students can master an instrument – especially if other classes are challenging – that success builds confidence and the belief that they can succeed in school and other aspects of their lives. It can often be one of the greatest things keeping students engaged in school.” – Kristin Anderson, Program Director, Napa Valley Education Foundation
Napa Valley Education Foundation music student practicing the cello during summer camp.
| www.thegivinglist.com |
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AURORA THEATRE COMPANY
Live, Intimate, Local Theatre That Challenges and Inspires "L
ong ago, after attending Barbara Oliver's reading of Dorothy Bryant's "Dear Master (1990)" (which became the Aurora Theatre's first production) at Cody’s Books, my husband and I became immediate Aurora supporters. Years later, I was thrilled to be able to invest my inheritance from my parents into their namesake "Nell & Jules Dashow Wing," to honor them and to benefit the Aurora. Theater lovers love the Aurora because it's simply the best." Lisa Anne Porter, Elizabeth Carter, Rolf Saxon, Teddy Spencer, and Charisse Loriaux in Jonathan Spector's award winning play Eureka Day (2018). Commissioned by Aurora in 2016, Eureka Day (2018) has since been seen in theaters around the world, including NYC's Colt Coeur and the Old Vic in London. Photo by David Allen.
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t Aurora Theatre Company’s Alafi Auditorium, no audience member is more than 15 feet away from the stage. They all share in the laughter, tears, or gasps of surprise at each intimate performance. For theater-goers, that experience is magic. “Humans understand the world through stories – stories are always more meaningful than facts. It’s just the way our brains are wired,” says Josh Costello, the Aurora’s artistic director. “The opportunity to come together with your community, in the same room, and experience a
Playwright Liz Duffy Adams, right, and Artistic Director Josh Costello at Aurora Theatre Company's first rehearsal for Born With Teeth (2023) in August 2023. Photo by Scot Goodman.
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story together, it’s a powerful experience and it makes communities stronger.” Aurora Theatre Company has been dedicated to the visceral power of live theater for 32 years. It is known for presenting groundbreaking, acclaimed work and as a home for developing contemporary theater and new plays. Their new works incubator, Originate+Generate, provides space and support for local artists to create. Jonathan Spector debuted the highly acclaimed Eureka Day at Aurora Theatre, a sharp-witted comedy exploring progressive ideals and mandatory vaccinations at a Bay Area children’s school, which went on to be performed worldwide. The theater’s productions aim to tell a diverse set of stories that are relevant to the current moment while nurturing local talent, by hiring local actors and stage artists and paying union wages to all. Half of their typically five-play season is dedicated to works written by women and playwrights of color. Recent productions include Paradise Blue and Detroit ‘67 from Dominique Morisseau’s Detroit Project, and Manahatta, the story of a young Lenape woman working as a securities trader on Wall Street in her ancestral land of Manahatta. Their work challenges pre| San Francisco Bay Area |
– Deborah Dashow Ruth Donor
conceived ideas and is designed to not only entertain but to broaden audiences’ viewpoints. “We’re not just a museum putting on great plays of the past,” says Costello. “We are really the type of place where people are having a conversation about what’s happening right now.” Aurora premiered Dustin Chin’s Colonialism is Terrible, But Pho is Delicious, a play about colonialism, food, and the Asian experience. An excited Asian community came together to see a story that reflected their experience onstage – something that doesn’t happen often – and stayed for after-performance discussions that included AAPI Youth Rising, an organization fighting anti-Asian hate. These types of community partnerships help create a synergy between art and the community that is integral to Aurora’s mission. “I think a strong community needs theaters and it needs artists. And what’s particularly special about working with local artists is that we are telling stories that are personally meaningful to us,” says Costello. “Those stories are authentic and meaningful personally to the audience as well… We are the community telling its own stories.”
Help Sustain the MAGIC OF LOCAL LIVE THEATRE our participation is essential. Contributing to Aurora means investing in an art form that explores the human experience, raises awareness through Y stories, and challenges us to engage more profoundly with our neighbors and our world.
• $2.5 million to produce a season • Over 150 artists employed • An administrative staff of 15 • Hundreds of volunteers Located in Downtown Berkeley, Aurora’s potential reach and engagement of audiences goes beyond the greater San Francisco Bay Area. (L-R) Anna Marie Sharpe and Titus VanHook in Dominique Morisseau's Paradise Blue (2022), directed by Dawn Monique Williams. Photo by Kevin Berne.
Your gift will have a lasting resonance.
(L-R) Anna Marie Sharpe and Sam Jackson in the World Premiere of Cleavon Smith's The Incrementalist (2022), directed by Dawn Monique Williams. Aurora commissioned Smith to develop The Incrementalist in 2021 for its new play incubator Originate+Generate. Photo by Kevin Berne.
“I
n spite of its relatively small size, Aurora Theatre is one of the most important theaters in the San Francisco Bay Area (if not in the state) for its involvement with the community and producing cutting-edge plays, often premieres, that speak to traditionally under-represented minority communities and to the problems that confront us all. Its productions are invariably excellent, innovative, entertaining, and emotionally and intellectually challenging. In surviving the challenges of the pandemic and the socio-economic challenges to theater in general through its work in Confronting and Dismantling Oppression, it places justice to staff and actors foremost and has gained the loyalty of theater professionals and audiences alike. It is all that theater should be."
– Rafael Jesús González
Poet Laureate of Berkeley, Advisory Council of Aurora Theatre
Aurora Theatre Company www.auroratheatre.org 2081 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94704 (510) 843-4042
Contact: Felicity Cowlin Development Director (510) 843-4042 ext. 308 fcowlin@auroratheatre.org
Anna Ishida and Kenny Toll in Jonathan Spector’s This Much I Know (2022). Photo by Kevin Berne.
KEY SUPPORTERS Gertrude Allen City of Berkeley Civic Arts Program George & Candy Hisert Margaret & Matt Jacobson Rosalind & Sung-Hou Kim Ellen & Barry Levine Luna Foundation Craig & Kathy Moody Thomas Edwards & Rebecca Parlette-Edwards
Sally Shaver The Shubert Foundation Cindy & Stephen Snow Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust Patrick Laney & Kinman Tong Tom & Amy Worth Allison Teeman & Michael Yovino-Young
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: The Aurora Theatre Company 2081 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94704
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By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 94-3168663 By Credit Card:
www.auroratheatre.org/donate
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CREATIVITY EXPLORED
Creativity Explored Gives Artists with Disabilities a Showcase “C
reativity Explored is legendary in the art world. Its reputation extends far beyond the San Francisco Bay Area. The quality of the work made by the artists is nothing less than mind-blowing. I believe that the artists of Creativity Explored have made a major contribution to the art of our region, with their imagery, style, and energy. Their influence is everywhere.”
– Larry Rinder
Director Emeritus of the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive and CE Board Member
Joseph Omolayole's textile art is on display through January at Into the Brightness, an exhibit at Oakland Museum of California featuring Creativity Explored artists. "Art and fashion are my passion," says Joseph, who was also recently featured at The Museum of Craft and Design.
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hen Creativity Explored began in San Francisco’s Mission District in 1983, the nonprofit for artists with disabilities operated out of a garage. It was a challenging time as institutions for people with disabilities were rapidly closing. As Executive Director Linda Johnson says, “Our founders, Florence and Elias Katz, saw a need to esteem folks with disabilities and provide them with a community and a place where they could feel seen and recognized and participate fully.” Now, 40 years later, Creativity Explored has become a nonprofit art studio and gallery helping hundreds of artists with disabilities display their work in museums, galleries, and art shows worldwide. Altogether, these artists have earned more than $2 million from their creations and embodied the founders’ belief that “art is essential to life.” “When you visit our studio you will see that we provide not only a really caring community where adults with developmental disabilities can spend time but also a community where they can connect with others and live their best lives,” Johnson says. “We nurture their artistic practice and help them find their own path as an artist.” Creativity Explored never turns an
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adult artist with disabilities away for lack of experience. Their program welcomes artists of all skill levels, from those already passionate about the arts to novices who have never picked up a paintbrush. The organization believes that each individual has a capacity for creativity; it simply needs to be cultivated. “Maybe they’ve never made art in their lives,” Johnson says. “Those folks often go on to have incredible art careers, even when they join us when they’re in their 40s or 50s or even older.” The organization now serves about 135 artists but would like to increase those served to 150, an expansion that Creativity Explored
needs more resources to achieve. All of the organization’s artists receive government assistance because of their disabilities. However, making artwork they earn money from, with the help of Creativity Explored, allows them to be more self-sufficient. Artist Vincent Jackson, known for his bold graphics featuring afrocentric portraiture, has taken part in the organization for 39 years and earns a substantial income from his work. “Vincent is someone who will definitely let you know that he’s a renowned artist and also that Creativity Explored has been key to his success,” Johnson says. Until January, the work of Creativity Explored artists will be on exhibit at the Oakland Museum of California. “It shows how much this work and our history have become part of the Bay Area contemporary art world,” Johnson says.
Artists and staff at our Potrero Hill location. CE supports each artist's practice. We also plan with each artist to support their dreams and well-being. Plans have included getting help with art materials, taking healthy walks, working with a favorite staff member, and being exhibited in New York City.
| San Francisco Bay Area |
Celebrate and Support the Artwork of Artists with Disabilities reativity Explored seeks your donations to maintain their innovative programs supporting artists with disabilities. Your C generous funds will help these artists with: free studio space, art
Artist Ethel Revita poses in front of her mural at the entrance to our Mission District studio. During 29 years at CE, Ethel's work has been projected on the Salesforce Tower, while her designs have been licensed for scarves, totes, and trays by VIDA, helping Ethel earn income.
supplies, transportation, and teaching artists who mentor them during their time with Creativity Explored. Additionally, your donations help cover the costs associated with mounting the exhibits that feature the art at galleries and museums, which enable these talented artists to earn money from their artwork and maintain self-sufficiency.
Over the course of our history, more than 400 Creativity Explored artists have earned over $2.2 million in art sales and have exhibited their work in 14 different countries. KEY SUPPORTERS
"T
Known for lively depictions of female artists and public figures, Nita Hicks is as much a visual storyteller as she is an illustrator. Here, Nita collaborates with teaching artist Laura Figa. CE provides professional artist mentors and high quality art supplies, helping each artist find their own creative path.
he people here are really nice, cool people. They're like family. They're like my second home. I hope I can stay here for the rest of my time! I feel comfortable and safe. You got a lot of people that you talk with, you laugh with. You enjoy, it's like you wish it never ends. You wish you could stay here just a little bit, like 'Oh man, it's 2:00? I don't want to go home yet!' I got my two babies at home, my cat and my dog. I like to talk to them, but I like it here better."
– Guadalupe Ramos Creativity Explored Artist
Creativity Explored www.creativityexplored.org 3245 16th St San Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 863-2108
Contact: Linda Johnson Executive Director (415) 863-2108 lindajohnson@creativityexplored.org
Adobe Inc. Audax Charitable Foundation California Arts Council Christie’s Cox-Vadakan Foundation Gail McCabe Golden Gate Regional Center Gucci Changemakers Impact Fund John & Gwen Smart Foundation John & Marcia Goldman Foundation Kenneth Zankel Koret Foundation LinkedIn National Endowment for the Arts Randi and Bob Fisher Sakura of America San Francisco Foundation San Francisco Grants for the Arts U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Violet World Foundation
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: Creativity Explored 3245 16th St San Francisco, CA 94103
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By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 94-2801050 By Credit Card:
www.creativityexplored.org/donate
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THE JOY CULTURE FOUNDATION
The Joy Culture Foundation Fosters Heritage for Asian American Families "B
y supporting the Joy Culture Foundation, we are not just preserving our cultural heritage, but also fostering diversity and inclusivity. It is a gift to our daughter and to the community, inviting everyone to discover the richness of Chinese literature and the beauty of our culture." - Board Member Zoe Liang and her husband, Jason Chang, work in biotech in Silicon Valley. Seen here with their 17-month-old daughter, Noa Chang.
Through Chinese book reading, programs, activities, and events, the foundation is promoting cultural awareness, and many enrichment opportunities. It fills an unmet need for Chinese families seeking connection to their heritage.
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s a new parent raising her daughters in the Bay Area, LuLu Roberts found herself far from her own large family in Taiwan where she grew up. She wondered how she was going to pass on her heritage and a sense of identity to her two young girls. They had never even heard her speak her native Mandarin. “The first five years of being a mom, for me, was really tough,” Roberts says. She deeply missed her extended family who could share their experience and pass on their culture. “For me, and a lot of first-time moms who are immigrants, you just don’t have that and you feel very isolated and lonely.” After finding few free language and cultural resources for young kids in the community, despite the large Asian population in the Bay Area, she had the idea for the Joy Culture Foundation, an educational space for families and children to support Chinese culture and literacy. The nonprofit opened its doors in 2022 with a lending library, play space, and classes like music, calligraphy, and yo-yo for young children and mentorship opportunities for older students. In its first year, membership exploded from 100 to 500, with people traveling from surrounding areas clamoring for their resources. Their community events, like an Asian American children’s author book event, are often fully registered within minutes. “There is no rich resource like Joy Culture in the Bay Area,” says foundation member Ivy Sun. “I was able to be seen and be heard during the early years of motherhood… I love the idea my kid will be armed with support from the amazing community, along with thousands of books to take home for me to read to her and bond with her.” Roberts sees how fostering cultural literacy creates confidence for Asian American children, who often face cultural identity crises as they
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grow up. It also creates connections within families to their heritage. The last few years have been especially difficult as hate and discrimination against the Asian community skyrocketed. Between 2020 and 2022, Stop AAPI Hate reported nearly 11,500 reports of hate incidents against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) persons across the United States. “I think we can create a lot of good leaders in the community, who know how to give back, how to lead, who are comfortable with who they are. They don’t have to be ashamed. They don’t have to deny who they are or conform to a stereotype. They could have more by having more resources,” says Roberts. The Joy Culture Foundation aims to support diversity and become the hub of Chinese cultural resources, literacy, education, and empowerment throughout the Bay Area. Bringing Asian American families together and giving them the opportunity and the tools to connect with their culture and their community at large.
The Joy Culture Foundation offers a lot of mommy/daddy and me classes in Mandarin to promote family bonding and Chinese language and literacy.
| San Francisco Bay Area |
Support Cultural Diversity as a Bridge to Brotherhood he Joy Culture Foundation has filled an unmet need in the Bay Area as a resource center for T childhood education in Chinese literacy and culture.
The organization has become a nurturing space for immigrant families who face the challenges of bridging two cultures and sharing their heritage. Since its inception it has seen a large demand in the community for its programs and a fivefold increase in membership. You can support diversity and the next generation of young Americans by helping the foundation raise $100,000 to expand its events and classes in 2024 and to meet the needs of a fast-growing Chinese community in the Bay Area.
Census data shows that the Chinese population is now the largest racial group in the Bay Area; in some cities, the Chinese population is over 25%. Public libraries offer only 1% of their books in the Chinese language.
0% of Chinese-based mommy and me support is offered for free.
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mmigrant families often face tremendous challenges in the United States. Problems range from dealing with racism to balancing the values of their heritage culture and the prevailing American culture. For example, immigrant parents and their children often clash because there is a breakdown in communication – not only is it hard to speak to each other in two different languages sometimes, but also in two-plus love languages (i.e., the ways that people receive and express love/care in a relationship). By creating a strong community, the Joy Culture Foundation is helping immigrant families support each other through their uniquely challenging journeys."
