Tickets on Sale for United Way Gala in April

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Dawnte Early of United Way wears a sparkly dress and pulls a confetti burster with a child in front of balloons

 Community members are invited to come together on April 20 for an evening of impact at United Way California Capital Region’s United in Purpose Gala, presented by U.S. Bank. The event, which will take place at Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, will raise funds toward United Way’s Anniversary Goal to raise $3 million to help 10,000 local children excel in school by 2025. The evening will include dinner, an inspirational program, fund a need, silent and live auctions, Golden Ticket Raffle, VIP reception with a chance to win a trip to New Orleans, and more. For tickets and sponsorship opportunities: http://www.uwccr.org/gala.

“The United in Purpose Gala is more than just a celebration; it’s an opportunity for us to come together as a community and make a tangible impact on the lives of local children,” said Dr. Dawnté Early, president and CEO, United Way California Capital Region. “With your support, we know our ambitious goal of raising $3 million to help 10,000 children excel in school by 2025 is entirely achievable. Together, we can create a brighter future for our children and build a stronger, healthier, more compassionate community.”

More than 450 community members came together last spring for United Way’s inaugural gala to celebrate the organization’s 100th anniversary and to raise $640,000 to help local children succeed in school.

Founded in 1923, United Way California Capital Region has been a transformative force in the Sacramento community for more than a century, serving Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties. The local United Way’s Square One approach to ending poverty is grounded in a public health model and uses a threefold strategy to address community needs from birth and beyond: helping kids excel in school, investing in families and strengthening schools. At United Way’s core is the philosophy that families possess the blueprint for their success. United Way supplies books to young children, provides literacy tutoring, addresses housing and food security, leads the region’s largest tax preparation initiative and launched Sacramento’s first guaranteed income program. United Way works across diverse school districts, providing case management for foster youth and leading the Community Schools initiative in West Sacramento. For more information or to make a donation, visit www.YourLocalUnitedWay.org.

United Way Seeks Gifts for Foster Family Holiday Market

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Community members can help foster youth and their families in San Juan Unified School District in Sacramento by purchasing gifts and other needed items for United Way California Capital Region’s upcoming San JUANderful Holiday Party. Families attending the invitation-only event will have the opportunity to choose from gift cards, household items, shelf-stable groceries, toys and children’s clothes. Items are needed by Dec. 11 and can be purchased through United Way’s wishlists: www.YourLocalUnitedWay.org/HolidayGiving.

“At United Way, we believe families know what they need to thrive, and we are here to provide support,” said Dr. Dawnté Early, president and CEO, United Way California Capital Region. “We have been providing academic support to foster families in the San Juan Unified School District this year, and we are thrilled to offer this holiday market so the families we have worked with can choose gifts and other items that will best prepare their foster youth for success in school and later in life. We hope our community will join us in supporting these wonderful families during this holiday season.”

United Way’s Foster Youth Support program with San Juan Unified School District provides academic intervention and supportive services to district foster youth in kindergarten through eighth grade. Primarily funded through a grant from the Sacramento County Department of Child, Family and Adult Services, program staff works with each student and their team of caregivers, family, teachers and counselors to connect youth and caregivers to school and community resources, including transportation support, academic assistance, health services, behavioral health support, housing, food, clothing and more. United Way also provides literacy tutoring and homework support outside of school hours.

“Despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic, foster youth have shown remarkable resilience facing hurdles in academic achievement, lack of family support and challenges accessing necessary resources at school,” Dr. Early said. “Our local United Way has a long history of working with foster youth, providing literacy support and working in schools. This joint effort with the San Juan Unified School District adopts a whole-child focus that builds social and emotional wellbeing and provides trauma-informed support for youth and their families so they can succeed academically.”

