This organization is a disaster. They have three executive directors, which is truly bizarre and…read morewasteful, and essentially no one is running the place. It used to be a good organization but now it's unbelievably dysfunctional. Very sad.

Offer great services to the NP community. If you're a small org, they offer great discounts! Need…read morehelp fundraising? Communications? Board help? Managing your time? They have it all. Check 'em out and book a training!

LASF's mission: "To support and enrich the education of every child in the Lafayette public schools…read morethrough a broad community-based effort." A phenomenal fundraising and learning foundation to supplement the Lafayette Unified School District arts & sciences. WIth many schools having to shut down around the bay area, many regions are becoming forced to supplement their own school districts. Kudos to the folks that care enough to dedicate personal time to the cause. If you're a small business or company with items or services to donate, the group is gathering items for their various auctions and its investment into the next generation!

Not sure if it's still up but Sanjeeta was the former Site Director at NRYB. North Richmond is a…read moreshady neighborhood. I mean, it won't go too well in the Iron Triangle for you if you don't now where you at, or what reasojn you're out there. In fact, you cna know the reason, and if it ain't good enough, it's bad news. But this program did good despite it's surroudings, and established a go-to center for youth who wanted to escape the street life. They converted some young folks who were on the streets, making less of themselves and their community. I met this dude out there Jose, who was selling everything from crack to couches. He went thru a cycle (lasts 9 months) of NRYB and didn't complete it due to outside influences. But while he was back out in the streets, he remembered important lessons from the time he was there, and he convinced himself that he needed to do better by his 1 yr old son. So he did, and made a good change. Where he is now? last I heard he was working construction somewhere, and actually doing the damn thing other than speaking on it. Results speak. Everyone wants a handout. A free giveaway in order to fill an instant need that durms against their bodies and souls. A HAND-UP is the way NYRB is going, as well as other YouthBuild programs, teaching youth how to fish instead givin them away, so that they can stay fed for a long while.

This "association" was created to help us business owners and to better the downtown Berkeley area…read more The few events this group comes up for the downtown are just low budget and not planned well. Some weak concert that is cancelled must of the time, instead of food trucks and local craft beer closing the streets and having an actual cool downtown event. -so that said, we leave every weekend to go to Walnut Creek, Concord, Lafayette where is clean, nice people, free parking, no one is breaking into your car, this places have free concerts and great planning events and than we come back to crazy Berkeley to work...can't wait to retired so yes the downtown association main member John will come hang out at your restaurant, eat and drink Ride his bike around town yet besides that I don't see the benefits plus the bright yellow street cleaning crew..why not employ some of the homeless people that are not mentally ill instead? I guess I should stop here, it is Berkeley and it will always be Berkeley a dump with great restaurants and Cal. That's all is is.

I wish every town had something like the DBA - they provide so many important services to the…read moredowntown area. They really have made the downtown look prettier with all the planters and cleaning, and they provide a forum for local businesses to promote events. But I think the most important service they provide is outreach and helping de-escalate situations that occur on the street, providing an alternative and safer option to calling the police. I really appreciate the presence of the ambassadors and think they do a fantastic job overall.

In my first event the Asia Society NorCal ED requested that I contact a MD at my firm regarding…read morevenue sponsorship. I gladly did so, but the MD didn't respond. When I greeted her at the next event, she rudely gave me the cold shoulder and ignored me. This is really unprofessional.

The Asia Society Northern California hosts a variety of events about the Pacific region. They range…read morefrom political discussions to lectures by visiting dignitaries to author appearances and film screenings. This might sound very cerebral but fear not--my favorite events involve the stomach. Last week I went to a tasting of Taiwanese oolong teas. After drinking four cups of potent mountain brew, not to mention eating a plate of oh-so-tasty Charles Chocolates, my hands were shaking like an alcoholic's. Pretty good for $10. Past culinary highlights include a gustatory tour of Southeast Asia and an Indian street snack workshop. Membership is $55. This entitles you to $5-$10 discounts on events, so it pays for itself after a half dozen times. Most activities are held in the 500 Washington building. The popular events are put on in larger venues around the Bay, such as the Asian Art Museum. Attendance is fairly racially mixed but skews a little to the middle aged. To broaden its appeal, Asia Society is cooking up a young professional group. This is music to the ears of at least one person: an attendee at last week's tea tasting. He introduced himself to almost every woman under 40, calling himself a recent transplant from Minnesota eager to make friends. Perhaps I'll see him at the next event--this time with a new "friend" on his arm.

I recently joined so I could try riding a tricycle (I'm autistic and was never able to ride a…read more2-wheel bike). I was not sure whether I could join since their programs are for people with mobility disabilities, but it turns out anyone can join. I wish I had joined earlier! After having some stressful experiences trying to ride a bike as a kid, I was pretty nervous when I got on the trike, but the cycling area around BORP is flat and there aren't tons of cyclists. As I got comfortable I started exploring the connecting trails and it was a beautiful place to ride around.

I've been affiliated with BORP since Tom K started playing wheelchair basketball there about three…read moreyears ago. Pretty soon, one by one, his able bodied friends (myself included) began coming for the weekly Thursday night hoops. Not only was it a lot of fun, and a pretty good work out, it also helped let out some aggression; nothing liking banging against metal at high speeds. But these were just byproducts of our collective experience. More than anything BORP provides amazing programs for disabled people in the Bay Area to connect with others in similar circumstances, and be active together. Furthermore, they encourage able bodied people to participate as well, which is a great way to help reduce some of the stigma surrounding disabled folks. It's a great organization worthy of your support.

Why does Marin County have one of the highest rates of breast cancer in the country? Zero Breast…read moreCancer, the organization formerly known as Marin Breast Cancer Watch, supports research and legislation to find out. In comparison to organizations like the Breast Cancer Fund, Zero Breast Cancer is smaller, more locally-focused, and has more of a grass-roots feel. They do produce a couple of great brochures on Pthalates and other cancer-related chemicals, but their website is not nearly as rich as BCF's. Each year they hold a non-competitive Dipsea Run/Hike along the Dipsea Trail in honor of Annie Fox (former ZBC Board member who died of breast cancer in 2002 at the age of 35), and they are active in supporting the Annie Fox Act to increase funding for research on breast cancer in young women.

Had a great experience at the CIL in the Ed Roberts Campus building, both emailing and calling the…read moreassistive tech team who helped me get a new chair and also find resources to repair my old chair as a backup. Thanks CIL!

This place is the best! We need more community gatherings like this…read more in Berkeley! Wishing ya'll the best