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Lisa Ngo, Office Administrator/ People and Culture assistant Expanded Learning programs,San Francisco. In 2014 I started as a Program Assistant for 4th and 5th grade at Francis Scott Key Elementary School. My second year there, I was a 5th grade program leader, and during my final year on site I was a 1st grade program leader. I started my role as Office Admin in March 2020. I was drawn to work with BACR because I wanted to grow my skills in youth development and education. I’ve stayed with BACR because it’s offered me a safe space to learn and grow professionally. Being in my Office Admin position, I’ve been able to work more closely with Program Managers, and the PAC team. This allowed me to gain a new perspective into all the different departments and inner workings of BACR. I appreciate that BACR empowers all staff to tap into their natural skills and talents and encourages them to grow from there. I’m constantly inspired by all the work being done on all levels at BACR. I look forward to continuing to see all the positive impact BACR makes in the communities we serve.
Lisa Ngo, Office Administrator/ People and Culture assistant Expanded Learning programs,San Francisco. In 2014 I started as a Program Assistant for 4th and 5th grade at Francis Scott Key Elementary School. My second year there, I was a 5th grade program leader, and during my final year on site I was a 1st grade program leader. I started my role as Office Admin in March 2020. I was drawn to work with BACR because I wanted to grow my skills in youth development and education. I’ve stayed with BACR because it’s offered me a safe space to learn and grow professionally. Being in my Office Admin position, I’ve been able to work more closely with Program Managers, and the PAC team. This allowed me to gain a new perspective into all the different departments and inner workings of BACR. I appreciate that BACR empowers all staff to tap into their natural skills and talents and encourages them to grow from there. I’m constantly inspired by all the work being done on all levels at BACR. I look forward to continuing to see all the positive impact BACR makes in the communities we serve.
Bianca Faddis, Program Manager of Career Pathways, Workforce, Re-Entry and Education I got started working with BACR through one of their youth development programs, CHALK, which stands for Communities in Harmony Advocating and Learning for Kids. What interested me were the requirements. At the time, I was on probation and a single mom with no high school diploma or GED, no child care and very limited work experience and so opportunities for me were at a lower chance because of the barriers I had. CHALK gave me flexibility to be able to have consistent work which was a requirement for probation, successfully complete probation allowing me to have time to go back to school and obtain my GED, expose me to post-secondary options and be able to bring my son to work when needed. There are so many things I love about my role and if I had to pick 3 it would be the following: having opportunities for youth and young adults of San Francisco, being able to design a program that fits the needs of San Francisco kids and watching them grow and develop to who they are destined to be.
Bianca Faddis, Program Manager of Career Pathways, Workforce, Re-Entry and Education I got started working with BACR through one of their youth development programs, CHALK, which stands for Communities in Harmony Advocating and Learning for Kids. What interested me were the requirements. At the time, I was on probation and a single mom with no high school diploma or GED, no child care and very limited work experience and so opportunities for me were at a lower chance because of the barriers I had. CHALK gave me flexibility to be able to have consistent work which was a requirement for probation, successfully complete probation allowing me to have time to go back to school and obtain my GED, expose me to post-secondary options and be able to bring my son to work when needed. There are so many things I love about my role and if I had to pick 3 it would be the following: having opportunities for youth and young adults of San Francisco, being able to design a program that fits the needs of San Francisco kids and watching them grow and develop to who they are destined to be.
BACR’s very own Marin County Tobacco team has recently received $460,000 from the Sierra Health Foundation’s Elevate Youth CA Grant. Elevate Youth California is a statewide program supporting community leaders who are addressing substance use disorder by investing in the youth leadership development and activism of youth of color and LGBTQ+ youth ages 12 to 26. The funding is allocated from Prop 64 a statewide program providing funding and technical assistance for organizations, like BACR, developing or increasing community substance use disorder prevention, outreach, and education focused on youth. Our goal is to work on youth cannabis prevention and cessation, restorative justice-informed structural policy change, and harm reduction.
In March 2021, the BACR ASP Antioch team was invited by The Lawrence Hall of Science to participate in an exhibit Community Connections: Resiliency and Creativity During Covid-19 centered around COVID-19 and high school youth. The main goal of this project was to have youth lead the direction of the project and work together with other youth to answer their most pressing questions and amplify their voices. The students of Antioch Middle, Park Middle, and Antioch High School wanted to create a video addressing mental health during COVID 19. The video displayed in the exhibit was created by the youth of Antioch's "BACR News" as part of a COVID-19 community project led by UC Berkeley's "The Lawrence". The Antioch BACR News team compiled questions relevant to their communities and interviewed UC Berkeley Microbiologist Luis Valentin-Alvarado, and, Doctoral candidate Valentin-Alvaradois of UC Berkeley's Innovative Genomics Institute and led by 2020 Nobel Prize Winner Dr.Jennifer Doudna.
Let's Celebrate!
BACR promotes Cherie Fountaine to DEIB Manager Cherie started her journey in 2017 with BACR as an HR Generalist with the People and Cultural Team. She brings over 15 years of HR experience with strong expertise in Disability Management and Employee Relations. In less than 4 years, Cherie was promoted to a larger and current role as the DEIB/HR Manager. Her goal is to create a workplace that’s inclusive for all employees where everyone can feel connected, valued, and welcomed for their contributions. She's committed to ensuring everyone has the same opportunities and is passionate about infusing programs to strengthen BACR’s DEIB vision within all industries and programs. She has been on this journey since BACR started the work in 2020. She is honored to have been entrusted to keep moving the work forward and is committed to making a sustainable impact at BACR.
BACR promotes Cherie Fountaine to DEIB Manager Cherie started her journey in 2017 with BACR as an HR Generalist with the People and Cultural Team. She brings over 15 years of HR experience with strong expertise in Disability Management and Employee Relations. In less than 4 years, Cherie was promoted to a larger and current role as the DEIB/HR Manager. Her goal is to create a workplace that’s inclusive for all employees where everyone can feel connected, valued, and welcomed for their contributions. She's committed to ensuring everyone has the same opportunities and is passionate about infusing programs to strengthen BACR’s DEIB vision within all industries and programs. She has been on this journey since BACR started the work in 2020. She is honored to have been entrusted to keep moving the work forward and is committed to making a sustainable impact at BACR.
Kimberly Lewis, ASP Site Coordinator for Bay Area Community Resources in Richmond, California, started off as a volunteer in the out-of-school time field but quickly learned this was what she was meant to do. "My first year of being involved in the ASP setting period, a little boy confided in me that he 'wanted to commit suicide,'" Lewis recalled. "...I was scared but thankful that he trusted me enough to say something to me and I was able to get him the help that he needed." When the student returned to School, Lewis took him under her wing and I put him in the Drama Club. "I ran into this young man a few years after this... he showed me a play that he had written and dedicated to me," Lewis said, noting that every few years she runs into him and he always thanks her for not giving up on him. "It's scenarios like this that are my "why.'" "I know I am far from the best, but I can guarantee that I will continue to give my best in all that I do ... for these families and (the community)...I hope that what I am doing truly makes a difference, even if it is to only one person."
Stories That Shape Us