Chao Rothberg and a distinguished group of influential women will be recognized at an awards celebration on Tuesday, October 3, 2023, at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square. These women will share their wisdom on leadership, community service, mentorship, and the power women have to change the world.
The recipients include politicians, technology, business titans, philanthropists, and social justice warriors.
“A new model of delivering homeless outcomes and affordable housing development comes at a price,” Chao Rothberg said. “ This is our principle: Achieving self-sufficiency is priceless.” The services provided through LFCD, under Chao Rothberg’s leadership, continuously expanded throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, rapidly responding to the explosion of domestic violence cases, homelessness, and the affordable housing crisis. LFCD graduated upwards of 80 percent of the formerly incarcerated and street homeless, and thousands of Afghan and Ukrainian refugees into self-sufficiency and permanent housing in less than 12 months. Each client was provided a menu of sustainable outcomes starting with comprehensive case management, specialized education and skills training, gainful employment with career pathways, savings and other assets, critical benefits, and improved health conditions—a life filled with new opportunities.
LFCD’s proven comprehensive and integrated delivery model has earned it numerous recognitions including the San Francisco Business Time’s 2023 Community Impact Award, the East Bay Innovation Award Runner Up, the California All Youth Community Access Award, and the California Workforce Development Apprenticeship Award in recent years.
LFCD’s innovative practices include, for example, repurposing a vacant 285-room Motel 6 near Oakland International Airport and a 107-room Vagabond Executive Inn in Downtown Sacramento into a co-located facility with partner providers, dormitory housing, growth sector vocational training such as Certified Nurse Assistant, Network and IT professionals, High School diploma for adults, job placement (including an earn and learn to career placement), health-related programs, among many other services for those who are facing a wide range of obstacles.
LFCD was formed as a non-profit 501(c)(3) in 1980 by former refugees from Laos. Today the organization serves individuals from 40 nationalities, delivers specialized client service in 35 languages, and impacts the lives of over 31,000 diverse residents annually in three northern California counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, and Sacramento). Its mission is to advance the well-being of diverse communities through culturally informed employment, housing, asset development, and education. It has served over 500,000 Californians who earn lower incomes.
For more information, contact: Brad Meyers, Resource & Partnership Development Manager, Bmeyer@lfcd.org | (510) 533-8850.
The nonprofit Family Is All That Matters celebrate their Grand Opening Aug. 21, 2018 at the Galleria at Tyler Mall. Board members, County Officials, mentors and mentees in the program, partners, and many others were present for the celebration. The nonprofit provides academic tutoring support, mentoring and an athletic outlet for children 5 to 18 years old. They focus on integrating academics, athletics and individual empowerment.
(Riverside, Calif.) – Nothing can stop the nonprofit group FIATM from achieving its goal of “Unifying Communities – One Family at a Time.”
FIATM, which stands for “Family is all that Matters,” has already survived a crisis that would have forced many charitable organizations to close their doors.
A late-night fire destroyed the group’s Moreno Valley headquarters on Jan. 1, 2021.
FIATM just put in a computer lab and adjusted its programs to be Covid compliant when the New Year’s fire destroyed their facility and shut down 13 other neighboring businesses.
Despite that setback, FIATM founder and Chief Executive Officer, Kuba Brown, its Chief Operation Officer, David J. Layne, along with the rest of the group’s board members, staff, volunteers and their community partners, never stopped helping needy families with food, utilities and rental assistance.
FIATM COO, David Jordan Layne, Riverside County Second District Supervisor, Karen Spiegel, and FIATM Founder and CEO, Kuba Brown, held its Grand Opening at The Galleria at Tyler recently.
The group continued offering educational and tutoring programs for students from 5 to 18 year olds, and its organizers and youth sports coaches continued working with at promise youths and their families throughout Southern California.
In fact, the challenge may have made the Inland Empire organization stronger than ever.
FIATM recently held an Grand Opening and open house at its spacious new headquarters inside Tyler in Riverside.
The 3,400-square-foot office has enough room for a computer lab, reading lab, homework station where youths can check out Chromebooks, a screening area for thought-provoking family movies, and displays focusing on science, technology, engineering, the arts and math.
