Welcome to the CVCF BLOG
$20,000 Grant Helps Those with Parkinson’s in the Central Valley Get Active | CVCF Donor Fund Spotlight
By Laura Ramos, Community Engagement Associate At the Central Valley Community Foundation (CVCF), we are constantly inspired by the individuals and organizations who serve a need in our community by spreading awareness and collecting support for their cause. The...
It’s Time to Reinvest in Southwest with St. Rest Community EDC
By Laura Ramos, Community Engagement Associate Saint Rest Baptist Church has maintained a footprint in the Fresno community for the last 75 years. They have become one of the largest and most recognized congregations serving Southwest Fresno families. The southwest...
CVCF Weekly Roundup #1
By Laura Ramos, Community Engagement Associate Introducing CVCF Weekly Roundup! In this series CVCF will be compiling at least 10 articles from various sources ranging in topics such as; environment, housing, education, workforce, government/policy, nonprofit,...
Untold Stories of the Central Valley are Waiting to be shared by YOU!
By Laura Ramos, Community Engagement Associate The Central Valley Community Foundation is thrilled to present the 4th annual The Big Tell; a film contest featuring undiscovered stories from the Central Valley. These 5-min mini documentaries tell the stories of places...
A Night of Baseball and Tacos with CVCF!
By Laura Ramos, Community Engagement Associate A few weeks ago CVCF took our donors and their families out to the ball game for our Donor Appreciation Party at Chukchansi Park! Every year we host this event to celebrate our hard work over the last 12 months, to give...
At Home in the Lowell Neighborhood!
By Laura Ramos, Community Engagement Associate A couple of weeks ago, Central Valley Community Foundation (CVCF) staff took a trip to the Lowell Neighborhood for the Lowell Historic Home Tour. Visitors were welcomed into four unique and charming homes, all of which...
Over 2 Dozen Museums to Visit in the Central Valley!
By Laura Ramos, Community Engagement Associate What is one thing Merced, Mariposa, Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare county all have in common? They all have several museums welcoming the community to visit! In the spirit of International Museum Day (May 18), the...
Chinatown Fresno Foundation Sees a Better Future for Chinatown
By Elisabeth Parra, CVCF Intern For as long as I can remember I have been told not to go the Chinatown alone. As someone who grew up going to church in the downtown area, I have never been one to shy away from the homeless people or to be afraid of the “rough”...
Happy World Book Day
By Laura Ramos, Community Engagement Associate Celebrating World Book Day by Sharing CVCF Staff’s Favorite Books Arguably one of the greatest children’s book authors of all time, Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, say’s it best in his most popular book,...
Three Scholarships Now Accepting Applications for Central California Students
By Laura Ramos, Community Engagement Associate The Central Valley Community Foundation manages over 30 scholarships annually. These opportunities are funded by local individuals, families, businesses and organizations that have acted on a need to provide financial...
Live Again Brings Light to Parkway Drive Children
By Elisabeth Parra, CVCF Intern In 2012, Richard Burrell, founder and CEO of Live Again Fresno (LAF), and his wife Roxanne Burrell went to Parkway Drive and what they found touched their hearts and changed lives for years to come. When the Burrell’s first went to the...
The Big Tell 2018: Orlando J. Gomez
Orlando Gomez was born and raised in Fresno, a place he will always call home, despite leaving at various times to pursue career opportunities. He has run his own production company, Stellar Lense Productions, Inc. for over 13 years and appreciates the...
The Big Tell 2018: Carissa Garcia & Samuel Contreras
Carissa Garcia is an interdisciplinary artist who approaches her work as a storyteller and poet. She considers herself a “greñuda filmmaker”, working on untamed methods of documenting and reversing erasure as a decolonial means of creating and recuperating...
The Big Tell 2018: Jes Therkelsen
For most of us, rock bottom exists only in the deepest corners of our imagination; a nightmare scenario that fuels our fears and motivates our actions. We learn to spend our lives building safety nets to prevent such tragedies. But for those who have...
The Big Tell 2018: Laura Gromis
Laura Gromis has been passionate about the environment since she was young. Her grandfather was a coal miner in what is now Poland. He also instilled in her a love of hiking, nature, and a keen curiosity to question the world we live in. Although...
The Big Tell 2018: Hans Steele
Judo is a sport centered around the "Ippon," a perfectly executed throw of your opponent that scores an automatic win during a match. To achieve perfect form, techniques for hundreds of throws are practiced over and over again, in repetitive exercises...
The Big Tell 2018: Sarah Linder Gonzales
Sarah Linder Gonzales is an amateur filmmaker and mother of five. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sarah has a special place in her heart for service, particularly the work featured in her film, “Raisins Made with Love,” a...
The Big Tell 2018: Rippin Sindher
Rippin Sindher is a 29-year-old East Indian filmmaker from Selma, CA. From an early age, she wrote stories, directed short videos, and acted in community theatre while her parents worked in the fields to make ends meet. She struggled to fully pursue her...