When Prince Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation released its annual report earlier this year, it made some amazing claims about the couple’s “impact,” linking their philanthropy to the delivery of more than 12 million COVID-19 vaccines globally and the resettlement of more than 174,000 Afghan and Ukrainian refugees in the United States. While some of these claims may be difficult to verify and could be the product of a carefully worded PR spin, newly obtained IRS documents confirm that Harry and Meghan’s nonprofit still donated generously to a number of causes in 2021 — to the tune of more ..read more

DeAnna Pursai and Dr. Pamela Linsay founded College of Adaptive Arts in 2009 to give adults with disabilities the collegiate experience. Today, CAA is based out of Saratoga’s West Valley College and serves nearly 200 students across nine states, most of whom are living with a developmental or intellectual disability. “DeAnna has grown College of the Adaptive Arts from a 12-person class into a national collegiate model for people with special needs,” said state Sen. David Cortese, whose District 15 includes Cupertino. “She approaches her work with kindness and dynamism, and her steadfast dedica ..read more

Milpitas photographer and filmmaker Robert Burrill showed another side of himself March 18 at the annual meeting of the Bay Area Garden Railway Society, aka BAGRS. The model train enthusiast brought pieces from the Rural Burrill Garden Railroad, which he built in memory of his grandfather Charly, who was a track inspector for the Maine Central Railroad for 50 years. Burrill, a BAGRS member, started building his railroad in 1996, laying 30 feet of track on a $30-a-month budget. The first loop went around his entire backyard. Many hours of work later, the track switched out and over the first lo ..read more

History San Jose CEO Bill Schroh Jr. says the nonprofit started an emergency relief fund in the wake of last Sunday’s devastating fire, which destroyed the historic Nelson-DeLuz house and damaged two other buildings. “We appreciate the outpouring of concern we have received and our hearts go out to the staff, volunteers, and community members who hold fond memories and personal connections to the Nelson-DeLuz House,” he said. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but its effects will continue to be felt at History Park, a 14-acre village of original and recreated houses and build ..read more

The motto of the Trash Punx is “Cleaning Up Our World, One Piece of Trash at a Time,” and this week, the San Jose nonprofit is showing that it’s serious about the global impact of that statement. Trash Punx founder Justin Imamura and Conservation Manager Vanessa Rogier left Monday for Kenya, where they are partnering with Sabore Ole Oyie, a Maasai elder and warrior, to clean up Ewaso Ngiro, a small town outside Nairobi. The town — about 60 miles away from the Maasai Mara National Reserve — has a weekly livestock and produce market. But it doesn’t have trash service, Imamura said, and there are ..read more

Volunteers from Morgan Hill to Mountain View were sworn in March 7 as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) through Child Advocates of Silicon Valley, a Milpitas-based nonprofit. The swearing-in ceremony, presided over by Judge Shawna Schwarz, capped a training process where 22 volunteers from eight South Bay cities learned how to serve as the go-between for children in the foster care system and court officials. More than 60% of foster youth currently waiting for a CASA volunteer live outside of Santa Clara County, although their case is with the Santa Clara County Dependency Court ..read more

The sound of silence is no more. Youths are learning to finger chords and pluck out simple tunes once again through the Guitars Not Guns free music program in Contra Costa County. The nonprofit’s guitar classes for youths went silent early on during the COVID-19 pandemic three years ago, but this winter the Contra Costa chapter resurrected lessons with students learning the basics of playing music from a small group of volunteers. New classes will begin in Concord next week as the revived program rotates around the county, depending on available volunteers. “We need this, especially after COVI ..read more

SAN JOSE — Adobe has embarked on what the company calls its hometown commitment, a wide-ranging campaign to strengthen the tech titan’s ties to the San Jose community and its nonprofits. To be sure, Adobe’s four-building downtown San Jose headquarters campus — complete with a new tower — serves as a very visible symbol of Adobe’s investments in the Bay Area’s largest city. San Jose-based Adobe, however, wants to do far more than build a landmark, according to Amy White, Adobe’s global head of corporate social responsibility & social impact communications. The tech titan aims to weave stran ..read more

Racing Hearts is a lifesaver. In just 10 years, they’ve placed more than 1,000 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) within Santa Clara County, and they’ve made Santa Clara County the first county in California to have defibrillators in virtually all public schools. It’s an outstanding example of the good that nonprofits and government can do when we work hand in hand. And what a journey it’s been. Two decades ago, Stephanie Martinson was out climbing Yosemite’s Half Dome when she suffered an aborted sudden cardiac arrest. She was just 23 years old. Stephanie was not the first young adult ..read more

It can be argued that Chef A.J. Szenda knew his calling early in life. He applied to the Culinary Institute of America when he was 14, but was politely told he had to finish high school first. He did so, and was accepted to the CIA shortly after he graduated. Since then, Szenda’s 40-year career has spanned the South Bay. He’s worked at Saratoga restaurants Le Mouton Noir, the Plumed Horse as sous chef then executive chef, and Viaggio as executive chef and partner. He spent seven years as executive chef at San Jose’s Almaden Golf and Country Club before joining Apple’s chef team in Cupertino, w ..read more