Yuba Sutter Orgs

Not many people know about ForaTV.  Fora is an online repository for presentations, discussions and debates on a variety of topics that were delivered at private clubs, colleges and universities, bookstores, and other forums.  For people in Y-S, it provides a window to the intellectual discussions taking place in areas we would not normally travel in.

 

Recently, FORA introduced a new "Channel" called Giving.  Their internet address is http://www.fora.tv

 

Videos and webcasts are constantly being added and you can also review items in the archives.  A sampling of current videos include:

- Small Foundations:  Practical Advice on Building a PRI Program  (note:  PRI stands for Program Related Investment)

- Building Institutions for Social Change:  The Case for "Buy and Hold" Philanthropy

- Evaluating for Impact and ROI

 

The portfolio of webcasts is currently very limited for this channel but the very fact that they've added this topic indicates that they intent to expand the selection.

 

For nonprofit administrators and sophisticated philanthropists, this is something you want to bookmark and visit at least once a month.

 

Videos are typically around an hour in length, so plan accordingly.  But you will not find the caliber of knowledge and information presented here unless you subscribe to some of the major nonprofit management magazines.

Sutter Buttes Canine Rescue is opening a new thrift store in Yuba City on Wednesday, March 26.

 

I had an opportunity to take a sneak peak at the place while dropping off some donations and I am impressed.  Shelving, displays, and clothes racks are already up and fairly full.  Merchandise is displayed neatfully and artfully.  This will be a wonderful shopping experience for anyone looking for a deal.

 

Donations are still being taken on Saturdays between 11 and 4.

 

The store is on Bridge St between Cooper Ave and Plumas St near the intersection with Park Ave.  If you've lived around here for a while, you'll remember it as the old Kinney Electric building.  A volunteer who took my bags advised me that signage is going up this week so "Kinney Electric" will be gone.  So, if you are driving down Bridge St., look for the brick-faced building on the south side of the street.

 

The actual shelter is in Gridley, but the group regularly conducts adoption events at the PetCo store in Yuba City.  See their website for details.

The local organization for the gay, lesbian, transexual, bisexual, and intersex community has unfortunately disbanded.

 

This is not due to a lack of need for fellowship, education, support and community involvement.  Apparently the group found it difficult to find new leadership that had the time to devote to the ongoing administration of the group.

 

Their website, a Yahoo! Group, remains intact at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Yuba-Sutter-Unity/ with referrals to other groups in northern California and, for previous members of Y-S Unity, an archive of all of the activities of the group.

 

This very active group flew under the radar of most of us in announcing legislative activities, organizing activist campaigns, and hosting numerous get-togethers in the area.

 

I do hope that this group re-forms in some way or another in the future as they find people with the time and energy available to handle the administrative duties of such an important group.

 

If you are a friend or family of a gay, lesbian, transexual, bisexual or intersex loved one, and wish to find support as a loved one, I highly recommend PFLAG (Parents, Family, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays).  The national organization can be found at www.pflag.org and from there you can find local resources.

 

My personal congratulations to Jeffrey for taking this group to the next step after its original founding as Yuba-Sutter PRIDE.  Your contributions will be missed.

Beta testing is user testing that is done prior to releasing software to the public.  I'm honored that Microsoft has asked me to test the functionality and ease of use of this new product.

 

Office Live Workspace is a way for small businesses to collaborate like the larger companies do.  I spent quite a number of years in the high technology industry and am well aware of the tools that are available to larger companies that have staff to support the software and budgets to afford it.

 

Over the course of this testing phase, I will be giving feedback to Microsoft.

 

For starters, I will be using this new web-based software to share files with people who help me out with projects without having to give them my private login information.  We will all be able to view and update the same files.

 

Another group I work with uses Yahoo! Groups for collaboration.  I will be able to take that experience and compare it with features on Workspace.

 

As I learn more about Workspace and how it can work for nonprofits and small business, I will share that with you.  I just signed up tonight so I still have to get in and play in the sandbox.

Us old fogies may not appreciate the latest in what is going on with the internet.  But as adults reaching out to youth, we must embrace the venues they congregate upon.

 

That is why I am recommending that a youth organization create a My Space page to promote their services.

 

The adults may find this intimidating.  I can almost guarantee you though that the kids in your group would be happy to help you create a My Space page.

 

I say, let the kids get involved in publicizing their group and uploading activity pictures.  But the responsibility for the content ultimately directly rests upon the adults who supervise the kids.  You can control this.

 

If your nonprofit youth group leaders would like a seminar on how to develop and control a My Space page, please email me at karen@yubasutterorgs.org

 

I will compile the interest and schedule something that is convenient.  In the meantime, if there is a local group that has already established a My Space page, let me know and I will highlight it on my site.

