In the News: Generous Donation to Keep Caminar Safe

The San Mateo Daily Journal recently featured the inspiring donation of face shields to Caminar.

The Caminar team is so grateful to Reyhan Sabesan, a San Mateo High School rising junior, who donated 3-D printed face shields he created over 50 hours of trial and error! These face shields will give our staff an added layer of protection as we continue to provide mental health services during the pandemic.

Reyhan reached out to Caminar because his grandmother coped with bipolar disorder, and he and his family wanted to help people in the mental health community. We are thrilled with the donation and so inspired by his generous contribution to our community.

Reyhan is pictured in sharing his donation with Kaitlyn Paris, RN, a member of Caminar's Medication Clinic team. Thank you, Reyhan!

With Gratitude to the Hillsdale United Methodist Church Women's Club

What a treat to receive the lovely gift of hygiene kits for our clients!

We are so grateful to the women’s club of the Hillsdale United Methodist Church who so thoughtfully hand-knit hats and gathered hygiene essentials for our clients, many of whom are the most vulnerable individuals in our community.

Interested in helping a local mission, the group carefully selected and packaged items that show our clients they are noticed, supported, and loved. Thank you.

We are so grateful for our San Mateo and Peninsula community who so compassionately cares for those in need.

IAM Local Lodge 1781 Send Kids Back-to-School Equipped to Learn

Heading back-to-school with a new backpack and the supplies they need gives students a boost. For many families, finding extra funds for back-to-school after paying rent and buying groceries is a wish.

Thanks to the generosity of the Women’s Committee and Members of IAM Local Lodge 1781, many of our clients and their families received a much-needed gift: New backpacks chock-full of wonderful school supply essentials and even healthy snacks!

Thank you so much, IAM Local Lodge 1781, for the wonderful donation to send local children back-to-school equipped to learn!

Counselors have been thrilled to connect children and teens with this thoughtful and generous gift of caring. Recipients included teens being served through our Teen FAST Program, clients served through our Project Ninety division, children of clients in all of our substance use treatment programs, children of survivors of domestic violence, children and teens receiving counseling themselves for help with emotional health needs, and young adults starting college.

We have seen big smiles on the faces of parents we serve who struggle to meet basic expenses and simply cannot come up with the extra dollars to send their children to school with everything they need. And the children’s eyes have grown big as they unzipped the backpacks, which were packed with such care, and find so many treasures inside.

One child who took home a backpack was especially thankful. His family’s home was flooded earlier this year, resulting in the loss of almost all their possessions. The family spent the summer living in tight quarters distant from his friends, while searching for a new apartment they could afford to rent. Receiving a new backpack and supplies was a timely and most appreciated gift. Knowing someone out there cared enough to make this act of kindness meant a lot.

You gave the priceless gift of care and heart, IAM Local Lodge 1781. Thank you.

An Outpouring of Love and Care in the Form of Socks and Ponchos

Caminar was delighted to be a recipient of Transfiguration Episcopal Church’s generous and compassionate Advent Giving program this year.

Approximately 75% of Caminar clients in San Mateo county come to us as homeless and often they have nowhere else to turn. Simple items such as clean, dry socks and rain ponchos help someone start the day on the right foot AND let them know someone cares about them and they are valued.

Over the course of December 2018, the Transfiguration community donated 123 pairs of new socks and 19 rain ponchos to Caminar for clients. And, the giving began immediately; within an hour of collecting these lovely gifts from under the tree at church, the items were brought to our medication clinic to be distributed to homeless clients ahead of first rain of the new year. Clinic staff was thrilled to be able to offer these gifts to our most needy clients and will continue to share these gifts throughout the season.

Caminar is so grateful for the opportunity to connect with Transfiguration and for the beautiful outpouring of love and care that will help our most vulnerable neighbors. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

Local Elementary School Donates Warm Coats to Caminar Clients

Harriet Pecot, Caminar’s Director of Development, with over 100 warm coats donated by Laurel Elementary School in San Mateo.

Look at all these warm coats!

We are delighted to be the recipient of Laurel Elementary School’s One Warm Coat Drive, held in October. Laurel Elementary, a school located just around the corner from our San Mateo Headquarters, collected over 100 warm coats for children and adults and donated them to Caminar clients.

We delighted in sharing these gifts, which have been distributed to vulnerable members of our community and will help to keep them warm and healthy this winter. Since many of the coats were for youth, we loved giving them to young clients in our Santa Clara Region, especially those who participate in our LGBTQ Youth Space, our Positive Solutions Program for family violence and abuse prevention, and our Substance Use Disorders Services.

We are so grateful to the students, parents, and staff members of Laurel Elementary who generously donated new and gently used coats; Thank you!

