62 Monterey County GIVES! 2024 mcgives.com Community & Social Services DONate online mcgives.com Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services Year Founded: 1998 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 24 paid, 200 volunteers Budget: $1,897,069 724-9100 jacobsheart.org Big Idea: In its 26-year history, Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services have extended a helping hand to more than 4,000 family members facing pediatric cancer. The wraparound services offered by this nonprofit’s Big Idea provide grocery delivery, transportation, free individual and family counseling and emergency financial assistance so families can focus on the most important parts of a cancer journey: hope and healing. Monterey County Gives! donors helped deliver 253 clinical hours of therapy and counseling plus 9,843 hours of direct support in 2023. “My family joined Jacob’s Heart in August 2021 when our son, Norman, was 2-and-a-half years old. He was diagnosed with malignant ectomesenchymoma, a rare and fast-growing cancerous tumor. Our lives changed drastically, becoming filled with weekly doctor visits and hospital stays. Shortly after Norman’s diagnosis, our Stanford social worker introduced us to Jacob’s Heart. From our first home visit with Daniela, Jacob’s Heart embraced us with love and care. They provided weekly gas cards for Norman’s chemotherapy visits and monthly grocery cards, along with fresh groceries every Thursday. Jacob’s Heart also gave our family a yearly allowance for essentials, making sure we didn’t have to worry about being able to afford those items. This support eased our burdens, allowing us to focus on Norman without worrying about daily necessities. Their help has made this challenging journey a little easier for our family.” -Nina Perez Junior League of Monterey County Year Founded: 1963 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 0 paid, 240 volunteers Budget: $61,000 200-8697 montereycounty.jl.org Big Idea: Junior League of Monterey County has a Big Idea to expand its impact through a comprehensive outreach strategy, combining a redesigned website and social media strategy, enhanced recruitment efforts, a community awareness campaign, and leadership development programs, with a goal of increasing active membership by 30 percent and doubling volunteer hours. These efforts will help the nonprofit increase its visibility, attract new members and expand its ability to foster civic leadership skills in women so that they are inspired to lead positive change. “When I joined Junior League of Monterey County, I knew I made the right decision. I felt at home with its mission and the League’s excitement for the future, and its storied history. Junior League actively engages in the community and creates change for countless women, children and families, as shown by our partnerships with Shuman HeartHouse and Casa de Noche Buena and Partnership for Children. I enjoy our panels like Women in Finance or Women in Health, which we co-host with the Carmel Woman’s Club. These panels function as training for members and a learning opportunity for the community.” -Tymeesa Rutledge, 2023-2024 new member class Legal Services for Seniors Year Founded: 1985 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 10 paid, 3 volunteers Budget: $1,200,000 899-0492 lssmc.net Big Idea: Legal Services for Seniors offers no-cost legal representation to help protect seniors from physical and financial abuse, unscrupulous business practices and income-threatening governmental bureaucracy. Sensitive and emotionally draining issues like financial and physical abuse, landlord-tenant conflicts, insurance issues, Social Security problems, consumer scams and identity theft and wills and advance health care directives are handled via the professional and compassionate team. Donations to this Big Idea help support “It makes me feel safer that they are so near.” -Brett Hedrick, Mid Coast Fire Brigade Housing Resource Center Year Founded: 1984 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 18 paid, 8 volunteers Budget: $4,400,000 424-9186 hrcmontereycounty.org Big Idea: To provide more affordable housing options, the Housing Resource Center developed the Landlord Gold Standard Program. This program recognizes and rewards landlords who collaborate with HRC to provide housing to those without a secure place to live. Donations to this Big Idea fund $1,000 new landlord incentives and up to $2,000 to reimburse partner-landlords for unit repairs necessary to pass Housing Authority inspections or for missing rent payments from former tenants. “After housing a bad tenant, HRC helped me by providing funds to repair my unit and bring it back to rental-ready status. Thank you, HRC. My unit has now passed inspection!” -Judy Duarte spotlight
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