Founded in 1923, United Way California Capital Region has been a transformative force in the Sacramento community for more than a century, serving Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties. The local United Way’s Square One approach to ending poverty is grounded in a public health model and uses a threefold strategy to address community needs from birth and beyond: helping kids excel in school, investing in families and strengthening schools. At United Way’s core is the philosophy that families possess the blueprint for their success. United Way supplies books to young children, provides literacy tutoring, addresses housing and food security, leads the region’s largest tax preparation initiative and launched Sacramento’s first guaranteed income program. United Way works across diverse school districts, providing case management for foster youth and leading the Community Schools initiative in West Sacramento. For more information or to make a donation, visit www.YourLocalUnitedWay.org.

Women’s Empowerment Holds Holiday Gift Drive

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Local residents can provide joy and winter items to Sacramento women and children who have experienced homelessness by contributing to Women’s Empowerment’s annual Holiday Gift Drive. The nonprofit is seeking winter hats, socks and gloves for all ages from infant to adult, as well as teen gifts, $25 Target and Walmart gift cards, holiday candy, and empty medium and large gift bags. For those who prefer to make a financial donation, the average cost of a gift package is $40, but any amount is helpful. Women’s Empowerment especially needs gift cards, gifts for teens, and winter hats for teens and adults. Items are needed at Women’s Empowerment, 1590 North A Street in Sacramento, by Dec. 11. For more information, visit www.womens-empowerment.org.

“The holidays can be especially challenging for the women and children we serve who are working to overcome homelessness,” said Lisa Culp, executive director, Women’s Empowerment. “We want the women and children in our program to experience joy this holiday season, as well as warmth in the face of a cold, wet winter. Our annual Holiday Gift Drive not only gives people the chance to provide care and hope for those who have been unhoused, it tells each woman and child in our program that they are important to their community.”

Items will be distributed to families at Women’s Empowerment’s upcoming Holiday Craft Party in mid-December where women and children will create gifts for family and friends. At the event, mothers also will have the opportunity to choose gifts for their children, thanks to a toy drive being held by California State Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, District 6.

“At Women’s Empowerment, we believe there is dignity in giving,” Culp said. “So often unhoused women and children do not have the resources to give gifts to their loved ones. We are grateful that this community helps us ensure they have that joyful and proud experience of giving.”

Women’s Empowerment provides a two-month employment-readiness and empowerment program, paid job training, childcare and support services so women and their children can break the generational cycle of homelessness. Women’s Empowerment offers the most comprehensive job-readiness program in the Sacramento area designed specifically for women experiencing homelessness and their children. Last year, 121 graduates secured employment or enrolled in paid training or education. Since 2001, 1,837 women have graduated from the program with their 3,894 children. Women’s Empowerment is funded through private donations from the community and grants. To make a donation: Womens-Empowerment.org.

Society for the Blind Announces Blindness Awareness Month in October

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Nonprofit Society for the Blind in Sacramento is encouraging local residents to honor Blindness Awareness Month throughout October by participating in activities and supporting people with vision loss so they can gain the skills they need to stay independent and thrive.  

“Our clients tell us all the time that they thought their life was over when they began losing vision, but they discovered it was the beginning of a new chapter,” said Shari Roeseler, executive director, Society for the Blind. “During Blindness Awareness Month, we want to make sure everyone knows that people can live their best lives with vision loss or blindness when they have the right tools. If you are losing your vision, or you know someone who is, we have a wide array of classes and support that will help you build the skills you need, whether you are a child, working-age adult or senior.”

For nearly 70 years, Society for the Blind has created innovative ways to empower individuals living with low vision or blindness to discover, develop and achieve their full potential. Based in Sacramento, Society for the Blind has grown from a dedicated group of volunteers to a nationally recognized agency and the only comprehensive rehabilitative teaching center that provides services for a 27-county region of northern California and the state of Nevada. The nonprofit provides low-vision eye care, life and job skills training, mentorship, and access to tools to maintain independence for more than 5,000 youth, working-age adults and seniors experiencing vision loss each year.