– Jenny Louie, PhD (She/Her/Hers)
Senior Clinical Psychologist, Anxiety Disorders Center, Child Mind Institute, San Francisco Bay Area
KEY SUPPORTERS Eric and Lulu Roberts Family Foundation George Roberts Foundation Danhakl Family Foundation Juliana Lee Foundation Immersive Beijing Learning Foundation Jason Chang Family Foundation Child Mind Institute Peggy Cheng, Senior Advisor of Ming Yi Foundation Eileen Tsai, Regional Director, South Bay at 10,000 Degrees Andy Chen, General Partner, Coatue Howard Chi, COO, San Francisco SPCA
Zoe Liang, Director of Operations, CSBio Coco Shi, Senior Governance, Risk and Compliance Manager at Dropbox Sandy Yu, Marketing Consultant Fangfang Tan, PhD, Head of Data Science, LinkedIn Talent Solution Go-To-Market Xiuying Jin, International Financial Advisor Harris Barton and Megan Charitable Trust Courtney Roberts Mark Roberts Chonita E. Cleary, Managing Partner of Borel Estate Company
The Joy Culture Foundation www.thejoyculturefoundation.org 934 Santa Cruz Ave. Suite A Menlo Park, CA 94025 (650) 272-6915
Contact: Lulu Roberts Founder (650) 400-0541 lulu.roberts@thejoyculturefoundation.org
The Many Ways to Give... The Foundation also offers events that promote Chinese culture heritage and awareness. This also helps immigrant families and children feel a sense of belonging.
By Check: The Joy Culture Foundation 934 Santa Cruz Ave. Suite A Menlo Park, CA 94025
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By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 85-1605425 By Credit Card: www.thejoyculturefoundation.org/volunteer-donate
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NAPA VALLEY EDUCATION FOUNDATION
Napa Valley Education Foundation Invests in the Future of All Students
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orld-renowned for its legendary wineries and best-in-class hotels, Napa Valley attracts visitors from across the globe. Often overlooked is the fact that more than 50% of Napa County’s public school students come from low-income families, many of whom make up the essential workforce powering Napa’s tourism and hospitality industries. These families rely on the Napa Valley Education Foundation to ensure that their students, the next generation of the Napa County, receive the support and services they need to thrive into the future. Created in 1983 by a group of educators and community members, the Napa Valley Education Foundation (NVEF) was founded to provide local public school teachers with access to grants for special projects and supplies. Today, NVEF provides programs and strategic support that serves students in all six public school districts across Napa County. The Foundation is focused on ensuring educational equity by investing in the areas of youth mental health and wellness, music and arts, career readiness, and classroom innovation. NVEF programs and services reach 18,000 public school students in Napa County every year.
“Not only do we strategically raise funds to provide our school districts with grants and support, but we’ve also spent the last decade building diverse and responsive programs to ensure that students get the support they need to thrive in our community,” says Jennifer Stewart, the organization’s executive director. NVEF’s Music Connection program is a cornerstone of the local arts education landscape. This year the Music Connection will rent nearly 2,000 musical instruments at lowor no cost to students while also providing free two-week-long summer camps to hundreds of students across the county. This year, they also added a mariachi camp. Program Director Kristin Anderson says, “We are fortunate to have a strong Latinx population here in Napa County. This is an incredible opportunity to celebrate and share Latinx music and culture with our students and the community at large.” NVEF’s far-reaching Health & Wellness initiatives include the SHINE collective (Student Health Improvement Through Nonprofit Excellence), which is designed to provide students access to mental health services they need to lead happy, healthy, self-suffi-
Students in classroom utilizing equipment funded by Napa Valley Education Foundation classroom innovation grant.
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s a student who has been involved with NVEF for many years, it’s incredible to see the impact of their work. I have personally benefited from NVEF's Music Connection program, which allowed me to get my very first clarinet. Now I am fortunate to be participating in their Summer Mentor Program, which has provided me with eight weeks of hands-on work experience that is preparing me for success after high school. Between their work supporting music education, career readiness, and mental health programs, thousands of students who are just like me have the extra support they need to succeed in school and in life.”
– Mia Ambrosio-Martinez
11th Grade Student, New Technology High School
cient lives. Through this work, the Foundation has helped district build wellness centers, created mental health screenings, and increased the school and nonprofit workers at each school. Career readiness programs, like their Summer Mentor Program, give students the opportunity to work directly in the key industries in the region. Students also work with NVEF’s job coach to learn employability skills, write résumés, and understand the ins and outs of the world of work after high school. Programs like these build talent pipelines in the community and enable students to develop their professional networks by forging long-lasting relationships with local professionals. The Napa Valley Education Foundation is the essential bridge between the community and the school districts, and success comes in giving every student an equal chance to succeed, both with their education and their future beyond high school. “If a student has a plan for the day after they graduate, then we have succeeded,” says Stewart.
Invest in the Next Generation of Napa Valley
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ith your support, the Napa Valley Education Foundation can ensure that all students in Napa County receive the help they need to thrive in their futures. From low-cost/no cost music instrument rentals to summer work experience and classroom grants to mental health and wellness services, your investment helps ensure the strength and resilience of the next generation of Napa Valley. Together we can create brighter futures for our community and families.
Students learning violin during free two-week Music Connection summer camp.
More than 50% of students in Napa County's public schools come from lowincome, under-served communities. Your support enables us to level the playing field and ensure equitable access to high-quality enrichment, career readiness, and academic programs for all students in Napa County.
KEY SUPPORTERS
Students pose for a photo in a school site wellness center, funded and staffed by Napa Valley Education Foundation partners.
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support the work of the Napa Valley Education Foundation because they are committed to ensuring that all students in Napa County have access to a best in class education in our public schools. NVEF’s funding supports essential music, career readiness, wellness, and classroom innovation programs. By ensuring the strength and resilience of our public school programs, we ensure that the next generation have everything they need to live happy and healthy lives as productive members of our community.”
– Rick Jones
Board Member & Treasurer
Napa Valley Vintners Trinchero Family Estates Chuck & Anne McMinn Rick & Elaine Jones Van Pelt Construction Services The Nova Group, Inc. Bell Products CA+SA Studio Napa Valley Community Foundation County of Napa Notes for Education
Kaiser Permanente Northern California Community Benefit Programs Redwood Credit Union Timothy Hall Foundation Mead Foundation Festival Napa Valley
Napa Valley Education Foundation www.nvef.org 2425 Jefferson St., #103 Napa, CA 94558 (707) 200-1224
Contact: Rachel Luppens Director of Development (707) 492-5502 rachel@nvef.org
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: Napa Valley Education Foundation 2425 Jefferson St #103 Napa, CA, 94558
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By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 68-0005743 By Credit Card:
www.nvef.org/donate
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YOUTH SPEAKS
Youth Speaks Develops a New Generation of Voices for Bold Change
Youth Speaks creates safe spaces that challenge young people to find, develop, publicly present, and apply their voices as creators of societal change.
“It’s not the thoughts or the prayers. It’s the actions It’s how we stared down the barrel. Stared until the barrel lowered until the kill counts flew up and away. Stared until the guns were put down…” From the poem “Futurescapes” about a future without gun violence. By Youth Speaks poet Jasmine Kapadia
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oung people want more. They don’t just want to find their voice, they want to use that voice to make real, tangible change in the world. Youth Speaks, a leader in youth art, civic and cultural education, and performance for over 25 years, is meeting this need by not only helping young people find and develop their artistic voice as writers, artists, and public speakers, but by also applying that voice to changing the public narrative. Their new innovative Power Lab program will pair young artists with researchers, movement organizers, and media partners to create artist-centered stories and solutions grounded in systems-change that will
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have far-reaching impacts. “We see young people apply their voices in ways that are unlike any time before in history – shaping public discourse and expanding political will,” says Michelle “Mush” Lee, executive director of Youth Speaks. “It no longer takes years for a younger person in these times to realize that their ideas and voice can impact hundreds, thousands, and potentially millions, if you go viral.” Youth Speaks has been one of the largest nonprofit organizations supporting youth poetry. Serving over 7,500 students annually in the Bay Area and 200,000 arts audiences virtually, their flagship Brave New Voices Youth Poetry Festival has been featured on HBO and their arts-based, public health models have been recognized by the World Health Organization and the National Institutes of Health. Youth Speaks artists have leveraged culture and narrative-driven strategies to shift national conversation on youth incarceration, affordable housing, environmental justice, and health inequities and spurred changes in state policy. Their collaboration on an article on public housing in Richmond, California, with | San Francisco Bay Area |
the Center for Investigative Reporting (now known as Reveal News), led to features on PBS NewsHour, in the San Francisco Chronicle, and eventually led to the closure and renovation of what was deemed one of the most decrepit housing projects in the nation. Their long-standing collaboration with University of California San Francisco’s Center for Vulnerable Populations has brought national awareness to the causes of health inequities like Type II Diabetes and led to prominent stories in The New York Times and The Journal of the American Medical Association. Youth Speaks’ goal is bold: To create opportunities for youth to study public stories of today and speak on the issues that matter to our future – racial equity, ethics and AI, mental health, social media, and climate justice. And it’s never been more crucial as they are painfully aware of current trends censoring the young and people of color. “Our job at Youth Speaks is to make sure that the histories of Black, Indigenous, Latine, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Arab people’s survival and resilience that are being systematically banned in schools and libraries across this country are never silenced, censored, erased, or that we never apologize for creating a space where young people of every walk of life can explore their own stories with remarkable truth and hope for a world none of us has seen but dream of,” says Lee. “To build a truly inclusive world is to build a world that is also shaped by young people.”
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here could not be a better time for Youth Speaks to expand its vision, wisdom, and innovation to the evolving task of building power for the next generation. I have been blessed to see Youth Speaks work to inspire and catalyze young minds to bring truth, beauty, and wonder into a world in need. Times have changed, but the urgency of Youth Speaks' mission has not.”
– Jeff Chang
Former VP of Narrative, Arts, and Culture at Race Forward, Author, and Cultural historian
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Powering Up the VOICES OF YOUTH
outh Speaks has been encouraging young people to use poetry, stories, art, and their voices to drive political change and justice for over 25 years. Their innovative program, Power Lab, will pair 20 young poets, writers, and culture-bearers with movement partners to continue to impact our culture in substantial ways. Youth Speaks needs only 40% of its seed fund, a remaining $2 million, to support its Power Lab artistic fellowships over two years and $250,000 to continue their mission of amplifying young voices.
The missing element of the narrative movement is youth voice. Through Power Lab, passionate emerging poets have a next step where they can continue developing their voice, while learning about the power of applying their stories to create public narratives and influence policy through culture. Youth Speaks www.youthspeaks.org 265 Shotwell Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415-255-9035
Contact: Michelle "Mush" Lee Executive Director mlee@youthspeaks.org
98% of surveyed audience members in the 2022-23 season shared Youth Speaks events had a positive effect on their mental health.
KEY SUPPORTERS Battery Powered California Arts Council Emily Leys and Gene Chung Crankstart Golden State Warriors Hellman Foundation Barbara and Amos Hostetter Lemonade Mission Economic Development Agency National Endowment for the Arts Jenny Fan Raj and Nehal Raj
San Francisco Department of Children, Youth & Their Families San Francisco Grants for the Arts The Center for Cultural Power The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation The Morgan Plouffe Family The Robert and Michelle Philanthropic Fund Universal Music Group, Taskforce for Meaningful Change
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: Youth Speaks, Inc. 265 Shotwell Street San Francisco, CA 94110
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By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 91-2134499 By Credit Card:
youthspeaks.networkforgood.com
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Museum of the African Diaspora: A Vital Center of Black Culture and History in San Francisco By Brian Rinker
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hen Monetta White first heard about the plans to build the Museum of the African Diaspora, MoAD, she recalls thinking, “Oh my God, we are going to have a Black museum!” Today, that vivid memory symbolizes the beginning of her journey, which has led her from being a donor and volunteer to her current role as MoAD’s CEO and executive director. Inspired by the wisdom of her grandmother, who instilled in her the importance of preserving culture and advocating for the community, Monetta White has dedicated her career to the celebration of Black culture, food, and art. Initially, as a restaurateur and now as the head of MoAD, she continues to use her platform to amplify Black voices. Leveraging her two decades of entrepreneurial skills and extensive network, White successfully guided the museum through the challenges posed by the pandemic. She also brokered a pioneering partnership with SFMOMA to create a joint curatorial role, with the objective of fostering the growth of BIPOC art leaders. Additionally, she achieved notable milestones, including record-breaking donor campaigns and art auctions, doubling the budget, expanding the institution’s global footprint, and broadening its digital audience reach. Q: How have your experiences as an entrepreneur, art collector, and community leader influenced your approach to leadership at MoAD, and in what specific ways do these experiences contribute to the achievement of the museum’s mission? A: My personal experience as an entrepreneur, art collector, and community leader has really shaped my style of leadership. As an entrepreneur, I learned to be adaptable and to be a visionary – to believe in the power of building something special. I think my experience in the restaurant and service industry taught me the importance of teamwork and customer service. As a collector and art lover, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for the power of art to tell the stories of our culture. When I came into MoAD to be the executive director, I knew that I had found my purpose, quite honestly. I’ve been able to use my business skills, passion, and resources to support the work of Black artists and curators. I believe that MoAD
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is an essential institution for the Black community, and I’m committed to helping the museum achieve its mission. Can you talk about the significance of MoAD in San Francisco, and why you think it is an essential institution of the Black community? Historically, San Francisco has been a vital center for Black culture and MoAD continues to carry on that tradition. Black representation is essential to San Francisco, especially as our community faces displacement at an alarming rate. MoAD provides a vital space for Black people to connect with their culture and community, see themselves represented, and celebrate it. We represent the African diaspora while highlighting emerging Black artists from our own local community, many of whom would not have had this opportunity otherwise. Everyone is invited to MoAD to learn about the rich and diverse contemporary art of the African diaspora.
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What inspired your partnership with SFMOMA to establish a joint curatorial position aimed at nurturing the next generation of BIPOC art leaders? The collaboration is inspired by MoAD’s dedication to representation and SFMOMA’s commitment to improving its representation of artists of the African diaspora. This partnership is truly driven by a desire to make local changes that can have a global impact. The collaboration is the first of its kind for us and will help create a pathway for BIPOC curators in the field.
Monetta and her MoAD team. (Photo Courtesy of Monetta White)
Under your leadership, MoAD has achieved record-setting donor campaigns and art auctions. Could you share some of the strategies and approaches that have contributed to this success? I’m not afraid to try new things or think outside the box. My claim to fame was an art auction. Our annual Afropolitan Ball fundraising event was canceled due to the pandemic. Money was tight and we were all really worried. I had just become the executive director, and I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, what are we going to do?’ We decided to have an online art auction. We had never done one before and didn’t know how or if it would work. But we pulled it off and raised half a million dollars.
How does the Museum of the African Diaspora work to create opportunities for Black curators and artists, and what impact has this had on the representation of Black voices in the art world? MoAD’s Emerging Artists Program (EAP) is truly a unique and remarkable opportunity for Black emerging artists to have their first solo exhibitions at a museum. MoAD is a non-collecting museum, which means we don’t acquire art. Instead, we use our position and platform to launch the careers of Black artists and curators, including Chanell Stone, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Ekow Eshun, and David Huffman.
How do you view the role of philanthropy in sustaining and advancing cultural institutions like the MoAD? Philanthropy plays a pivotal role in sustaining and advancing cultural institutions. There is so much need. Philanthropists can provide the resources necessary for cultural institutions, not only to sustain but also to innovate and to expand their offerings. For example, MoAD in the Classroom is a program that brings MoAD exhibitions to schools throughout the Bay Area. This program is made possible thanks to the support of our philanthropists. Philanthropists can also provide general support to build an institution’s capacity. I think sometimes we forget about that. This type of support is essential for cultural institutions to be able to adapt to changing needs and to grow and thrive.
“I believe that MoAD is an essential institution for the Black community, and I’m committed to helping the museum achieve its mission.”
