THE CARMEL FOUNDATION Year Founded: 1950 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 21 paid, 106 volunteers Budget: $3,177,850 (831) 624-1588 carmelfoundation.org BIG IDEA: The Carmel Foundation makes healthy aging possible through its comprehensive collection of programs and services for anyone 55 or older. This Big Idea covers all aspects of a healthy lifestyle, from the Wellness Center to interesting programming to helping seniors find public resources available to them. The Carmel Foundation also provides 50 affordable apartments, nearly all of the affordable housing in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Donations help support the more than 3,000 members of the Foundation as they add vibrant life to their golden years. “The Carmel Foundation is such an extraordinary place. It helped me through some tough and lonely experiences.” -Patricia Carlson CARMEL VALLEY COMMUNITY YOUTH CENTER Year Founded: 1958 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 19 paid, 20 volunteers Budget: $150,000 (831) 659-3983 cvcyc.org BIG IDEA: Did you know the pool at the Carmel Valley Community Youth Center (CVCYC) was itself a Big Idea? Built in 1964 to provide needed water-safety education after an increase in drownings in the nearby Carmel River, this pool has provided swimming lessons, competitions and year-round fun for generations. After 60 years, it’s time for a Big Idea: pool resurfacing. The CVCYC anticipates a project cost of $100,000 to restore this valued Carmel Valley amenity. “I learned to swim at the pool! Now, I do swim team there. I love that the pool is a place for the whole community.” -Baylee Rianda, 10 CATHOLIC CHARITIES DIOCESE OF MONTEREY Year Founded: 1984 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 32 paid, 30 volunteers Budget: $2,200,000 (831) 393-3110 catholiccharitiesdom.org BIG IDEA: Catholic Charities is focused on expanding its services to those in need in South Monterey County; a region where two in every three families struggle with basic needs. Each week, a Pathways to Stability team delivers practical items like food and support navigating challenging applications for food or medical programs or an immigration consultation. Donations to this Big Idea transform directly into everyday support: a full refrigerator, a health care appointment, a reason to hope. “I’ve worked the fields around here for years, mostly seasonal. When the storm hit, I lost my home and the fields I depended on all at once. I didn’t know how I’d start over. Catholic Charities’ Pathways to Stability team helped me build a resume and look at work I’d never considered—I ended up landing a job in the auto industry, something steady, something year-round. I’m proud of where I am now. I never thought a phone call for help would lead to a whole new path for my family.” -Hector CENTRAL COAST OVERDOSE PREVENTION (CCODP) Year Founded: 2020 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 10 paid, 5 volunteers Budget: $1,100,000 (831) 359-3273 ccodp.org BIG IDEA: Central Coast Overdose Prevention provides a place for Monterey County residents touched by substance abuse. CCODP is a hub for addiction support services, including its Big Idea as a dependable spot for free, lifesaving naloxone (Narcan), a nasal spray that can rapidly reverse opioid overdose from drugs like heroin, fentanyl or oxycodone. CCODP reports its expanded, no-barrier distribution of naloxone has saved at least five lives. This nonprofit also connects parents with a trauma-informed therapist after losing a child to overdose. “Having a local, no-barrier naloxone program gave me the tools and confidence to act during an overdose. It saved a life and showed me that anyone can make a difference.” -Ryan C. 56 Monterey County GIVES! 2026 mcgives.com COMMUNITY & SOCIAL SERVICES DONATE ONLINE MCGIVES.COM “It saved a life and showed me that anyone can make a difference.” -Ryan C., Central Coast Overdose Prevention AROMAS COMMUNITY CENTER FOUNDATION Year Founded: 1994 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 3 paid, 20 volunteers Budget: $78,000 (408) 807-3255 aromassportspark.org BIG IDEA: Unlike many public spaces in Monterey County, Aromas Community Park is privately operated. This means typical grant opportunities are not a consistent source of funding. Instead, this foundation relies on grassroots fundraising and facility rentals for revenue, plus volunteer support. To improve rentals and become a more sustainable and attractive gathering place in Aromas, this Big Idea seeks funding to improve the park’s pavilion. Donations will support needed capital projects like finishing the pillars and sprucing up the landscaping. “Yearly donations from community members and local businesses have provided just enough to maintain the improvements that have been installed so far: a pavilion structure, maintenance and bathroom buildings, walking paths, some trees, a dog park and a full-sized soccer field. Additional funding will support continuing the development from a basic recreational space into an all-inclusive, multigenerational community hub where all can play, socialize and enjoy being outdoors—a place my grandchildren and now great-grandchild can enjoy.” -Phil Messina SPOTLIGHT
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