The Allyn Scott Center at 1830 B St had its start many years ago.  Ken and Allyn Scott started a restaurant called Hot Dog Junction.  It evolved into a place where youth would congregate.  Their outdated website tells the story best:

 

"The roots of this organization were planted about 11 years ago when Ken and Allyn Scott began a small restaurant called "Hot Dog Junction." Hot Dog Junction was a social gathering place for local youth. The byword down at the Junction was trust. Every youngster who came into the Junction was a first class citizen. The young people became a part of the Junction. They rang up their own orders, got their own drinks, and helped serve the rest of the customers.

The years went on and Allyn and Ken decided that the Junction had grown into much more than just a restaurant, it had become a "Home away from home" for all of us. As a youth center it had out grown the capacity of the building. So with the help of dedicated community volunteers on the board, the endless support of the youth, and a soon to be youth board the MYCC dream developed."

After a successful fundraising campaign, they renamed it from the Marysville Youth and Civic Center to its current name.

They are open Mon-Fri from 11am to 7pm.  The place includes the Hotdog Junction and snack bar.  Youth can mingle and play pool or ping pong, or watch shows on the large screen TV.

Archery lessons are hosted Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3-5 by the Yuba Sutter Archery Association during winter months.

This type of drop-in center is what many people are calling for.  I'm sure that with another capital campaign, they could expand their mission even further.

They can be reached at 749-1776.

They could use a volunteer to develop a simple website for them so they can publicize their activities.  After all, the kids are much more net savvy than most parents.

I'll drop by one of these days to pay a visit and find out what this is all about.  It sounds like they have a formula that works and a loyal following.

I hope to tell you more about them in the months to come.

Tonight I attended a follow on meeting of community people who are concerned about social issues in the community, specifically what to do to channel our youth into productive and appropriate activities.

 

Over 30 people attended.  Although the group was racially diverse, I did notice that Gen X, Y and late Baby Boomers were conspiciously absent.  On a positive note, the meeting was well attended by local law enforcement representatives.

 

The group is still in the process of "gelling" and the final mission statement development has been assigned to committee.  Tonight a handful of other committees were formed to address youth, parenting, referral and outreach issues.

 

I was able to make a few contacts regarding this site.  The lady next to me handed me a flyer about a youth drop-in place in Marysville and she was very pleased that it would be listed on an internet directory.  I'll tell you more about that group later.

 

We had a very articulate YCPD detective in the gang unit give a little overview of the gang life and what leads our youth into it.  His brief presentation was very informative.  He indicated that he has a 3-hr presentation that he normally gives to community groups so he gave us the highlights.

 

The bottom line for kids wanting to join gangs is the need and want to belong.  Although the gang life is rough, the rewards of belonging to something where people value you for what you bring to the group is what draws them in and keeps them there.

 

As Bobby Cross, one of my high school teachers who was present, said, it is all about showing our children that they are wanted and loved.  Whether that sense of belonging comes from parents, extended family, neighbors, or gangs, there is an innate need to be wanted.

 

We can't change what our kids are doing by building a skating rink, a comment I've heard so many times it almost drives me mad.  The skating rink closed down because things changed and kids no longer wanted to go there.  This is not a situation of "build it and they will come".  There are lots of things for youth to do in this community if only we would network well so that people could find these things.

 

But youth can't be dropped off at a basketball court, a pool hall, a scouting group, or ballet lessons, and think that we have solved the problem of youth following the wrong path.  We could build a state of the art youth center and have shuttles running all over the bi-county area and it wouldn't solve the problems.

 

We need to parent our children and give them a true sense of belonging to something so great and special that they don't feel the need to find it elsewhere.

 

In this anonymous culture where people are afraid of their neighbors, teachers and police, even the best of parents will have issues with their children.  It really does take a community to raise a child.  And until we understand that this comes from the heart and not from the wallet, nothing will change.

Janet Siller, former executive director of Friday Night Live, was awarded the coveted Athena Award Jan 12 at the annual Yuba-Sutter Chamber of Commerce Awards Dinner.

 

Siller, recently retired but still looking for opportunities, led the Marysville Friday Night Live organization for 18 years and established a solid reputation with area youth and businesses.  Although a new executive director has recently been hired, Siller will remain a highlight in the Yuba-Sutter nonprofit community for her dedication and leadership.

 

This recent article in the Appeal-Democrat tells more about the reasons why the Chamber of Commerce bestowed this honor upon her.

 

Although I've not had the personal pleasure of meeting Janet in person, I've been aware of her work in the community for our youth and her willingness to allow the Friday Night Live facilities to be used for community purposes when her "kids" weren't using them.

 

While the Yuba-Sutter community could use more Janet Sillers, the community will benefit from volunteers who give even a few hours of their time each month for a cause they believe in.

 

www.yubasutterorgs.org wants to list all of the positive nonprofit organizations in the area.  If you know of an organization that wants to be listed (for free), email karen@yubasutterorgs.org

Several of the local Little League teams are using an innovative website service for sports teams called Eteamz.

 

As opposed to creating a new website for the requirements of a sports team, I highly recommend this service.

 

They advertise that they have a free service but the only part I could find was a monthly service fee that added up to about $54 a year which is still cheap.