One Warm Coat is a national non-profit organization that works to provide a free, warm coat to any person in need. One Warm Coat supports individuals, groups, companies and organizations across the country by providing the tools and resources needed to hold a successful coat drive. Coats are distributed in the communities where they were collected, to children and adults in need, without charge, discrimination or obligation. Since One Warm Coat’s inception in 1992, they have worked with our volunteers to host more than 27,000 coat drives and have given away more than 5 million coats.

One Warm Coat and Caminar Will Make a Difference

Caminar is grateful to be included as one of One Warm Coat’s registered agencies to distribute coats to people who we serve who are in need. With colder weather coming, a warm coat can help make a warmer, healthier winter for someone in your local community.

Does your organization want to make a difference this season? Consider holding a coat drive! One Warm Coat makes it easy and Caminar would love to partner with you to distribute the coats to those in need. Check out all the resources you need to hold your own drive in six easy steps.

One Warm Coat is a national non-profit organization that works to provide a free, warm coat to any person in need. One Warm Coat supports individuals, groups, companies and organizations across the country by providing the tools and resources needed to hold a successful coat drive. Coats are distributed in the communities where they were collected, to children and adults in need, without charge, discrimination or obligation. Since One Warm Coat’s inception in 1992, they have worked with our volunteers to host more than 27,000 coat drives and have given away more than 5 million coats.

We look forward to helping those in need and warming our community this winter...one coat at a time.

For more information on how to partner with Caminar on a coat drive, please contact our Development Department at 650.513.1509 or development@caminar.org.     

Caminar Volunteer Recognized by Peninsula Health Care District

Back in February, Caminar’s wonderful and tireless volunteer, Martha Mirabella, was among those recognized by the Peninsula Health Care District at its 9th Annual Community Partners Award Ceremony.

We are grateful for the countless hours of hard work and positive energy Martha has dedicated to support Caminar’s San Mateo County region and agency administrative team. Martha manages the upkeep of our filing and records, which ensures an organized, efficient, and productive office.

Our sincere thanks to Martha, and all of our dedicated volunteers, for helping us to serve individuals and families in our community who are in need. And, many thanks for the Peninsula Health Care District for recognizing one of our own!

 Caminar CEO Chip Huggins with Martha Mirabella

Young Men’s Service League Gives Ultimate Gift and Renovates Playground

On Sunday, October 8, the playground used for children’s therapy at our Julian Street facility received much-appreciated attention and improvements from the Rancho chapter of the Young Men’s Service League (YMSL).

YMSL is a mother-son organization dedicated to serving local communities and enhancing mother-son relationships. The young men and their mothers participate in a four-year program of philanthropy, education, and leadership. In addition to other efforts and projects, every year each chapter gives the Ultimate Gift. The Ultimate Gift provides substantial support and a transformational project to a program or philanthropy to better help them serve the needs of their community. We are grateful to the YMSL Rancho chapter for choosing our Julian Street playground to receive their chapter’s 2017 Ultimate Gift.

YMSL members arrived in force on Sunday with smiles and a strong work ethic in tow. The volunteers renovated the playground to not only improve the aesthetics but also to improve the safety and usability of the space. A thorough power washing of the jungle gym and area ensured a clean palette. The area around the jungle gym area was then completely filled with bark, making it much safer. Lovely plants were added and a beautiful mural was painted to add a pop of color. As well, the team donated basketballs, a hoop, whiffle balls and bats, sidewalk chalk, a new ball pump, and other recreational equipment. To top it all off, YMSL also contributed a much-needed storage bin, a patio set with a new umbrella, and a hose.  

Our staff was thrilled to see the improvements and our littlest clients are in for an exciting week as they rediscover the magic of this playground.

We are profoundly thankful for the time and effort these young men and their mothers dedicated to our program and playground. Their hard work and caring will greatly benefit these children who are in need of a fun and safe place to play and express themselves.

Supervisor Horsley Recognizes Outgoing Board Member's Service to Caminar

During our May Board of Directors meeting, San Mateo County Supervisor Don Horsley presented outgoing board member Carol Whitfield with a commendation for her service to Caminar.

Supervisor Horsley thanked Carol for the six years she served as a member of the Caminar Board of Directors, during which time she helped the organization increase in size by nearly 50 percent.

Carol’s energy targeting growth in fundraising and merger opportunities was unmatched, and her successful business career helped guide Caminar to become more efficient in its operations and marketing efforts. Her involvement with Caminar’s annual fundraising event, In Concert With Caminar, has resulted in over $1.4 million dollars raised for the organization. She guided and led the expansion of board member recruitment, attracting prominent community leaders, who expanded the organization’s fundraising capacity and network. As well, Carol worked tirelessly to create the merger opportunity with Family & Children Services of Silicon Valley.

We appreciate Supervisor Horsley’s recognition of Carol for her outstanding service to Caminar and commitment to help those in San Mateo County. We, too, are tremendously grateful for Carol’s unwavering support of Caminar. We are thrilled she will remain actively involved in Caminar as part of our Advisory Committee.