I attended a meeting here the other night and was very impressed with the work and accomplishments…read moreof this new start up nonprofit. They are part community based organizers, part policy wonks, part civil rights lawyers and part CSI put all that together and you have results.

Brightline has been a prominent nonprofit in the SOMA community for years and I enjoyed externing…read morehere last spring as a law student. I can't wait to keep up with all the accomplishments that Eddie and other staff at Brightline have in store for the future. **Highly recommend!

I have been a Volunteer 10 years of now. The CEO Dawn ,Ron Delvin& the entire staff. Are truly by…read morefar amazing the loyality, kindness the programs that they teach kids. From 14-24-are beyond awesome. It has change my life I grew up with both parents. Nice home&:cabin in Bear Valley/ My dad wk for Delta Airlines 36 years. Travel 1st- class. These kids who come into SYS have had some rough hard times. Whenever they are making music recording . Moe teaching High School to cook/ clean. To prepare them for jobs All kids that I've seen they love it. I admire the entire staff. Being a Volunteer it's work. I love it every time. I go in clean it all makes sense when you see what this place is truly all about. I want to continue to donate$$to see place continue to help kids. To become better to get hired. I have met people in their late 30's. To come in say Hi they tell me they were@ SYS. When they were 12 ! I love hearing wonderful uplifting stories. Hats off to CEO/ Staff

This place is incredible the way they deal w/ kids and families. It seems to be full of love and…read morethey have the knowledge to work w/ the system and get kids the help needed - in a compassionate way. I had the opportunity to attend their event last year and I am just so impressed with the staff of Sunset Youth Services. Apparently they deal with families all over the city, not just in the Sunset as one might suspect. Bravo to the whole group in having the courage to tackle these real life issues like drugs, violence, abuse, and prostitution that many of these children deal with everyday. Can you imagine the pressure of that? We all need a force such as this staff to exert intellect wrapped in love to effect the hearts of our kids and the capacity to advance them into mature people that give back to society. I know there are several people that have gone there - and gone on to live successful lives supporting there own familys, and giving back to the community. It's awesome.

I've been an Experience Corps volunteer since March, teaching elementary school students in San…read moreRafael and am so thrilled with this experience and with this fabulous organization! Not only did they find me the perfect place to work and encourage me to bring my skills as a journalist into the classroom, they also are committed to building community among their volunteer staff. I'm volunteering this summer to make sure one of my students has her multiplication tables down pat by 5th grade and I'll be back this fall to work with her and other students from last year. What an absolutely fabulous and fulfiling experience!

The ear-to-ear smiles on the two little girls' faces spoke volumes and made me so glad to be there…read moreto scoop up some macaroni and cheese and put it on their plates. To see the little boy's eyes light up upon being given a freshly iced vanilla cupcake brought a smile to my face and warmth in my heart. Last weekend I had the privilege of working side by side with a dedicated group of volunteers in setting up, decorating and putting on the Homeless Prenatal Program's annual Holiday Party for low income and homeless families in San Francisco. The dedicated staff at San Francisco's Homeless Prenatal Program (HPP) work with some of the poorest families in the City in motivating parents to try to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty for the sake of themselves and their children. By offering services such as parental counseling, substance abuse rehabilitation, mental health counseling, immigration support, job training resources, family violence therapy and housing assistance HPP helps parents and their children deal with everyday problems in an attempt to build trust within their community and motivate them to improve their lives and their family's well-being. With the simple goal of trying to put a smile on the face of somebody who might not have much to smile about the entire HPP staff cooks up an incredible Christmas luncheon each year to share with the over 150 families who rely on HPP's services. In addition to the fabulous holiday feast all children attending the party receive a wrapped book and every family is given an opportunity to pose and take home a family photo with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. This year individual volunteers along with volunteers organized by One Brick and The Junior League helped to transform a plain assembly room donated by the Old First Presbyterian Church on Sacramento Street and Van Ness Avenue into a festive holiday party hall. With the use of colorful ribbons, colored paper, Christmas lights and assorted ornaments we created a room that screamed out "HOLIDAY"! The more creative volunteers transformed ordinary ribbons into decorative bows while less creative individuals such as myself helped to create hundreds of helium-filled balloons for the kids. Volunteers and HPP staff wrapped hundreds of donated children's books and categorized them by the intended ages, and The Junior League's volunteers set up an art room where parents and their children could go in and create beautiful holiday images to take home. The rest of us grabbed a spot along the food server stations to help serve the homemade feast consisting of turkey, ham, stuffing, rice, vegetables, salads, tortillas with rice and beans, macaroni and cheese and the most incredible dessert table I've ever witnessed created entirely by two dedicated sisters who volunteer their services annually. It was an event I won't soon forget. I've posted some photos in the photos section. If you are interested in volunteering you may contact HPP's volunteer coordinator through the Homeless Prenatal Program website (http://www.homelessprenatal.org/).

