May 2016 E-News
The Origin of the Name Kara
April 27, 2016
Welcome to Our New Website!
May 26, 2016
Welcome to the second edition of Kara’s newly redesigned e-newsletter, The Compassion Current! With the unofficial start of summer, May is a month of excitement! A few days we’ve made note of on our calendar are SVGives Day (5/3), a day to support Kara and other local organizations and Mother’s Day (5/8) in which we honor the mothers in our lives who are with us each day whether living or present in the memories of our hearts. May is also Mental Health Awareness month, a way to highlight and break down negative attitudes and misperceptions surrounding mental illnesses, and to show others that they are not alone in their feelings and experience.
We also have our exciting 2016 Spring Fundraiser, SUPERSURVIVORS, happening on Saturday,May 14th at the Mitchell Park Community Center! Read more about the importance of our annual fundraiser below.
With gratitude,
Jim Santucci, CPA
Executive Director
Kara Spotlight: Our SUPERSURVIVOR Volunteers
In our Kara Spotlight section each month, we will highlight individuals from within our Kara community. This month, we highlight all of the volunteers who are working tirelessly to make our annual fundraiser a smashing success! From our own Kara community of volunteers to new volunteers who have reached out from various volunteer organizations, we are so grateful for each and every one of you. Your generosity of time and heart are truly inspiring and we couldn’t do this work without you. Thank you and we can’t wait to see everyone at the event!
So why is our annual spring fundraiser such a big deal?
- Over 700 adults benefited from peer-based grief support or consultations;
- Over 430 children and teens were served through grief support groups and Kara’s grief camp for kids (Camp Erin), or consultations;
- 139 individuals received over 1,500 sessions and found support and healing in grief-related psychotherapy;
- Over 3,000 children and adults from 59 different agencies received crisis response support or training from our Community Outreach and Education Programs.
Our annual spring fundraiser has the goal of raising nearly 10% of Kara’s annual budget. With these funds, we are able to not only support 
thousands of youth, families, adults, and community organizations each year, but we are also able to grow and expand our services into our newest strategic initiatives. These include developing a Spanish Language Services Program, providing much-needed grief support to an underserved population, and the Community Schools Initiative, offering onsite grief support to at-risk students, their parents, and teachers.
Your participation and support of our event will empower us to provide our crucial services and deliver hope and healing to those in need in 2016. Thank you so much for your generosity and support!
PROGRAM UPDATES
Beginning in May, Kara is offering a Support Group for parents who are grieving the death of an adult child. The Group is designed to support parents after six months has passed since the death in which they can share their experience and learn from the experiences of others.
An initial interview is required before enrolling in the group. If you are interested in becoming a participant or would like more information call Kara at (650) 321-5272.
PARTNER & ADVOCACY CORNER
We Are Grateful For You! A special thank you this month goes out to the sponsors for this year’s fundraiser: Tina Myers & Craig Zimmerman, Carol Labarthe Graphic Design, Cheat A Little Catering, Clos LaChance Winery, Keri Nicholas, Naomi Berman & Steve Carter, Kirk’s Steakburgers, MarkIt Promotions, and Prime Time Entertainment, Inc. Their partnership and generous gifts make a real difference not only in our events but also in the lives of children, families, and adults in our community working with their grief. WE THANK YOU!