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
Dismantling Hate, Crime, and Violence Fostering education, prevention, connection, and engagement to create a safer community for all.
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The Pressing Need to Protect the Younger Generation from Rising Violence and Crime in the Bay Area BY KAREN ROMERO
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ithin the Bay Area, running parallel to the city’s sprawling landscape of ecological, cultural, and racial diversity, are increasing disparities in wealth, which starkly color the city’s social fabric. Regionally, levels of child poverty across the Bay Area are around 20 percent, while households containing Black and Latino children are twice as likely than other racial groups to live in poverty. Most known for her photograph Migrant Woman, a snapshot of the economic hardships experienced by both mother and her children during the Great Depression in California,
much of Dorothea Lange’s other work from this period features images from the Bay Area at its most vulnerable. From Richmond to San Francisco, Lange’s documentation of the Bay Area from the 1930s onward contains a visual legacy of the region’s history marked with crime, poverty, and the damaging effect of inequality on families with children. Demonstrating a striking counterpoint to the picturesque landscape of the Bay Area today, Lange’s photography serves as a reminder that the generational effects of crime and poverty on the youngest members of our communities are constructed by complex and interactive forces that are unequal both in their design and impact.
(Photo courtesy of RooM the Agency)
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
Although the most recent data displays a mixed nature of reported crime in the Bay Area this year, the generational impacts of violence and crime have left long-lasting traces of disruption among the city’s youth, especially among those marginalized by their gender, race, and class. The drastic increase of property crime this year signals the need for an urgent reflection of the various forms of community support within our city’s reach to ensure the safety and livelihood of the city’s youth. Firearm-related injuries have remained the leading cause of death for children and adolescents across the United States since 2020. Firearm homicides disproportionately affect youth across the nation as well. In the last three years, rates of mass shootings in the U.S. have risen. While California contains some of the country’s strongest and most comprehensive gun laws, the Bay Area in particular has demonstrated alarming increases in gun violence in the last few years. Legislation and advocacy produced by Brady United, a nonprofit that focuses on gun violence prevention and gun control, has helped contribute to the important legislative milestones that have been successful in reducing gun violence both locally and nationally. Kris Brown, current and first woman president of Brady United, began
Protestors joined thousands across the country rallying against gun violence. (Photo courtesy of UPI)
her career on Capitol Hill as a staffer working under Representative Jim Moran. Brown’s contributions as a staffer and staunch advocate for gun violence prevention helped pass the Brady Bill, the bipartisan federal legislation championed by Jim and Sarah Brady that requires background checks for all gun sales.
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Earlier this year, Governor Newsom signed a series of new and stricter gun control legislation into California law that included additional regulations on public carry, implementation of microstamping technology to semiautomatic pistols, a new effort to generate funds for school safety and violence prevention programs through taxes on firearms and ammunition, and the removal of firearms from domestic abusers. In response to the recent additions of gun control legislation to California Law, Brown sees this as an exciting moment in the movement, as many of the laws recently passed are the first of their kind. Brown explained that, “Brady worked with our grassroots activists across the state and many allies in the movement to pass first-of-its-kind legislation. One is a bill to implement a tax on firearms sales to provide funding to a gun violence prevention program. We view that as key.” Although major strides through gun control legislation have recently been passed into law, Brown urges that there is still important work to be done in regards to bipartisan gun violence prevention legislation. Brown outlines the imperative legislative goals at Brady United: “We would like a ban on assault weapons at the federal level. We would like a ban on high capacity magazines. We want a nationwide permitting system for the sale and ownership of guns. California has those kinds of laws, but not all states do. So we’re really working to grow our movements across the country to ensure that every state, frankly, has the benefit of the kinds of laws that California has enacted.”
On the importance of highlighting youth as disproportionate victims of gun violence across the United States, Brown emphasizes that Brady United has offered space and resources to young people to platform their own experiences from their own unique perspectives. TEAM ENOUGH is a youth-led initiative started by Brady United that explicitly amplifies youth voices, and contains an executive board governed by survivors of gun violence. Brown said, “We have an entire generation that is now called the lockdown generation who’ve grown up with repeated lockdown drills. That has a psychological impact. My mother grew up doing nuclear drills in the 1950s, where kids would have to get under their desks because of the fear of an atomic bomb, but that never happened. On our nation’s soil, we’re asking kindergartners to do these kinds of drills, with older kids having the firm knowledge that school shootings are a real thing and that we haven’t done enough as a country to solve that problem.” Another nonprofit and national leader in the movement to counteract interpersonal violence, the One Love Foundation, emerged after the tragic death of Yeardley Love in Charlottesville, Virginia. Just a mere three weeks from graduating from the University of Virginia, Love was murdered by her ex-boyfriend. Together, Yeardley Love’s mother and sister formed the One Love Foundation, an organization that has sought success in educating young people on how to identify and steer clear of abusive relationships and domestic violence. Through workshops, resources, and educational training, the One Love
Students of Bernardo Yorba Middle School on tour at the Holocaust Museum LA. (Photo courtesy of Holocaust Museum LA)
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
Foundation sets forth a clear intent at equipping the next generation with the tools to navigate the very real risk of violence in their relationships with other peers. Crimes of domestic and intimate partner violence have historically been underreported, and the rates of youth exposed to and victimized by domestic violence could very well be higher than what data demonstrates, especially for young women and LGBTQ youth. According to the San Francisco Unified School District’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey, in 2018 and 2019, the data revealed that lesbian, gay, and bisexual students are increasingly the most affected by physical and sexual dating violence. The One Love Foundation has educated more than 170,000 students in 230 high schools across the state of California, exemplifying how education still serves as one of the most urgent forms of activism to combat such a pervasive issue. Similar to the One Love Foundation, the Holocaust Museum LA turns to educating the next generation of children as a powerful and effective way of counteracting the proliferation of violence, crime, and hate before it begins. Just this year, the California State Department released data that illustrated a 20 percent increase in hate crime events in 2022 compared to the previous year. Among the data, anti-Black hate crimes experienced the largest increases on the basis of racial hate crimes in California. Antisemitic hate crimes rose by 24.3 percent since 2021 in California, underscoring California’s largest increase of hate crime events in relation to religious bias. Located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, the Holocaust Museum LA is the first survivor-founded and oldest nonprofit Holocaust museum in the United States. It offers free admission for teachers, students, and children 17 and under. The Museum provides students from anywhere access to primary sources from the Holocaust as well as direct conversations with survivors to discuss their lived experiences as a Holocaust survivor. For Beth Kean, CEO of the Holocaust Museum LA, she’s gained firsthand accounts of how students have been impacted by speaking to Holocaust survivors. Additionally, Kean notes that after touring the museum and speaking with a Holocaust survivor, more than 95 percent of students report that it is important for every young person to learn about the history of the Holocaust to fully understand what racism and prejudice can lead to. Kean wants to collapse any barriers that currently stand in the way of learning about the lessons of the Holocaust and stay true to the Holocaust Museum’s surviving found-
People denouncing hatred against Asian American communities. (Photo courtesy of Xinhua)
ers’ wishes. Kean emphasizes the importance of meeting Holocaust survivors by saying, “You know, it was just so important for them to start educating young people about what they had personally endured. We want to make Holocaust education totally accessible.” The levels of racial diversity in California have outpaced the rest of the country overall. The uniqueness of the city has largely been attributed to its racial and cultural variety. Home to many different groups of immigrants, races, cultures, and religions, the non-homogenous nature of the city had brought forth its clearest snapshots of functional coexistence, while also revealing how differences have also propelled conflict and crime along religious, racial, and ethnic lines. Organizations like the Holocaust Museum LA directly give young people exposure to the history of ethnic and religious genocide, critical reflection, and those that may be different than us. Direct forms of youth intervention through education and engagement have demonstrated success at dismantling bias and fear of others that we may not be familiar with. James Baldwin spoke on the responsibility of Americans to protect and nourish the younger generations in 1964 by noting that, “The sea rises, the light falls, lovers cling to each other, and children cling to us. The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out.” The generational and historical impacts of crime are interwoven into the Bay Area’s social memory and identity. Recent strides in crime prevention and anti-crime education and advocacy are reflective of effective nonprofit-based attempts at fostering knowledge, connection, and a safe path towards a hopeful future for Bay Area youth.
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BRADY UNITED
End Family Fire: How Safely Storing Guns Saves Lives
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ost people are familiar with the phrase “Friendly Fire” – typically combat-related terminology that refers to the inadvertent shooting of a colleague in the confusion and chaos of battle. What, then, is “Family Fire”? Griffin Dix can answer that. “In 1994, my 15-year-old son was at a friend’s house. The boy he was with – without telling my son – went to his father’s bedroom and got the gun that his father kept loaded and unlocked next to his bed.” The young man removed the gun’s clip full of bullets and replaced it with an empty clip. As a prank, he walked back into the room, pointed the gun, pulled the trigger, and unintentionally killed Dix’s son. “He hadn’t realized there was a bullet already in the chamber,” Dix says. “We got a call from Oakland Children’s Hospital to come down. A surgeon told us he’d been unable to save my son’s life.” Today, Griffin Dix is co-chair of the Oakland/Alameda County chapter of Brady United, the storied nonprofit whose hard-
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fought 1993 “Brady Bill” strengthened the background check and has, to date, prevented around four million prohibited gun transactions. In closely-studied 2015 alone, the Brady background check stopped some 619 prohibited gun transactions per day. Brady’s End Family Fire (EFF) is a national public service advertising campaign co-produced by Brady and the Ad Council that takes specific aim at the scourge of unsecured firearms in the home, and the devastation that can result from the small, reckless act. EFF’s highly coordinated information campaigns feature beautifully produced – if harrowing – public service announcements that starkly illustrate what can go so devastatingly wrong when firearms in the home are not properly secured. “I don’t think there’s an adult in this country who has not been touched by gun violence in some way,” says Ruth Borenstein, Legislation Chair of Brady’s San Francisco Chapter. “People may not realize how affected they are. Even if they don’t know the person who was shot, the stories, the fear – everyone is affected. It’s so prevalent.” EFF is the only national program that leverages the power of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to bring gun owners into the conversation to reduce preventable firearm deaths. Shootings attributed to unsecured firearms in the home are undeniably tragic. The statistics sadly reveal just how prevalent unsecured gun access for kids is. One study revealed that 1 in 5 parents who said their child never handled guns without supervision were contradicted by their own kids’ testimony. 4.6 million kids live in homes with access to an unlocked or unsupervised gun. 76% of school shootings are enacted by kids having access to unsecured, unsupervised guns in the home. The correlation between unsecured firearms in the home and suicide are also shocking. 67 people a day die by gun suicide, more than those lost to firearm murders and unintentional shootings. Access to a firearm increases the risk of death by suicide by 300%. On average, suicide attempts with a gun are fatal 90% of the time. The data also indicates that | San Francisco Bay Area |
a relatively modest increase in safe storage of firearms could reduce firearm suicide and unintentional firearm fatalities among youth by up to 32%. “Brady’s approach is holistic, and has such a deep bench of talent,” says Borenstein. “The quality of the ads and the messaging is really, really remarkable, and that doesn’t come for free.” Launched in 2018, EFF’s awareness campaign – which even includes a downloadable “campaign toolkit” for the motivated activist – is already having a measurably positive effect. According to an Ad Council study of adults living in gun-owning households: 41% of respondents who are aware of the End Family Fire campaign have talked to friends or family about safe gun storage in the past 12 months, compared to 14% of those not aware. And 74% of respondents who are aware of End Family Fire’s gun suicide prevention PSAs agree that storing all of their guns locked and unloaded reduces the risk of someone dying by suicide in their home.
Help End Unsecured Storage of Guns and Save Lives Brady is raising $1,000,000 to expand our life-saving End Family Fire campaign to reduce preventable deaths and injuries from unsecured firearms in the home.
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ith your support, we will release new End Family Fire materials focused on preventing unwanted firearm access; expand messaging to talk about the preventable tragedies that result from unsecured firearms, such as school shootings; partner with influencers in communities disproportionately impacted by family fire, such as young Black men, seniors, and veterans, to create targeted content for distribution; build new partnerships with educational, healthcare, and parental organizations to reach a broader audience with our life-saving messaging; and expand our first state-based pilot End Family Fire program in Missouri, which is gathering critical information to inform targeted campaign efforts elsewhere. As firearm suicide makes up two-thirds of all gun deaths, End Family Fire will continue to prioritize our suicide prevention efforts through the release of new content. Nearly half of all gun owners changed how or where they kept their firearms after learning about End Family Fire. With your support, we can reach more gun owners and impacted families to reduce preventable deaths – and save more lives.
"A
s a gun violence survivor whose dad was killed by a gun, as a dad myself, and as an American, I believe in Brady and the survivors who lead it. They’re the ‘coach’ our team needs to win against the gun lobby. And with Brady's life-saving programs like End Family Fire on the line, we need you to get off the sidelines and help us save lives."
– Steve Kerr
Nine-time NBA Champion and Coach of The Golden State Warriors
Our "End Family Fire" program promotes safe gun storage.
"As an African American survivor of gun violence, I'm proud to work with Brady United Against Gun Violence because Brady takes action and not sides, with common sense laws that save lives and give us hope and justice we all deserve" – Mattie Scott, Healing 4 Our Families & Our Nation, SF Mothers In Charge Chapter Leader, and Brady California President
Brady United www.bradyunited.org 840 First St. NE, Suite 400 Washington, D.C. 20002 (202) 370-8100
Contact: Liz Dunning Chief Development and Engagement Officer ldunning@bradyunited.org (202) 352-2434
KEY SUPPORTERS Steve Kerr Reggie Lee Dr. John Maa
Kath Tsakalakis Marita Daly Jeff Bleich
Anne Ching Eric Havian Dennis Joyce
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence 840 First Street, NE, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20002
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By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 52-1285097 By Credit Card:
www.bradyunited.org/donate
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HOLOCAUST MUSEUM LA
Inspiring a More Dignified and Humane World
101-year-old Holocaust survivor Joe Alexander (center) visits with students.
