Alzheimer’s Association & 805Help Chosen as Nonprofits of the Year

Alzheimer’s Association and Assemblymember Limon

Source: Office of Monique Limon

The Alzheimer’s Association, California Central Coast Chapter is proud to announce it has been selected as a 2019 California Nonprofit of the Year by Assemblymember Monique Limón. 

Katie Croskey, Region 3 Director from the Alzheimer’s Association will travel to Sacramento today to join with one hundred other nonprofit leaders to be honored by their state senators and assemblymembers during a celebration luncheon as part of California Nonprofits Day on June 5th. 

“We are so thrilled and honored to be chosen by Assemblymember Limón as a Nonprofit of the Year!” said Chapter Executive Director, Rhonda Spiegel. “We would not be able to do what we do without our staff, Board of Directors, sponsors, amazing communities and countless volunteers.”

“Nonprofits are often hidden in plain sight,” explains Jan Masaoka, CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits). “California Nonprofits Day is an opportunity for our elected officials to celebrate the good work they see nonprofits doing in their districts, and for everyone to appreciate the collective impact of nonprofits in our communities.”

JACKSON TO HONOR 805HELP AS NONPROFIT OF THE YEAR

Source: Office of Rep. Hannah-Beth Jackson

Recognizing the organization’s work to connect survivors of local disasters with the tools they need to recover, Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (Santa Barbara) will honor 805HELP as Senate District 19’s Nonprofit of the Year today. Each year on California Nonprofits Day, members of the California State Legislature present a nonprofit from their district with a resolution commending their contributions to the community.

805HELP is an online, grassroots platform that empowers local community members to support survivors of recent disasters in the form of direct donations, volunteerism and pro-bono services. The “craigslist-style” model connects survivors with services not offered through other agencies or non-profit organizations. The innovative site, which began in response to the 2017 Thomas Fire, also supports those recovering from the Montecito debris flow, Holiday Fire, Borderline tragedy, Hill Fire and Woolsey Fire. 

“As our community continues to rebuild from the devastating Thomas Fire and other local disasters, 805HELP has proven to be an effective tool to connect our most vulnerable survivors with the resources they need to recover. It is an honor to recognize 805HELP and their extraordinary work to engage the community in disaster relief efforts,” said Senator Jackson.

In addition to the online platform, 805HELP has also enlisted creative solutions for some of the largest recovery challenges, like the Montecito Airlift, which harnessed the power of 64 volunteer pilots to fly 117 passengers – doctors, nurses and patients with non-negotiable health appointments while the 101 freeway was closed for nearly two weeks after the Montecito debris flow.

“It’s been beautiful watching our community step up to support complete strangers. After a disaster, everyone wants to help but nobody knows how – and that’s the power of what we built. Our community did tiny things like finding shoes for fire survivors, and we did crazy huge things like starting an all-volunteer airline to fly medical professionals and patients with non-negotiable health appointments when the 101 was closed after the Montecito mudslide,” commented 805HELP founder Emily Barany. “Being recognized as Nonprofit of the Year by Senator Jackson is an honor and lets me know that we are on the right track. What we built locally needs to exist globally. My next challenge is to scale our model so that we can support the recovery of communities around the world. 

Jackson represents the 19th Senate District, which includes all of Santa Barbara County and western Ventura County.