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Rubicon Programs Celebrates 50 Years of “A Legacy of Inspiring Hope” in 2023

By Rubicon Author January 3, 2023

Rubicon Programs is celebrating 50 years as an East Bay institution.

Since 1973, we've provided vital resources for our neighbors as they worked to improve their lives, their futures, and their communities. What started as a small, community-based organization that provided mental health counseling in Richmond, CA has grown into a multi-county effort to end poverty in the East Bay through comprehensive programming in partnership with the neighbors we serve, other community-based organizations, local government agencies, and our generous donors.  

As we celebrate A Legacy of Inspiring Hope during our 50th anniversary year, we invite you to join us in the following ways in 2023:

Online: Want to find out about upcoming events, opportunities to get involved, and organizational updates before anyone else? Join our growing community online by clicking the links below.

Donate: Consider becoming a monthly donor to support Rubicon's mission of an East Bay without poverty. Your recurring gift will put vital resources in the hands of our neighbors who are working to build economic mobility in their families and their communities.

  • Make a gift today.
  • Host a fundraiser: To host a fundraiser for Rubicon Programs, contact Annel Aguayo at annela@rubiconprograms.org.
  • Party with a Purpose: Celebrating your own milestone birthday, anniversary, retirement, or another special occasion? In lieu of gifts, consider asking family and friends to donate to Rubicon Programs in your honor. We can even help you set up your unique fundraising page for free. Contact sabrinap@rubiconprograms.org to get started.

Events: We hope you can join us for one or more of the many exciting events we have planned for our 50th-anniversary celebration! We'll add new events throughout the year, so be sure to bookmark this post and check back regularly for more opportunities to celebrate with us.

  • Rubicon Reunion (by invitation only)
    • Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023
    • Time: TBD
    • Description: We're celebrating the people who have helped build a legacy of inspiring hope with an evening out on the town. Formal invitations with more details will be sent in January.
  • Justice Rising 50th Anniversary Gala
    • Date: November 17, 2023
    • Time: 6:30 - 11:00 pm
    • Location: Chabot Space and Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland, CA 94619
    • Description: Join us for an evening to remember as we celebrate 50 years of Rubicon Programs in the East Bay. More details and ticket information will be available in the summer.
    • Click here for tickets

About Rubicon Programs:

Rubicon Programs is an anti-poverty organization located in the San Francisco Bay Area. We work at the individual and systems levels to remove barriers to economic mobility in our communities. We provide comprehensive workforce development and reentry services across Contra Costa and Alameda Counties to help participants build assets, income, wellness, and community connections. We live by our values of hope, justice, and humility in all of the actions we take.

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Rubicon’s 2022 Legislative Advocacy Summary

By Rubicon Author December 23, 2022

In 2022, 10 bills supported by Rubicon were signed into law; 5 bills opposed by Rubicon did not pass the legislature; 1 bill opposed by Rubicon passed the Legislature but was vetoed by the governor; 7 bills supported by Rubicon did not pass the Legislature; and 2 bills supported by Rubicon passed the Legislature but were vetoed by the governor

As part of our systems change work, Rubicon staff attorneys write letters to policymakers in support of or in opposition to bills that could affect our participants and neighbors. In 2022, our legal team advocated on behalf of our communities in response to 25 bills in the CA State Legislature, or on average one bill every two weeks. From those efforts, 53% of the bills Rubicon supported were signed into law, and 100% of the bills Rubicon opposed did not get signed into law.

Click here to view a summary of our legislative advocacy work from 2022, prepared by Sarah Williams, Senior Staff Attorney for Rubicon Programs. 

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On the Road to Anti-Oppression: Dismantling Cis-Hetero Normativity

By Sabrina Paynter November 15, 2022

Over the past few months, Rubicon staff has engaged in the Dismantling Cis-Hetero Normativity (DCHN) Experience as part of the organization’s efforts to live by its anti-oppression values. The experience was co-designed by a team of Rubicon staff and outside consultants who met for over 20 hours to develop the five modules and accompanying resources, which included training videos, stories, a glossary of terms, worksheets, and lists of books and movies that represent different LGBTQIA+ experiences.

In an introductory letter from Rubicon’s senior leadership team, the DCHN Experience was described as “the next step in Rubicon’s journey to advancer equity and ensure belonging.” The letter went on to state, “Our path forward requires everyone to demonstrate the behaviors that foster belonging, equity, and justice. Our dedication to transformative actions is inseparable from our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is central to our work that community members have the full opportunity to thrive.”

The DCHN Co-Design Team added, “The Dismantling CisHet Normativity Experience is a testament to Rubicon’s evolution and your willingness to create cultures of belonging, strong allies, and hold yourself accountable to inclusive behaviors.”

Throughout the DCHN Experience, staff members were encouraged to ask questions of themselves and one another that challenged cis-hetero norms. Topics included gender- and sexuality-based microaggressions, intersectionality and interconnected forms of oppression, gender and social norms around masculinity, faith-based biases, and historical violence and injustices against the LGBTQIA+ community, among others. Staff met in pairs and small groups to practice scenarios and discuss the topics during each module, and the final module included an evaluation of Rubicon’s collateral materials for gaps in inclusive language and imagery.

After the final module concluded, two members of the DCHN Co-Design team shared their thoughts on the experience, why they participated, and their hopes for Rubicon’s next steps.

When I was 14, I had an epiphany; I was a heterosexual. At that moment, I felt clear, comfortable, and lucky. I felt lucky because my high school offered a course that expanded my awareness and empathy. That class helped me understand that another person's experiences and identities are as right, normal, good, and beautiful as mine. I also realized if I was clear, people who identify as homosexual were also clear; period – end of the story.

