
From Setbacks to Scholar
St. John’s Shelter Program offers women a fresh start
A twice-convicted felon, Ronita Iulio thought she had blown her last chance to salvage her life and family. After being released from prison in 2008, Iulio was anxious to reunite with her three children, but instead she faced an unsympathetic court that granted full custody to her ex-husband.

Match Made in Heaven
Sacramento churches partner with nonprofits to boost impact
A growing movement of collaboration is uniting local nonprofits with faith-based organizations in an effort to maximize community impact by increasing manpower and financial support.

Philanthropy Isn’t What It Used to Be
Acuity with Crocker CEO Lial Jones
Since August 1999, Lial Jones has served as director of the Crocker Art Museum. During her tenure, she has led a capital campaign that successfully raised more than $120 million to finance the Teel Family Pavilion, a 125,000-square-foot addition that opened in October of 2010.

Safety Nest
Animal Place provides sanctuary for unwanted animals
Kim Sturla’s biggest challenge isn’t caring for thousands of animals at a time. It’s trying to get people to think about a pig’s life in the same way they would think about a dog’s.

Expanding a Vision
New leadership means fresh ideas for Women in Philanthropy
Banning together 12 years ago, a group of local women sought out to help foster youth establish healthy lives after emancipation.

Sustainable Giving
A lasting strategy for philanthropy in El Dorado County
A little more than six years ago, the El Dorado Community Foundation tapped William Roby to become its new executive director. Roby had been working for the foundation for only a year as its program director, but the board was seeking a fresh personality to lead the organization. Since then, Roby has concentrated on one goal: getting the foundation to a point of fiscal sustainability so it can pay its own way.

Courage Found
Locals fuel recovery for victims of Sacramento sex trafficking
I don’t remember life without sexual abuse and torment. It was my reality. Believing in anything else was foolish.

Along for the Ride
Second chances for needy horses
Alyssah Schafer was born with a congenital heart defect and has never been able to run or compete in sports. Over time, her friends drifted away, and the girl became depressed. But then she met a mustang named Montana at All About Equine, a horse rescue and rehabilitation organization in El Dorado Hills.

A Good Alternative
Offering help and options during pregnancy
Claudette was single and pregnant. She felt hurt, angry and confused, so she made an appointment at Sacramento’s Alternatives Pregnancy Center.

Looking Up
Men of character guiding fatherless youth
Bill Coibion’s commitment to transforming lives in his Del Paso Heights neighborhood began in the mid-1990s when he launched the nonprofit Shoulder to Shoulder. He had just become a Christian and felt called to encourage men to be “servant-leaders” at home, in church and in their communities.