Pleasanton nonprofit Child Care Links empowers victim of domestic abuse
It was only nine months ago when Patricia grabbed her three children and escaped to a local motel room one night. The 26-year-old mother was a victim of domestic violence, …
Immigrants’ story: from a land of violence to one of hope
Two years ago, Aracely Garcia Gonzales and her husband, Otto Alva Lopez, made a difficult decision. With Otto already in the United States working to send money back home to …
Homes help former foster youth ‘enter a challenger, exit a champion’
Kevin Lynn has fought through hunger, homelessness and depression, his teenage years a blur of foster homes that he felt treated him like “a disposable paycheck.” His apartment burned down …
Teen escapes homelessness, finds kinship with aid of nonprofit
For about six weeks one summer, Karizma Harper and her mom lived among the homeless in Berkeley’s People’s Park. Although she was 8 or 9 years old at the time, …
Oakland dance company reaches out to disabled veterans
A desire to explore life beyond the circular track led competitive wheelchair athlete Dwayne Scheuneman to the world of dance. It was a place the track-and-field enthusiast never thought he’d …