Community Focus Stories
Find out how communities are making health happen
Ubuntu Green – Sacramento, CA
Purchasing vegetables and fruit can be expensive for families on a budget, and difficult for those living in communities without access to them. Ubuntu Green, a Sacramento-based community organization, teaches families — including those with limited yard space — how to grow their own.
Youth UpRising – East Oakland, CA
Youth UpRising — a state-of-the-art youth center in East Oakland — is keeping youth on track through their Evening Reporting Center (ERC). Youth who would otherwise be detained in juvenile hall are allowed to live at home but must report every day after school to Youth UpRising to complete homework, use the computer lab, or to access an array of other services and opportunities, including a health clinic. When the program is over each night, the youth are driven home to ensure compliance with their court-mandated curfews.
Ah Pah Village – Del Norte, CA
Native Americans face many challenges — poverty, substance abuse, and type-2 diabetes, among others. But Willard Carlson Jr., a member of the Yurok Tribe in Del Norte County, is helping to build self esteem among youth by teaching them about the Yurok’s traditional cultural practices.
100-Day Challenge – Kern, CA
The residents of South Kern County live in an area with many health challenges — including substandard housing and pesticide drift. Today, these families are taking charge of their health by challenging themselves to quit soda and junk food, and increase physical activity. They believe that by doing this together they can make significant health improvements in their community.
Castlemont High School – East Oakland, CA
Castlemont High School is taking school discipline into the 21st Century through their Restorative Justice for Youth (RJOY) program. RJOY is an alternative to out-of-school suspensions and expulsions that requires youth to take responsibility for their offense and make amends while keeping them in school and in the community. This program has resulted in significantly lower suspension rates at Castlemont.
Cesar Chavez Library – East Salinas, CA
Did you know a library can help improve health? The residents of Salinas know so and have turned their library into a gathering place for the community where they can engage in a variety of activities, including workshops, poetry slams, homework assistance and so much more!
Khmer Girls In Action – Long Beach, CA
Khmer Girls in Action, a group of Southeast Asian women in Long Beach, work to bring equity and social justice to their community through advocacy and by challenging the status quo.
Operation Peacemaker Fellowship – Richmond, CA
Operation Peacemaker Fellowship in Richmond is working to tear down the divisive walls between Richmond’s diverse communities in order to build unity among residents and improve community safety.
Sobrante Park Time-Banking Initiative – East Oakland, CA
Time banking means that when you volunteer for your community that time is put into a savings account for you so that when you need help with childcare, tutoring or another need you can withdraw that time in exchange for help. Sobrante Park’s Time-Banking Initiative in East Oakland helps bring individuals together to give and receive help while creating a stronger sense of community.
Sweat Equity – Coachella, CA
Coachella Valley Housing Coalition, a nonprofit, affordable housing developer, helps families in need build their own homes through a collective process where their ’sweat equity’ serves as currency.
Bess Maxwell Elementary School – Del Norte, CA
Parents, doctors and others from the community joined together to bring health to Bess Maxwell Elementary School’s cafeteria. Alarmed by their county’s 44.5% overweight and obese statistic among Del Norte’s children and youth, they worked together to bring a salad bar to their school.