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n a recent morning at Holocaust Museum LA (HMLA), Betsy, a docent, was leading a tour group of 20 LA high school students. She was telling the students about the progression and deepening terror of Nazi atrocities, while stopped in front of a wall depicting the architects of the Final Solution. “Does anyone know how many Jewish people perished in the Holocaust?” she asked the students. One hand shot up. “60,000?” a 16-year-old young man ventured. When Betsy shared that he had gotten only the “6” right, but it was six million, not thousands, the horror that permeated the group was palpable. While it’s a natural corollary of history that the further we get from an event, the more difficult it is to keep it alive in our collective consciousness, Holocaust Museum LA ensures that we will not be condemned to repeat this lesson of the past by empowering students and visitors to stand up against hatred, bigotry, and antisemitism. And, in a time when memes of Nazi book burnings are juxtaposed with current photos of that very thing in the U.S., it is now more important than ever. When it comes to HMLA’s mission, there are two indisputable, salient facts: antisemitic incidents surged to historic levels in 2022, with a total of 3,697 incidents reported across the U.S., an increase of 36% compared to 2021 (according to the Anti-Defamation League); and a recent national study reveals that “Holocaust education in high school reflects gains
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that manifest in cultivating more empathetic, tolerant, and engaged students” (from a study released by Echoes & Reflections). The results also indicate that exposure to Holocaust survivor testimony is strongly associated with numerous positive outcomes in early adulthood, including higher critical thinking skills and a greater sense of social responsibility. Taken together, those facts underscore not only the importance of HMLA’s mission, but the urgency of it. HMLA is the oldest Holocaust museum in the U.S., founded in 1961 by survivors who met in an English as a Second Language class at Hollywood High. It is also among the most innovative. Participants in the Museum’s tour get a 90-minute immersive experience that inspires participants to stand up against hate in their own lives and communities, followed by an opportunity to interact with an actual Holocaust survivor for another 90 minutes, who shares his or her compelling testimony and discusses the importance of oral history, resiliency, and treating people with dignity and respect. In 2025, HMLA will complete work on the new Jona Goldrich Campus, doubling the Museum’s footprint to accommodate more visitors (500,000 annually, including 150,000 students), with a first-class theater, and expanded educational and exhibition spaces. Among the new exhibits, museumgoers will be able to see first-hand an authentic box car from Poland, that carried victims into concentration camps. | San Francisco Bay Area |
As the survivor population continues to dwindle, HMLA has ensured that the important and influential oral storytelling tradition continues. HMLA currently trains survivor children and grandchildren to carry on the tradition with future museumgoers. The Museum recently debuted “Dimensions in Testimony,” a life-size holographic representation of 99-year-old Auschwitz survivor Renée Firestone, created by USC Shoah Foundation. Visitors and students can now have a real-time interactive conversation with one of the oldest living Holocaust survivors. “Ensuring that students and museumgoers will be able to not only hear survivor testimony first-hand, but interact with the survivor forever is an incredible blessing of technology,” says Beth Kean, HMLA’s CEO. The exhibit will soon become a permanent 3D museum installation, preserving the effective oral storytelling tradition forever. In a time when echoes of Nazi book burnings are shockingly repeated across the U.S., and when hate crimes and rhetoric more broadly is on the ascent and the current perpetrators have more advanced weaponry and greater firepower than ever (not only to burn books but to spread disinformation across traditional media, social media, and the internet), HMLA’s mission is ever more crucial for future generations.
“V
isiting Holocaust Museum LA has given me a glimpse of the pain and suffering that human hatred and ignorance can inflict upon the world. We are the last generation that has the opportunity to meet these incredible survivors, and this is something that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life and pass on to the next generation. It gives us all a newfound appreciation for life and things that we take for granted, and makes us even more determined to prevent horrible tragedies from occurring.”
– Ysabella
Fullerton Union High School student
Help Educate to Stop Hate $1,000 - Sponsors training & tools for 10 teachers to learn how to best facilitate lessons about the Holocaust and genocide in the classroom. $2,500 - Enables 100 students to participate in a free, docent-led, customized tour and to meet a survivor. $5,000 - Provides bus transportation for students from Title I schools in Northern California to visit the Museum.
“H
ow can we take the lessons of the Holocaust and apply them to what's going on today? Education is key. We need to teach that we are all connected. We're proud to support Holocaust Museum LA in their much-needed work to preserve the stories of survivors, like my husband David, and to carry forward their messages of courage, resilience, and hope.”
– Sheryl and David Wiener
Holocaust Museum LA Board members and generous supporters
Antisemitic incidents increased by 49% in K-12 schools in 2022.
KEY SUPPORTERS For a full list of supporters, please visit www.hmla.org/supporters.
Holocaust Museum LA www.holocaustmuseumLA.org 100 The Grove Drive Los Angeles, CA 90036 (323) 651-3704
Contact: Omar Sharif, Jr. Chief Advancement Officer (323) 651-3704 omar@hmla.org
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: Holocaust Museum LA 100 The Grove Drive Los Angeles, CA 90036
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By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 46-0503824 By Credit Card:
www.bit.ly/HMLA_TGL
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ONE LOVE FOUNDATION
One Love: Saving Young Lives from Relationship Abuse One Workshop at a Time "T
he day after my son started working with One Love, he broke up with his girlfriend. This movie did more in one class period than our last two years of conversations with him. Thank you for giving my son a voice."
– High School Parent
The 10 signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships is a framework One Love provides to give people the language to discuss the behaviors they see in relationships.
Y
eardley Love was a vibrant University of Virginia lacrosse player when she was killed by her ex-boyfriend three weeks before graduation. After her funeral, and during the ongoing court case, it dawned on her grieving family and friends that there must have been warning signs that could have saved her life. “They decided to start a foundation to make sure young people knew the signs of abusive relationships and give them the language around healthy and unhealthy relationships
Youth leaders participate in an activity focused on the 10 signs.
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that Yeardley and her friends did not have,” says Julie Myers, newly installed CEO of the One Love Foundation. Myers, a long-time, highly respected lacrosse coach, knew Love since 2001 when Love was a middle school lacrosse star, but really became close with her when she coached Love at UVA. Myers is honored to now be leading the One Love Foundation established in Love’s memory. One Love works to end relationship abuse by educating youth and young adults about the 10 signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships, which they developed with a team from Johns Hopkins Hospital. They do this through age-appropriate and diverse, fictional films, workshops, and a robust self-service online education center – all at no charge. Since Yeardley’s tragic death made international headlines in 2010, One Love has reached more than 2.5 million young people in the U.S., including some 225,000 students across California. The state is one of the few where teaching healthy relationships is mandated in middle and high schools, affording the nonprofit “tremendous opportunity” for growth, Myers says. | San Francisco Bay Area |
Many students who experience a One Love workshop realize for the first time that they’re in an unhealthy relationship and seek support, says Myers. “There’s also some really incredible stories from kids that take a workshop and realize they’re the perpetrator of these unhealthy signs. No one had told them anything different – they didn’t have the language and understanding to know it was unhealthy,” Myers says. When a Bay Area mother gave her teen daughter a card with the signs on it because she was concerned about her daughter’s romantic relationship, the teen remarked to her mother that every one of the unhealthy signs was part of her relationship. That opened the communication between the girl and her mother, Myers says. Not only is One Love helping young people navigate behaviors to ensure they don’t escalate to abuse, “we’re helping young people and their parents communicate better at a time when it’s very, very difficult to communicate,” Myers explains. One Love-California works with community organizations, schools, and specific school districts – including San Francisco and Oakland – to build tailor-made programs for use with the youth they serve. One Love supports more than 140 volunteer youth leaders across the state who spread One Love’s life-saving prevention education while pushing for the program to be used in more schools in their communities. “These young people are our boots on the ground in the schools and they’re leading hundreds if not thousands of their peers when it comes to having healthier relationships and loving better,” says Myers.
Help Prevent Relationship Violence
T
he One Love Foundation empowers young people to be the movement’s driving force in ending relationship abuse. They’re seeking $50,000 to fund all the materials, community building activities, and advocacy efforts needed to train Bay Area youth leaders and Team One Love clubs to educate their peers about abusive relationships. They’re focusing on connecting with more male-identifying youth this year to ensure they become a vital part of this important work. “I was in an abusive relationship and couldn’t identify it until I found [One Love],” a college freshman said. “It was the first time I could put words to what I was experiencing, and I was ultimately able to leave my partner and move past this experience.”
In honor of February being recognized as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, One Love California youth leaders partnered with the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence for "Orange Day of Action" to rally for relationship abuse education.
Over 1 in 3 women, 1 in 3 men, and over 1 in 2 trans or non-binary people will be in an abusive relationship in their lifetime.
The Many Ways to Give... One Love Foundation www.joinonelove.org (844) 832-6158
Contact: Katie Brosseau (914) 431-5800 katie.brosseau@joinonelove.org
By Check: The One Love Foundation in honor of Yeardley Love PO Box 4556 New York, NY 10163
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By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 27-2904497 By Credit Card:
www.joinonelove.org/donate
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‘All Girls Should Be Afforded the Same Rights and Freedoms My Daughters Enjoy’ By Brian Rinker
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n Bay Area philanthropy Stacey Keare is a trailblazing female leader in an arena typically dominated by men. For the past 20 years, Ms. Keare has supported girls’ issues internationally and women-run organizations. She also has shown a passionate interest in the power of women philanthropists to make an impact in the areas they care most about. Ms. Keare, who studied international relations at Stanford University and has a Master of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School along with a law degree from UC Law SF (formerly Hastings), transformed her experience in civil and human rights into several philanthropic pursuits. As the president of the Girls Rights Project, Ms. Keare, and her husband, have funded over $5 million in grants to address issues of girls rights worldwide. She is the incoming board chair for Women Moving Millions and serves on the advisory board of the Global Center for Gender Equality. Ms. Keare’s impact has been wide, ranging from funding organizations that help international girls go to college in the U.S., to providing legal services to girls and women who’ve survived gender-based violence and are seeking asylum. As an avid soccer fan and former player, Ms. Keare also funds a program at Soccer Without Borders that allows girls in Nicaragua to play soccer and receive scholarships to school. Q. When you launched your foundation over 20 years ago, what made you decide to give to organizations focused on girls’ issues? A. When we started the foundation we were focused more on civil and human rights. In the first years, I was educating myself, learning about the various issues, and contemplating the types of organizations we wanted to support. I connect-
“The important part for me is building connections across organizations and facilitating collaborations.” 108
ed with Global Fund for Children, an organization based in Washington, D.C. that focused on helping children around the world reach their full potential. I went on a trip with them to India to visit anti-trafficking organizations and saw firsthand the red-light districts of Calcutta and Bombay. I came face-to-face with girls who lived in horrible conditions, were enslaved, and were sexually abused. To see girls of similar age to my three daughters who were literally slaves and had no say over their lives, I thought to myself, “How could I not work on these issues?” All girls should be afforded the same rights and freedoms my daughters enjoy. After that, we focused on anti-trafficking and child marriage and broadened to include education, girls leadership, and reproductive health. How does the Girls Rights Project make an impact? We give about $400,000 a year to 30 or 40 organizations. We like to grant small grants so that we can have a fairly large number of them. The important part for me is building connections across organizations and facilitating collaborations. The typical grant is $10,000 to $12,000 and the average length of time we support grantees is 10 years. It’s rare for
| San Francisco Bay Area |
“Women are helping change the ecosystem toward a more equitable and diverse giving community.” us to let go of a grantee. And though our grants are on the smaller size, they make a big impact. For example, we give to a Soccer Without Borders program in Nicaragua where a $12,000 grant is a third of their budget. You started the foundation 20 or so years ago but it wasn’t until 2012 that you changed the name to the Girls Rights Project. What sparked the change? Twenty years ago, there were only two or three individuals or organizations focused on girl issues. After 10 years of working in philanthropy aimed at improving the lives of girls, we had accumulated a lot of knowledge, resources, and connections in that space, as well as gathered a network of grantee organizations, so it made sense to change the name so that we were explicitly filling this gap in philanthropy focused on girls’ rights. Since then, a few other donors have focused on girls but it is not enough to meet the need. You are also on the board of Women Moving Millions. Can you describe the organization and how it supports girls’ issues? The big impetus for Women Moving Millions is that only 1 to 2% of philanthropic dollars specifically go to women- and
girl-facing organizations. The members pledge support for women’s and girls’ causes which include gender-based violence, reproductive health, and girls leadership and education. To become a member, women pledge to give a million dollars to help women and girls (which can be granted over a period of ten years). We have about 400 members, with some 25 to 30 located in the Bay Area. Any suggestions for organizations in the Bay Area for women interested in giving who aren’t millionaires? The Women Donors Network is open to any woman who is interested in giving to women’s causes. They’re a little bit more politically focused, which I think is a great and interesting differentiator. Another Bay Area-based organization is Philanthropy Together, which supports giving circles for people who might only have $100 to give. It’s cool, there are a number of places popping up where women can plug in. How would you rate the health of the current state of philanthropy today on a scale from one to 10? I am going to lean positive and say a seven. In the last several years there have been movements for getting more money to grassroots organizations and following trust-based philanthropy – an approach focused on donors trusting nonprofit leaders to make best use of grants and also having increased transparency and unrestricted funds. That is an exciting shift that is in contrast to the traditional top-down approach by philanthropists who didn’t necessarily give to organizations that knew the community very well or would use their funding to tell them what their communities need, as opposed to letting the community lead the way. Women are helping change the ecosystem toward a more equitable and diverse giving community. That is definitely an improvement and an exciting change in philanthropy! At Room to Read School with daughter Brooke in Cambodia. (Photo Courtesy of Stacey Keare)
| www.thegivinglist.com |
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
The Bedrock Right of Housing A commitment to providing dignity, shelter, and a path to stability.
| www.thegivinglist.com |
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Nonprofits Offering Lifelines to the Bay Area’s Unhoused BY ZACHARY BERNSTEIN
H
omelessness is an endemic issue across America, but especially in California where the state’s eight largest cities are each settings for some of the country’s largest unhoused populations. Among the root causes for this expansive crisis is a shortage of affordable housing – a financial squeeze forcing many residents onto the streets where they face harsh conditions, suffering both physical and mental hardship. Where local governments fail to implement meaningful legislation to ameliorate the homelessness issue, there are several nonprofit groups working tirelessly to prevent more people on the brink from living on the streets. Founded in 2003, Five Keys began as the nation’s first accredited charter high school to provide diploma programs for incarcerated adults. It has since grown to an organization of over 900 employees in service of benefitting traditionally underserved communities all over the state of California, improving lives by focusing on its namesake five keys: education, employment, recovery, family, and community.
Restorative justice is the goal that lights the fire under the Five Keys banner, working to achieve lower recidivism rates among the formerly incarcerated by boosting educational opportunities within disenfranchised communities, securing affordable housing opportunities, and giving students vocational tools to get a foothold in the workforce. Senior citizens are among the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population. In San Francisco, at least one in four of all homeless people are above the age of 50 and as low-income individuals get older, their risk of experiencing homelessness only increases. Legal Assistance to the Elderly has been in operation since 1979, but amid an increasingly expensive and unforgiving rental market, they’ve found themselves more active than ever. Legal Assistance to the Elderly provides free legal help for people in precarious housing situations. They’re often the last hope for seniors facing eviction, elder abuse, financial grift, or the threat of losing vital benefits. Seniors living with disabilities and/or limited incomes are most vulnerable and those in need of legal aid are sometimes
(Photo collage courtesy of Five Keys Home Free)
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
PICO California community gathering to take action against the homelessness crisis.
exploited after making simple mistakes, like paying their rent late after a medical episode. Laura Chiera is the organization’s executive director and under her leadership in the past five years, the group’s staff has more than quadrupled. This expansion underscores the growing scope of seniors in need of legal resources. Run by a strong interfaith coalition with a passion for human rights, PICO California has been organizing cam-
paigns in communication with local elected officials for over 30 years on behalf of such issues as raising the minimum wage, ensuring fair hiring for formerly incarcerated individuals, and the expansion of childcare and paid family medical leave. They also believe that housing stability is the bedrock of all thriving communities and work to protect renters against no-fault evictions, excessive rent hikes, and from the kind of unnecessary housing displacement that leads to homelessness.
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“Seniors living with disabilities and/ or limited incomes are most vulnerable and those in need of legal aid are sometimes exploited after making simple mistakes, like paying their rent late after a medical episode.”
Raphael House dining room.
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
Legal Assistance to the Elderly client, Maria Contreras.
Making affordable housing a dignifiable human right is one of PICO California’s top priorities and a centerpiece of their “Home is Sacred” campaign. The group boasts a number of success stories. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought low-income families to the brink of eviction, PICO helped pass the nation’s largest expansion of tenant protections lobbying with local officials to enact the COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act and COVID-19 Rental Housing Recovery Act. While the aforementioned organizations aim to prevent homelessness, Raphael House has been a safe haven for the many families who have crossed the unfortunate threshold of losing their housing, often as the result of unexpected circumstances. In operation since 1971, Raphael House has long been devoted to keeping families together in times of homelessness, offering safe, temporary residential shelter that provides private rooms, hot meals, clothing, and services to help families get back into stable living situations. The families who take shelter with Raphael House have a very good chance of transitioning straight back to a stable housing situation, with a success rate of 85%. Part of the reason this success rate is so high is that Raphael House also provides its Bridge Program, a follow-up system to maintain support for families after they leave the temporary shelter.
