PLANNED PARENTHOOD MAR MONTE Year Founded: 1964 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 24 paid, 560 volunteers Budget: $7,517,400 (408) 795-3780 ppmarmonte.org BIG IDEA: Planned Parenthood Mar Monte (PPMM) provides more healthcare than ever while significant federal funding cuts have reduced its budget and forced the closure of five health centers in its service area. In January 2027, sweeping reductions to Medicaid will leave an estimated 2 million Californians without Medi-Cal coverage. PPMM’s Big Idea will open its doors even wider as it faces these challenges. Donations will support PPMM’s comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare services, like cancer and STI screenings, abortion care and new services like menopause care and IV hydration. “Several years ago, we hosted a Honduran refugee family. Getting settled and integrated here in the U.S. was hard—getting a cell phone, a bank account, a driving license, coordinating with lawyers and more. You know what wasn’t hard? Getting an appointment and birth control from Planned Parenthood. I called for the woman and was translating back and forth in very broken Spanish, when the Planned Parenthood representative told me, ‘Just give her the phone.’ From there, they spoke in rapid Spanish, and within seconds the woman had an appointment—no need for ID or even money. They had funds to help her. Thank you, Planned Parenthood, for not just being there, but for being the one easy thing this woman encountered in years.” -PPMM supporter POWER OVER PARKINSON’S MONTEREY BAY Year Founded: 2017 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 9 paid, 35 volunteers Budget: $360,892 (831) 920-1806 poweroverparkinsons.org BIG IDEA: Parkinson’s disease is a nervous system disorder that affects movement and does not have a cure. But exercises, movements and other programming can help people with Parkinson’s improve symptoms, restore function and maintain quality of life as the disease progresses. Power Over Parkinson’s offers 21 weekly classes, from adaptive yoga to speech therapy and boxing, serving more than 170 program participants. The nonprofit also sponsors a monthly Knowledge is Power speaker series to promote better living with Parkinson’s. “I can attest to the value individually to each of us suffering from this debilitating disease. In the time I’ve been participating, one has lost many good friends who had a home and camaraderie in this nurturing, stimulating and supportive environment.” -Martin Allard ROTACARE MONTEREY CLINIC Year Founded: 1995 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 1 paid, 55 volunteers Budget: $151,404 (831) 333-6495 rotacarebayarea.org BIG IDEA: Volunteers provide free healthcare to uninsured residents of Monterey County through RotaCare Monterey Clinic’s Big Idea. This clinic serves people who do not receive employer-sponsored insurance and are also ineligible for public healthcare, including those with urgent and chronic conditions like hypertension and kidney disease. The RotaCare team includes a full range of medical professionals, including doctors, interpreters, dietitians, physical therapists and a clinical pharmacist. This accessible healthcare empowers uninsured people to reach for better health outcomes. “I was uninsured when I went to CHOMP for a heart attack. I became aware that I was Type 2 diabetic and was referred to RotaCare to follow up. Since then, the team at RotaCare has made my new way of life easier and less burdensome. They are bilingual and have helped me with my condition as well as discontinued some of my medications.” -RotaCare patient SALINAS SOCCER FEMENIL Year Founded: 2022 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 3 paid, 75 volunteers Budget: $63,000 (831) 240-9450 salinassoccerfemenil.org mcgives.com Monterey County GIVES! 2026 133 HEALTH, WELLNESS & FOOD DONATE ONLINE MCGIVES.COM “I love being part of my team.” -Teo Solano, Salinas Soccer Femenil JACOB’S HEART CHILDREN’S CANCER SUPPORT SERVICES Year Founded: 1998 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 27 paid, 200 volunteers Budget: $2,262,392 (831) 724-9100 jacobsheart.org BIG IDEA: Monterey County pediatric cancer patients may need to travel up to 350 miles round-trip, multiple times each week. Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services seeks donations to support its fleet of 10 sanitized, energy-efficient vehicles and the rising demand for reliable, affordable transportation. For families without a driver’s license or who face an out-of-control gas budget, these rides become an essential lifeline. This Big Idea gave 1,519 rides in 2025 (surging from 504 rides in 2020). “Because someone else was driving, I could sit next to my daughter and take care of her. Even though she’s a teenager, she’s still my baby…Talking with the drivers helped me step outside of everything we were living through. I know coordinating transportation like this isn’t easy, and I’m grateful there are people willing to do it. It takes a village to support, and I’ve seen it firsthand.” -Marivel, San Ardo SPOTLIGHT
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