Gracefully Broken, a nonprofit founded by Antioch native Randi Garcia, has spent the past three-and-a-half years serving residents in need through resource distribution, family events and volunteer outreach rooted in dignity and compassion. Garcia, born and raised in Antioch, said her connection to the community runs deep, having attended local schools before eventually settling in Oakley. The inspiration for Gracefully Broken came during her first clothing giveaway.
Rebuilding Together Silicon Valley is holding a March 12 training for its Volunteer Ambassador Program. Volunteers raise awareness, share resources and connect residents with programs that support safe and healthy living in Santa Clara County. Volunteer ambassadors are also called upon to build relationships in their communities, represent Rebuilding Together in a positive, welcoming way and support outreach by attending events and sharing resources . The virtual training is set for 5:30 p.m. To register and receive the meeting link, visit https://bit.ly/45Yrg9S.
About 8 million Americans use CPAP machines every night for sleep apnea. Dealing with the electronics, plastic tubing, and silicone masks from these devices has created a major waste problem. In most places, CPAP machines are considered electronic waste, so throwing them in the trash is usually illegal. The compressor inside has circuit boards with lead, mercury, and cadmium, which can pollute soil and water if not handled properly.
As nonprofits fall under the bludgeon of President Donald Trump's federal spending cuts, groups in Silicon Valley are working to provide resources to soften the blow. The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley is offering up to 10 hours of free legal services to help nonprofits navigate shifting federal grant rules, funding freezes, restructuring and other advice nonprofit leaders are seeking.
Dare, or the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, was created in 1983 by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County school district. From the start, the program was a success. Its stated goal was "to equip elementary-school children with skills for resisting peer pressure to experiment with tobacco, drugs and alcohol." The initiative was embraced by police departments and politicians, and within just a few years the Dare curriculum had spread to more than three-quarters of the country's school districts.
We started in 1985 with one woman who was delivering a bag of groceries to a man dying from AIDS. That one bag of groceries has evolved into 4,000,000 medically tailored meals each and every year.
In recognition of the impact Justin Turner and his wife Kourtney made in the local community, the Los Angeles City Council in 2019 proclaimed January 22 as Justin Turner Day in Los Angeles. Turner was honored during a special ceremony at City Hall, which overlapped with the annual Los Angeles Dodgers Love L.A. Community Tour week. Turner then went to Dodger Stadium to help the team host their first-ever military enlistment day.
This tour goes all the way through the 6 rooms at Ace! Your tour guide will take you through all the basics and can provide help signing up as a member. Please DO NOT arrive more than 5 min. early or late as we will not be able to accommodate extra tours or early starts. If you get here really early there is a beer garden on the corner that serves a great pint or lemonade.
I think that whenever we have the opportunity to volunteer, we should always take it up, Vijay said. Also, I'm here with my friends, so it's a fun chance to do something nice.
The new, bigger, better Goodwill store is just the latest sign of a booming thrift store business that amounts to a perfect storm for charities from the Salvation Army to Housing Works, collecting and selling clothing and other items. While companies are also fueling and feeding on a thrift boom, the nonprofits also offer tax benefits to donors and use sales to help support their missions.
Ron King, who co-founded the 75-acre Oscar's Place ranch in Hopland in 2021 with Phil Selway, now leads a team of more than 20 full-time employees who take in donkeys surrendered by owners or headed to auctions to be butchered for their hides. So far, the nonprofit has saved more than 400 donkeys, rehoming them to vetted adopters or letting the animals live out their lives on the ranch and another recently acquired property in Potter Valley.
Amid all the tumult of 2025, one idea keeps floating to the surface-the importance of connection. At NPQ, that means connecting with our readers. Connecting people across the sector with each other. Connecting people with ideas, and ideas to action. Here, we're featuring just a few of the columns and collections we produced in this year that kept us connected and in conversation.
As Teena Punjwani and Deepak Nasta take stock of the last year, they sigh. "I feel like I've lived too many lifetimes in this one lifetime," Punjwani said. The San Jose couple's life together was thrown into chaos in February with a heartbreaking diagnosis: their 5-year-old son, Jayaan, had brain cancer. His parents had sensed that something was off last winter, when Jayaan's writing skills nosedived at preschool and he mysteriously lost balance on the left side of his body.
Usman Saqib Zuberi with Courtesy of Aga Khan Trust for Culture + 24 Category: Institute, Community Assistant Architect: Mohtasim Rehman, Waseem Jamal, Hamza Munir Awan Lead Draftsman: Awais Arshad More SpecsLess Specs Usman Saqib Zuberi with Courtesy of Aga Khan Trust for Culture Text description provided by the architects. Vision Pakistan Welfare Trust (registered 2007) provides a second chance to marginalized youth (16+), especially non-literate low-income males of Ghauri Town, Islamabad. Funded through Zakat, it offers a 1-year program including meals, tailoring skills,
Val Coombs admits that she may be a problematic collector. She is constantly on the move, driving and driving and driving, across the region to estate sales, digging through packed garages, sorting through storage units. She sometimes takes her kids on these adventures, including a recent trip to Palm Springs where she went through a garage full of dishware, while her kids swam all day.
I love to take care of people to listen to people, says Carlini, gazing around her home from her wheelchair. I never thought I would be in this position. After dealing with severe leg problems and pain for five years and undergoing four failed surgeries to try and correct the situation Carlini had her left leg amputated in late 2024. The pain was gone, she remarks from the home she shares with two dogs, two birds and son Matteo.
Ms Moore has been involved with Cú Chuilainn Blood Bikes for the last six years, where she wears many hats, such as driver, secretary and fundraiser, with her coordination ensuring all medical supplies are delivered. These supplies can include blood samples, patient records, breast milk, or emergency medical supplies. The Blood Bikes volunteer is often the first point of contact for a family in crisis and a liaison with hospitals, easing the family's burden.
"It is life or death for me," Mitchell told The Associated Press, comparing preaching to the front lines of war. "There are souls that are hanging in the balance. ... I think about the fact that in that room somebody might hear the Gospel, and that might be their last opportunity."
