It was delightful to see so many of you this month at our in-person events. We were reminded of how meaningful relationships are and how we need unstructured time to develop them. I overheard these snippets of conversations at our events:
I missed you so much!
How is your family?
I guess I am shorter than you expected.
Here’s my business card.
Let’s get together soon - we have so much to talk about.
What a pleasure to finally meet you!
Strengthening relationships is one of the keys to making public safety stronger. Through our policing series, we are building invaluable bridges between the community and law enforcement.
Our Arts & Culture Thrive Action Group (TAG) reconnected over lunch and brainstorming, our Environment & Sustainability and Basic Needs & Safety Net TAGs met to talk about increasing food recovery, and at our VEOAC, CBO partners shared successes and challenges in their primary election outreach efforts.
We continue to create opportunities to center relationship building. We are excited to share our work creating the Climate Summit for San Mateo County: Building a Collective Commitment To Ensure Climate Adaptation and Equity, hosted by Climate Resilient Communities, Nuestra Casa, Rise South City, and Thrive Alliance. This all-day event will feature keynote speakers; panel discussions with community-based organizations, funders and researchers, and government; lunch; networking and table discussions; and community building. Save the date for Monday, October 3!
Nonprofits and Housing - What to Know and What to Do: This event will be hosted by our Basic Needs and Safety Net TAG and YIMBY Action as part of our nonprofit connection series at CZI and will focus on the importance of getting involved in the housing elements. Date: Thursday, September 8
A Summit of Education Leaders on Partnerships in Education - Thrive Community Forum: This event willfocus on building relationships between the extended learning providers and the school districts. Date: Thursday, September 22
We at Thrive look forward to seeing you at all of these events. Of course, for those uncomfortable with being in-person, we will continue to offer hybrid whenever possible.
Warmly,
Petra Silton, Senior Director of Programs
Personal note: Michelle Kim's one year AmeriCorps VISTA program is over soon. I am proud of all she has accomplished and will miss her positivity and her "I'll figure it out" attitude dearly, but am happy to know that our paths will continue to cross. There will be a full appreciation of her in our next Thrive Star Newsletter.
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For more Thrive and Community events, visit Thrive's Event Page.
At Thrive
Policing in San Mateo County
Building Bridges Between Community and Law Enforcement
While recognizing the value of law enforcement, many community members do not feel safe around police. To address this issue, Thrive moderated a conversation between Nick Jasso, Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY), Youth Voice Policy Coordinator, Susan Manheimer, Former San Mateo Police Chief, Public Safety & Justice Consultant, Dan Mulholland, Chief of Police in Redwood City, and Kalimah Salahuddin, Jefferson Union High School District Trustee to discuss building bridges between our local community and law enforcement. While the conversation was at times challenging, our panel and audience had concerned community members and engaged law enforcement personnel eager to make improvements and look for paths forward. To view both this event and a previous event session in Thrive's Policing in San Mateo County Series, please click here. This event was sponsored by The Grove Foundation and Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
Easy Outreach: November Election Education Toolkit
Thrive wanted to know how we can increase voter outreach in a way that is easy for our partner CBOs. For the June Primary, Thrive, with the fiscal sponsorship of The Grove Foundation, created an Election Education Toolkit and distributed it to twelve CBOs. We learned that with training and creating simplified, personalized, and fun outreach materials, nonprofits would have an easier time getting their constituents interested in voting. If you are interested in receiving this year's November election outreach toolkit, please email Yajaira Ortega, Thrive's Policy & Advocacy Associate. For more information on how you can engage the next round of voters before the November election, join Thrive at our upcoming Voter Education & Outreach Advisory Committee (VEOAC) on Wednesday, August 17, 9:00 - 10:00 am.
The State of California will invest billions of dollars in programs focused on affordable housing, homelessness, health, food access, senior nutrition, the arts, and so much more. State agencies and local governments will continue to turn to nonprofit partners to deliver critical services as efficiently as possible. To partner effectively, nonprofits need better contracting terms.
Following the recommendations made by panelists at a joint hearing of the legislative nonprofit select committees, CalNonprofits convened an informal statewide coalition on contracting. CalNonprofits drafted this letter to the Governor and legislative leaders to begin a new phase of collaborative discussion. CalNonprofits is asking for support for improved contracting with the state. Please take a minute to sign on to this letter before Monday, July 25.
State Funds Coming to San Mateo
San Mateo County has received funding for local projects from the 2022-2023 CA state budget. For Information, visit Assembly Democratic Caucus.
$3.5 million for the Belmont Alameda de las Pulgas Corridor Project.