In addition to its onsite Low Vision Clinic and assistive technology store, Society for the Blind offers four core classes – orientation and mobility, independent living skills, computers and technology, and braille – to ensure people with vision loss can stay active, employed and living life to the fullest. The nonprofit also provides a program for seniors that includes retreats, support groups and activities such as yoga and cooking classes. For youth, Society for the Blind offers a job readiness program, after-school center and podcast team. The nonprofit also offers support groups for caregivers and parents of children with vision loss, as well as events open to the public.

To learn more or make a donation, visit www.SocietyfortheBlind.org.

Women’s Empowerment to Hold Gala Sept. 21

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Sacramento nonprofit Women’s Empowerment will hold its Transformation Gala on Sept. 21 at 5:30pm at the Pavilion at Haggin Oaks, where guests will raise funds and celebrate the program that educates, empowers and employs unhoused Sacramento women so they can support their families. Fifty program graduates will join community members at the event for dinner, live auction, Fund-A-Dream and award ceremony. Two graduates will share their stories rising from homelessness. The annual gala is the organization’s largest fundraiser of the year, raising a fifth of the annual budget. To purchase tickets, sponsor a graduate to attend or become a sponsor, visit Womens-Empowerment.org/Gala.

“We are proud that many community members consider the Women’s Empowerment Gala to be one of the most inspirational events in Sacramento each year,” said Lisa Culp, executive director, Women’s Empowerment. “This event is unique because it brings together women once unhoused with the community who supported them in their rise from homelessness. They leave our program transformed and proud to be Women’s Empowerment graduates, and it shows in their radiant smiles and passionate voices at our Gala. We hope the community will join us for this genuine, powerful event that raises critical funds so Sacramento’s unhoused women and children can thrive.”

Women’s Empowerment provides a two-month employment-readiness and empowerment program, paid job training, childcare, transitional workforce housing and support services so women and their children can break the generational cycle of homelessness. Women’s Empowerment offers the most comprehensive job-readiness program in the Sacramento area designed specifically for women experiencing homelessness and their children. Last year, 121 graduates secured employment or enrolled in paid training or education. Since 2001, 1,822 women have graduated from Women’s Empowerment’s program with their 3,882 children. Women’s Empowerment is funded through private donations from the community and grants. To make a donation: Womens-Empowerment.org.

Big Day of Giving Event: Write Encouraging Words at Women’s Empowerment

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For Big Day of Giving, local residents are invited to stop by Women’s Empowerment on May 4 from noon-2pm to inscribe notebooks with words of encouragement for local women experiencing homelessness who will join the nonprofit’s employment-readiness and empowerment program this year. The event will take place at 1590 North A Street in Sacramento, and all supplies will be provided, including notebooks that future students will use as they work to rewrite their stories. Attendees will receive a Women’s Empowerment pen and sticker.

Community members also can make a donation to Women’s Empowerment now through Big Day of Giving at Womens-Empowerment.org. Gifts will be matched dollar for dollar by the Poswall Family Foundation and Women’s Empowerment’s board of directors, up to $30,000.

“With homelessness in Sacramento at an all-time high, so many women and children are waiting to turn the page, become the author of their stories and courageously transform their lives,” said Lisa Culp, executive director, Women’s Empowerment. “We hope the community will come together on Big Day of Giving to share empowering words and make a donation that will help close the chapter on family homelessness in Sacramento, one woman, one child, at a time.”

Women’s Empowerment provides a two-month employment-readiness and empowerment program, paid job training, childcare and support services so women and their children can break the generational cycle of homelessness. Women’s Empowerment offers the most comprehensive job-readiness program in the Sacramento area designed specifically for women experiencing homelessness and their children. On average, 70% of women in the program find housing for their families despite the ongoing housing crisis. Last year, 121 graduates secured employment or enrolled in paid training or education. Since 2001, 1,808 women have graduated from the program with their 3,897 children. Women’s Empowerment is funded through private donations from the community and grants. To make a donation: Womens-Empowerment.org.

