Okizu

Okizu (oak-eye-zoo) comes from the Sioux language and means unity, to come together, to heal from a hurt, to make whole. The mission of Okizu is to help all members of families affected by childhood cancer to heal through peer support, respite, mentoring, and recreational programs.

For 40 years, Okizu has been committed to the continuing support of the Oncology, Siblings, Family, Bereavement, and Teens-N-Twenties programs. These programs are the result of a collaborative effort between Okizu and the pediatric oncology treatment centers in Northern California.

The specific purpose of Okizu is to operate peer support programs for children and families affected by childhood cancer based on the community-forming nature of a residential camp experience. For that reason, all of Okizu’s programs are offered free of charge to the families we serve.

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FALL 2020 WINNER

Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity (AHO) Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity (AHO) is an organization designed for youth, by youth, for the future of youth who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness. Since its inception in January 2005, AHO has been leading the way in addressing the growing trend of youth homelessness in Marin County, Greater Bay Area and Sacramento, CA. AHO Mission: To provide young adults ages 18 to 25 who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness a trained life coach, the essential resources and leadership opportunities to become financially self-sufficient contributing adults. Learn more...

FALL 2020 WINNER

Canal Alliance Canal Alliance offers immigration legal services, education and career programs, and social services to help Latino immigrants and their families overcome the barriers to success. Their services help their clients: Graduate from college Learn English Become a U.S. citizen Get legal support Get immediate assistance Acquire job skills Learn more...

Marin Center for Independent Living's mission is to assist persons with all types of disabilities to achieve their maximum level of sustainable independence as contributing, responsible and equal participants in society.

The Marin Center for Independent Living (Marin CIL) was organized by a group of dedicated volunteers in 1979, following the world changing movement for disability rights begun next door in Berkeley in the 1960s. Ed Roberts, together with several other quadriplegic students, called for the opening of the University of California-Berkeley to students with disabilities, and the first curb cuts and ramps were born.

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Project Avary offers long-term support, resources, guidance and training for children with incarcerated parents. Their programs are tailored to meet the needs of this unique population by providing youth development in leadership, emotional and social intelligence, and independent living skills.

Project Avary is a safe space where families and children of incarcerated individuals can be open and honest about the pain and grief of losing a loved one to the criminal justice system. Within this container of deep trust and respect, children of the incarcerated join together to grieve and heal the wounds of loss and abandonment.

Since 1999, this year-round program has met the unique emotional needs of children with a parent in prison. They intervene early in the lives of children at the ages of 8 to 11, and make a long-term 10-year commitment to each child and family.

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Bloom is a non‐profit organization that provides complimentary wardrobes to men, women, and children who are transitioning to a life of self‐reliance. Their clients are among the low income or working poor populations who are referred by supporting social services agencies. The population served includes participants in substance abuse recovery programs, victims of spousal abuse, as well as others who are homeless, jobless, or suffering from economic hardship.

Bloom not only provides clothes to satisfy the requirements of the workplace, but also to enhance the social and recreational needs of their clients who are working to transition to a life of self‐sufficiency.

Bloom is the only non-profit in the United States to provide wardrobes for the entire family at no fee to the client.

Marin City Health & Wellness Center provides services from San Rafael to San Francisco. Founded to provide affordable and accessible health care services to residents of public housing, they are uniquely located in the communities where their clients live.

Services include:

• State-of-the-art medical and dental care
• Natural birth center
  
• Behavioral and mental health programs
• Healthy lifestyle programs for all ages
• Youth leadership programs for teen boys (The Defenders) and teen girls (Girl Power)

Wednesday's Gift is a critical piece of Marin County's social safety net. For years, they have been busy helping local individuals and families obtain the basic necessities of life: food, clothing, and shelter.

In addition to their year-round work, Wednesday's Gift organizes holiday giveaways of food, clothing, and toiletries to hundreds of homeless and disenfranchised people each year. Their gift bags contain key essentials for survival, and each one is accompanied by a holiday card that has been made by local school children.

Jessica's Haven - Our mission is to be a small dog rescue that offers vocational and social opportunities to individuals with disabilities – we prefer saying people with different abilities. Our rescue dogs benefit from being socialized, bathed, walked, played with and love all the attention received from our program’s participants. Our growth potential is staggering- with your help!