Transcript for the video:
“The nonprofit sector is a powerful sector. I mean, it contributes so much. They’re at we’re at the helm of solving social problems. We take on tough issues every day. And the nonprofit sector, I mean, should be celebrated”
“Our society is is really dominated by kind of national, international corporations. Manners of thinking we need to counterbalance that. With local thinking and local knowledge. It’s important for our kids to see leadership from within their community.”
“Especially right now. Right now, we do need to be focusing on things that lift up and celebrate things like the arts, things like community education, things that really uplift and support.”
“We often think about children being able to write their name and read and math and literacy, but it really is about the spaces, the communities, and everyone around children being ready and being committed to connect. They want to feel that they can walk into community spaces, whether it’s a library, a resource center, a school, a cafeteria, and feel safe. Feel welcomed, feel seen, and they want to know that they’re not alone.”
“We forget that at the core of so much of this is people need to work in ways that are meaningful, not just a job. People need to have work that’s meaningful.”
“All I needed was love and support. And so because of that, I take my own life journey and I pour into our young people. I want them to find their peace and happiness in this world. That’s what it’s all about. A lot of times, can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. And they need someone like myself and my staff to show them that there’s an opportunity out there waiting for them.”
“Arts are so important for our mental health and being. I mean, they bring joy, they bring Inspiration They’ve reached cultural differences. It So good. It’s like food for their soul.”
“Our students is, you know, confidence. The way they express themselves, through music, and how they feel proud of their culture and their family. It is just amazing .”
“I think a lot of times people with resources or even people from within the community are waiting from someone else, maybe someone who just fell out of an ivory tower to come to our neighborhoods, and fix things. When people do those kind of projects, those people will leave within a couple of years. But organizations who are training leadership from within this is for a lifetime. That is sustainability.”
“It’s really unbelievable for us to have a foundation in our Contra Costa County it does this this incredible work To lift up nonprofits and partner with them and elevate them and help them be the best they can be. They’re so rooted in community and wanting the community to be better.”
“It’s great having a partner who’s well aware of the needs, the challenges. The benefits, and the resources of the county. And I think if we just trust each other and put in the right ingredients, collectively, we will have a much better place much better community.”
“I’m working alongside people who believe the change is possible that believe there’s good in in everything and that if we just dig enough, we’re gonna we’re gonna be able to find it.
“We just gotta keep pushing. And keep moving forward because I know how hard it gets when you have a dream and vision and you wanna create an impact in your community. And you feel like you don’t have the support.
“I think that we often carry our missions and visions on our shoulders. And it can be overwhelming. And knowing that it there is a whole village that is working with you, it just makes you feel that you’re not alone.”
“This particular county, Contra Costa, is blessed by having a strong infrastructure of nonprofits of funders and I think that coordination goes a long way. We have a lot of work to do, but I think we have the resources in this county to get it done.”
“Coming together as one community will pay long term benefits to our entire society and our community.”
“I think the work that the Lesher Foundation does really cascades out to the community as a whole. When you think about their priorities around the arts and education and equity, isn’t just about education or students. That really is community wide. There’s so much good work going on in Contra Costa County. But they really do help bring together that work so that we can work more strategically.”
“That was the vision, and the family The family has embraced that vision, and they’ve embraced it with heart and intelligence and strategic thinking. The fact that that vision is so relevant today, 30 years later, and it still is powerful, Hi. That’s amazing. It’s truly amazing.”