Featured Archives - Page 5 of 5 - Community Foundation of Mendocino County

Author: Susan Baird Kanaan//Scott Cratty, Executive Director of the Mendocino County Fire Safe Council (MCFSC), has a simple way of explaining why we need a Fire Safe Council: “Our fates are linked.” Everyone who lived through the disastrous local fires of 2017 or witnessed those in other areas has a visceral sense of the need for fire prevention and safety. The experience drove home the importance of building a prepared and resilient community to save lives, prevent disruptions, and avoid huge recovery costs.

Announcements, Featured, Giving Back

Supporting the Longevity of the Nonprofit Sector

The Community Foundation of Mendocino County is thrilled to host Danijela Radošević, Community Solutions Fellow, for an intensive four-month work fellowship through the US State Department’s IREX Community Solutions Program. Danijela is joining us from Niš, Serbia, where she is the Program Manager for the National Coalition for Decentralization.

Featured, Giving Back, Grantee Features, Nonprofit Feature

Nonprofit Feature: Nuestra Alianza de Willits

Author: Susan Baird Kanaan//Dina Hutton had been teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) classes in Willits for several years when in 2000 her students started brainstorming about the educational services they wanted for their children—above all, English coaching and homework support. Dina (whose name rhymes with “China”) wrote their wish list on the blackboard and suggested they’d have to make it happen. From this vision, Nuestra Alianza de Willits (NAW) was born. The 16 ESL students, all first-generation immigrants, formed a board of directors and started building the non-profit that has grown into a valued cultural hub and resource center and already mentored a generation of mostly-Latino Willits residents.

Featured, Giving Back, Grantee Features

Nonprofit Feature: Friends of Round Valley Public Library

Author: Rose Bell//Rural communities in Mendocino County have a special knack for being resourceful and innovative, and the Friends of the Round Valley Public Library (Friends) is no exception. As a nonprofit volunteer organization, the Friends created the “new heart” of Round Valley by completely remodeling a historical building to house the Round Valley Library Commons and provide a community hub for the entire Covelo community.

COVID-19 Updates, Featured, Giving Back

Celebrating Our Nonprofit Partners

Perseverance is the backbone of Mendocino County’s nonprofit community. This grit was demonstrated repeatedly during the pandemic which is why the Community Foundation recently took the time to celebrate the incredible achievements of our nonprofit partners. “Pre-pandemic we were serving 17,000 meals per year,” said Richard Baker, Executive Director of Willits Senior Center. “That increased to 24,000 meals per year during the pandemic.”

Featured, Giving Back

Native American Scholarship Fund

Fewer Native American students enroll in college compared to the overall U.S. population, and contrary to public perception, college is not free for Native Americans. Recognizing the generations of disparity between the original caretakers of this land and the settlers who moved here, Sarah McCarter and Tim Holliday wanted to create a fund to support education for Native students. “I’m a big believer in education, and it is important to me to help people who don’t have the same advantages as my family,” said Sarah. When making plans for her estate, she wanted to create a way to help Native students, so she and Tim designed the Native American Scholarship Fund at the Community Foundation.

Announcements, Featured, Giving Back

$383,000 in Scholarships Awarded to Local Students

The Community Foundation of Mendocino County awarded $383,000 in scholarships to 110 students across Mendocino County this month. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, this represents an increase of almost $100,000 compared to 2021. Scholarships ranged from $500-$20,000, with an average size of about $3,000. This year’s scholarships were made possible through 36 Community Foundation scholarship funds and are the largest number of scholarships the Foundation has offered in a single year.