RCF Connects wishes to announce and welcome our new initiative partner, Healthy Richmond!  Healthy Richmond (HR), a place-based initiative of The California Endowment’s (TCE) Building Healthy Communities program, will transition from its current host organization Bay Area Local Initiatives Support Corporation (Bay Area LISC) to the Richmond Community Foundation (RCF Connects) on August 1, 2019.

The mission of Healthy Richmond is to help make Richmond a place where all children are safe, healthy and ready to learn.  Healthy Richmond Hub staff engages, convenes and coordinates community-based organizations and resident leaders to collectively work towards increased "health equity" and racial justice in the community. Healthy Richmond is designed to improve the health and safety of our whole community, but there are six neighborhoods that are the primary areas of focus: Belding Woods, Coronado, Iron Triangle, North Richmond, Pullman, and Santa Fe.

Healthy Richmond will focus on these primary goals:

To ensure that families have “healthy homes” where they can get services to support healthy behaviors;

To ensure children and their families are safe from violence;

To ensure that neighborhoods and schools support health and healthy behaviors;

To ensure that community health improvements are linked to economic development.

To achieve these goals Healthy Richmond is devoted to helping residents, community leaders and others in Richmond to work together to enhance local systems and policies, improve services and resources, and foster an ability to work effectively as a positive community.

“RCF Connect’s values are aligned with Healthy Richmond’s racial equity work, and there are opportunities for synergy across our existing initiatives, which will provide new opportunities for the Hub,” said James Becker, RCF Connects President & CEO.

Roxanne Carrillo Garza, Hub Manager of Healthy Richmond is looking forward to bringing the model of collective impact to RCF Connects’ wide network of partners and residents who are similarly engaged in health and racial justice.

Stay tuned for future campaigns, activities, news, and events led by our Healthy Richmond Partners.  For more information visit our website at: http://healthyrichmond.net/

The federal government is threatening to begin rounds ups of immigrant families for deportation, starting on July 5.  I want to take this moment to remind us that RCF spaces are Sanctuary Spaces.  On March 1, 2017, the board of directors of the Richmond Community Foundation unanimously approved a resolution declaring the Foundation and its offices as sanctuary spaces for our community.  In doing so, the board of directors and staff stand in solidarity with all community members who may benefit from protection, including immigrants, people of color, the LGBTQ community, and members of various faith traditions.  The Foundation’s core values of equity and inclusion drive our commitment to provide sanctuary. 

In implementing our sanctuary policy, the Richmond Community Foundation (RCF Connects) will use its power and resources in support of our community. In concrete terms, this declaration means that RCF Connects will not allow federal immigration authorities to search the premises without court-issued warrants.  In addition, we will actively support our nonprofit partners and grantees as they seek to declare their own sanctuary spaces.  Below, you may download our procedures for how RCF responds if ICE comes to an RCF Connects location.  If you have any questions, please reach out to me by email or phone. 

I firmly believe that we have an obligation to keep our communities safe and must take a stand on this issue.

Download and read RCF Connects' Procedures for Responding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement here.

JBecker@RichmondCF.org 
Jim Becker, President and CEO

Why it matters

A lot is at stake, including the possible loss of up to $1.1 billion in federal funding in Contra Costa over the next 10 years if there is just a 5% decrease in the percentage of residents who complete the Census form. (For reasons described below, this is a real risk.)

Our county receives about 40% of its revenue from federal and state resources. Government agencies and local businesses rely on Census data to determine everything from where to locate a new housing development or grocery store, to where to invest in new or expanded schools, hospitals, and highways.

Challenges for 2020

A number of unique challenges have arisen in preparations for the 2020 Census, including:

·  For the first time, the Census will be conducted primarily online, though paper and phone responses will still be accepted. This new online focus may discourage participation by residents who are less technologically adept or who don’t have access to the internet.

·  The proposed addition of a Census question about citizenship status has created legal uncertainty and logistical upheaval and is also creating deep fear in immigrant communities. It’s important to know that by law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents’ answers with anyone, including other federal or law enforcement agencies. Census Bureau workers take an oath to protect the confidentiality of all Census data, and there are steep penalties (fines and jail time) for violating this prohibition.

·  More than 250,000 Contra Costa residents – nearly a quarter of our county’s population -- live in Census tracts that are identified as “hard to count.” People who are most at risk of being undercounted include racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ residents, people struggling to make ends meet, children under 5, youth ages 18-24, residents who aren’t proficient in English, people with no high school diploma, renters, and seniors.

Our local response

Any one of the above factors could lead to a Census undercount, but all three of them together are creating a real risk that we will lose significant federal funding and political representation. The good news is that several efforts are underway locally to meet this challenge:

·  Contra Costa’s Board of Supervisors appointed a Complete Count Steering Committee this spring that includes representatives from various sectors and organizations across the county. The committee is charged with developing and overseeing strategies to ensure every resident is counted. Their meetings are open to the public; see the schedule here. The county has posted a wealth of Census-related information, updates, and resources on their website.

·  Local and regional funders have come together to offer grants so that community-based organizations who are trusted messengers can conduct effective Census outreach in specific hard-to-count communities.

·  Several community organizations have come together to form the Contra Costa Census Coalition as a place to share updates, support outreach efforts, and advocate for sufficient funding to support every resident in completing the Census.

