As an AmeriCorps VISTA I knew I would be joining the fight in the “war on poverty,” which is actually how Community Action Partnership came to be. In 1976, President Lyndon B. Johnson decided that poverty in the United States needed to be addressed; so he created the network of Community Action Partnerships; non-profit organizations around the country that work to help people out of poverty. Since they are still functioning many years later, we can see that this is far from an easy task. At Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County (CAP), a staff of over 200 compassionate, enthusiastic people work as a team to meet the needs of thousands of individuals and families around them. The care they provide centers around meeting community members where they are, instead of providing services based on what they can get from donors, or what they think the community needs.
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Working for CAP has shown me that the real Golden Rule is “Treat others the way they want to be treated”. Everyone’s goals are valid. Every single person on your block or in your dorm or in your apartment has potential for a “good” life, and though their definition of “good” might be different from their neighbor’s definitions and yours, they are all important and valid. Every person has the right to access resources that can help them reach their goals. Community Action Partnership strives every day to provide those resources and cares so deeply that if someone comes to us for help, and when we lack the services they need, we can easily direct them to one of our many partners for assistance.
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My favorite thing about working for Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County is finding people who care so much about the people around them. The staff’s incredible work ethic inspires me every day to try harder, be innovative, and roll with the punches. In a political climate that is actively trying to suppress non-profits and aid-giving organizations, CAP keeps on, pushing through negativity and threats of defunding, all in the name of helping our neighbors without judgment. If you like the sound of that, come see us. Meet our incredible staff and volunteer with any of our programs. We work with Head Start, another program from the War on Poverty, to prepare infants and young children to adapt to school life. We have dental programs that provide kids with preventative care so they can have healthy teeth and a good quality of life. We have programs like Via Esperanza and Padres Unidos that teach parents how to be the best parents possible for their kids and teens. We cover almost every aspect of people’s lives to ensure that our neighbors and community members can be their best selves.
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You can contact me with questions about our programs, how you can get involved, and how you can volunteer with us by emailing me at slittlewood@capsonoma.org, or calling me at 707-544-6911 ext 1014.
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