CENTRAL COAST VETERANS CEMETERY FOUNDATION Year Founded: 2006 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 3 paid, 14 volunteers Budget: $122,255 (831) 218-1780 ccvcf.com BIG IDEA: For 20 years, the Central Coast Veterans Cemetery Foundation has nurtured the California Central Coast Veterans Cemetery and extended support to any veteran and eligible family member. This nonprofit’s Big Idea delivers military ceremonies that honor the individual serviceperson and helps behind-the-scenes with complicated funeral preparation and placement tasks not covered by other veterans’ organizations. The result is a dignified final resting place for the men and women who served our country. “Serving on the board of the Central Coast Veterans Cemetery Foundation is deeply personal to me. During the Covid lockdown, I lost my husband and spent nine long months alone with his ashes before we could finally hold his funeral. When that day came, he received full military honors in a ceremony that was dignified, respectful and beautifully conducted. It brought a sense of peace and closure that I will never forget. I serve on this board because I want every veteran’s family to experience that same comfort and honor. Through the Foundation, we can continue improving the cemetery for future generations, including providing a covered committal shelter for protection from bad weather and a nearby restroom for grieving families and guests. It is our way of honoring those who served and caring for those who love them.” -Terry Glasco COALITION OF HOMELESS SERVICE PROVIDERS Year Founded: 1992 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 6 paid, 153 volunteers Budget: $8,414,644 (831) 883-3080 chsp.org BIG IDEA: Who should be involved with creating the laws? The Coalition of Homeless Service Providers believes those with lived experience deserve an opportunity to lead the conversations that affect them most. This nonprofit’s Big Idea, the Lived Experience Advisory Directive (LEAD), is a proven best practice that fueled progress on local accountability measures and funding panels. Funding will stabilize these efforts, providing the necessary financial support and confidence to help drive long-term change for people with insecure housing. “Serving with LEAD has shown me the power of ensuring people with lived experience have a voice in shaping the systems that impact our lives. As a board member, disability advocate and someone who has personally experienced homelessness, I know how important it is for those closest to the challenges to help create solutions. LEAD directly responds to the current needs of our unhoused population by listening, building trust and connecting people with meaningful support and resources. It has strengthened my confidence as a leader and reinforced that lived experience is expertise that belongs at every decision-making table. We advocate because we care.” -Caroline Carroll 58 Monterey County GIVES! 2026 mcgives.com COMMUNITY & SOCIAL SERVICES DONATE ONLINE MCGIVES.COM “I am truly grateful we have an organization devoted to the best interests and concerns of our community, with the ability to facilitate positive outcomes.” -Ruby Way, Community Association of Big Sur BUILDING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES MONTEREY COUNTY Year Founded: 1994 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 52 paid, 400 volunteers Budget: $6,528,919 (831) 783-1244 bhcmontereycounty.org BIG IDEA: Building Healthy Communities Monterey County focuses its organizing power on urgent educational issues facing Salinas, Seaside, Greenfield, Soledad and the Monterey Peninsula. For the organization’s Big Idea, you can support its three-year youth leadership pipeline, culminating in 2028. Youth in this program launch education equity and mental health campaigns, help shape policy with school board testimonials and grow through financial literacy and career programs. BHCMC’s ultimate goal is to provide bountiful opportunities and real-world leadership experiences for local kids who are empowered to make ideas into reality. “Through BHCMC, La Cosecha and Ciclovía, I have strengthened my community organizing skills and learned to advocate for my community and amplify our voices. I have found a sense of belonging through conversations about educational barriers and ways to address them. These experiences have made me more aware of the issues affecting our daily lives. Through Ciclovía, for example, I learned how our ZIP codes and other factors affecting minority communities can influence our health. I have also had the privilege of connecting with like-minded people who share my commitment to advocacy. In the future, I hope to continue using my leadership to advocate for justice and inspire others to address the issues facing our communities, recognize their own power, and create lasting change.” -Maria Estrella Zarate Pacheco SPOTLIGHT
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==