Please enjoy our October Edition of Caminar Connections, our monthly newsletter.
4 DAYS AWAY! IN CONCERT WITH CAMINAR ON 10.10.20
Please join us on October 10, 2020 for the 10th annual In Concert with Caminar. This exciting, hour-long virtual event will benefit the Caminar Mental Health Regional Response Fund. Back by popular demand, Dave Clark of KTVU-TV will be our emcee and Sheléa will delight with a musical performance. Click here for more information and to register!
CAMINAR MENTAL HEALTH REGIONAL RESPONSE FUND
There’s a dramatic increase in need for mental health and substance use services as a result of the pandemic. The Caminar Mental Health Regional Response Fund was established to fund crucial mental health services for Bay Area families and adults who are in crisis. The next six months are critical — we must raise an additional $500,000 to continue to serve our suffering neighbors in a safe environment. Will you join us? Please read more here.
IN THE COMMUNITY
On September 8, 2020, Mark Cloutier, our CEO, participated in the Daily Journal’s virtual health fair. Mark kicked the event off with a discussion of six ways to improve emotional health and bolster immunity during the pandemic. We invite you to view his remarks here.
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, San Mateo County has created a strategic draft plan for long-term recovery: SMC Recovery Initiative. Earlier this month, Thrive, the Alliance of Nonprofits for San Mateo County, hosted a virtual community conversation to give nonprofit leaders the opportunity to review and provide input on the draft. Mark shared his perspective as a leader of behavioral health services in the county. You may hear Mark’s remarks here.
INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT
We could not do our life-saving work without help from our community. Kaiser Permanente is a longstanding and extremely generous institutional supporter.
Caminar recently received a $150,000 one-year Kaiser Permanente grant administered through a donor-advised fund at East Bay Community Foundation. The grant will strengthen Caminar’s operation of Resource Connect Solano, which is primarily funded through a contract with Solano County Department of Behavioral Health, and is the coordinated entry system connecting individuals and families experiencing homelessness to housing throughout Solano County.
Our CEO, Mark Cloutier, notes the link between access to housing and one’s health status:
“Access to safe and affordable housing is a social determinant of health and key to reducing structural inequities, which are even more apparent in this time of COVID-19. Kaiser Permanente’s long-time support of local health and housing programs is a testament to its deep commitment to the health and well-being of all individuals in our communities.”
Please read more here.
WHY I SUPPORT CAMINAR
"When I think about Caminar, I know that you are taking good care of our community members who are gravely ill. We live in a society that allows the mentally ill to live on the streets, but Caminar works to stop that."
-Carrie Du Bois, Trustee, Sequoia Union High School District, a Caminar donor on why she donates
