So inspired by what this organization has to offer to the local and surrounding Bay Area community…read more I got the privilege of attending their Union City launch event and it was nothing but fun, warmth, and support. Music (DJ), sharing from organizations to support with mental health services, immigration rights, education, vocation, etc.

www.baychi.org 2nd tuesday of every month at PARC's George E. Pake Auditorium. Baychi is a…read morenonprofit organization dedicated to providng free resources and amazing free monthly lectures on user experience/product design/HCI (human computer interaction)/Technology related topics. Past lecutres includesd designers from Tivo to Google. I met some of my best friends through this organization.....if you are a designer, you should come at least once. It will get you excited again. I've been a volunteer at baychi for several years now, and member for lot more. You get to meet amazing innovators and leaders from all over. No, you can't buy beer there, but you can get drunk afterwards with new friends.

Rivers of Chocolate is an annual charity event to benefit the youth division of EHC Lifebuilders, a…read morehousing and support service for the homeless and those at-risk. The event is in it's 13th year and was most recently held at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, CA. This was my first time attending and I enjoyed the festival, the panoramic views, live music and the beautiful warm weather. Participants included Sent Sovi, Plumed Horse, Saratoga Chocolates, Nothing Bundt Cake, Gene's Fine Foods, Blue Rock BBQ, La Fondue, Three Degrees, Dio Deka, R&J Toffee, Dolce Spazio and more... on the beer and wine front there was Uncorked, Savannah-Chanelle, Cinnabar, Cooper-Garrod, Big Basin Vineyards, Picchetti, Martin Ranch, Tessora's, Los Gatos Brewing Co, and Rock Bottom Brewery just to name a few. The $85 (in 2009) tax-deductible entry fee gained you samples of a wide variety of food and drink, with dessert being the main theme... of course. Everything from heavenly Valencia Orange or Strawberry Balsamic Chocolates (Saratoga Chocolates) to delicious, melt in your mouth 36 hour bacon confit and braised cabbage with chocolate harissa cashew sauce (Sent Sovi), to sellout BBQ Pork mini-sandwiches (Blue Rock), and of course.. the requisite chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate fountains, gelato, cheese, baguette and crackers, etc... It was a busy event but not so much that you had to wait for very long to sample, and people were very polite and friendly. Plenty of tables were provided to rest your plate and glass and chat, or you could sit for a while in the concert seating area to relax. The other fun feature was the charity auction items and raffles, including a Tiffany charm bracelet, reserve wines, gourmet gift baskets, framed and autographed local sports paraphernalia, and big ticket items like a Harley Davidson Sportster, a Cessna tour of the bay, overnight stays in Tahoe, Sharks season tickets and more... It was a lot of fun watching and cheering for the bidders and winners. All in all it was a wonderful, well attended event and I would recommend it to anyone. What's not to love about music, wine and gourmet goodies for a worthy cause?

I don't know how Sobrato house (EHC Lifebuilders) is being funded by this place. The program has…read morenot successfully finished any youths needs, or plan for living at the program. Within a few months of living here there has been 5 residents kicked out; all with the excuse of "the program can not meet any of their needs". They falsify documents and staff have "sang" "I don't fuck with you dum-dums". Any program helping fund this place shows how professional they are and are a disgrace to us foster youth. Funding to programs that don't finish what they start don't deserve to be paid to just kick us onto the street; which is where I'm now going because of the problems this program has. Go ahead and keep funding it will just look horrible on your program. Also the money you pay for just goes to the manager she has told me that this program isn't going anywhere due to her money supply... Soooo what's that say?

The Cupertino Symphonic Band is a non-profit community wind ensemble based in Silicon Valley open…read moreto all musicians with a proven proficiency on their instrument (approved by director) They rehearse Wednesday evenings, 7-9:15 p.m., Cupertino Middle School Band Room -- Room MUS-1, 1650 S. Bernardo Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94087. Rehearsals take place August thru June. They perform at several events during the year -- including Patriotic Concert honoring Veterans, Holiday Concert, Children's Concert, Spring Concert, Summer Music Series, Earth Day, and Independence Day Parade. Last night I attended my first concert with Cupertino Symphonic Band, the the Winter Concert at the Cupertino Quinlan Center and it was really wonderful! The concert is free and they had coffee and cookies. I love how they showed videos while band performed.

