Nonprofits in California

I have been volunteering with ODA off and on for 13 years. Their dedication only continues to get deeper by expanding their efforts, more outreach, open-mindedness to new opportunities, and community involvement! I couldn't be more impressed and honored to be apart of such an incredible non-profit organization that truly is all about protecting Mother Earth and involving and educating everyone they can!

Wells Bring Hope was started on the simple, but challenging, premise that bringing safe water to the people of Niger, one of the 3 poorest countries in the world, would dramatically change - and save - the lives of thousands of people. Under the wise and creative guidance of Barbara Goldberg, WBH's founder, they have been enormously successful, positively impacting over 800,000 lives. To see what WBH has accomplished since its inception - the number of wells they have drilled, clinics they have established, their phenomenal find raising efforts, the quality of information on their website is truly astonishing. WBH is a true non-profit. You can be confident that 100% of your donation goes towards water projects, and when you do donate, you receive a report about the village you are helping to support. WBH connects you directly to the efforts you are supporting. It's rewarding and heart warming. And...the organization is all volunteer (only one paid employee). Remarkable!!

I was involved with WWFA very early on and went to Malawi and saw the incredible joy that a well brings to a village. WWFA volunteers train to be culturally correct and the system of developing a water committee for each well gives the village an ongoing role , plus the backup done in following years, ensures that the wells continue to operate. This is a nonprofit that works with little overhead - an enormous amount of work is done by volunteers. Through the blessings of God, they have expanded their services to include enhancing school education and health and hygiene. My donations, with others, have been wonderfully multiplied. I highly commend WWFA for all they do!

I am so impressed with this organization. Involving the local community, inspiring them to conserve their precious wildlife while giving them resources they so desperately need to both help themselves and protect the environment they live in is pure genius. Bravo, Seacology!

As a water official serving in a large water district governed mostly by water traditionalists, it has been a world-class challenge to educate and inspire the district and fellow officials about science-based approaches to water management. Mainstream media and news sources often repeat the same misunderstandings about traditional approaches including dams and reservoirs, when sustainable solutions are more affordable, efficient and effective. That is why the Pacific Institute's thoroughly researched and vetted scientific reports and resources are urgently important and essential. The Pacific Institute's reports on water recycling, science-based solutions, and corporate responsibility in particular provide actionable policy guidance backed by plain-language scientific studies. I do not know a more useful resource for practitioners of all kinds in the sustainable water space. I am certain that the Pacific Institute's work has greatly benefited people and planet.

Billions of dollars are being invested in building dams throughout the Amazon that will devastate the environment and displace local communities and cause massive emission of green house gases as the vegetation decomposes. International Rivers is at the forefront of ensuring that local communities and the environment is put before economic greed and is the leading expert on these issues.

Project AWARE is an awesome movement of divers protecting the ocean one dive at a time and I'm proud to be part of this movement. This growing community of passionate divers and ocean advocates is taking action locally through Dive Against Debris, Project AWARE flagship citizen science program, to help find solutions to the global marine debris problem. Through strategic partnerships the Project AWARE team is making a difference at the highest level of government by sharing divers' unique perspective on marine debris. I can't wait to do my next Dive Against Debris to contribute data and help Project AWARE achieve their mission. Keep up the great work team Project AWARE!

I am a personal donor and a huge fan of the beautiful poetry that is the heart of ROW program. A chorus I sing with, WomenSing, partners with ROW. Our chorus commissions young composers to write music for the poetry and we connect the poet with the composers so they can have insight into each others creative process. The young poets have been remarkable in their observations, articulate and thoughtful. The chorus and its supporters have been enriched by observing the process and through their contact with ROW.

I've volunteered with Save the Bay three times, and they are a great organization. Their staff is engaged and passionate and I love knowing exactly how my volunteer time is saving the Bay.

For nearly 40 years SYRCL has led the way in connecting the Yuba River watershed and its communities. Highly regarded by state, federal and regional partners, SYRCL has talented staff, sound fiscal management, and committed members. It's meadow and river corridor restoration projects are providing water supply and habitat resilience to an important Sierra river system.

