WOMEN TRANSFORMING SONOMA COUNTY THROUGH COLLECTIVE PHILANTHROPY | APRIL 2022 | ISSUE 55 |
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2022 Community Grants Update! |
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Impact 100 Redwood Circle has entered an exciting stage in the 2022 Community Grant awarding process. All members should have received a ballot via email on April 11. Members are asked to vote for 10 applicants to determine the final award winners. Grants will be awarded in each of our four focus areas: Arts and Culture, Education, Environment, Parks and Recreation, and Health and Community Betterment.
This is an opportunity for all Impact 100 Redwood Circle members to participate in collective philanthropy and help determine which of the many worthy organizations serving Sonoma County will receive a $10,000 grant this year.
Grant recipients will be announced by email to all members on April 28.
Thank you for voting and participating in this important process for Impact 100 Redwood Circle.
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Annual Community Grant Awards Celebration |
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Join us on May 19th to celebrate a special milestone for Impact 100 Redwood Circle! We will cross the $1 Million threshold in grants awarded when we award the 2022 Community Grants. What a remarkable achievement in our organization’s short history.
Our special May Meeting will take place May 19th from 4:00pm to 6:00pm in the Jackson Theater at Sonoma Country Day School in Santa Rosa. There will be a ZOOM option for those who are not able to attend in-person.
We are still following COVID-19 precautions to keep our gatherings safe for everyone, and thank you for your understanding. Pre-registration for the event is a must. Registration information will be emailed and available on our website.
All attendees must be fully vaccinated, and must complete a vaccine self-certification form prior to the meeting. Other safety protocols will be outlined in the Registration email. Thank you again for helping to ensure a safe meeting environment.
There will be a social time with light refreshments served.
Please mark your calendars. Come learn about this year’s Community Grants winners and celebrate our $1 Million+ collective-giving status.
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Member Survey Update and Raffle Winner |
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A big Thank You to all members who have completed our “Getting to Know You” survey! Karen Erickson is the lucky winner of the raffle drawing and will be honored with a $500 donation to Community Action Partnership, her nonprofit of choice. Karen is a Founding member and currently assists with the Busting Bias committee. Congratulations Karen!
117 members completed the survey by the drawing deadline, and we are in the process of tallying the final results after a survey reminder was sent in March. Stay tuned for the final results in May, and thank you for giving us an opportunity to learn more about you!
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Petaluma - Cocktails & Conversation |
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Watch your email for upcoming details about our first
C&C in Petaluma!
Tuesday, May 10
5:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Petaluma Venue TBD
Be thinking about who you might invite
in the Petaluma area to expose them to
Impact 100 Redwood Circle.
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Exciting New Membership Programs |
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Employer Sponsorship Program
Our committee is reaching out to organizations in Sonoma County to introduce them to Impact 100 Redwood Circle's Employer Sponsorship Program. Already we have verbal commitments from two banks. Please email Sarah Dove with your contacts at local organizations who may be interested in sponsoring the membership of a NextGen employee. A program description can be found by clicking here.
Speakers Bureau
Our bureau of seasoned members has given one presentation thus far at a local service organization and is slated for another at the Windsor Chamber of Commerce soon. Response has been enthusiastic!
Many local organizations feature speakers at their monthly meetings; we can provide that for them with a 20-minute presentation tailored to their membership interests. Please email Kim McEachron with suggestions of organizations you hold membership in for a possible presentation.
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New members have all been invited to attend an in-person Impact 100 Redwood Circle Orientation on May 7 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
The program will allow new members to meet each other, learn more about our giving circle, and highlight opportunities to engage at the level desired.
If you have never attended an orientation and would like to join us OR haven’t received an invitation as a new member, please email Charlene Staples.
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2022 Impact Grants - Nominations Kickoff |
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All members and guests are invited to join the 2022 Impact Grant Nominations Kickoff Zoom Event on Monday, May 9th, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Special guest speaker will be Veronica Vences, Director of the Latino Entrepreneurship Fund of the Latino Community Foundation.
The Impact Grant Co-Chairs will walk through the nomination guidelines, suggest how you can identify an organization to promote our diversity, equity and inclusion values, and describe the steps involved in our grant-making process. Your invitation for this virtual event will be emailed to you on April 25th.
Also, watch your inbox (May 16th) for the invitation to submit your nomination for our $100,000 Impact Grant for 2022. Nominations will be accepted from May 16th to June 3rd. It’s a good time to start thinking about your nominee and contacting that organization to make sure they would like to be considered.
What makes a winning nomination? Like any election, finding a winning candidate requires careful vetting. Please make sure your nominee meets and understands our eligibility requirements. When considering an organization, these qualities are key:
- Excellent track record
- Strong leadership
- Sound financials
- Well-developed strategic planning
- Long-term vision and local perspectives
- Capability to implement a $100,000 grant
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Impact 100 Redwood Circle - Not Impact 100 RC |
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You may have noticed we’ve been more careful over the past few years to spell out the name of our organization more carefully. This has been intentional to separate our identity from the Impact 100 Global organization as well as Impact 100 Sonoma Valley. Organizations across the country can choose to belong to Impact 100 and pay fees and then utilize some of their resources. At this point we’ve decided not to join and use our own materials and identity. Based on our past marketing experience we know that if it can be proven that we have been using their name and not our own consistently than they have a right to ask us to join or cease and desist. This is a fine point and we are just being super careful. |
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SOS Community Counseling
2021 Community Grant Winner
SOS’s Community Grant funds were to establish a mental health based diversion program for high school age youth in Cloverdale who had committed petty crimes. While Cloverdale has an after school program through the Boys and Girls Club of Sonoma County, it does not provide the depth and breadth of resources needed for this cohort of youth.
