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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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 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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Rubicon Participants Create a Path to Housing for Richmond Families

By Sabrina Paynter September 6, 2022

From left: Rubicon's Participant Advisory Board Chairperson Gail Thomas, Rotary Club of Richmond's Housing First Coordinator Tom Herriman, Rubicon participant and housing recipient Amara James, and Rubicon's Community Connections Program Manager Alisha Semplar

When members of the Richmond City Council return from their summer recess on September 13, they are expected to vote on a $400,000 budget item to provide housing for families experiencing homelessness. If it passes, the funding will allow a project started by members of Rubicon’s Participant Advisory Board (PAB), in partnership with Tom Herriman, Housing First Coordinator for the Rotary Club of Richmond, to continue connecting unhoused residents with long-term rental units. Families that are chosen for the project receive furnished housing with one year of rent paid upfront; in addition, Rubicon and other community-based programs provide the housing recipients with social support, financial coaching, pro bono legal counsel, and employment assistance as needed.

Gail Thomas, Chairperson for the PAB, began working on the project because of her personal connection to unhoused individuals. “I still see friends out there that I know, that I’ve known for 50 years,” Thomas says. “I’ve watched three of them die living in the streets. And I just couldn’t take it anymore.”

Read more about the PAB members who are working to house Richmond families in the article linked above.

Thomas has taken the lead on connecting with landlords who are willing to work with individuals experiencing homelessness. So far, she has identified seven landlords across Contra Costa and Alameda Counties to join the project. In addition to making the initial connections between landlords and unhoused families, Thomas maintains contact with all parties to ensure any issues that arise between them are resolved quickly and amicably. The remaining PAB members—Rena Barajas Moore, Darease Chrice, Ricardo Portley, Darcy Rose, Alex Thomas, and Taunita Trotter—all play key roles in the project by connecting with landlords and community members who are interested in supporting the cause.

According to Herriman, finding landlords who are open to housing those experiencing homelessness is one of the biggest challenges projects like this face. “It’s really, really difficult to persuade a landlord to accept a formerly homeless person,” Herriman says. “They have all the fears that are trumpeted in the press and on television, so it takes a lot of work to find the landlords. Gail has been amazing in her contacts to find landlords that are willing to accept homeless people, and that’s one reason this program has been successful.”

The project began at the end of 2021, when the PAB met to discuss the barriers to economic mobility that they frequently see among Rubicon participants. Alisha Semplar, Rubicon’s Community Connections Program Manager, works closely with the PAB and says housing is one of the key areas where people experiencing homelessness and incarceration continue to face significant barriers, regardless of their ability to pay.

“There have been several instances where I've worked with participants who are placed in great, career-focused employment, great jobs, great wages, but there's always that red tape that precludes them from being able to get into the housing that they need for themselves and their children,” Semplar says. “The fact that there isn't equity in terms of a process that helps those that need housing the most that can afford to house themselves and are trying to stabilize themselves, that's a continuous issue that I see in our community.”

Since January, eight families have been placed in housing, thanks in part to $120,000 in discretionary funding that Richmond Mayor Tom Butt allocated to the project. The goal is to place another 50-60 families in housing if the additional funding is approved.

“We have been working through all these supportive services to make sure that what Tom [Herriman] and all the other people who stood up and did for this project, what they’re willing to continue to do, won’t be in vain,” Gail Thomas says. “Our children won’t be back on the streets in a year.”

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The Room Where It Happens

By Greg Reimer May 17, 2022

Rubicon participants take part in a hybrid Foundations cohort at the Antioch office and on Zoom.

“I think you’re on mute.”

Does that sound familiar? At Rubicon, and almost everywhere else, we have had to become accustomed to our Zoom reality over the past couple of years. Since the onset of COVID-19 in March of 2020, Rubicon has been offering its Foundations workshop series virtually over Zoom. In case you’re unfamiliar, the Foundations workshops are led by Rubicon coaches and aim to help build participants’ employment, financial, and wellness skills. However, in April of 2022, Rubicon offered its first “hybrid” Foundations cohort. In this hybrid model, some participants were invited into the office while others had the option to remain on Zoom. Workshop facilitators were also given the option of facilitating in the office or via Zoom. When it came time for her workshop, Rubicon Career Advisor Maya Garcia expressed her excitement for being able to finally facilitate in person: “This was my first in-person workshop since coming to Rubicon, and it was nice to be able to connect human to human. I feel like they say in the musical, Hamilton…we’re in the room where it happens!”

Participants seemed to be more engaged as well, including one of the in-office participants, Tyler, who explained that “there aren’t any distractions here compared to my house, which makes it much easier for me to focus.” The participants on Zoom also appeared to have an upgraded experience due to all of the participants being able to participate in lively discussions together. “There just seemed to be more energy in the room” said Maya, which led to more engaged discussions compared to when everyone is in their own space.

The hybrid workshops are a welcomed return to facilitating and connecting with participants person to person. At the same time, however, they present new challenges for both staff and participants. The hybrid model requires more technology running seamlessly to be able to include participants live and virtually, which can always pose problems (did you try hitting the refresh button?). Secondly, facilitators have the added challenge of engaging and paying attention to participants in dual spaces. Having multiple facilitators for each workshop is one method that Rubicon staff has found effective for handling this.

While there will certainly be a learning curve with the hybrid workshops, the return of in-person facilitation is an exciting development for Rubicon. Rubicon and its staff will continue to adapt and fine-tune our approach to the hybrid workshops to maximize the experience for our participants.

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