In 2000, Judy Koch learned something surprising about many of the workers in her sheet metal factory in Fremont, California: They didn’t read books with their kids. As a former junior high English teacher now on a second career as a manufacturing CEO, Koch wanted to instill a love of reading in her employees. Her idea? Give away high-quality storybooks for free. This simple act created a tidal wave of expanded family literacy among the mostly Latino men who worked on the factory floor. Sterling Speirn, who was looking for innovative ideas as executive director of the Peninsula Community Foundation [...more...]

Lisa Truong has always had a special place in her heart for society’s most vulnerable. The longtime Bay Area resident […more…]

Kimberly Ellis’s political activism flame was lit in the 3rd grade when she learned about Shirley Chisholm, the first Black […more…]

As a D.C. kid, born and raised in the political marinade of her hometown, Ann Hollister saw politics as the […more…]

Born in Cuba and adopted at three months old, Angel Martinez immigrated at the age of three to the United […more…]

Pastor Samuel Casey is a prominent figure in community organizing and social justice in California. As the senior pastor and […more…]

Nichole Pettway is a testament to the power of resilience and transformation. Once caught in the grip of addiction and […more…]

Upon arriving in San Francisco from Texas, by way of New York City, local philanthropist, entrepreneur, and community leader Pam […more…]

“What appeals to me so much about A Home Within is the kind of person that makes the commitment to […more…]

Growing up as a gay, Black man in Oakland, George Jackson has strong ties to the community he serves. The […more…]

Soccer and poetry may seem like an unusual pairing, but America SCORES Bay Area knows it’s a magical mix with […more…]

Although Berkeley is less than an hour’s drive from the hub of Silicon Valley, the region’s innovation and resources remain […more…]

How can we ensure young people have healthy, promising futures? By giving them the resources, relationships, and environments that support […more…]

There is only one thing Brady: United Against Gun Violence (Brady) Chief Development and Engagement Officer Liz Dunning wants you […more…]

Maty Thiane was a 14-year-old teenager from Senegal when she was uprooted from all she knew and loved and moved […more…]

“Your life won’t work out if you don’t do well in school.” “You’re a disappointment or a failure if you […more…]

Ayana was five years old and living with her mother and baby sister in a family shelter in Richmond’s Iron […more…]

At 2 am, the phone rings at the Contra Costa Crisis Center. A 15-year-old boy, voice trembling, reaches out. He […more…]

Direct Relief navigates the war zones in Ukraine to deliver cystic fibrosis medications, transports Mpox vaccines to clinics in the […more…]

Sherry “Dusty” Harris was a single mother raising three daughters in a subsidized housing complex in the Western Addition of […more…]

Over the past 12 years, the Sonrise Baby Home has saved the lives of more than 450 malnourished, sick, and […more…]