$1.3 million to the City of San Mateo will help renovate and rehabilitate the Marina Library.
$3.2 million will assist the City of South San Francisco in creating Linden Park.
$25,000 for the Peninsula Humane Society will upgrade their X-Ray machine.
$100,000 in funding for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte will facilitate the purchase of a Hysteroscope.
Thrive Action Groups
Arts & Culture TAG
Arts & Culture organizations have had a rough few years. Throughout the pandemic, we saw arts organizations experiencing unforeseen challenges, including shutdowns and funding issues. Thrive has relaunched regular Arts & Culture TAG meetings, which will provide space for arts organizations to convene, collaborate, share ideas, and support each other in connecting with the community.
In July, along with the San Mateo Office of Arts & Culture. we met with arts organizations over lunch, exchanged ideas and stories, and outlined a meeting plan. If you missed this convening, catch the replay. Don't miss the Saturday, August 27, Countywide Celebration of the Arts!
Children & Education TAG
How do we get policy maker's to prioritize children's issues? This was the central question of our last Children & Education TAG. This meeting focused on Silicon Valley Community Foundation's Choose Children Initiative and strategies around getting policymakers to prioritize children's issues, not just through candidate forums but also through data gathering and sharing and political pressure.
The ongoing C&E TAG meetings have highlighted the need for connection, peer understanding, and collaboration among CBOs and the school districts. How can we influence policy issues to get more support and foster better collaboration and relationships between school districts and CBOs to serve children as effectively as possible?
Join us at our Thursday, September 22Community Forum: A Summit of Education Leaders on Partnerships in Education.
Environment & Sustainability + Basic Needs & Safety Net TAG
Throwing away food creates methane as it decomposes in our landfills and deprives hungry community members of food they may have otherwise received. SB 1383, the short-lived climate pollutant law, focuses on reducing organic waste in landfills through food recovery efforts, reducing methane levels, and giving communities healthy and nutritious food. On June 30, at our in-person event for the Environment & Sustainability and Basic Needs & Safety Net TAGs, we brought together six environmentally and socially-focused organizations from three different sectors. Together we discussed food recovery efforts in the county, the impacts they've seen in their work and communities since SB 1383 passed, and how other organizations could get involved. It was fascinating hearing about the different types of organizations involved in this space and encouraging to hear about all the partnerships created across sectors. Read all about this event on our website!
San Mateo County's first-ever Climate Summit, co-hosted by Thrive Alliance, Climate Resilient Communities, Nuestra Casa, and Rise South City, will be on Monday, October 3, 2022, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm. More information is coming soon! If you have any questions, please reach out to Petra Silton. Mark your calendars, and we will see you there!
Join Us for Disaster Preparedness Day!
San Mateo County invites residents to the 18th Annual Disaster Preparedness Day at the San Mateo County Event Center. This free, family-friendly event provides an opportunity to explore emergency response vehicles, meet bomb squad robots, attend first aid and CPR classes, learn about community resources, and more. Emergency supplies will also be available for attendees.
Strategic Planning Cohort Information Session Transform the Effectiveness of Your Small Nonprofit
Tuesday, August 2, 11:00 - 12:00 pm
Come to this virtual open house to learn about Thrive's Strategic Planning Cohort, which will launch in September. Ten organizations will be chosen for this free capacity-building opportunity to develop or update a strategic plan using Mission Met's model. This program is for nonprofit leadership teams of up to three people from small nonprofits (annual budget of $250,000 to $2M) that are dedicated to transforming effectiveness through strategic planning. There will be an application process.
This program will be led by Eric Ryan, co-founder of Mission Met, along with the Thrive team.
Our minds, bodies, and spirits are each an important component of our being and contribute greatly to our overall sense of wellness. Join Thrive and the County of San Mateo Employee Wellness Team as we build strength in each of these areas, and learn skills that can be used daily.This month's exercises are designed to help improve our minds, bodies, and spirits and will feature music therapy, chair yoga, a journaling activity, and a collaborative and fun group poem.
Note: These sessions are not a replacement for professional guidance or counseling.
The County of San Mateo Office of Community Affairs has provided COVID-19 prevention, testing, and vaccination communications for you to share with your community. To access the communications, click here.
Second Round of Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests Now Available
Free meals are available to all kids 18 and under this summer, with no registration required! Find a site near you in San Mateo County: https://shfb.online/summer-meals. @2ndharvest.
COVID-19 vaccines support youth development by allowing them to stay engaged with in-school learning, socializing, and sports. Help children get back to the activities that enrich their lives by getting them their COVID-19 vaccines. Visit MyTurn.ca.gov or (833) 422-4255.
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