My Nonprofit Reviews
atwarwithin
Review for Old Skool Cafe, San Francisco, CA, USA
I moved to San Francisco from San Diego to work with the youth of Old Skool Cafe. I was already working in "normal" jobs, not really making a difference in people, aside from the charity work I did in the job. I wanted to really enrich others, and connect with a community that needed to believe they could achieve anything. What needs to happen now (I've been here one month) is the youth that have been working with OSC for a few events, need to turn it around and teach others the same values they've learned. It will affect the whole city after a while.
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
My own children's lives. They love it when any of the teenagers come by and say hi. There are no racial boundaries or safety issues here. Everyone is as innocent as a young child.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Occupy a larger office/retail/restaurant space so we can reach a greater audience on a regular basis. I'd also like to have a full-time chef to train the youth and so we always have our set menu, instead of guest chefs for every event.
What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
working with local chefs who have come from similar backgrounds as the youth. They relate on a different level than a normal case worker or mentor.
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
Friendly, Professional, Eager, Talented, Joyous.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
Refurbish an old (1912), abandoned, city-owned, beautiful, perfectly located, historic, noble, huge, police station on 20th and 3rd st in Potrero Hill. That would be our dream location. We wouldn't even need the whole $10,000,000.00!
Ways to make it better...
we didn't need to rely on clients to pay their invoices on time so we could in turn pay our youth and staff.
In my opinion, the biggest challenges facing this organization are...
Red Tape with the City and other organizations, funding, lack of commitment from youth because of feeling guilty for not being at home or on the streets.
One thing I'd also say is that...
We survive on very little right now. We need monthly supporters, to give any amount, and we also need large one time gifts to get things moving. Find someone you know who is into what we are trying to do, and let them know they can donate and volunteer!
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