For the past 10-12 years the Friends of the La Cañada Flintridge Library have been happy to hire Redbird's Vision to provide our community with Informational Programs for all ages.<br><br>The scope of the programs has included but not limited to: Ethnomusicology; Storytelling; Native ceremonial (powwow) dance styles & their history; Traditional Native regalia & it's proper use; and Local Native history.<br><br>Ms. Roberts is very active and also provides for Native Communities with an annual blanket, clothing & toy drive.<br><br>Unlike many Powwows, the Redbird Powwow is not a "contest" where dancers vie for cash prizes rather; the Annual Redbird Powwow is instrumental in helping Native Families in need, via donations & "give-aways" and welcomes All People.<br><br>Ms. Roberts is most humble and is always willing to be of service in so far as to provide educational opportunities and assistance to Native families in need.<br><br>We are more than pleased to have worked w/ Ms. Roberts & Redbird's Vision and look forward to working again with her soon.<br><br>

During my year-long employment at the Arroyo Seco Foundation I advanced two specific, complementary programs of the organization with Executive Director Tim Brick. I feel that both of the programs had a very positive effect on the communities within the Arroyo Seco watershed that will be appreciated for years to come. First, I worked on the Central Arroyo Seco stream restoration program. Not only did the stream restoration maintain and strengthen one of the most beautiful waterways within the City of Pasadena, the program emphasized public awareness and community involvement. We worked particularly hard on including all potential interest groups and alerting the public to the ongoing benefits to be realized. Second, I worked as a general outreach coordinator for the Arroyo Seco Foundation watershed coordinator program. In comparison to the more site-specific stream restoration program, the watershed coordinator program took a broad view in analyzing current water uses throughout the entire watershed and ways in which all people could contribute to the water problems facing Southern California. The Arroyo Seco Foundation takes a progressive view of implementing positive change for water rights within Southern California by working on diverse levels with all interested groups. By spreading the message of wise water use and environmental values throughout an arid region, the Arroyo Seco Foundation is effecting positive change for Southern California.

If you have not been there yet you are missing out! Wonderful place to go for relaxation, fun and enjoyment. A family outing or quiet visit by yourself, you will find either to be a pleasure. This place is a definite must for all photographers of nature!<br><br>Cheral

I loved working for Heal the Bay Aquarium under the Santa Monica Pier. Worked as a Naturalist for the Key to the Sea program that educated school children on the importance of our marine eco systems and our impact on it upon it. Curriculum focused mainly on the Santa Monica Bay and Southern California's oceans. What are watersheds? How can we keep them clean and healthy for humans and marine life? Together, how do we make a difference. <br> <br>I first became involved with Heal the Bay after moving to Los Angeles and living for several years in Marina Del Rey. Seeing the amount of trash that floated down the Biona Creek and out to the Santa Monica Bay after a rain storm was always so upsetting. Heal the Bay was working hard to make things better and I wanted to be apart of it so I began working and volunteering at the Aquarium in 2005- 2008 up until I moved to Texas. Now living in Austin I only wish a chapter to Heal the Bay existed here. I see the same problems here with streams, rivers, aquifers and lakes! <br> <br>I have nothing but positive things to say about all the staff and volunteers I came into contact with during my years of involvement with Heal the Bay. The staff was extremely dedicated and passionate about their roles in bringing about a change for the better. With limited funds I was always impressed to see what powerful community outreach, education programs and involvement campaigns Heal the Bay could execute on. <br> <br>

I had an internship recently with the Bolsa Chica Conservancy, and it created some of the best highlights of that summer. It's an incredibly fun and relaxing area to be in, and is home to so many plants and animals that you can't find in such abundance anywhere else in Huntington Beach or other surrounding cities. I loved being able to learn about the wildlife, and the staff inspired a newfound love of botany and bird watching in me! In all, it's a wonderful place.

Thank you for all the work you do. I remember the fight against the toll road.

