The California Wellness Foundation Sabbatical Program was created to improve the long-term effectiveness of health-focused nonprofits by providing their executives with the rest they need to continue to direct their organizations' missions. The leadership support program - now in its fifth year - provides eight organizations each with a $35,000 grant to cover the leader's salary and expenses during the sabbatical, which lasts a minimum of three months.
Free Clinic of Simi Valley was founded in 1971, and at 22 years of age, Fred Bauermeister was one of its first volunteers and became its founding executive director. Today the clinic offers medical and dental care, individual and family counseling and legal assistance – all through professional volunteers.
In December 1990, Maria Costello walked through the doors of the Crossroads Foundation seeking help for her alcohol and drug addiction, and refuge from living in a violent environment. As she healed, she assumed a variety of practical tasks at the recovery home, enrolled in college, and was hired as a resident manager. She was promoted to many different jobs within the agency, becoming its executive director in 1997.
Rufino Dominguez founded Centro Binacional Para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño (Centro Binacional) in 1993 after several years of involvement in student and community organizing in Oaxaca, Mexico, and advocacy and community work in California.
April Lea Go Forth is the founder and executive director of Resources for Indian Student Education, Inc. (RISE), which plays a critical role in addressing academic, cultural and health barriers for Native youth in an eight-county rural region of Northern California.
In 1979, two years after it was incorporated, Marsha Krouse-Taylor came to Casa de Esperanza as the children’s program director. Six years later, she was named executive director and rapidly expanded the organization’s budget and service capacity.
In 1993, Penny Newman founded the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (the Center) in response to personal and community impacts resulting from exposure to toxic pollution.
William “Blinky” Rodriguez founded Communities in Schools of San Fernando Valley (CIS) in 1994. After losing his 16-year-old son to a drive-by shooting, CIS became his life’s mission – building an integrated approach to reducing gang violence and helping gang-involved youth transform their lives.
Mary Szecsey has been executive director at West County Health Centers (WCHC) since 1995. WCHC is a licensed Federally Qualified Health Center providing comprehensive health services at two facilities in western Sonoma County.
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