The implementation of this program was to be an alternative to detention.
As it turned out, referrals did not come from the Cloverdale Police Department, but rather from within Cloverdale High School as well as the alternative high school. The police department has greatly reduced the use of citations for these more minor infractions and teachers and staff have the capacity to monitor students more closely and single-out students effectively in a school of 150 students.
A counselor for the program was hired in September. Since the start of the 2021-2022 school year, they have worked with 35 students in the juvenile diversion program, 70 students in the Team Success program and 12 students at the alternative high school.
Since the beginning of the school year, some students meet on a regular basis, some are bi-weekly depending on need (I.e. depression, self-harm, anxiety, drug abuse, truancy, family issues, etc).
Program Highlights
A student who had numerous SARB (school attendance review board) meetings regarding truancy has been coming to school every day. His grades have improved and he has developed plans to continue his education past high school, hopefully seeking out either a four-year university or a community college route. This student is thriving with the support of school staff, SOS staff, and his own accord.
Another student, who had truancy problems because he could not wake up early enough for school due to irregular sleeping problems, was taught mindfulness practices. While this seemingly was a small step, it allows him to manage his anxiety at night and start his day with energy and grounding. Ultimately this resulted in more participation at school
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Conservation Corps North Bay
2021 Community Grant Winner
Conservation Corps North Bay (CCNB) helps at-risk youth earn a living wage while safeguarding Sonoma County’s public lands, waterways, and natural habitats.
The grant given in 2021 helped 24 young adults acquire certification in Forklift, First Aide & CPR and Chainsaw Sawyer. 70% of Corpsmembers who successfully complete the program will secure employment making an average wage of $16 an hour.
Corpsmembers gain paid job training and work experience to prepare them for 21st century environmental careers, including natural resource and waste management services. CCNB serves the region’s most vulnerable youth. 100% of Corpsmembers are from low-income backgrounds, and many face intergenerational precedents of poverty and educational underperformance. Without a high school diploma, positive role models, or the ability to secure employment, many will be permanently caught in a cycle of poverty.
CCNB creates individualized plans for each Corpsmember that include the vocational training, job certifications, job readiness, academic credentials, and other life skills and support structures needed to reach their career goals. Corpsmembers are given the opportunity to obtain industry-recognized certifications, and studies show that three specifically increase employability and translate to higher wages after program completion: Forklift, First Aid and CPR, and Chainsaw Sawyer.
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Forget Me Not Farm Children’s Services
2019 Impact Grant Winner
Due to COVID, FMNFCS was unable to complete the program we funded until the beginning of the current school year. They are making good progress!
The first two groups from Roseland School completed their 12-week weekly Farm visits and groups 3 & 4 are now attending. The children learn about farm animals, feed them, and clean the stalls. They learn to be kind and gentle, not only with the animals, but with one another. These children visit in two groups: mornings the 5 & 6th graders are there and K-4 come in the afternoon. 3-4 Sonoma State interns and a social worker are there to supervise the visits and work with the kids.
Many of the children are from the same families and are very troubled. Problems range from sex trafficking to domestic violence which was only amplified by the stress and unemployment during Covid. The goal of the program is to increase the self confidence of the participants and hopefully change attitudes towards animals. Carol Rathmann, Founder & Executive Director of FMNFCS related that “many children have never seen a farm animal other than in a book.” Teachers will be polled to see if the behavior of participants in the program changed after their experience at the Farm.
This is the Agency’s 30th Anniversary, and we are all invited to attend an Art Show on May 14 at the Farm, located off Sonoma Highway behind the Humane Society. Admission is $30 and much of the art was created by the children – and some by the animals!
The Gran Fondo cycling race will take place once again this year on April 23. The dinner at Olympia’s Valley Estate on April 20 attracts 150 supporters and the proceeds benefit the Farm and several other agencies. Carol shared that in the past they had received as much as $100,000 from this event.
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EDTALK Summary - Portrait of Sonoma County |
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The Portrait of Sonoma County was presented to members of Impact 100 Redwood Circle on April 6 by Lindsay Franco, Racial Equity and Social Justice Data Analyst for the Office of Equity and Oscar Chavez, the Assistant Director Human Services for the County of Sonoma.
This study indicates the Human Development Index which is comprised of life expectancy, education, and median salary. Sonoma County has a HDI score of 6.19 out of 10. However, different neighborhoods, comprised of mostly low income residents, have a HDI as low as 4.9. Oscar Chavez reviewed some of the measures that the county and private sector can take to close the gap between the affluent and low income residents.
The American Rescue Act Plan is granting Sonoma County 40 million dollars to help in closing the gap. Some of the ways this money will be used are:
- to assist small businesses coping with the impact of the pandemic
- to invest in education such as pre-school, mental health for students dealing with the pandemic and the fires, and a program to assist students to graduate from high school.
- to supplement low wages
- for programs in health care training that will create jobs in our our graying population.
To learn more about specific problems in our county, the Office of Equity will sponsor Data Walks or Focus Groups to find more solutions and ideas from the vulnerable populations.
A wise quote given by Lindsay during the presentation was “People closest to the problem are closest to the solution, but furthest from power and resources” by Glenn E. Martin.
You can find the very informative presentation slides including a resource list on our Impact 100 Redwood Circle website by clicking here.
If you are interested in viewing this presentation, you can request the recording link by emailing Laurie Parish.
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NextGen - Third Thursday Social |
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NextGen members and prospective members
are invited to our Third Thursday Social.
Thursday, April 21. 5:30 p.m.
Beer Baron on the Square
Downtown Santa Rosa
Advance registration required
RSVP to the Email invitation
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