A member of the Chumash community enlightened me a number of years ago by observing it is time to give back to the land rather than to take and exploit. <br> <br>The Gaviota Coast Conservancy has been doing that for the past 25 years. We have stopped inappropriate development, encouraged numerous conservation easements, actively participated in the creation of the County's Gaviota Coast Plan, spearheaded the realization of the California Coastal Trail with several allied organizations, developed a grant program to assist ranchers and farmers implement regenerative agricultural practices and occasionally, as a last resort, sued the County government and landowners for failure to adhere to local and state land-use regulations. <br> <br>No inappropriate development has occurred during our tenure. The landscape is still a mosaic of ranching and wild open space. The Naples development of 72 homes is unrealized. And the coast has become freed from the development schemes of hedge funds and development companies. The end of Southern California still resembles its natural state. <br> <br>Take less, give more! <br>

Peninsula Open Space Trust is an accredited land trust. Accreditation means Peninsula Open Space Trust meets national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. Peninsula Open Space Trust has demonstrated to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission its commitment to excellence. Accredited land trusts meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. These land trusts demonstrate their commitment to excellence by adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices, the ethical and technical guidelines for the responsible operation of a land trust, and meeting the accreditation requirements drawn from them. Learn More: http://www.landtrustaccreditation.org/about.

What inspires me to give is not my giving story, but the giving stories of others. <br />My first adventure contributing to a non-profit organization in a meaningful way was by rallying a team of students to create a short animation for the Make-A-Wish Foundation as a rare resource for parents & children to have hopeful conversations about loss. It was an incredible journey, with many hurdles to overcome, but ultimately we created a beautiful film that showed at the Cannes Film Festival & was up for Oscar consideration. The film continues to inspire me; it's a part of my legacy. How does it feel to give? I think my animation says it best' feels like dancing in a sky full of inspiring clouds.<br /><br />Now I'm focused on a new journey, one that will take me to a faraway continent to help people that I've never met, in a broad spectrum of ways. I will be traveling to Ethiopia with a grant from the Travel For Good program next October to make a short film about the clean water well that I've been fundraising for via Charity Water. Charity Water was founded by Scott Harrison after giving a year of his life and selling all of his possessions to do a humanitarian trip to Africa. On that trip he had a stark realization, the doctors he traveled with could hardly help the mass crowds showing up to soccer stadiums for care. Many of the weary people having walked 3 weeks just to have the opportunity to see a doctor. The illnesses he saw and the caretakers he met inspired him to dig deeper into what the root cause of so much disease was. <br /><br />What Scott Harrison discovered was that filthy water was the major culprit contributing to the people's plight there. He witnessed people walking for hours to dirty water holes filled with leeches and germs and then taking that water back to their children. Often the girls we're walking for 4 hours or more just to provide their families with water. These treks caused them to skip school and spend the majority of their time just covering this basic need over and over again. Scott was determined to make a change and when he returned to New York, he crafted the initial ideas behind his foundation Charity Water. 10 years later Charity Water just celebrated and amazing anniversary having provided 6.3 million people with clean water so far. I am thrilled to be fundraising to be a part of that change and to eradicate the water crisis in the world with this outstanding charity.<br /><br />I love languages. Art is a language. Music is a language. Film is a language. Each one designed to speak to your heart. recently I learned an amazing Hebrew word: Ahava. It means to love, but specifically, 'I will give.' I think the best use of my creativity is to help people have better lives. I give for the opportunity to make the world a better place in some small way. To have a voice' to multiply happiness: my happiness and others' happiness. What I realized along the way was I need less and I want to give more. I think the most important thing is: What story will they tell about your giving heart? What inspires me to give is the possibility of creating new exponential opportunities by inspiring others to give through my giving story.

I have be proudly volunteering with this program for years and plan to continue because it is dedicated to pursuing providing and researching the healing capabilities of the ocean on our mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical health.

TreePeople has helped me plan and carry out three tree planting projects at my son's school. The best part has been that the students were able to help plant the trees themselves. TreePeople was so great at explaining to them why planting trees is important, and how to do it correctly. They even had shovels small enough for the kindergarten students to use! The playground use to be sweltering hot and completely unshaded - now it's green, shady, and so, so beautiful.

Working with them for the Nature Center and Native Plants

I found CORAL while searching for a non-profit that was in need of graphic design work. I sent an email about volunteering and have been working with this wonderful organization for almost 3 years now. Their focus on the local communities that rely on coral reefs for their livelihood is evident in everything they do.

Antelope Valley Conservancy is a great community managed land trust! For 18 years, AVC has established preserves, helped local government agencies design preservation, contributed to regional conservation planning, and so much more. Way to go, AVC!

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