Our next giving circle will be conducted virtually. Below you will find all of the information on this quarter's potential recipients. Please review and then look for the ballot email to cast your vote. Members will receive an email with an electronic ballot. Voting will remain open until 5pm on Wednesday, August 30th.
The recipient will be announced via email following the vote. Keep an eye on your inbox!
We have three great groups this quarter:
Each of these groups provided additional information on how they would use our collective donation if selected as well as an information sheet about the organization. Please scroll down to learn more.
The recipient will be announced via email following the vote. Keep an eye on your inbox!
We have three great groups this quarter:
- Yolo County Library Foundation. The mission of the Yolo County Library Foundation (YCLF) is to enhance the ability of the Yolo County Library to provide library services. The focus of the YCLF is to match, supplement and augment programs, services, collections and facilities; to collaborate with Friends of the Library organizations to support Library services; and to provide re-granting opportunities for staff initiated programs, outreach and other projects as determined by the Foundation Board.
- Yolo County Children's Alliance. The mission of the Yolo County Children’s Alliance is to assess, coordinate and act to strengthen and support the continuum of prevention and intervention services and resources for children, youth, and their families.
- Davis Farm to School. Davis Farm to School supports Davis schools in their goals to provide farm and garden-based education, increase farm fresh foods in school meals, and reduce solid waste through recycling and composting programs. The mission of Davis Farm to School is to create an educational and cultural environment in our schools that connects food choices with personal health, community, farms and the land. Davis Farm to School is a project of the non-profit Davis Farmers Market Alliance.
Each of these groups provided additional information on how they would use our collective donation if selected as well as an information sheet about the organization. Please scroll down to learn more.
Yolo County Library Foundation
The Yolo County Library Foundation (YCLF) was founded in December 2016 to enhance services for ALL Yolo County Library branches. As a volunteer-run organization, 100% of donations and grants support YCLF’s top funding priority – early literacy.
The National Commission on Reading states, "the single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school.” However, the California Department of Education (2020) reports that only 48% of Yolo County children read at grade level by 3rd grade.
To improve early literacy rates, our top funding priority is to provide parents, caregivers, and children with free reading materials (print and digital) and literacy training to celebrate and model reading. Numerous studies show that children who enter Kindergarten with early literacy skills are likelier to read at grade level by 3rd grade and graduate from high school.
We strengthen the library’s ability to purchase and distribute high-quality, age-appropriate books to parents and caregivers to create literacy-rich environments at home. We also provide funding for the library to purchase age-appropriate digital resources, like the Tumblebook Library, that children and their caregivers can access together 24/7.
To maximize our efforts, our giving aligns with critical library programming. For example, Yolo County Library staff use the Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR) framework to provide early literacy tips, tools, and strategies to educate parents and caregivers on how to share and model early literacy skills with their children so they can read at grade level.
If funded, we will expand the ability of the library to partner and collaborate with the community by purchasing approximately 2,500 age-appropriate books for children and their parents to build home libraries.
The National Commission on Reading states, "the single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school.” However, the California Department of Education (2020) reports that only 48% of Yolo County children read at grade level by 3rd grade.
To improve early literacy rates, our top funding priority is to provide parents, caregivers, and children with free reading materials (print and digital) and literacy training to celebrate and model reading. Numerous studies show that children who enter Kindergarten with early literacy skills are likelier to read at grade level by 3rd grade and graduate from high school.
We strengthen the library’s ability to purchase and distribute high-quality, age-appropriate books to parents and caregivers to create literacy-rich environments at home. We also provide funding for the library to purchase age-appropriate digital resources, like the Tumblebook Library, that children and their caregivers can access together 24/7.
To maximize our efforts, our giving aligns with critical library programming. For example, Yolo County Library staff use the Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR) framework to provide early literacy tips, tools, and strategies to educate parents and caregivers on how to share and model early literacy skills with their children so they can read at grade level.