The Homeless Prenatal Program has done great work for the community through their many programs…read more THIS is the organization I donate to because I know where the money is going... directly to the people who need it rather than to the staff who are supposed to be part of the services who don't show up. HPP don't irk me either because they're not folks that hide out, only to show up for photo opts! A lot of the clients are trained and end up working for the organization. If you're not sure if you want to donate to them, you could attend one of their wonderful open-house events (lots of food, you get to talk to the program people, and the clients whose lives they changed). Galvin Newsom and Danielle Steel were at one of the ones I attended! Check out their web site http://www.homelessprenatal.org/ P.S. I'm not giving them all those stars because of the chicken wings served at their event. Just look at their web site (made by volunteers - what dedication!) and compare it to other organizations and you'll come to the conclusion that HHP is organized and together!!!! Look at all the services they provide and the level of detail they go into on the site. You know they've gots to be reals.

I am so happy to write a review for the North Peninsula Neighborhood Services Outreach. These…read morepeople have literally been like angels from above. My 83 year old grandmother is a homeowner in Daly City and recently had her leg amputated. Her recovery has been a year long process and she finally made it home in December 2009. She has owned her home for 40 years and in those 40 years has done virtually no maintenance on her house. She has always been very independant and will not allow people to help her out. While she was hospitalized, I finally had the opportunity to go into the house and clean it out. The house was in bad bad shape and once it was cleaned out......it became very evident that I was in over my head. She is on a fixed income and I had basically run out of any money I had put aside to help get the house liveable for an elderly (and now disabled) woman. I was referred to North Peninsula Outreach as they are an organization which assists low income elderly persons who are in this exact predicament. I made contact with a woman named Lisa and she was an absolute godsend. Walked me through the application process and warned me it would be a few weeks before help might arrive. My needs were extensive but mainly I wanted assistance in repairing the 50 year old furnace which was completely busted. I wasn't hopeful that this would get resolved but thought any help would be better than none. It took about 3 weeks and then we were contacted by a man named Paul who was one of the contractors for the organization. He was so sweet and polite and arranged a time to meet and assess my grandma's needs. He showed up on time as promised and right away roamed the house looking for items that needed fixing. At the risk of boring everyone to death.....here's what this amazing organization did for my grandma......complete repair of the furnace and replacement of thermostat, purchased and installed new toilet, purchased and repaired new kitchen and bathroom fawcets, fixed front door and installed new knob and deadbolt, purchased smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors and installed, fixed broken stairway bannisters!!!!! I'm gushing......but this outreach is beyond 5 stars and I swear I will somehow payback in the form of volunteering. There was no way we could have afforded to pay for this work at this time and it was so great how fast they worked, with the furnace in particular. Paul said he wasn't going to allow a bedridden 83 year old live in a house w/o heat. I highly recommend that anyone who lives in Daly City and has an elderly parent/grandparent who needs help with their home and are on a fixed income.....contact this group. They are truly wonderful and ask for nothing in return.