The Bridge Program provides invaluable resources: academic tutoring, financial planning workshops, career development services, and more. This is all part of Raphael House’s commitment to keeping families on the path to stability. One day, California citizens and local elected leaders will band together to solve the issue of mass homelessness. Until then, nonprofit organizations like these are working on the frontlines offering lifelines to thousands of people striving for dignity.
Legal Assistance to the Elderly client, Leonard.
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FIVE KEYS HOME FREE
Five Keys: Incarceration Meets Aspiration
Tammy, Five Keys Home Free Director.
“H
ope.” This overworked noun can read like a blasé greeting card shorthand to those who have no need of it. For Tammy Johnson – who spent 28 years in prison for a murder her abuser committed – “hope” was the high-octane fuel powering her decades of determined selfwork. “We help everybody,” she says today with cheery swagger. Johnson is Program Director for Home Free, transitional post-prison housing for unjustly incarcerated women; an initiative begun in 2020 by San Francisco nonprofit Five Keys. In their own words: Five Keys provides traditionally underserved communities the opportunity to improve their lives through a focus on the Five Keys: EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, RECOVERY, FAMILY, COMMUNITY. But Five Keys’ inaugural mission began in 2003 with education as its theme, the nonprofit launching the first accredited charter high school in the U.S. to provide diploma programs for adults in California county jails. Lack of a high school diploma has long had a statistical correlation with incarceration and repeat offending.
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“Recidivism drops by over 50% when a high school diploma is earned,” says Lisa Pitters, Chief Education Officer. Five Keys made high school graduation available to the imprisoned, in 2008 adding to their program of educational determinism by providing a path to both a high school diploma and vocational skills outside the jail system in underserved neighborhoods all around California. Today, more than 100 such community learning centers serve aspiring students of any age, background, or circumstance. “The education is self-paced,” says Pitters. “There are lots of single moms and people working several jobs. The teachers are really what make it so wonderful.” Five Keys’ vital Home Free initiative was launched in 2020. “Home Free is a home for abused women, and women who have been human trafficked,” says Johnson. She adds plainly, “These are women who have defended themselves against their abusers.” Thousands of women, nationwide, have spent decades in prison convicted of homicide in trials that didn’t allow them to present evidence of the horrific abuse they’d suffered. There were other unjust evidentiary problems. “Some of these women were at the scene of a crime under the coercive control of their abuser,” says Sunny Schwartz, co-founder of Home Free, describing Johnson’s own lockdown detour of 28 irretrievable years. A belated change in California law led to commutations, and after decades in prison, women found themselves eligible for release. Incarceration follows a grand ceremony of gavels, bailiffs, sonorous speeches, and rules of order. No such decorum attends one’s release after being shut away for 30 years. A door opens and you walk through it clutching whatever you can carry. The prospect of beginning anew is Everest-like. To these women, Home Free is not just four walls and a ceiling, but an instructive relaunch pad. There are workshops in financial and tech literacy, computer and job training classes, and a long-awaited embrace where counseling, healing – and an underpraised en| San Francisco Bay Area |
"I
t’s great to be able to help those who have been wrongly incarcerated for years, and abused for years before that. Home Free has shown these maltreated women that there are people who really do care about the injustices they’ve endured, and help to reintroduce freedom, dignity, and respect back into their lives."
– Drew Banks
Entrepreneur, Business Author, and Novelist *Pictured: Sunny Schwartz and Drew Banks
ergy source called love – help women rebuild brutally interrupted lives; and self-regard. “My abuser used to get other young girls,” Johnson says, “and I would take them and put them on the bus home. I would get beat up afterwards, but I never stopped. I always cared for other people, but I didn’t care for myself.” Johnson’s gorgeous smile is right around 1000 watts, and here it comes. “Now I do.”
Tammy and Demian on their Wedding Day at Home Free.
Giving Survivors a Chance at a NEW LIFE e’re relying on private donations for Home Free, and we have a waiting list right now. Tammy is “W always on the phone with women inside prison helping with
Development Director Sheila Von Driska, Board Member Delia Ginorio, Five Keys VP of Programs and Partnerships Dorick Scarpelli, and the women of Home Free attending the premiere of "And So I Stayed."
commutations, and we would like to welcome everybody into Home Free, but we can’t. It costs about $50,000 to house a woman here for six months. We take a survivor in for six months and then help her get into her own apartment. And the supporting services continue on forever. Your donation is well spent and important. It is a home,” says Development Director Sheila Von Driska.
Over 100 women are still inside prison waiting to come HOME FREE in California. "W
hy I give? It is an honor to be able to support Home Free to provide these women with a home as they transition to their next stage of life – freedom."
– Monica Pressley
Retired CFO of the San Francisco Foundation and Evelyn and Walter J. Haas, Jr. Fund
*Pictured: Monica Pressley and Rosie Dyer, Home Free’s first resident.
KEY SUPPORTERS
Gilda Serrano, Home Free Program Services Coordinator, and survivors: Rosie, Laura, Kathyrn, and Asa
Steve Good, President and CEO of Five Keys; Susan Bustamante, Home Free Reentry Coach and Survivor; Tammy; and Sunny Schwartz, Founder of Five Keys and Co-founder of Home Free.
Five Keys Home Free www.fivekeyshomefree.org 70 Oak Grove Street San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 734-3310
Contact: Sheila Von Driska Development Director (415) 505-3552 sheilav@fivekeys.org
Fiona Ma Courteney Cox Robbie Brenner Tony Robbins Tony Robbins Foundation Google Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Anderson Flooring Williams Sonoma CBS News Bay Area First Republic Bank Morgan Stanley Silverado Contractors
Chris Larsen Fund Alex Tourk Debbie Mesloh Connie and Bob Lurie Philanthropic Fund Roselyne C. Swig Julie Harkins Perkins Hunter Foundation Paragon Litigation Trust Tinker Taylor Fund The Pressley Family Fund Drew Banks and Nick Rubashkin
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: The San Francisco Sheriff ’s Dept. Five Keys Charter School 70 Oak Grove Street San Francisco, CA 94107
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By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 81-0622701 By Credit Card: www.fivekeyshomefree.org/donate
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LEGAL ASSISTANCE TO THE ELDERLY
Keeping Seniors Housed and Living Independently A
fter her husband died, Ana Maria Fernandez' landlord tried to illegally triple her rent, making it cost more than three times her income. With LAE's advocacy, she saved her home of 28 years.
"I am really happy and grateful for all that your staff has done for me. I don't know what I would have done without LAE. I was treated with such kindness and respect. Thank you with all my heart.”
– Ana Maria Fernandez
Client
LAE team at a staff wellness retreat.
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his past May, Legal Assistance to the Elderly fielded a call about a 92-year-old senior being evicted in San Francisco. Even for Laura Chiera, who sees cases of elder eviction, abuse, fraud, and foreclosures regularly as the executive director of the San Francisco nonprofit, the call was unnerving. “That’s insane to think of a 92-year-old having to live on the street,” Chiera says. “It’s shocking how many unhoused people in San Francisco are seniors.” The city’s homeless estimates are alarming: 1 out of 4 people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco are over 50 and 10% are over 60.
Reaching our most isolated seniors requires targeted, culturally competent outreach and innovative collaborations with community groups.
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Since 1979, Legal Assistance to the Elderly has been providing free legal services to seniors and adults with disabilities. The bulk of the work centers around eviction – 60% of all the calls the organization gets are for threats to housing. The nonprofit also provides a multitude of other much-needed services such as foreclosure prevention, consumer debt mitigation, physical and financial elder abuse prevention, benefits advocacy, and end of life planning. Over those 43 years, Legal Assistance to the Elderly has handled 51,000 cases. The average age of a client is 68, half of them have a disability, and nearly all of the clients are low-income. While clients come to Legal Assistance to the Elderly because they’re getting evicted, Chiera says, the root cause can be someone abusing them and taking their money or their benefits were suddenly cut off. Sometimes it’s a family member or caregiver trying to steal an elderly person’s house. Other times the bank initiates a foreclosure because of missed payments due to illness. Or, the senior is alone and disabled and can’t clean the apartment and is getting evicted because of it. Attorneys at Legal Assistance to the Elderly defend the seniors from eviction and work to stop any physical or financial elder abuses or get the clients’ benefits reinstated. The organization employs social workers and social service advocates to offer holistic wraparound services to help stabilize clients and ensure they can stay in their homes. Under Chiera’s leadership, Legal Assistance to the Elderly has more than quadrupled over the last five years, extending its outreach to help a growing number of threatened and struggling seniors. Chiera has been able to grow the staff from eight to 34, including 21 attorneys. “Our work is key to allowing people to live with dignity and remain in their homes and be independent,” Chiera says.
| San Francisco Bay Area |
Donations Directly Prevent Evictions and Foreclosures Francisco spends between $35,000 and on homeless services a year for a Ssinglean$70,000 unhoused person, 25% of whom are over
The Chee family cared for their landlord as he was dying of cancer. After he died, his heir tried to illegally evict the family. But LAE’s representation preserved their home and through our advocacy we connected the family with vital resources and food assistance.
50 years old. At Legal Assistance to the Elderly, a gift of $2,500 covers the expense to represent a senior at risk of homelessness and defend against an eviction. For a gift of $5,000, Legal Assistance to the Elderly can help prevent a home from being foreclosed on. For a fraction of what the city will ultimately spend, Legal Assistance to the Elderly can keep a senior who has fallen on hard times inside and housed, preserving the community and empowering seniors with independence and dignity.
Seniors are the fastest growing homeless population. In San Francisco, one out of four unhoused people is over 50 years old.
KEY SUPPORTERS
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osemarie came to LAE after learning that her home of 30 years had been sold at a foreclosure auction for less than $13,000. Suffering from breast cancer, she had been hoodwinked into taking out a hard money loan to pay her property taxes, believing that her home could not be foreclosed upon. When she finally realized something was wrong, Legal Assistance to the Elderly jumped into action, staving off an eviction, and filing an elder abuse lawsuit against the perpetrators. The fight is far from over, but LAE has kept Rosemarie in her home, and will not stop fighting for this vulnerable elder.
Legal Assistance to the Elderly www. laesf.org 1663 Mission Street, Suite 225 San Francisco, CA 94103
Rhonda was living independently when a stroke affected her memory, causing her to miss her rent payment. Once she realized, she tried to pay, but her landlord refused the rent and sued to evict. LAE successfully fought her eviction and helped her get financial management to ensure her rent was paid timely.
Contact: Laura Slade Chiera Executive Director (415) 757-4507 lchiera@laesf.org
Menorah Park Community Impact Fund Bigglesworth Family Foundation van Loben Sels/RembeRock Foundation Kaiser Foundation Adobe Employee Fund Legal Services Funders Network Wells Fargo Foundation Tides Foundation Bank of Marin Amy Fox & Ulysses Hui Kathy Pugh & Josh Maddox Mischelle Mandel & Nancy Conway Arthur and Charlotte Zitrin Foundation California State Bar Foundation San Francisco Mayor’s office of Housing and Community Development San Francisco’s Department of Disability and Aging Services
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: Legal Assistance to the Elderly, 1663 Mission Street, Suite 225 San Francisco, CA 94103
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By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 94-2391538
By Credit Card: www. laesf.org/donate
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PICO CALIFORNIA
PICO California Organizes Those Closest to the Pain to Improve Their Lives and Communities “T
he San Francisco Foundation is committed to advancing racial equity and economic inclusion to ensure that everyone in the Bay Area has a chance to get a good job, live in a safe and affordable home, and have a strong political voice. People Improving Communities Through Organizing (PICO) California advances the cause of disadvantaged Californians by organizing for a moral economy, addressing systemic barriers to opportunity, and building multi-racial, multi-faith community power. We are proud to support the work of PICO California as they organize for a Bay Area and a state where opportunity and justice is available to all.” Diverse clergy leaders fight for the protection of renters and the construction of more affordable housing in San Francisco.
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aria Venegas, a PICO California leader based in San Francisco, is an immigrant mother. Evicted twice during the pandemic, she began living in a cockroach-infested single-room hotel with her children and is constantly harassed by the owners who are trying to get her to leave the hotel. “What causes me the most indignation,” says Maria, “is that this harassment has happened in front of my children who have told me that they prefer to drop out of school and work to help me with rent.” While waiting in a food line, she met other grassroots leaders with the PICO network who were experiencing similar hardship and working together to find a solution. As she started going to organizing meetings, she began to see her problem as an opportunity, not only to improve her situation but also that of many other families. After a series of research meetings with elected officials, Maria and other low-income seniors learned that despite being the epicenter of California’s housing crisis, San Francisco had 60,000 housing units sitting empty, many being traded like poker chips by global investors. The leaders in our network who were directly impacted by housing insecurity began to ask why, in the midst of this suffering, were there so many empty housing units in our city? Inspired by what they learned, several dozen leaders met with city officials and worked to-
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gether to write a ballot measure to tax empty apartments and use the revenue for housing acquisition and direct housing assistance to low-income seniors and families. Working with allies, we secured 14,000 signatures to qualify for the November 2022 ballot and ran a six-month campaign in which we spoke with 60,000 voters in working-class neighborhoods. Proposition M won with nearly 55% of the vote. Our constant focus, starting with the congregations in the PICO network and moving outward, was on building authentic relationships to create people power, led by those most directly impacted by housing insecurity. PICO California, the state’s largest interfaith community organizing network, is led by people like Maria who are closest to the pain and therefore closest to the solutions. We work across racial, economic, and religious lines, where grassroots leaders across the Bay Area and the state have turned their faith into action by organizing for a Moral Economy: making affordable and dignified housing a human right, funding schools and communities more than law enforcement and prisons, ensuring inclusion of all immigrants and refugees, and creating a government that is effective in caring for all Californians. On January 1st, 2024, San Francisco will begin requiring real estate speculators to pay their fair share while investing tens of millions of dollars annually in housing assistance for families | San Francisco Bay Area |
– Judith Bell
Chief Impact Officer, San Francisco Foundation
Grassroots leaders turning their faith into action by demanding the reuniting of migrant families.
and low-income seniors like Maria. Through organizing with the PICO community, we will continue to inspire hope, build power, and create a California where everyone belongs.
Home Is SACRED ICO California is currently raising money for our statewide “Home Is Sacred” campaign. We are organizing PCalifornians to protect renters against no-fault evictions and close loopholes, make it easier for faith and educational institutions to build affordable housing on their land, and ensure that formerly incarcerated Californians do not face unnecessary hurdles to safe and secure housing. Funding will help develop 5,000 new grassroots community leaders, contact 250,000 voters, and reach two million Californians online. Our priority legislation has the potential to impact over two million Californian families.
Families organizing for affordable housing for low-income seniors in San Francisco.
Recent research from the University of California shows that at least 90% of adults who are experiencing homelessness in the state became homeless while living in California due primarily to the dire lack of affordable housing. An estimated 172,000 people are homeless in California, the largest homeless population of any state in the U.S. and 30% of the nation’s total, even though California has just 12% of the population.
“P
ICO California's vision is for an economy that includes, that protects, that nurtures, rather than an economy that exploits and extracts. We believe that, only by linking arms across difference and across our network, will we build enough power to overcome the opposition of those enriching themselves off of the status quo. I am in awe of the community leaders across PICO California who not only have a vision for a radically inclusive and equitable communities, but who every day devote their hearts, minds, hands, and feet to building it through the beautiful ministry of Community Organizing.”
– Joseph Tomás Mckellar
Executive Director, PICO California
KEY SUPPORTERS
PICO California leaders welcoming immigrants and refugees.