What you can do to support a complete Census count

·  Talk to your colleagues, friends, family, and neighbors, starting right now, about the importance of participating in the upcoming Census.

·  Bookmark the county’s Census page, visit it frequently and share the link with others.

·  Sign up as an interested partner here so that you stay up to date on local Census news and events.

·  Schedule a local Census speakers’ bureau member to come to speak to your office, congregation or civic organization about the Census.

·  Encourage folks in your network to apply for a Census job. They pay pretty well and offer flexible hours. There is an urgent need for Census-takers who share language and cultural knowledge with residents of hard-to-count Census tracts.

·  Attend the next round of Regional Census Working Groups in Contra Costa this fall; visit the county’s Census page for more information.

Please contact Mariana Moore, Ensuring Opportunity Campaign Director for more information about "the 2020 Census" at MMoore@richmondcf.org or call 510-234-1200 x 311

Coaching is provided by two coaches:

- Kelly Robinson of Coach to Discover is an International Coaching Federation (ICF) Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and an Organizational Relationship Systems Certified Coach (ORSCC). Kelly has more than 20 years of government and non-profit sector management and program design/implementation experience. She coaches newly promoted managers; established and emerging leaders; teams in transition and growing organizations, especially those led by and in service to communities of color. Kelly is inspired to help leaders and organizations translate their wisdom into action!

- Joni Podschun, Director of Community Engagement & Collaboration at RCF, is a Somatic Coach trained through Strozzi Institute. They have a background in collective impact, evaluation, advocacy, and supporting non-profits to incorporate equity and justice into organizational culture, policies, and services. In addition to conversational coaching, Joni also offers Somatic Bodywork, a clothed practice that uses touch, breath, sound, and movement to release contractions in the body and support the individual to take new actions. They especially love to support directly impacted communities and fellow trauma survivors to deepen their resilience.

If you are looking to bring individual or group coaching for your leaders or organization, we would be glad to have a conversation about your needs and our approach.

Learn more about this coaching opportunity by contacting Joni Podschun, Director of Community Engagement & Collaboration JPodschun@richmondcf.org or call 510-234-1200 x 314

Bill Bankhead, SparkPoint Coordinator at Contra Costa College, graduated from the UCB-Extension's Fundraising and Volunteer Management class on May 17. This five-month long class provided him the skills needed to develop a Case for Giving to present to potential donors. (Photo includes Bill and his mentor, Stani Peycheva, from UWBA.)

Kisty Jimenez, East Site Coordinator, graduated from the National Career Development Association on May 23. This ten-month long class with several other local nonprofits provided participants with relevant skills to assist others in planning careers and obtaining meaningful work. (Photo includes Stephanie Sequeria, Kisty, Betty Geishirt Cantrell, Meghan Cadmus.)

The Food Bank Speaker Series focused on building public speaking and advocacy skills. After training for two months, the cohort traveled to the Capital to use their new skills at Hunger Action Day.  Graduation for the group, including Ingrid Alfaro, Financial Coach, Meghan Cadmus, West Site Coordinator, and Stephanie Sequeria, SparkPoint Coordinator at Dover Elementary School, was held June 5. 

For more information about the SparkPoint program contact Betty A. Geishirt Cantrell, SparkPoint Senior Director at BGeishirtCantrell@richmondcf.org or call 510-779-3200.

The Mobility Hub is going to include a car share and Electric Vehicle charging station, and depending on what else the neighborhood wants, could also have bike share, screens with public transit info, ridesharing, etc. Our Site Level Team members talked to over 315 people in the Santa Fe and Coronado neighborhoods of Richmond, including over 120 surveys in Spanish and spending a Saturday going door to door to survey 39 people in Nystrom Village. The needs assessment asked how they’re using different forms of transportation now and hear about what transportation options they would like to have available in the neighborhood.

RCF was one of the co-founders of NURVE in 2003. The area is most commonly defined as the neighborhood south of Ohio Avenue, west of 20th street, north of Cutting Avenue, and east of 2nd Street. It is not an official neighborhood, as defined by the City of Richmond, and does not have a represented neighborhood council. It includes portions of the Santa Fe and Coronado neighborhoods, and community leadership has often come from those respective neighborhood councils. In 2007, NURVE came up with a powerful community vision. “The NURVE area is a safe, diverse and thriving place where:

·    Kids walk to quality schools;

·    People of all ages use the parks, community facilities and trails;

·    A variety of housing options that supports a range of incomes to meet the needs of local residents.

·    Locally owned businesses provide jobs and services and companies compete to locate; residents have access to fresh, healthy food;

·    Health and social services are nearby; and

·    Excellent transit connects the entire community.”

The final item on this list is what this project is all about. Quality, reliable, affordable transportation helps people get to advance in their career, take care of their health, get their kids to school, and put food on the table.

Thank you, Site Level Team for your hard work to reach your communities. We can’t wait to see what new opportunities this brings to the neighborhood. This project is supported by the “California Climate Investments” (CCI) program.

Learn more about Mobility Hub by contacting Joni Podschun, Director of Community Engagement & Collaboration JPodschun@richmondcf.org or call 510-234-1200 x 314

Learn more about our website and new branding contact Rosalind Welch, Director of Marketing and Communications at Rwelch@richmondcf.org or call 510-234-1200 x 313