Community service was a good way for me to get to know my new home: SF's history, its…read moreneighborhoods and their cultures, and of course the issues and needs present in the community. I've been a ROCK volunteer for a year now, and not only do I have a greater appreciation for this city, but I've also found a family in the kids, staff, and volunteers that I've met through ROCK. I'm involved in ROCK's Saturday Skill Drills, 6-week sports sessions (3 sessions per year) for elementary-school kids. The kids are extremely energetic and enthusiastic for a Saturday morning, but it's a rude awakening that's so much fun--and a welcome change of pace from hanging out with boring adults! There are also weekend programs geared towards middle-school and high-school students, as well an elementary after-school program, so there are plenty of chances to share your talents and lend a hand. Visitacion Valley has received some careless and ignorant media attention, and I wish more people could see what a vibrant community it really is. There's a quote from Daniel Burnham that goes, "To love one's city and have a part in its advancement and improvement is the highest privilege and duty of a citizen." I want to encourage fellow SF citizens to consider joining a remarkable grassroots effort that celebrates, protects, and empowers the next generation of this neighborhood (a neighborhood that Newsom & Co. are choosing to ignore). ROCK is profoundly changing lives, including my own, and I can't be more thankful and proud! be a part of it... http://www.rocksf.org http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhWLCJuESWc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-kNRLrzCNA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFWgFHAJvqw

I love volunteering for ROCK. Its awesome because you get to do different outdoor activities like…read moremountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, habitat restoration (if you choose the middle school program) while spending time with kids that live in the visitation valley on saturdays. Most of the volunteers are in the mid 20's - mid 30's age range, which is nice. They also totally understand if you can't commit to going every saturday in the 6 week sessions they offer 3x/year, just as long as you can go to at least half of them.

As much as it hurts me to say this about this place, Ive got to be truthful. Safe & Sound (formerly…read moreknown as SF Talk Line) was nothing short of a miracle place for me and my 3 kids. I started off going to this place for therapy services and quickly learned they offered much more than just a safe place to talk. These people were heaven sent, they have been there for me and my 3 kids (who at the time were very young) and have helped us during times when no one else was there - in so many ways. I couldnt be more thankful for the staff that worked there at that time (10 years ago). When i was looking for housing, Beatrice (Betty) not only provided helpful resources, she even went with me to several of the showings just for support. She was like the best friend i never had. Christmas time, they provided gifts for my kids when I couldn't and when i finally found a place, they even helped me with my security deposit to move in! I was emotionally attached to the staff during this time of my life, which was more difficult than i could ever speak on. The talk line was always open and available whenever i needed someone to talk to, which was quite often during that part of my life, I could always count on them for emotional support. Unfortunately, that all changed one day out of no where. Betty (Beatrice) and the other black lady there (forgive me for not recalling her name at this time) but she was one of the head people there during that time, I considered them to be lIke family - suddenly began to treat me like I never existed, they completely turned their backs on me with no explanation what so ever. i was crushed! To this day i still have no idea why they changed up on me the way they did. We've never had anything but good interactions. I was devastated. i even wrote a two page email to the both of them and they never even gave me the decency of a simple response. The last time I was there they treated me like they didnt even know me or had just met me. It was unbelievable! To this day i wonder what caused them to change up on me the way they did but i guess i'll never know. I wont say not to utilize this place because its a wonderful place - especially if you're in need of any kind of emotional support but i will say move with caution. Anyone who can go from being as close and supportive as they were with me to simply acting like you never existed is something I'd be extremely Leary of. SF Talk Line nka: Safe & Sound truly hurt me to the core. I have tried several times to find out why, but all i got was silence. Not sure if the same people are there still, doesnt matter, if this is the way they do you after supporting you emotionally for as long as they did with me, then Id beware. Such a very sad ending to what I thought was a beautiful story.

This is a place that is situated in an old firehouse , next to Bikram Yoga The wonderful staff…read moreprovide a break for parents, as well as support groups and classes on how to parent , how to maintain self-care, involvement in the community, and many, many other meetings that are so very helpful (actually life-saving to be more accurate) The child care staff is so wonderful with the kids, I have not encountered such warmth and caring as the playroom...and it's free because it is a non-profit organization. If you are a parent that needs a break then check this place out.

I've been involved with many youth serving non-profits around the Bay area and I can honestly say…read morethat 7 Tepees has a model that provides their participants with many excellent opportunities for growth and development. The long-term comprehensive model is truly unique and allows for deeper programming than most other agencies. In particular, the outdoors program and mentoring program both provide incredible experiences for youth. I just completed a year as a mentor for 7 Tepees and was extremely satisfied with the entire process. My mentee and I met up each month and participated in fun activities organized by 7 Tepees as well as individual meet ups that ranged from hikes and homework, to kayaking and Giant's games. If you're looking for a place to be a mentor for a youth, look no further.