PICO California www.picocalifornia.org PO Box 33334 Los Angeles, CA 90033 (916) 447-7959
Contact: Joseph Tomás Mckellar Executive Director (916) 606-3865 joseph@picocalifornia.org
Blue Shield of California Foundation California Community Foundation California Endowment California Wellness Foundation Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Common Counsel Fund Crankstart Foundation East Bay Community Foundation Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund Hilton Foundation James Irvine Foundation
Libra Foundation McNulty Foundation Meadow Fund NEO Philanthropy Rockefeller Family Fund San Francisco Foundation Silicon Valley Community Foundation Susan Sandler Fund Weingart Foundation
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: PICO California PO Box 33334 Los Angeles, CA 90033
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By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 87-2249221 By Credit Card:
secure.actblue.com/donate/picogivinglist
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RAPHAEL HOUSE OF SAN FRANCISCO
Giving Homeless Families the Resources They Need for a Brighter Future
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aphael House was founded in 1971 in Northern California as the first homeless shelter specializing in keeping families together. The need for housing support is more vital than ever, and the success of Raphael House is unmatched. On average, 90% of the families they serve in the Residential Shelter achieve stable housing – an achievement that wouldn’t be possible without donors like you. Raphael House served 158 families (617 individuals) last year and 67% of families at Raphael House were led by single mothers. New families are warmly welcomed and provided with their own private room and key, daily nutritious meals, clothing, and everything else that is needed to help them start their healing journey and begin the next chapter of their lives. Janice is one of the 20,000 who have been touched by the work of Raphael House since its inception. “I wanted to be the best mom I could,” says Janice. “Having just a safe space with a locked door, I was like, ‘I can do this!’ At Raphael House, I had support, boundaries, commitment – things I don’t think I had ever had before in my life.” For parents like Janice, Raphael House makes it possible to build a brighter future. They can learn how to manage finances, attend parenting and wellness courses, and gain access to career development services. Feeling empowered to succeed, Janice and her family had stable housing for 10 years. When her apartment building was set to be demolished, Janice found herself at risk of experiencing homelessness again. She felt stuck. Janice reflects, “When stuff started getting scary, I was like, ‘Who can I reach out to?’ I reached out to Raphael House and they were there with open arms to help me through the tough time.” Working with Raphael House’s trusted staff, Janice was able to secure stable housing again. “Knowing that my kids have a safe place, a home – there’s no better feeling than that.”
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Since its founding, Raphael House has provided over 20,000 individuals with personalized family-centered solutions to build brighter, independent futures. On average, 90% of the families they serve in their Residential Shelter achieve stable housing, and 93% maintain that stability long-term through their Bridge Program.
“I Through our Academic Enrichment service, 96% of students showed academic improvement, and 100% showed improvement in socio-emotional behaviors.
| San Francisco Bay Area |
came from a childhood that was really toxic and I wasn't able to go live with a family member. At Raphael House, I started building relationships that were positive that I needed in my life. The part that gave me security was having our own room with our own key. It was a safe place for me to go to.”
– Janice
Client and former resident
Help Keep Families TOGETHER
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he past few years have been challenging for Raphael House. The rising cost of doing business in the city, significant shifts in patterns of donations, and the simple fact that the shelter is over 100 years old and requires urgent repairs have created a budget deficit. Raphael House needs to raise an additional $1.5 million this year to bridge the gap and to remain open. Families experiencing homelessness rely on Raphael House’s personalized support to achieve and maintain housing and financial stability. Raphael House is 100% community supported, so increased support from donors like you is vital now more than ever. Raphael House served 338 children and teens in their programs
Please help secure the future of Raphael House. Without a substantial increase in funding, we are at risk of closing our doors, leaving families experiencing homelessness without the support we’ve been providing for over 52 years.
“W
e are honored to have the opportunity to contribute to such an impactful organization as Raphael House. We believe children are most vulnerable to the long-term impact of living without a home or shelter and with a 90% success rate of families served in their Residential Shelter achieving stable housing, we know the funding is having a positive impact.”
– Denise and Siggy Strack
Donors and Advocates
KEY SUPPORTERS Tom Poser, Board Chair Laura Larsen, Board Vice-Chair Charlie McEachron, Board Treasurer Heather Sager, Board Secretary Yannis Dosios, Director Laine Gomez, Director Orlando Harris, Director Amanda King, Director Katie Kokenge, Director Michele C. Lee, Director Thomas B. Miller, Director
Karl Werwath, Director Benificus Foundation Cigna Healthcare Bruce Colman and Margaret Sheehan Priscilla and Keith Geeslin Barbara S. Hager George H. Sandy Foundation Solid Rock Foundation Denise and Sigurd Strack
Raphael House of San Francisco www.raphaelhouse.org 1065 Sutter Street San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 345-7200
Contact: Nora Niesen Director of Development (415) 345-7266 nniesen@raphaelhouse.org
The Many Ways to Give... Raphael House's Bridge Program provided support to 158 families last year, offering assistance to individuals who have transitioned from shelter services.
By Check: Raphael House of San Francisco, Inc. 1065 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
| www.thegivinglist.com |
By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 94-3141608 By Credit Card:
www.raphaelhouse.org/give
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
Preserving a Thriving Environment Working together toward the critical goal of sustainability.
| www.thegivinglist.com |
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(Photo courtesy of Tuolumne River Trust)
Sustainability and the Right to a Future BY ZACHARY BERNSTEIN
F
or some, the concept of sustainability, defined by the U.N. in 1987 as, “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” has been muddied as a mere environmentalist buzzword, which is a shame because it’s a noble and necessary pursuit. In the book Collapse, written by UCLA professor of geography Jared Diamond, the author tells in deep anthropological detail about the fall of several civilizations throughout world history. While reading, it could strike the reader how frequently societies thrived or languished based on the simple administrational choices they made regarding the preservation of their trees, fertile soils, and water sources. One pattern emerges in these stories: As populations grow, sustainability becomes a more difficult and critical goal to maintain. Consider the Tuolumne River, which originates from the glaciers of Yosemite National Park, flows through the Sierra Nevada to Central California, and ultimately to the
San Francisco Bay. This pristine river serves as a thriving wildlife habitat that’s home to river otters, North American beavers, Chinook Salmon, steelhead trout, and black bears. The
A close-up shot of a great grey owl. (Photo courtesy of Tuolumne River Trust)
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
“Environmental advocacy groups like these are what keep the negligence of profitdriven interests, illicit and corporate, from transforming societies into the ill-fated kind written about in Jared Diamond books.” Tuolumne River serves humans too as the singular water source for up to 2.7 million Bay Area residents stretching from San Francisco to San Jose, a detail some California residents may not even be aware of. “Chronic oversubscription to the available water and increasing demand mean there’s not enough left for the environment,” said Patrick Koepele, executive director of the Tuolumne River Trust, perhaps the fiercest advocacy organization working for the
preservation and safety of the mighty Tuolumne. With rising global temperatures, the increasing onslaught of California wildfires is another threat that keeps the stewards of the Tuolumne on high alert. One of its largest environmental setbacks was the devastating Rim Fire of 2013 which destroyed 270,000 acres of forest in the Stanislaus National Forest. In the years since, Tuolumne River Trust has worked to restore what was lost, recently surpassing the
Activists gathering to raise awareness about the climate crisis. (Photo courtesy of Climate Rights International)
| www.thegivinglist.com |
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“Indigenous communities from Brazil to Indonesia to Africa are losing their land to deforestation, often as the result of decisions made on a corporate level.”
milestone of replanting over two million new trees in the area. Maintaining a robust tree culture benefits the health of the wildlife, the water, and the atmosphere of the planet. “Emissions from a fire like that eclipse any carbon reductions we see in California,” Koepele said, “so it’s critical that we improve the forest in the Tuolumne watershed so we can sequester carbon rather than emit carbon.” Carbon reduction and habitat preservation also loom large in the mind of Sam Wasser, executive director of the Center for Environmental Forensic Science (CEFS), a collaborative operation based out of the University of Washington in Seattle devoted to using scientific methods to take down poachers all over the world. “Transnational criminal organizations have operative cells all over Africa,” said Wasser. “They’re very skilled and they’ve figured out lots of ways to reduce risk. We’re trying to counter those strategies.” CEFS uses samples from seized contraband – smuggled elephant ivory, pangolin scales, or illegally poached African timber – and genetically tests the samples to trace a map that
The illegal timber trade is the largest of the environmental crimes, valued between $50-150 billion USD annually. (Photo courtesy of Center for Environmental Forensic Science)
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| San Francisco Bay Area |
helps lead international law enforcement teams right back to the kingpins profiting off these trafficking operations. With a lean and mean ragtag team of around 40 collaborative scientists, the center’s unique brand of genetic detective work yields high impact results and international recognition. Wasser said with pride, “There isn’t a country in Africa and Southeast Asia that hasn’t heard of us.” Wasser emphasizes with great passion and expertise how poaching of animals and plant life causes environmental problems all around the world, including money flowing into the hands of terrorist groups, and the potential spreading of animal-borne disease (not unlike COVID-19). To maintain thriving, sustainable ecosystems, the preservation of animal wildlife is paramount. “Illegal poaching of timber impacts habitat and climate,” said Wasser. “In the Congo Basin rainforest, second in size only to the Amazon, those trees are needed for carbon capture and have seeds that only a large animal like an elephant can disperse. If you wipe out the elephants, you wipe out the seed dispersers that regenerate the forest. Inferior trees tend to grow in their place.” From wildlife poaching to catastrophic wildfires, of all the environmental woes that plague our planet, climate change is the issue connecting them all. For some advocates, reversing the trajectory of a man-made warming world climate is the most critical issue for our generation and for generations to come. Brad Adams is executive director of Climate Rights International (CRI), a role he recently stepped into after 20 years with Human Rights Watch. His former advocacy on behalf of human rights informs his advocacy fighting climate change.
Identifying tusk pairs from the same elephant from 4.6-ton seizures of savannah elephant ivory. (Photo courtesy of Center for Environmental Forensic Science)
“One of the main challenges is putting people in vulnerable communities at the center of the discussion,” said Adams. “We tend to focus on images of the environment, endangered species, polar bears on ice floes – all important – but that doesn’t capture the main risk to humanity. My years of work living in Cambodia and all around Asia has been to try to tell the stories of those who are most marginalized, persecuted, and forgotten; to make policy decisions that will improve their lives.” Indigenous communities from Brazil to Indonesia to Africa are losing their land to deforestation, often as the result of decisions made on a corporate level. CRI seeks to leverage its well-established contacts in world governments and business sectors to promote sustainable practices that benefit the planet and the people who live on it. “The biggest challenge for the climate rights community is moving the problems of people at the sharp end of climate change to the top of government regulations,” said Adams. “The secret sauce of human rights work is having well-connected advocates in key capitals who have government officials on speed dial.” Environmental advocacy groups like these are what keep the negligence of profit-driven interests, illicit and corporate, from transforming societies into the ill-fated kind written about in Jared Diamond books. “We have a responsibility to protect the planet from further damage,” said Adams. “We owe our kids and our grandkids the right to a future.”
Mining areas in Indonesia. (Photo courtesy of Climate Rights International)
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CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL FORENSIC SCIENCE
Protecting Our Planet by Saving Animals From Smuggling and Poaching
Elephants are incredibly social and intelligent. They also show strong interest in elephants who died. © Beverly Joubert
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nternational poaching and smuggling crimes may seem distant to people who live in California, but the consequences of these illegal activities impact us all. More than 20,000 elephants are killed each year for their tusks and $157 billion worth of timber is smuggled internationally. The estimated $1 trillion a year in damages from international poaching increases the risk of climate change, by destroying wildlife and carbon-capturing forests. Sam Wasser is a professor, a researcher, an animal wildlife conservationist, a biologist, and an explorer. Even more importantly, he is Executive Director of the Center for Environmental Forensic Science (CEFS), whose research is improving how U.S. and international law enforcement agencies investigate global environmental smuggling operations. Work by the Center for Environmental Forensic Science at the University of Washington has contributed to the conviction of criminal kingpins for smuggling ivory, timber, and even pangolins, an armidillo-like mammal sought for its scales and acknowledged to be the most heavily poached animal in the world. “Poaching is having a huge impact on the biodiversity of the world,” Wasser says.
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“Transnational criminals are destroying environments, increasing corruption, damaging economic and national security on a global scale, making travel less safe, and contributing to the spread of emergent diseases – COVID is a perfect example.” Wasser has been conducting this work for over 20 years, but only recently transformed the program from a small academic lab into the Center for Environmental Forensic Science – a fully functioning, collaborative forensic operation that includes senior scientists, law enforcement agencies and NGO. This transition began in 2021 when the University of Washington and Washington State Legislature committed funding to establish the Center and support its efforts to thwart environmental crimes. To help catch these international criminals, CEFS uses an assortment of innovative scientific tools to track contraband shipments around the globe. CEFS developed genetic tests that can determine where large shipments of plants or animals were poached, identify smuggling routes, and link multiple shipments to certain smuggling organizations. This information helps focus law enforcement | San Francisco Bay Area |
efforts and provides a basis to link physical evidence from cases thought to be independent. Such information strengthens criminal investigations, prosecutions, and financial crime analysis that can lead to asset forfeiture. CEFS has also developed other proprietary state-of-the-art methods to detect smuggling, which include inexpensive hand-held devices that can rapidly “capture” contraband odor in shipping containers for presentation to highly trained detection dogs. Today, CEFS collaborates with national law enforcement agencies including Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Forest Service-International Programs, as well as many law enforcement agencies and non-government organizations around the globe, to dismantle transnational criminal organizations engaged in environmental smuggling. The state, country, and world are impacted in so many ways by transnational environmental crimes, as we all depend on the climate of the world to survive, Wasser says. That makes the crimes of smuggling and poaching ever more critical to our local communities.
"W
ildlife crime is rapidly becoming one of the most insidious and profound influences on the world’s natural capital this century, but it takes more than guns and boots on the ground. Without science and the data that CEFS provides, too many loopholes exist. The work that CEFS does closes those loopholes and brings criminals to justice. Working with governments around the world makes it effective and that is why we have supported this work via the National Geographic and through Project Ranger. You should too."
– Dereck Joubert
National Geographic Explorer at Large
Joining Forces to Outsmart Poachers and Save the Planet
KEY SUPPORTERS
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he crown jewel in the Center for Environmental Forensic Science’s arsenal is their ability to support law enforcement efforts with free-of-charge genetic analysis of large seizures of environmental contraband. The results map poaching hotspots, determine how criminal organizations smuggle poached items, and directly tie seizures to international kingpins. CEFS relies on private donations to offer their services at no cost. However, CEFS is now receiving more seizures than ever and costs per seizure have increased by over 25% in the last 18 months. A single seizure, weighing 0.5 to 10 metric tons, costs an average of $60,000 to analyze. CEFS also needs funds to scale their operation and assure long-term sustainability. The enormous volume of transnational environmental crimes, and the speed with which traffickers adapt, require that seizures be analyzed as rapidly as possible with tools that evolve to traffickers’ ever-changing strategies. CEFS is raising $2 million to support multiple seizures a year, invest in research and development, and provide capacity building to developing countries on a global scale. However, having the funds needed to genetically test seizures is the single most important donation one can give as it allows CEFS to immediately get to work tracking down the smugglers.
"F
or over twenty years, the Center for Environmental Forensic Science (CEFS) at the University of Washington, through its consortium of scientists and law enforcement partners from across the globe, has utilized their combined subject matter expertise to combat environmental crimes wherever they occur. CEFS has provided forensic DNA analysis of major ivory and pangolin seizures, groundbreaking development of rapid species identification tools and artificial intelligence platforms, that have facilitated multinational collaborative investigations and advancements in environmental forensic science. The work done through CEFS has played a crucial role in identifying, dismantling, and disrupting the transnational criminal organizations responsible for the illegal extraction of precious natural resources, and the destruction of ecosystems caused by their illicit trade in wildlife, timber, and fisheries.”