 

I felt lucky because I saw hatred, bigotry, and exclusion toward homosexuals. So while my LGBTQ friends may be clear about their sexuality, they may not be comfortable.

 

I couldn't reconcile how I was more deserving or human than anybody else. Why should I be comfortable while someone else is living in discomfort and fear? I committed to befriending and supporting people who face hate for being clear about who they are.

 

My path to becoming an aspiring ally has not been linear or perfect. I have messed up, let people down, and was too quick and slow to act a lot of the time. Still, I put my ego aside and stay engaged because I want everyone's comfort, clarity, and good fortune.

 

I believe Desmond Tutu's quote, "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." I never want to take the side of the oppressor. I decided to be part of the DCHN co-design team because I want to be on the side of the solution-bringers, the pro-human activists, and the dismantlers. 

 

– Adrienne Kimball, Chief Talent Officer

I’m not sure how I got myself roped into this project! :D When I first came to Rubicon I asked about the LGBTQ ERG [employee resource group] and I quickly got involved.  The ongoing conversations amongst the group indicated that there were some unmet needs from the organization. Perhaps some oversight about what equity looks like outside of the heteronormative perspective. Having come from an organization where the mission was to further equity for the LGBTQ+ community, I was well accustomed to being open about my queer identity. In my previous role as their grant writer, I advocated for the LGBTQ+ community with passion. I was surprised that Rubicon, which so fiercely championed racial equity, would have members of the organization that felt they couldn’t be themselves. I was not about to go back in the closet! I’m pretty sure those are the words I uttered as I blinked, and then, almost as if in an instant, we began designing the DCHN modules.  

 

There’s so much to continue to unpack as we strive for equity. The complications of intersectionality are very apparent when we embark in “Oppression Olympics,” something that creeped its way into the DCHN experience once it was launched. Another challenge that I feel remained unresolved is the complicated and often avoided discussion about religion and the LGBTQ+ community. Ongoing conversations are needed in order to allow people to become familiar with these topics. Furthermore, we need to get comfortable talking about these issues if we aim to be more equitable in our treatment of others.  

 

And we haven’t even touched the surface of ableism and ageism.

 

– Vanessa Ramos, Institutional Giving Manager

All employees were invited to share their feedback about the DCHN modules throughout the experience, and the final evaluation included space for staff to add their thoughts about what Rubicon’s next all-staff learning experience should cover. As Rubicon continues on its path to becoming an anti-oppression organization, staff members will undoubtedly continue to hold courageous conversations and seek out new trainings as they grow and evolve into empowered allies for all marginalized communities. 

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Rubicon’s 2022 Voter Guide

By Sabrina Paynter October 19, 2022

Click here to open Rubicon's 2022 Voter Guide.

About the guide

The voter guide contains Rubicon's stances on California propositions and local measures that affect the communities we serve. Our positions were decided by Rubicon's Voter Guide Committee, which consisted of Rubicon staff and Participant Advisory Board members. For each recommendation, the Committee looked at the potential impacts of the proposed legislation, previous case studies, and the relevance to Rubicon's work, among other considerations.

We have included information regarding all California propositions, even if the Committee decided not to make a recommendation. Please note that several measures in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties that do not have a close connection to our work have been left out of this guide. We encourage you to read more about the measures on the ballot where you live and vote on them according to your own values and community needs.

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Rubicon Director Named 2022 Fundraiser of the Year

By Sabrina Paynter September 14, 2022

“I view my work as the intersectionality of growing mission-based support, awareness, and trust with donors,” says Jennifer Berger, Director of Development for Rubicon Programs. “Centering equity, systems change, and authentic relationships drives my approach to development. I am driven by a commitment to sharing the complexity of Rubicon’s anti-poverty work with donors so they understand the deep impact of their support alongside the systemic barriers, milestones, and shifting landscape that Rubicon participants experience daily.”

Berger’s efforts have earned her recognition as one of three Raise Award 2022 Fundraisers of the Year. Presented by OneCause, an online and event fundraising resource provider, the awards were announced at the national Raise fundraising conference in Chicago, Illinois on September 12 and 13.

The Fundraiser of the Year award is presented to “individuals who live out the organization's mission, are dedicated to the donor experience, and always give 100% percent to the cause,” according to the Raise Awards website. In a press release from August announcing the award nominees, OneCause CEO Steve Johns celebrated the quality of work that all of the nominees demonstrated over the past year. "This year's finalists stood out not only due to the excellence of their submissions, but also the perseverance and passion they demonstrate for improving the lives, communities, and environments of others," Johns said. "It's an honor to celebrate changemakers who are so fiercely committed to building better tomorrows."

Berger was nominated for her leadership and commitment to Rubicon’s values of humility, hope, and justice. In part, her coworkers said in the nomination that “Jennifer truly embodies what leading by example should look like…[She] approaches everything she does with a deep sense of empathy, an open mind, and a willingness to learn from others. In her short tenure at Rubicon Programs, she has built relationships with foundations and individual donors that have allowed the organization to receive new and increased gifts each year. At times, these gifts have come unsolicited (i.e. without a grant application or specific ask), because the donors remembered Jennifer and her passion for sharing about Rubicon’s work.”

In a recorded acceptance speech, Berger recognized the many participants, staff, and leaders at Rubicon that support her fundraising efforts. “I’m thrilled to be here representing Rubicon Programs,” Berger said. “It’s such an honor to bring awareness and resources to Rubicon’s work.”

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