Thanks to the Active 20-30 Club of Greater Sacramento No. 1032, a little crab means a lot of dough for two local charities.

Danielle Whitmore, YoloArts’ executive director, tells a story about a student named Diana. When Diana — a pseudonym — was a student in a local continuation school, she wouldn’t even get out of bed to attend classes.

Bright bursts of yellow flowers amid a sea of rolling green grass are an easy find in April at Mather Field. But just months ago, these dramatic swathes were completely swamped with water, and later this summer their beds will be bone-dry and baking hot.

If the recent history of the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera has felt like a symphony — with cresting highs, plunging lows and, as was the case last year, overwhelming silence — then this past season reached a long-overdue crescendo.

Since 1953, Sacramento’s Society for the Blind has been serving employees and employers who have been affected by vision impairment. As one of their services, the Society’s trainers will come to an office or workplace to assess how circumstances can best be adapted for a visually impaired employee.

Saint John’s Program for Real Change is part of a growing national movement of nonprofits designing programs that include new ways to monitor outcomes and quantify success for those they serve.

Since 2010, the Sacramento-based Gender Health Center has been providing a unique service sought by people in need from throughout more than 25 counties. “We are a community mental health organization,” explains executive director Ben Hudson, “and though we serve anyone seeking mental health services, we specialize in gender identity and assisting transgender individuals

A wearisome, vicious cycle was emerging with Auburn’s homeless population: Greater numbers were congregating on the streets by day and filling the DeWitt minimum security prison by night. Neither the city nor the county had adequate housing or facilities to deal with the situation, so the problem persisted. Residents were frustrated, but nothing was done. A group of community members vowed to act and started a grassroots effort that has culminated in turning the partially vacated barracks at DeWitt into a fully-staffed, round-the-clock facility open to Auburn’s homeless.

While studying abroad at the London School of Economics, UC Davis grad Alex Aguiar befriended a young homeless girl. He found her sleeping beneath an overpass, using folded cardboard to keep the cold concrete from chilling her body. Aguiar could not get the girl’s plight out of his mind. To understand his market, Aguiar spent the night with the homeless community, learning their stories and about what might help them. That’s when the idea for Tent Pals was born

SkateMD connects youth with special needs with volunteers to learn how to skateboard. The Sacramento-based nonprofit was created by Melanie Tillotson (the “M”) and Andrea “Drea” Bibelheimer (the “D”), who saw a need in the community for a cool program in a safe space that would spread kindness to children facing developmental, physical, emotional and family challenges.

Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure of being one of about 30 “thought leaders” invited to a private performance by the Sacramento Ballet as they proved that, indeed, ballet is back.

When Leah Yadon saw a flier for the Sacramento Natural Food Co-Op Community Kitchen sessions at Wellspring Women’s Center in Sacramento, she signed up immediately. Food has always played a big part in her life, Yadon says, but no one ever taught her the basic building blocks of a healthy lifestyle. 

The 5th annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes benefiting WEAVE was a record-breaking effort, exceeding the organization’s #1000MenStrong goal.

Forty percent of homeless youth are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered, compared to just 10 percent for the larger population. Across the United States, there are somewhere around 320,000 to 400,000 homeless LGBT youth. There are roughly 4,000 shelter beds total. Enough to sleep just one percent.

Each year Comstock’s annual guide to philanthropy, Capital Region Cares, highlights nonprofits serving our region’s most vital needs, from hunger and housing to performing arts and animal welfare. This year, with the help of inspirational media company Kamere, we asked our readers to share how their favorite nonprofits are making a difference.

Over half a million kids live in foster care in the U.S. as a result of abuse, neglect or abandonment. Because they can’t advocate for themselves, many become victims a second time, lost in an overburdened child welfare system that can’t pay close attention to each child. But one program is drastically improving outcomes for foster youth, despite the overwhelming odds.

A report was made to Child Protective Services about our young nephew, claiming an abusive environment created by neglect due to my sister-in-law’s drug addiction. My sister-in-law is obviously very upset, and doesn’t know what to do. We’ve never been through anything like this; what should we expect?

Women in Philanthropy, a program of the United Way California Capital Region, supports foster teens in the community who are turning 18 and facing emancipation. The group coordinates workshops and social programs and organizes a holiday stocking and gift event. Last year, volunteers collected nearly 500 towel sets and 50 luggage sets, along with toiletries and household goods to give to those making the transition to independence.

We are excited to announce a collaboration with Kamere, a local media start-up, to identify and recognize the Capital Region’s 10 most inspiring stories from the region’s nonprofits. The winning stories will be included in our 2015 edition of Capital Region Cares.