 

According to their promotional materials, you can advertise schedules, members, sign-ups, collect fees, etc., all on one website.  This functionality is really cheap when you compare the cost and effort of creating your own website for the same purposes.

 

If you are the leader or coach of a sports team, I urge you to explore this option for your team website.  If this doesn't work for you, I also encourage you to try out the free hosting at www.officelive.microsoft.com which is the host of this website.

 

Whatever you choose, your domain name is transferable if you decide on another hosting service.  So, all is not lost.

 

Best wishes in developing your youth sports group,

Karen

There are some people in the community who think there are not enough things for our youth to do in order to keep them out of trouble.  Today's article in the A-D reports that a local group is forming to study and address these issues.

 

Mary Shumate and Johnny Mason, the organizers of the group, are moving ahead with advisors from both counties as well as Yuba City and Marysville.

 

The group's next meeting is Jan 17 at the Yuba City Corporation Yard on Market St from 6-8 pm.  I will be there to ask for their support of this website as a place to go find organized activities for our youth.

 

This is the same complaint I heard when I was growing up in the Y-S area.  There were times I too complained but that was mostly because we moved from a city with a wide variety of activities and I would hear of activities on the radio for Sacramento and San Francisco.  However, my parents found plenty of things for us to do.  In my teenage years I was over-booked with student government, 4-H, time with friends, and the occasional neighborhood job during the school year.

 

I'm all for activities for our youth in a variety of interest areas.  But it also takes a good amount of parental and adult involvement to make these activities safe.  In addition, since we live in a generally economically depressed community, these activities need to be either free or at a very nominal cost.

 

I'm pleased to report that Twin Cities Wrestling Club has recently started up and adheres to wrestling regulations.  Future Fitness in Yuba City is currently hosting the group.  They are open to all ages and I invite you to contact Scott Smothers at scott@smothersbros.com for more information.  For his phone #, look up the wrestling club on the yubasutterorgs.org website under youth sports.

 

 

I contacted Yuba-Sutter Mental Health as I was trying to get my site up and running and they responded that they had already compiled a directory for the area.

 

The Network of Care site they've compiled is very thorough and has information for all types of health and social services available in the area.  I recommend you bookmark this site.  You will also find Network of Care referenced in many categories on my site as well.

 

While the heading on the page says Mental Health, don't let that fool you.  It goes way beyond mental health services.

 

All social services for all populations are found on this site.  They have extensive listings of addiction programs and support groups, as well as support groups for other areas of interest.

 

Education and Employment & Training are two other categories on here.  Very thorough.

 

Need clothing or food?  You'll find resources here.

 

Need legal services?  Or looking for recreational opportunities?  Yep, you'll find it on Network of Care.

 

There's just so much there that you have to visit and see it for yourself.

 

In addition to Services, other categories on this site are Library, Legislate, Links, Insurance, Support & Advocacy and, given the extensive content on this site, a place for you to file your finds in your own secure folder.

 

For all the work that went in to creating this content, it surely has to be one of the best-kept secrets in Y-S.  It is my hope that by linking to this site several times from my site, it will get more attention from search engines.  It richly deserves to be in the top 3 search results.

Nonprofits are always looking for inexpensive ways to either establish or to maintain a web presence.

 

A new free tool is out there:  Microsoft Office Live

 

You can either google the term above or go to microsoft.com and select their Office products and then Live and find out about this new service.  Currently it is free to get a domain name and establish a website.  You will need a credit card to register though.  YubaSutterOrgs and this Blog are all developed using this free service.

 

For more involved websites with features and storage needs, you can upgrade to affordable services.

 

The web development tools available on MS Office Live are incredibly easy to use.  If you have someone in your organization who is moderately competent in MS Word, you can create your own website.

 

I really encourage nonprofits to utilize this free service.

 

If you already have a website, I like Go Daddy for hosting services.  I was using my regular ISP for years paying $20/mo for a very small website and with Go Daddy I get it for less than $10/mo and get additional tools too.

 

You may have found other affordable web hosting sites as well.  If so, can you post a comment to this blog and share it with the rest of the Y-S nonprofit community?

 

There are also tons of other free services out there that a nonprofit without adequate funding can use.  Be sure to watch this blog as I explore and explain other free or low cost services.

 

Karen

 

It's only been a couple days since I started contacting people about listing their organization on YubaSutterOrgs.org.  Already I am getting feedback from nonprofit organizations, clubs, and educational groups expressing a desire to get listed.

 

Our first listing is the American Red Cross.  Well, their business IS emergency response so it should be no surprise that they picked up on this and supplied all the requested listing information.

 

Any directory listing must stay "fresh".  I'm looking for long-term contact information so I don't have to hear from users of the site that the link is broken or the email doesn't work.

 

If you know of, or belong to a not-for-profit group that would like to be listed on the first and only such directory covering Yuba and Sutter Counties in California, go to www.yubasutterorgs.org and check out what I need to list you, and what category(ies) would best fit your group.  Then email me at karen@yubasutterorgs.org and I'll get you listed within a few days.