If funded, we will expand the ability of the library to partner and collaborate with the community by purchasing approximately 2,500 age-appropriate books for children and their parents to build home libraries.
YCLF Organizational Overview |
Yolo County Children's Alliance
For more than 15 years, Yolo County Children's Alliance has provided Yolo County’s most vulnerable communities with concrete supports through our Community Resource Events. These events are focused on community building, providing families with resources, and ensuring every child has access to concrete supports, including backpacks and school supplies, coats for the winter, and gifts for the holiday season. When our community resource events first began, they were one-day events serving a little more than 100 families in the immediate Bryte and Broderick neighborhood, surrounding our Family Resource Center. When the pandemic led to a rapid rate of job loss, food insecurity, and need for basic supplies, the YCCA team saw a massive increase in families in need of support across our programs - including the need for community celebration and concrete supports. In 2020, team YCCA pivoted to hosting drive-thru events, and serving an increasing number of families. In 2022, YCCA's backpack giveaway program expanded into partnerships with school districts, other nonprofits, and helped bring a brand-new backpack, filled with supplies and resources, to more than 1,600 Yolo County students. Additionally, our Community Giveaway Day and Holiday Toy Distribution expanded as well. This year, in 2023, our Back-to-School Giveaway Program expanded yet again, allowing us to provide those concrete supports to more than 3,100 children throughout Yolo County.
This expansion is devastating since it’s a testament to how much inflation is affecting those families. However, it’s also a testament to the support our organization is able to provide, and the trust our community and partners have in our organization. As we approach the winter months, we are anticipating our Coat Giveaway program to jump from 2,000 children, to at least 2,500 children. We are asking the 100+ Women Who Care of Yolo County to help support this rapid need. If awarded funding, our funds would go directly into the hands of children who need it most this winter in the form of coats, Thanksgiving Meal kits, hygiene kits, and additional resources.
Thank you, we look forward to partnering with 100+ Women Who Care of Yolo County
This expansion is devastating since it’s a testament to how much inflation is affecting those families. However, it’s also a testament to the support our organization is able to provide, and the trust our community and partners have in our organization. As we approach the winter months, we are anticipating our Coat Giveaway program to jump from 2,000 children, to at least 2,500 children. We are asking the 100+ Women Who Care of Yolo County to help support this rapid need. If awarded funding, our funds would go directly into the hands of children who need it most this winter in the form of coats, Thanksgiving Meal kits, hygiene kits, and additional resources.
Thank you, we look forward to partnering with 100+ Women Who Care of Yolo County
YCCA Organizational Overview |
Davis Farm to School
The mission of Davis Farm to School is to create an educational and cultural environment in our schools that connects food choices with personal health, community, farms and the land. By way of background, Davis Farm to School (DF2S), a project of the non-profit Davis Farmers Market Alliance (DFMA), has been a partner of the Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD or the District) for over 20 years.
DJUSD serves approximately 8,821 students in the City of Davis and Yolo County; and has,
DJUSD serves approximately 8,821 students in the City of Davis and Yolo County; and has,
- 10 elementary schools, 3 junior high schools and 3 high schools including one comprehensive high school.
- DF2S provides support to all schools within Davis, including Peregrine School, Davis Waldorf School and St. James. We are happy to support all schools in Davis to provide comprehensive garden-based and experiential opportunities to all students in Davis.
- Garden based learning at junior high schools is integrated into classes including SAVE (Scientific and Vocational Exploration) and agriculture classes.
- Special education students throughout the district, but particularly at the junior high schools and high schools, regularly utilize the school garden spaces as "calm/quiet areas".
- Numerous opportunities for hands-on experiences, and socio-emotional learning for students.
- DF2S supports school site garden coordinators by providing resources such as lessons, supplies, volunteers, workshops, as well as networking and communicating with district maintenance staff. We also work with district administration to craft school garden policies.
- Our school gardens support California’s academic content standards and provide important hands-on learning experiences for students.
Davis Farm to School |