– John Brown III
Special Agent, National Program Manager/ IUU Fishing Program Homeland Security Investigations
USAID UNDP World Bank Global Environment Fund Elephant Crisis Fund Wildlife Conservation Network Maritz Family Foundation Greg Moga PG Allen Family Foundation International Fund for Animal Welfare Wood Tiger Fund DHS Center of Excellence, Texas A&M University Homeland Security Investigation INTERPOL Dereck and Beverly Jobert Art Wolfe Wildcat Foundation Arthur Johnson Fund Dawkins Charitable Trust WA State Legislature UN Office on Drugs and Crime Elizabeth Welch Jim and Catherine Alchin Craig McCaw Leonard X. Bosack and Bette M. Kruger Charitable Foundation US Dept of State-INL Mohamed Zaid Fund Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation National Fish and Wildlife Foundation US Fish and Wildlife Service US Forest Service-International Program Elephant Protection Initiative National Geographic Society
Center for Environmental Forensic Science https://cefs.uw.edu University of Washington PO Box 351800 Seattle, WA 98195-1800 (206) 221-3181
Contact: Samuel K Wasser Executive Director Mobile: (206) 853-4730 Office: (206) 543-1669 wassers@uw.edu
The Many Ways to Give... Pangolins are currently the most heavily poached animal in the world. Their scales are modified from hair and used in traditional medicine. Over 25% of pangolin scale shipments, some as large as 12 metric tons, are shipped together with ivory.
By Check: University of Washington Foundation C/O University of Washington 407 Gerberding Hall Seattle, WA 98195-1210
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By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 91-6001537 By Credit Card:
www.cefs.uw.edu/connect/fund-us
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CLIMATE RIGHTS INTERNATIONAL
Climate Rights International Demands Action to Protect People from Climate Change and Human RightsViolations
A key priority of CRI is protecting the rights of climate refugees and migrants. Here, women walk with what possessions they can carry toward an IDP camp near the town of Jowhar, Somalia. Heavy rains in Somalia have resulted in thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Photo by Tobin Jones.
B
efore the pandemic, Brad Adams, then the executive director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia Division, would often drive his two kids and their friends to and from school in Berkeley and listen in on their wide-ranging backseat conversations. “Aside from baseball, the thing they talked about most was climate change and how they felt it was screwing up the world,” Adams says. “They often expressed hopelessness about their future.” Those carpool confessions of climate despair left an unforgettable mark. In 2022, Adams left his job at Human Rights Watch to launch a new nonprofit venture aimed at protecting people and the planet called Climate Rights International. Climate Rights International sets its sights on investigating and holding governments and corporations around the world accountable for what Adams refers to as “climate change-related human rights violations… Climate change causes human rights violations, but many people don’t realize that human rights violations are also leading to climate change.” The nonprofit, which launched this past summer, builds upon Adams’s 20 years of experience at Human Rights Watch – where he fought for freedom of speech and labor rights, and against human-trafficking and authoritarian dictatorships
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– and will harness a similar model: to put a human face on the people harmed by climate change, publicly shame abusive governments and corporations, and support litigation on subjects such as polluted supply chains and “greenwashing.” First up on the climate rights watch list is indigenous communities who are losing their land through deforestation. “Whether it’s in Brazil or Indonesia or the Democratic Republic of Congo, deforestation is usually the result of corporate decisions,” he says. “For example, in Brazil, 80% of deforestation is to create more cattle grazing space for the beef industry, much of which is exported to the U.S. and elsewhere.” Climate Rights International will use its well-established high-level contacts in government and business to press for change, and to connect activists on the front lines fighting climate change to senior policymakers, such as in the U.S. State Department. They also intend to raise awareness among consumers who want to do the right thing for climate change, but who unwittingly contribute to it by eating beef or avocados that are causing deforestation, or by driving cars whose nickel-charged batteries were made possible by the forced removal of indigenous | San Francisco Bay Area |
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rad Adams is a global leader in the field of human rights. I’m honored to call him a colleague of many years and thrilled that he has formed Climate Rights International to work at the nexus of the climate crisis and human rights, highlighting the increasingly devastating human toll it is taking on communities around the world. He has curated a dream team with decades of experience working on human rights and the environment to address this existential challenge. Under Brad’s leadership, CRI is poised to do breakthrough work in this field. I hope you will support CRI with audacious generosity. Our future depends on what we do now."
– Darian Swig people off their land to mine the metal. “The goal is to put the responsibility on the government to require companies to only sell products in ways that don’t contribute to climate change or human rights violations. We have a responsibility to protect the planet from further damage,” says Adams. “We owe our kids and our grandkids the right to a future.”
Fighting for a HEALTHY PLANET FOR ALL
“C
limate change is the quintessential example of a problem in which we need to think locally and act globally – and at the same time think globally and act locally,” says Brad Adams, Executive Director at Climate Rights International (CRI) . Your support will allow CRI to do the challenging work in the U.S. and abroad by funding critical field research projects and advocacy that have already contributed to new regulations on deforestation and supply chain management. Through careful, on-the ground research, the use of emerging technologies, high-level advocacy, support for strategic litigation and exposing violations through key media, CRI will pressure governments and companies to finally treat climate change as the urgent threat that it is. Each research project CRI undertakes costs at least $100,000. Your support will help them fight against climate change – and protect people and the planet.
The right to a healthy environment is at grave risk from climate change. Wildfires, like those in 2020 that turned the San Francisco sky orange, are a growing threat to public health. Smoke is especially dangerous for sensitive groups, including children, the elderly, and pregnant women. Photo by Thom Milkovic.
In 2022, an astonishing 60.9 million people were internally displaced around the world — the highest figure ever recorded. More than half were displaced by climate-related disasters. Women and girls disproportionately suffer from food insecurity and gender-based violence.
"A
s a long-term human rights donor and activist, I am thrilled that CRI is addressing a surprisingly overlooked aspect of the climate change crisis. While climate change is impacting all of us, it is disproportionately having devastating effects on the lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable people on our planet. CRI takes the approach that people must be at the center of discussions and solutions to this existential crisis, while pressing governments to put people at the center of climate action, and companies to change the way they do business when it comes to deforestation and fossil fuel emissions. I proudly support CRI and hope you will, too."
– Natasha Desterro Dolby
KEY SUPPORTERS Leslie Gilbert-Lurie Rabih Alameddine Kenneth Roth David Lakhdhir Mausi Segun Sapariah Saturi John Steed Tony La Vina Ole von Uexkuell
Alicia Minana Carol Richards Darian Swig Natasha Dolby David Dolby Marsha Garces Williams Marty Krasney Ken Alex Rob Cook Mary Anne Cook
Philanthropist
Climate Rights International cri.org 449 Boynton Avenue Berkeley, CA 94707 (415) 335-6946
Contact: Brad Adams Executive Director (415) 335-6946 adams@cri.org
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: Climate Rights International 449 Boynton Avenue Berkeley, CA 94707
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By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 87-4420907 By Credit Card:
www.cri.org/donate/
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TUOLUMNE RIVER TRUST
The Tuolumne River Trust Protects the Source of the Water You Drink Bear, continue to thrive, preserving the rich biodiversity and balance of the greater Yosemite region. TRT has not only been the river’s guardian, fighting against threats and championing its health, but also a bridge, connecting people to its incredible landscapes. Your support of TRT is a testament to the shared belief in preserving this natural heritage for present and future generations. Water is the essence of life and the Tuolumne River Trust has been ensuring the river’s protection since 1981.
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Tuolumne River in Yosemite, the source of drinking water for the Bay Area.
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riginating in Yosemite National Park high in the glaciers above Tuolumne Meadows, the Tuolumne River flows through diverse landscapes and communities from the Sierra Nevada, through Central California, to the San Francisco Bay. Founded in 1981, when San Francisco proposed dams on the river, the Tuolumne River Trust (TRT) led a campaign that brought together diverse groups to protect the Tuolumne River from environmental ruin. As part of this inaugural campaign, the Tuolumne River Trust successfully won Wild and Scenic Protection safeguarding it for future generations. The Trust advocates for better water management policies, partners with communities for better park equity and access, protects salmon and other wildlife habitats, and restores forests along the watershed. But most importantly, the Tuolumne River is the sole water source for 2.7 million Bay Area residents from San Francisco to San Jose, a fact that people are often surprised to learn. “We organize and connect communities to the river and advocate for better policies and laws for river health,” explains Patrick Koepele, executive director of TRT.
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TRT has built many innovative and exciting programs to educate the public and provide diverse communities access to the river and its surrounding lands. TRT’s key programs are designed to engage young people to interact with the Tuolumne and include: That’s the Tuolumne in My Tap, the Tuolumne River Adventure Club (TRAC), and the Outdoor Equity Program. These programs teach local youth where their water comes from and focus on river activities and safety, leadership training, advocacy, and preservation of the environment. With climate change impacting weather patterns, wildfire prevention is top of mind for everyone. Through TRT’s cutting-edge prevention programs, they also focus on building resilience and balance back into the ecosystems. TRT is also at the forefront of regional work to increase the pace and scale of restoration and reforestation for forests, floodplains, meadows, and parks. The Trust’s habitat restoration programs and water policy advocacy ensures that threatened species and wildlife along the river, such as the North American Beaver, Chinook Salmon, and the beloved Black | San Francisco Bay Area |
e truly appreciate TRT’s stewardship to protect and restore historical populations of Chinook salmon and Central Valley steelhead to the Tuolumne watershed. Fishing for these species in a healthy river system is a fly fisher’s dream… a dream TRT can help realize for future generations. That effort starts with habitat restoration, river flow management, and community outreach… cornerstones of TRT’s fishery restoration approach."
– Jeff and Diane Wilson
American Black Bear, a species TRT works to protect through habitat restoration projects.
Keep the Source of your Water Protected
“T
he Tuolumne is more than just a source of the wonderful water that gives us life. It is also the life sustaining habitat for a host of creatures, and I tend to see the T itself as a living thing. TRT seeks to foster this living thing, and all the living things it supports. We do this by advocating on the river's behalf, educating people about its role in our lives, and restoring the watershed.”
our support today protects the Tuolumne River that fills the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir providing drinking water to Y more than 2.7 million Bay Area residents. You are actively
protecting the water flowing through your tap each and every day. This is the water you shower in, that grows your food, and that you rely on. Every dollar helps the Tuolumne River Trust continue to safeguard your water source.
– Bart and Nancy Westcott
Your support today protects the Tuolumne River that fills the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, providing drinking water to more than 2.7 million Bay Area residents. You are actively protecting the water flowing through your tap each and every day.
KEY SUPPORTERS Campbell Foundation Clif Family Foundation Holdfast Collective Marin Community Foundation Silicon Valley Community Foundation Stanislaus Community Foundation Sunlight Giving Amy Meyer Tyler Llewellyn planting a tree in one TRT’s reforestation project sites.
Youth bird watching in the Tuolumne River Adventure Club.
Tuolumne River Trust www.tuolumne.org PO Box 3727 Sonora, CA 95370 (209) 588-8636
Cindy Charles Diane and Jeff Wilson Kristina and Eric Riemer Kyle and John Kreiter Molly and John Hooper Nancy and Bart Westcott William Reller
Contact: Nicole Cibellis Chief Advancement Officer nicole@tuolumne.org (415) 225-6115
The Many Ways to Give...
Fishing in Tuolumne Meadows.
By Check: Tuolumne River Trust PO Box 3727 Sonora, CA 95370
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By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 94-2834151 By Credit Card:
www.tuolumne.org/donate
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Championing Civic Technology for Human Progress By Brian Rinker
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an’l Lewin, the current President and Chief Executive Officer of the Computer History Museum, is a veteran of the technology industry with a career spanning back to 1977. His professional journey – from Apple to Microsoft – has been marked by a commitment to explore the intersection of technology and civic issues. After college, Lewin considered becoming a lawyer to satisfy his interest in doing good for society but ultimately determined that the only career that would quench his curiosity, energy, and enthusiasm would be in the emerging and innovative technology industry. Lewin believed his ambition to enhance the human experience was too bold to pursue by himself. One of the defining chapters of Lewin’s career came during his tenure at Apple, where he played a key role in the development and launch of the company’s early technologies, including the original Macintosh. His responsibilities included fostering connections with the education sector and reinforcing his commitment to technology’s role in democratizing knowledge and opportunities. During his 17-year tenure at Microsoft, Lewin delved into civic technology issues and took charge of the company’s sustainability program. This allowed him to explore the potential of technology to address complex societal challenges on a global scale. Today, as the President and CEO of the Computer History Museum, Dan’l Lewin remains a prominent figure in the world of civic technology. He continues to advocate for the responsible and ethical use of technology, drawing from his extensive experience to influence the trajectory of technology history and promote a future that benefits humanity at large.
is political (they exert power). Since we are all digital citizens, it is imperative for us to reflect and better understand how technology has come to shape every aspect of human existence. At the museum, because we have oral histories and information from the past, we can explore what motivated people to invent products, technologies, or business models. By doing so, we can compare their motivations with the outcomes we’re seeing today. From there, we might begin to think about the future and what kind of structures are required to rein in the peril so that the promise can surface.
Q. Tell me about the Computer History Museum’s mission and why it’s important? A. Life doesn’t exist without computing, period. You can’t do anything in a functioning way in the world without access to quote-unquote, “a computer,” whether it’s a cell device or not. We need to have some filters by which people are educated and become more aware as digital citizens. I have a belief that history is not about the past; it’s the present having a conversation with the past. History allows us to reflect on the social implications of technology, as all technology
You’ve had an amazing career in tech. Regarding civic tech today, how would you characterize the opportunities that are now available? The opportunities are immense to harness the new techniques and the new technologies that have emerged in the last few years. The AI you’ve been reading about everywhere, its algorithms date back more than 20 years. What has happened is that the underlying computing capability has emerged and is now available essentially in real-time, and it can be applied to all kinds of things. The techniques and technologies are accel-
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erating at a rate like we’ve never seen before. What worries me is that the regulatory regimes are, by default, slow to change. The individual mindset is easily manipulated. And these technology companies, for the most part, are in the attention-getting business and they do that by gathering a lot of data on everyone. That’s why we at the Computer History Museum are having public discourse around the promise and peril of emerging technologies. How might some of these exciting technologies be harnessed to offer a promising civic-minded product? Federal or state governments have plenty of money they’ve appropriated to be available for people in need, things like hunger, the SNAP program, for example, or earned income tax credit, or housing assistance – real fundamental services for society. Access to most of these services has been built with arcane technology. It is sometimes almost impossible for people to know what is available because there’s so much ‘noise’ in the system. It can be really complicated. Instead, we should be thinking about how technology can bring those services to someone directly rather than having to have a person go to the technology, go to the keyboard, go to the mouse, go to this website, and navigate the maze that’s been created. What would that type of tech look like? Very soon, because we have these AIs emerging, I can see how someone could just hold up their phone and say I am interested
in such and such services. And because it’s your device, it knows your socio-economic status. The AI can tailor all the available programs – whether that’s food, help with rent, or free vaccines. That would be great. Are there other areas or causes where you’re particularly passionate or feel a pressing need to apply technology for solutions? Food security, as we just discussed, is really important. The other important use for AI-related civic technologies is to support diversity, equity, and inclusion, around increasing technology accessibility for people with disabilities through voice-assisted devices. Housing is another urgent area. The advances in 3D printing have led to very efficient new ways to build sustainable houses. How can philanthropy support this new and exciting civic technology? Philanthropists need to understand the ongoing operating and infrastructure costs associated with organizations providing civic tech services. It’s hard to do and requires talented staff and resources. Philanthropy must consider the size and scale of funding needed to attract tech workers to the nonprofit field. Do you feel hopeful for the future? I am optimistic. There are real harms that can occur with this rush of new tech, but I do believe that the broader intent of these new technologies will lift all boats. I think there’ll be a rising tide of automation that supports human needs.
