Tri-Valley Nonprofit Fund Caps Off Workday Challenge Round

Press release from Tri-Valley Nonprofit Alliance:

May 8, 2021

One year after its launch, the Tri-Valley Nonprofit Fund for Covid Relief has completed its third round of funding known as the “Workday Challenge,” thanks to the generosity of the Rotary Club of Livermore.

The Rotary Club of Livermore donated $9,300 last month, triggering the fund’s third round distribution of $63,000 to its beneficiaries and bringing total contributions to date to $183,000. The six designated beneficiary organizations are:

• Axis Community Health
• CityServe of the Tri-Valley
• Open Heart Kitchen
• Senior Support Services of the Tri-Valley
• Spectrum Community Services (Meals on Wheels)
• Tri-Valley Haven

According to Lara Calvert, Executive Director at Spectrum Community Services, this donation from TVNF arrived just in time. “Last year we served 5,701 meals so with all three donations, the TVNF funded one full month’s- worth of meals. We are still serving 280 meals per month, but will run out of government funds at the end of May.”

Rotary Club of Livermore President Carolyn Siegfried explained that the idea for their contribution was proposed by Jay Davis, RCL Past President and Glenn Kubiack, RCL Treasurer. “When our lunch meetings transitioned to online zoom events, Jay and Glenn proposed a "Give Us Your Lunch Money" campaign, inviting club members to donate what they would have spent on weekly lunches during club meetings.”

“Our board of directors voted to support the Tri-Valley Nonprofit Fund for two reasons: the beneficiaries were on the frontlines supporting the people we wanted to help, and our funds would be generously matched by the Workday Foundation, doubling our impact,” Siegfried added.

The motivation of matching funds was a consistent theme during the past year, according to Pleasanton Human Services Commissioner Susan Hayes, who co-founded the fund with TVNPA CEO Kathy Young.

“Raising funds during a pandemic seemed an insurmountable task, but community members and organizations were motivated by the immediate doubling mechanism, allowing for significant, immediate impacts no matter the size of a contribution,” Hayes said, adding, “It has been unbelievable to see the community rally around the organizations serving our most vulnerable populations even as their own businesses and personal lives were being impacted by COVID-19.”

The role of the Community Health & Education Foundation (“CHEF”) as the fund’s fiscal partner has been critical to its success. “From Day One, CHEF was on board to partner with us in designing a contribution and distribution platform that was responsive and transparent,” Young said. “Every dollar contributed went directly to these organizations as they scaled to meet the unprecedented needs we faced.”

Livermore Rotary Club joins a list of stellar matching partners who contributed to the fund over the past year. The TVNF would like to thank them and all the matching partners for making the fund’s impact possible: CHEF, Hacienda Helping Hands, John & Marti Sutton, Moni Nop Real Estate Team, Congregation Beth Emek, Gene Morgan Insurance, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Jean King, Local SEO Guide, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Community and the Workday Foundation.

Moving forward, Young says the TVNPA is exploring ways to expand the fund’s reach, which may include making grants available to TVNPA member organizations and ensuring funds to support organizations with immediate need are available in the future.

Although the Tri-Valley Nonprofit Fund is currently paused, TVNPA has just been named a beneficiary of the CHEF “Spring Give” campaign, running through the month of May. To learn more and/or make a donation, visit http://chefgivingcommunity.org/springgive.

“Our community’s commitment to supporting nonprofits during this past year never wavered,” says Young. “TVNPA wants to continue to share goodwill and support the organizations who help maintain and improve the quality of life for everyone living in the Tri-Valley.”

This press release was produced by Tri-Valley Nonprofit Alliance. The views expressed here are the author's own.