United Way Announces 100th Anniversary Goal

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As United Way California Capital Region celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, the local nonprofit working to end poverty through education has announced a new goal to raise $3 million to help 10,000 kids excel in school by 2025.

“This is such an important year as we celebrate 100 years working together with this community to end poverty for local families,” said Dr. Dawnté Early, president and CEO, United Way California Capital Region. “We have learned so much over the past 100 years, and now we are ready to enter our next century with a bold new goal. We know education is a proven ladder out of poverty, and we know school is square one for reaching families in need. With kids coming out of Covid even more behind in school, we have doubled down on our commitment to raise the resources necessary for our region’s children to excel in school and thrive as adults.”

Focusing on schools through its Square One approach, United Way California Capital Region offers a wide array of programming and services to ensure children and their families have the resources they need to succeed in school and in adulthood. From a regional reading tutoring program and school-readiness services for incoming kindergarteners to an income program for foster youth, guaranteed income for families, free tax preparation services and more, United Way has created a holistic approach that starts in schools. United Way’s work centers families in their children’s academic achievement by helping children excel in school, investing in families, and strengthening schools with resources to address increased poverty and deep roots of racial inequality.   

“We know a quality education helps children develop social, emotional and cognitive skills that lay the foundation for a more fulfilling and stable life,” Early said. “Research shows that students who are not proficient in reading by the end of third grade falter in later grades and often drop out before earning a high school diploma.”

To make a donation to the 100th anniversary campaign or to learn more about United Way’s programs and services, visit: YourLocalUnitedWay.org. For 100 years, United Way California Capital Region has been working to end poverty by creating stronger, healthier, more compassionate communities. Since 1923, the local United Way has raised more than $500 million to fight poverty in the region and help families succeed.

United Way’s milestone year will culminate on April 29 with its 100th Anniversary Gala at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. The fundraiser will honor the local United Way’s past, recognize present impact, and look forward to building a future where everyone in the region has the opportunities and resources to thrive. The event will include silent and live auctions, dinner and a keynote presentation by San Francisco 49er Arik Armstead who also cofounded the Armstead Academic Project that supports students in Sacramento and the Bay Area. For tickets, visit YourLocalUnitedWay.org.

Holiday Gifts Needed for Women and Children Who Have Experienced Homelessness

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Local residents can bring joy this holiday season to women and children who have experienced homelessness in Sacramento by contributing to Women’s Empowerment’s Holiday Gift Drive. The group is seeking 320 unstuffed gift bags and specific fillers for children, teens and women by Dec. 12. For the wishlist of items needed or to make a donation, visit womens-empowerment.org.

Each holiday gift package will include gloves, hats, socks, art supplies, water bottles, journals, holiday candy, gift cards and more. For those who prefer to make a financial donation, the average cost of a gift package is $40, but any amount is helpful. Gift cards are especially needed, including $20 cards for Target, Walmart or Amazon, and $10-$15 cards for fast food restaurants, Jamba Juice and Starbucks.

“The women and children in our program have worked so hard to get to where they are today, and this is a special way for our community to provide joy and encouragement during the holidays and the cold winter months ahead,” said Lisa Culp, executive director, Women’s Empowerment.

Women’s Empowerment provides a two-month employment-readiness and empowerment program, paid job training, childcare and support services so women and their children can break the generational cycle of homelessness. Women’s Empowerment offers the most comprehensive job-readiness program in the Sacramento area designed specifically for women experiencing homelessness and their children. On average, 70% of women in the program find housing despite the ongoing housing crisis. Last year, 142 job placements were achieved by Women’s Empowerment graduates. Since its founding in 2001, the award-winning organization has graduated 1,781 women and their 3,893 children. Women’s Empowerment is funded through private donations from the community and grants. To make a donation: Womens-Empowerment.org.