“... we at the Computer History Museum are having public discourse around the promise and peril of emerging technologies.”
| www.thegivinglist.com |
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Animals Lead the Way Animals, with love and purpose, help humans through difficult times.
| www.thegivinglist.com |
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Everyday Animals Are Superheroes BY ZACHARY BERNSTEIN
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e love our animals. As pets, our cats, dogs, birds, rodents, and lizards are our most loyal companions and best friends. We love them so much, we don’t always recognize what, aside from their love, they’re giving us in return. A pet in your household is correlated with several health benefits: lowered blood pressure, reduced levels of anxiety and depression, improved cognitive function for older people, improved social skills for children. The mere responsibility of taking care of a dog means more outdoor activity for the owner, and therefore, more opportunities for socialization, as well as lowered cholesterol and triglyceride levels. With these bonus benefits, it’s hard to imagine that there’s anything more that a loving animal can do for us. They’re our friends, but can animals also be superheroes? “Any type of disaster, even a small one, is someone’s worst day. We want to make sure we don’t leave anyone behind,” said Denise Sanders, senior director of communications
and search team operations with the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, based in Santa Paula, California. The Search Dog Foundation (SDF) recruits rescue dogs from shelters and trains them to search for victims of traumatic disasters. The Search Dog Foundation was founded by FEMA-Certified Search Specialist Wilma Melville. She witnessed firsthand the greater need for search dogs while combing the ruins of the Alfred P. Murrah building for survivors in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995. There, Melville saw an opportunity for unwanted rambunctious shelter dogs to become heroes. “It takes a unique dog to do this work,” said Sanders. “These dogs don’t do well sitting still; that’s how they end up in the shelter in the first place. They need a job to channel that energy and that’s what we give them.” Selected shelter dogs get plenty of opportunities to channel their energy at SDF’s National Training Center facility in Santa Paula. Over a sprawling campus, it features specially designed and reconfigurable disaster replications where the dogs can hone
National Disaster Search Dog Foundation team members Otter and Brandon Budd.
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their skills in various rescue operation scenarios: a train wreck, collapsed buildings, piles of rubble, a tilted house, and more. Many of the dogs go on to assist in real life search and rescue operations. Recent deployments in 2023 have included the earthquake rubble in Turkey and the aftermath of the devastating fires in Maui, but SDF has been deploying teams for many years, including to the World Trade Center after 9/11. The dogs who aren’t deemed fit to serve on a search and rescue team still find their place doing “nose work” in other fields like biological conservation, narcotics detection, or medical alert. Most importantly, the dogs are loved and cared for and never returned to shelters. “Once rescued they will never be rescued again,” said Sanders, assuringly. And for those seeking to overcome the effects of trauma, healing can be found with the help of a different animal: horses. Located in a dedicated space within the San Francisco Zoo is Brady Riding, a group that offers therapeutic horse-riding lessons to children with physical, emotional, and developmental disabilities. “Because of the challenges they have faced, a lot of these kids are resistant to therapy,” said Sarah Meakin, Brady Riding’s program director. “They don’t want to be put into another situation where they need help, or they’re told that they are broken.” For over 35 years, Brady Riding has served children with varying needs. Equine therapy provides an alternate approach to the sterility of the doctor’s office by offering an outdoor environment that feels fun. Bonding with horses, children on the autism spectrum develop stronger communication skills. When physical
“These dogs don’t do well sitting still; that’s how they end up in the shelter in the first place. They need a job to channel that energy and that’s what we give them.”
Lola and volunteer. (Photo courtesy of Brady Riding)
therapy sessions seem too daunting for children with cerebral palsy, riding horses is an alternative healing avenue that helps with developing stronger motor skills. Other equine therapy centers corroborate the emotional and social healing boost that interaction with horses can provide. “It gives people more confidence,” said Barbara Auerbach, executive director of Circle of Horses in Fort Bragg, now in its tenth year of operation. “They’re dealing with a large animal. When a horse doesn’t have a herd, it’s depending on you. That gives the rider a sense of responsibility, focus, balance, and confidence. You’re socializing, communicating.” Equine therapy isn’t exclusively for people with developmental issues. In recent years, Circle of Horses became a refuge for people suffering from general anxiety in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “When you’re around a horse, it’s very heart opening,” said Meakin. “A horse doesn’t have an agenda.” Whether horse, dog, or other loyal companion, it’s important not to forget that even superheroes need love. Through these organizations, the animals have not just a purpose, but a home where they get the love they deserve. “A dog is not a piece of equipment,” said Sanders. “They’re living beings that need to consistently train and make a bond. How do we help them find their way? That’s the reward in and of itself.”
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NATIONAL DISASTER SEARCH DOG FOUNDATION
National Disaster Search Dog Foundation Puts First Responder Boots – and Paws – on the Ground "O
Seven canine search teams trained by the Search Dog Foundation searched the many square miles of rubble in Turkey after the devastating earthquake in February.
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n the wake of Maui’s tragic 2023 wildfires, relief organizations and the goodwill of the world at large poured into the affected areas. Amid this bustling influx of aid, three California task force workers and their dogs quietly made landfall and began methodically working through the smoldering ruins. These National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF)-trained Human Remains Detection (HRD) teams would be instrumental in the painstaking search for victims in Maui’s devastated communities. “We say they’re like the Olympic athletes of the canine world,” says Denise Sanders, Senior Director of Communications & Search Team Operations at the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation. “They train up their stamina so their energy doesn’t flag in the course of these long searches.” In 1996, FEMA-Certified Canine Search Specialist Wilma Melville founded SDF to address the troubling shortfall of rescue canines she’d seen working the ruins of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing the year before in Oklahoma City. Melville drew up a training curriculum and model for an organization she envisioned as a mission of mercy – both for future victims of disaster, and for the unwanted dogs she would retrieve from shelters and transform into incomparably specialized, deeply loved rescue animals. “She needed to set up a system,” Sanders explains, “that could take all these different
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types of dogs – and all these different types of humans – and figure out the best way to recruit, train, and partner them.” In 2017, the SDF’s privately funded National Training Center (NTC) launched near Santa Paula, California. The NTC is a sprawling, 145acre forensic mock-up of all the disaster scenarios for which SDF’s canine rescuers are arduously and lovingly trained. A map of the NTC includes such place names as Rubble Pile, Train Wreck, Collapsed Freeway, Tilted House, and more. “The tilted house is built to code, believe it or not,” Sanders says with a smile. Dog lovers may wonder if all shelter dogs complete the program, and what happens to those that don’t. “Once rescued, they’ll never have to be rescued again,” Sanders says. “That is our lifetime care promise to any dog that enters our program. It’s not just about the disaster search program, it’s about helping each and every dog.” The foundation offers its services to first responders with a two-word caveat: No Charge. “We all know that these first responder budgets have become strapped in recent years,” Sanders says. “We’re not charging fire departments or task forces for anything. Taxpayer dollars are not going towards these dogs. We’re able to do that because our donors believe in the work we do. These dogs and their loving handlers are out there training each and every day in preparation for something that we hope never happens.” | San Francisco Bay Area |
ver the years, the Search Dog Foundation has paired many canine disaster search teams that serve the Bay Area and we are grateful to have these canines as a resource to call upon when needed for our urban search and rescue team as part of the San Francisco Fire Department and California Task Force 3. The search dogs are a vital part of any deployment response—whether earthquakes, hurricanes, mudslides, or missing person searches, these highly trained canines are instrumental in completing our search missions. The Search Dog Foundation provides these canines as invaluable assets for our department and part of Task Force 3 free of charge, ensuring we stand ready to serve our community when called upon to help."
– Jeanine Nicholson
Fire Chief, San Francisco Fire Department
Search dogs and their handlers train together weekly to stay ready in case of deployment. The Search Dog Foundation campus contains disaster training props that help prepare them for any disaster scenario they may face on deployment.
What We Need: Future Canine Heroes For America
he frequency and strength of recent disasters are T stark reminders that they can strike at the heart of any community. In the search for victims, a search
dog’s remarkable nose and hard-earned skills mean the difference between days versus minutes, lost versus found, uncertainty versus hope. The National Search Dog Foundation (SDF) works diligently to ensure canine search teams across America can deploy at a moment’s notice when needed, which includes preparing the next generation of canine heroes. From the day they arrive on campus to the day they are paired with first responders, SDF spends approximately $60,000 to train a search dog over 10 to 12 months. SDF is raising $1,020,000 to train the next search dog graduates. Donors at $20,000 and above can become sponsors of a search dog in training, receiving updates on their progress and milestones throughout their career. Sponsor one or even a pack of canine heroes to be Part of the Search! No technology can match the incredible ability of a search dog's nose when it comes to finding those lost in the wreckage of disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, mudslides, building collapses, and missing person searches.
KEY SUPPORTERS
SAVING LIVES, BOTH HUMAN AND CANINE The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation has rescued and trained more than 300 dogs that have, in turn, rescued humans in disasters. Over 27 years, these expert teams have worked in the largest disasters: from 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the earthquakes in Haiti, and the earthquake in Turkey to missing persons and small structure collapses throughout the country. The foundation has pioneered a model for screening, training, and providing a lifetime of care for each dog it rescues, along with ongoing expert support for handlers. But the United States only has part of the amount of search teams truly needed. The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation continues to innovate the training of both dogs and handlers every year, while ensuring every dog that enters its program will be successful, whether as a disaster search dog or in another career, by fostering the bonds that will create the next generation of working dogs. With a gift to the foundation, you can save lives both human and canine.
National Disaster Search Dog Foundation www.SearchDogFoundation.org 6800 Wheeler Canyon Road Santa Paula, CA 93060 (888) 4K9-HERO
Contact: Rhett Mauck Executive Director (805) 646-1015 Rhett@SearchDogFoundation.org
BOARD OF DIRECTORS George Leis – Board Chair President and COO, Montecito Bank & Trust Richard Butt – Board Vice-Chair Retired EVP, Executive Creative Director, VMLY&R Mike J. Diani – Secretary President, Diani Building Corp. Christine DeVries Management Consultant Robert Harris Battalion Chief, Los Angeles County Fire Department George R. Haynes, Ph.D. CEO, National Disaster Search Dog Foundation Crystal Wyatt Leadership in Board Governance and Creative & Sustainable Philanthropy
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: National Disaster Search Dog Foundation 6800 Wheeler Canyon Road Santa Paula, CA 93060
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By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 77-0412509 By Credit Card: www.SearchDogFoundation.org/donate
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BRADY RIDING THERAPY
The Healing Power of Horses A ccording to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1 in 5 children ages 3 to 17 has a mental, emotional, behavioral, or developmental disorder. And while there are many therapies available to these children, starting a new treatment can be overwhelming, especially if it takes place in a cold and unfamiliar office space. At the equine therapy nonprofit Brady Riding, they understand that sustainable healing journeys start with a fun environment. For the last 30 years, Brady Riding has served children with diverse needs, whether they are hoping to improve communication skills associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder, improve motor skills to help alleviate symptoms of cerebral palsy, or need to build confidence after experiencing foster care. “Because of the challenges they have faced, a lot of these kids are very resistant to therapy,” explains Program Director Sarah Meakin. “They don’t want to be put into another situation where they need help or they’re told that they are broken.” Often, these children have already been through the gauntlet of specialists, doctors, and social workers. They need a different approach to help bring them out of their shell. “These kids have had to be tough and have had to close their heart off, making it hard to accept help. But when you’re around a horse, it’s very heart opening. A horse doesn’t have an agenda. So they’re able to build a confidence, a self-worth that maybe has been taken from them or just suppressed,” says Meakin.
Brady provides the highest quality of equine therapy through horsemanship and riding lessons to Bay Area youths with physical, emotional, and developmental disabilities.
While attending Brady Riding, children demonstrate big improvements in emotional well-being; riding and spending time with horses encourages verbal communication and improves self-esteem. But riding and bonding with the horses also provides other lasting life changing benefits that wouldn’t be possible elsewhere. “I have seen children with cerebral palsy who could barely walk. It is tough for them to do physical therapy and build the lower muscle tone that they need to support themselves. But after getting those muscles built by being on a horse, these children start to be able to support themselves from the top down to their legs,” says Meakin. Located in a private, serene area at the San Francisco Zoo, Brady Riding adapts and customizes their programs and lessons to the needs of each participant. They also operate year-round. Through valued partnerships in the Bay Area, with organizations such as San Francisco CASA (San Francisco Court Appointed Special Advocate Program) and National Council of Jewish Women, Brady Riding has grown significantly over the last few years to reach more children in need throughout the community. Today, Brady Riding is asking for your support to continue doing what they do best and help children with diverse needs start their healing journey.
"D
uring my time at Brady, I made connections with volunteers and with clients. I learned about the many key teaching moments for young children through watching Sarah work with the kids and with the horses. It was truly amazing."
Brady Riding Therapy's mission is to bring strength and healing to children with special needs and the San Francisco community through the love and care of horses; to encourage young people in compassion and leadership through volunteerism.
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– Brady teenage volunteer
Help Children Take the Reins on Their Healing Journey $100 Provides one hour of equine therapy for a child in need $2,000 Pays for a new saddle, so students with a variety of physical needs can ride comfortably $5,000 Will fund a new wheelchair ramp to improve accessibility on the Brady Riding campus
Phoebe, a quarter horse, was adopted from a rescue center and is one of our most reliable horses. Phoebe loves a good bath and brushing!
$100 donation covers a lesson. Donations are also appreciated, contributing towards a new saddle and a refurbished wheelchair ramp. KEY SUPPORTERS
Pete and Magpie are rescue horses, Pete is patient and kind for all his therapeutic riding mounts. Magpie has a very large step that allows for a very comfortable ride. Clients of all sizes enjoy lessons on these two!
Sarah Meakin, Director Hugh Meakin, Founder and Board President Board of Directors Katherin Dang Jane Paolucci Michele Tobin Niall Vignoles
"I
magine a teen girl with physical disabilities unable to walk on her own. She discovers the joy of moving independently without a walker or wheelchair."
– Parent of Participant Toby and Tallulah are shetland ponies (Toby is a dwarf shetland). They were both adopted from a horse rescue. They are the focus of our REAP program and love the stories and learning activities with the children.
Brady Riding Therapy www.bradyriding.org Contact: Sarah Meakin Director (415) 608-2530 sarah@bradyriding.org
The Many Ways to Give... By Check: Horses in California, Inc. 6439 California St. San Francisco, CA 94121
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By DAF or Stock Transfer: Tax ID# 94-1196213 By Credit Card:
www.bradyriding.org/donate
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Index ACCESS U Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Aurora Theatre Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 A Home Within . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Bay Scholars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Brady Riding Therapy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 California Institute of Integral Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 CASA of San Mateo County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Center for Environmental Forensic Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Climate Rights International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ) . . 24 Creativity Explored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Dan’l Lewin: Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 East Bay Children’s Law Offices (EBCLO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Five Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Help a Mother Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Holocaust Museum LA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Jamie Allison: Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 The Joy Culture Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Legal Assistance to the Elderly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Monetta White: Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Napa Valley Education Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation . . . . . . . . . . 142 Ohlhoff Recovery Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 One Love Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Peninsula Volunteers, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 PICO California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Raphael House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 San Francisco Youth Soccer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Sara Lomelin: Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Stacey Keare: Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Tuolumne River Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Vision To Learn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Wayfinder Family Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Young Community Developers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Youth Leadership Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Youth Speaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
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