my written exam and practical test to earn my private pilot’s license! It has helped me transform myself into being the best possible person I can be on the ground and in the air. They taught me the important lesson about grit and perseverance. I am now a proud United States Marine. I could not have been so successful without Bob Hoover Academy’s support.” -Aiden Fuller BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF MONTEREY COUNTY Year Founded: 1968 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 87 paid, 127 volunteers Budget: $8,077,901 (831) 394-5171 bgcmc.org BIG IDEA: In 2025, more than 7,000 youth benefited from Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County’s Big Idea. That could be at the Gonzales Teen Innovation Center, the Salinas or Seaside clubhouses, or any one of more than 15 school sites across Monterey County. Help arrives as homework assistance, mentorship, sports leagues, career coaching or a nourishing meal. Donations help support these safe environments for youth ages 6-24, including funding more than 80,000 meals served each year. “Once a Club kid, always a Club kid. As a child, I struggled to understand how one place could stay with you forever. Now, as an incoming UCLA freshman who has had the Club’s support for nearly my entire life, I understand. The Club was the village that helped raise me, and its community came from everywhere. It came from the art teacher who taught 8-year-old me to wait for instructions, unknowingly teaching me patience. It came through leadership opportunities, like my first job as junior staff. For the rest of my life, I’ll carry the Club with me through the qualities and skills it helped shape. That’s what it means to always be a Club kid.” -Nianti Rojas-Mendoza, 17 BREAKTHROUGH MEN’S COMMUNITY Year Founded: 1987 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 3 paid, 150 volunteers Budget: $307,714 920-4310 breakthroughformen.org BIG IDEA: Breakthrough Men’s Community, traditionally an organization promoting healthy communication and relational skills for men, launched a program in 2025 to respond to growing youth and dating violence in Monterey County. Donations to this Big Idea will help expand the program from 150 participants at one location to more than 500 high-schoolers in Seaside, Marina, North County and Monterey. The curriculum will focus on topics like listening, establishing boundaries, communication skills and consent. “Life can be better in ways that you may not even imagine right now.” -Bill Lutz BRIGHT FUTURES OF MONTEREY COUNTY Year Founded: 2015 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 4 paid, 20 volunteers Budget: $640,935 (831) 755-6810 brightfuturesmc.org BIG IDEA: Have you accessed your CalKIDS account? Do you know what a CalKIDS account is? Bright Futures of Monterey County is bringing back its Big Idea again this year, as still only 32 percent of eligible CalKIDS accounts, representing $26 million in higher education scholarships, have been claimed. CalKIDS automatically awards scholarships worth up to $1,500 to eligible California public school students born on or after July 1, 2022, in a statewide effort to seed college savings accounts for thousands of young Californians. “As one of three siblings attending college, I knew the financial burden on my family would be significant. CalKIDS helped ease that stress not only for me, but also for my sisters, who each claimed over $500. I will use my scholarship to purchase books and school supplies at UCLA, while one of my sisters is using hers to help cover living expenses at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. My family and I are deeply grateful to CalKIDS for helping reduce the financial challenges of pursuing higher education.” -Dulce Madrigal, 19 88 Monterey County GIVES! 2026 mcgives.com EDUCATION & YOUTH DONATE ONLINE MCGIVES.COM “Each visit provides a valuable experience that opens children’s eyes.” -Pam Gillooly, Del Monte Forest Conservancy DIGITAL NEST Year Founded: 2014 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 100 paid, 15 volunteers Budget: $1,500,000 (831) 285-0484 digitalnest.org BIG IDEA: Digital NEST, a nonprofit equipping 14- to 24-year-olds from underserved communities with in-demand career skills, seeks support for its Big Idea: Big Tech Week. This organization taps into the resources of nearby Silicon Valley to introduce Digital NEST members to the world’s most influential tech companies. During Big Tech Week, students gain exposure to real career pathways and grow their professional network by meeting people with backgrounds similar to theirs who are succeeding in tech careers. “Thank you for supporting my journey. Digital NEST has really helped me to open my mind and decide what I want for my future. It has also helped me to manage money with time and school.” -Ximena SPOTLIGHT
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