special promotional section
Mutual Assistance Network
30 YEARS OF HELPING OUR COMMUNITY THRIVE
PICTURED : Danielle and MAN team readying for a vaccination day at the Robertson Community Center , at which more than 1,000 people were vaccinated .
For 30 years , Mutual Assistance Network has aimed to advance social and economic opportunities in Del Paso Heights , Arden Arcade and the surrounding communities of Northern Sacramento so its residents can thrive . At its four community centers , MAN has brought economic development opportunities ,
youth pop-ups , parenting and elder support
services , and violence prevention services to its community . At the onset of the pandemic , MAN shifted much of its programming online . “ We never closed our doors or turned our backs to the neighborhoods we serve ,” say team members Danielle Lawrence , executive director , and directors Heather Gonzalez and Katy Robb . “ We increased our crisis response work , became a COVID-19 testing site and put resources towards mental health supports for our families .” Donations to MAN are utilized to step beyond the restrictions of government contracts and remain responsive to the needs of neighborhood residents , providing food , technology and support to the families they serve — right when it ’ s needed . Philanthropic gifts also support testing new ideas to strengthen their work into the future , which is exactly where they ’ re looking now . During the pandemic and renewed calls for racial justice , local government leaders recognized the power of trusted organizations like MAN to deliver critical information and services directly to people in their neighborhood more effectively than any outside organization . As a result , they were called upon to bridge crisis response efforts for the families they serve . Moving forward , MAN sees opportunities to strengthen those partnerships , leveraging them to bring sustained change to Northern Sacramento . “ Nonprofits have long been underfunded and under-invested-in , but when a global pandemic hit , we saw priorities , investments and commitments shift ,” Lawrence , Gonzalez and Robb say . “ Our hope is that this is not a passing moment and the efforts of organizations like ours can continue to be lifted and supported in ways that center culturally responsive
LOOKING AHEAD , WE ’ RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT OUR DEL PASO HEIGHTS SPORTS COMPLEX UNDER CONSTRUCTION — A PUBLIC- PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF SACRAMENTO , U . S . SOCCER FOUNDATION AND SAC REPUBLIC FC .
investments , equity and transformation for communities that need it the most .” “ Looking ahead , we ’ re very excited about our Del Paso Heights Sports Complex under construction — a public-private partnership with the City of Sacramento , U . S . Soccer Foundation and Sac Republic FC ,” Lawrence says . “ The oneof-a-kind complex includes a newly renovated baseball / softball field and four futsal courts and will be a catalyst for the neighborhood , thanks to support from many partners including Sierra Health Foundation .”
— DANIELLE LAWRENCE ,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
811 Grand Ave . # A3 , Sacramento , CA 95838 I ( 916 ) 927-7694 www . mutualassistance . org
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November 2021 | comstocksmag . com 19