Local Crafters Needed for Holiday Craft Party for Unhoused Women, Children

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A volunteer helps a woman and child make jewelry

Local crafters are needed to lead projects at Women’s Empowerment’s upcoming Holiday Craft Party for unhoused women and children on Dec. 17. Volunteers will create a craft project, provide the supplies, and lead women and children through the project as they create holiday gifts for their loved ones. For each craft project table, supplies are needed for approximately 200 people, and Women’s Empowerment can provide additional volunteers as needed. Volunteers are needed by Dec. 2. For more information or to sign up, visit womens-empowerment.org.

“This is a season when most people get to experience the dignity of giving, but for women and children who are experiencing homelessness, this is often not an option,” said Lisa Culp, executive director, Women’s Empowerment. “Our craft volunteers give women and children the opportunity to create meaningful gifts for people they love. We are so grateful for our volunteers who come up with such creative ideas for craft projects, from scented sachets and bookmarks to bracelets, dreamcatchers and picture frames.”

As part of the Holiday Craft Party, each woman and child also receives a holiday gift package donated by the community, including gloves, hats, socks, art supplies, water bottles, journals, holiday candy, gift cards and more. The average cost of a gift package is $40, and items are needed by Dec. 12. Gift cards are especially needed, including $20 cards for Target, Walmart or Amazon, and $10-$15 cards for fast food restaurants, Jamba Juice and Starbucks. For the wishlist of items needed or to make a donation, visit womens-empowerment.org.

Women’s Empowerment provides a two-month employment-readiness and empowerment program, paid job training, childcare and support services so women and their children can break the generational cycle of homelessness. Women’s Empowerment offers the most comprehensive job-readiness program in the Sacramento area designed specifically for women experiencing homelessness and their children. On average, 70% of women in the program find housing despite the ongoing housing crisis. Last year, 142 job placements were achieved by Women’s Empowerment graduates. Since its founding in 2001, the award-winning organization has graduated 1,781 women and their 3,893 children. Women’s Empowerment is funded through private donations from the community and grants. To make a donation: Womens-Empowerment.org.

Women’s Empowerment to Hold Gala at Railroad Museum

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Sacramento nonprofit Women’s Empowerment invites community members to attend its 21st annual gala at 6pm on Sept. 29 at the California Railroad Museum. Guests will gather in person at the Brighter Futures Gala for the first time since 2019 to raise funds for Sacramento women and children experiencing homelessness and celebrate the accomplishments of program graduates. The event will include dinner, presentations by program graduates, a live auction, award ceremony and more.

The annual gala is the organization’s largest fundraiser of the year, raising a fifth of the group’s budget to empower women experiencing homelessness to secure employment and safe homes for their families. To purchase tickets, sponsor a graduate to attend, or purchase virtual tickets, visit Womens-Empowerment.org.

“As we step back in time at the historic Railroad Museum, we we will honor the resilient women who have graduated from our programs, and celebrate the beautiful, bright futures ahead for the women and children we look forward to serving who have yet to overcome homelessness,” said Lisa Culp, executive director, Women’s Empowerment. “We are excited to come together once again with our steadfast community here in Sacramento to ensure that more women can rise from homelessness in the face of a prolonged pandemic and housing crisis. We will need everyone working together in the months and years ahead so women have the resources to secure good jobs and safe homes for their families.”

To ensure safety of guests and graduates, proof will be required of either Covid vaccination or a negative Covid test within 48 hours. The venue is well ventilated with high ceilings and outdoor spaces.

Women’s Empowerment is a Sacramento nonprofit providing an eight-week employment-readiness and empowerment program, paid job training, childcare and support services so women and their children can break the cycle of homelessness. Women’s Empowerment offers the most comprehensive job-readiness program in the Sacramento area designed specifically for women experiencing homelessness and their children. On average, 70% of women in the program find housing during the ongoing housing crisis. Last year, 142 job placements were achieved by Women’s Empowerment graduates. Since its founding in 2001, the award-winning organization has graduated 1,752 women and their 3,879 children. Women’s Empowerment is funded through private donations from the community and grants. To make a donation: Womens-Empowerment.org.