The FUHS Foundation provides financial resource and support services for public high schools from…read moreFremont Union High Schools District to ensure that all our students are offered a full range of opportunities. They fundraise through direct donations from parents, high school alumni's, local community members, partnership and sponsorships from local businesses and companies, annual auction events, and more. They provide wonderful opportunities for the students and great way for parents to get involved in making a positive difference. I enjoy volunteering for the foundation and working in collaborative team environment.

As a student of San Jose State University I held my internship here. They help youth in trouble or…read morepotential trouble to get the knowledge they need or a mentor to help guild them in the right direction. We taught law to the students so they had a the knowledge necessary to face situations they my face when making decisions or coming into contact with law enforcement. We also poured into the kids good advice and gave them hope. My mentee wrote and gave a speech at the end of the classes which was a major positive impact in the young man life. I recommend you donate your time to this place or just ask how can I help. I myself was a troubled youth and had interesting talks with upper management about how their troubled youth made it hard for them to get places in life and they were curios how my goals would be effected as well. I'd like to say I made it to the Department of Homeland Security and not only held a security clearance, but set records in my area. So never give up on your dreams of rising out of a troubled time in life.

The FLY and GOLD programs for at risk youth are absolutely amazing! This is a non-profit…read moreorganization that is all about providing a loving support system for our disadvantaged youth in our community. The training provided for the volunteer mentors is truly impeccable. The staff members are authentically caring, upbeat, very compassionate, and have a heart to serve. FLY is all about developing positive relationships with these at risk youth that our society sometimes turns their back on. I myself have been a mentor now going on 2 years and I am overjoyed with my mentee and this organization as a whole! I have never been so moved by an organization that cares so much about building relationships with our youth as well as helping to restore their dignity and at the same time, having fun, bonding, and better equipping them to make positive choices in their lives. If you are looking to be part of an organization filled with people who have a heart to serve our troubled youth with optimism and compassion, than look no further than FLY. Your heart will be deeply moved and you won't leave this program the same. Not only is it wonderful to be a volunteer here but the impact and influence you have on these youth is priceless. What a privilege it is to have the opportunity to mentor one of these precious teens, letting them know that they matter and are cared for by giving them lots and lots of FLY love! Your heart and their heart will forever be changed with the permanent imprint of love all around. Join FLY today, a precious youth is waiting... :)

Since the pre-internet 1980s I've been aware of this amazing organization... I own several books…read morefrom them, have followed their researchers in journals and through the World Future Society, and have seen them in Ted talks and other venues. So, when I realized I was minutes away from their offices on a recent visit to the Menlo Park area, I simply had to drop in. This location is obviously set up for workshops and related events... none of which were happening during my visit. However, they do have an amazing street-facing series of window displays featuring mini exhibits from recent conferences they've attended, including some really amazing concept displays ... my favorite is a food 3D printer that would use pods like a Keurig to print, for instance, bacon! the IFTF is involved in studies related to all aspects of society, environment, technology... just about anything you might be interested in. I highly recommend browsing their web resources, including their blog. The receptionist was quite friendly, and even gave us a book recently produced by the IFTF. They have shelves of publications on display. I'm not sure what I really expected in a quick site visit, but just walking into this space as a physical manifestation of this think tank was worth the stop. Oh, and she gave me a pin too!

Institute For The Future (IFTF) is an awesome nonprofit dedicated to thinking about, talking about,…read moreand solving issues facing humanity in the present and future. It's a think tank, it's an event space, and it's a place where you can go to listen to super interesting talks about issues that affect all of us. What they say about themselves: "Whether you're a strategic leader in a large organization or a community leader in a struggling neighborhood or a netizen who wants to mobilize global crowds, we have practical tools, research, and programs that turn foresight into the critical new insights that ultimately lead to action." They work with companies as well as individuals. They have been doing this for nearly 50 years now actually, and have an excellent track record. This may just be the local intellectual hub / resource you've been looking for! Many of their events are free and open to the public. They also host private events. Their gallery is available for rent. The people who work there include super smart researchers who are friendly, down to earth, and very approachable. I love this place! If you get the chance to go to an event there... do it! And bring a friend or three!

I have been volunteering with Silicon Valley Volunteers (SVV) for over an year and I would say it's…read moreone of the best non-profit organization I have worked with. They are professional, diversified and friendly bunch of people. If you want to volunteer and want to explore variety of volunteer opportunities then you should definitely join SVV. You can sign up at http://svvolunteers.org Follow them on Facebook and Twitter http://facebook.com/svvolunteers http://twitter.com/svvolunteers