The nonprofit group currently serves about 850 youths, ages five to 18. About 600 are from Moreno Valley, and the others come from San Bernardino, Orange and Los Angeles counties.
FIATM also has helped feed and assist veterans at the U.S. Vets transitional housing at March Air Reserve Base in Moreno Valley with its partner So Call Family Support Services.
FIATM was created in 2005 “to aid at-risk-youth, teen mothers, and families in making positive choices to ensure a better quality of life.”
Anyone who gets a chance to talk with Layne and Kuba Brown, the group’s CEO, quickly learns that the statement reflects a lifelong commitment and passion to help struggling youths, their families, and the communities where they live.
“Everything starts with families. Everything starts with youths,” said Layne, who is also FIATM’s chief operating officer. “We refuse to be compromised or diverted from our mission of taking care of families.”
Kuba Brown nodded in agreement.
“We work to create safe places for at-promise kids. You never know what someone is going through at home or what help their families may need until you can sit down, listen and talk with them,” Kuba Brown said.
The new Galleria at Tyler headquarters is a place youths will be able to come in and speak their minds, he said.
It will be open Monday through Friday, but Layne and Brown said it’s not a walk-in office. Youths and their parents will need to schedule their visits.
“FIATM reflects the passion that we have regarding service,” Brown said. “We want to create a place with unrivaled service, a place where we can do our very best, because in our hearts, we’re servants.”
The F.I.A.T.M. Group Inc., is an IRS designated 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization.
For more information about FIATM and the work the group is doing, visit their website www.FIATMGroupInc.org or call (951) 570-5053.
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FIATM Grand Opening at the Galleria at Tyler in front of the second story entrance right in front of the old Nordstrom’s department store. Left to right, front row, David Thurman, Executive Board Member, Monica Hunter, Executive Vice Chair, President of Advisory Board, Yundra Thomas . Back Row: Donnell P. Layne, CIO and Executive Board Member, Carl M. Dameron, president of Dameron Communications FIATM’s public relations agency, Wayne Brown, Executive Board Member Kuba Brown, CEO, and David, Jordan Layne, COO.
About FIATM – Family Is All That Matters
FIATM programs are implemented to provide Academic Tutoring support, Mentoring and an athletic outlet for students five through 18 years old. FIATM currently focuses on the integration of Academics, Athletics, and Individual Empowerment.
The T.E.A.C.H. PROGRAM
TEACH is the main emphasis if The F.I.A.T.M. GROUP INC. From the ages of five through 18, this program assists in the Tutoring, Mentoring and Nurturing of youth and further sets forth the re-enforcement of Family and Family Values. An after-school tutoring and mentoring program established to serve all youth in our programs as a deterrent to truancy, drug and substance abuse, gang involvement, crime and disruptive behaviors that are prevalent in the community when students are left unsupervised.
Next Level Athletics Alliance (NLAA)
This is a complete youth sports program offering participation in a variety of competitive youth sports all of which may have Olympic ties.
The NEXT LEVEL ATHLETICS ALLIANCE program offers our youth the opportunity to develop positive life skills and memories leading towards a promising future.
These programs in itself will also assist in the edifying and promotion of Family Values that will enrich the community for years to come.
Student Athlete Awareness Program (S.A.A.P)
The structure creates an educational community where student/athletes and faculty share academic goals and join in a common intellectual quest. Teaching and learning, search for knowledge and understanding and the critical examination of ideas, values, and actions are the central activities of the program. The S.A.A.P. Structure is the catalyst where individualism of each person is honored and where courtesy and honesty are practiced.
S.K.A.T.T.
Through S.K.A.T.T. CHRONICLES we will provide a platform for our Youth to learn, train and perfect the craft of Media Arts and Journalism.
S.K.A.T.T. CHRONICLES. S.K.A.T.T. TALES the Animation Cartoon and potential movie will be launched in a collaborative effort with The Lift Entertainment Group. President & COO of S.K.A.T.T. TALES and Executive Limited Partner of The Lift Entertainment. LaShae Brown.
MTS – (MENTORING TO SUCCESS)
MENTORING TO SUCCESS is a program series created to enhance the Tutoring & Mentoring Programs. Our programs are structured to provide tutoring, counseling, cultural awareness, and personal development.
Within the personal development component, we teach self-respect, respect for others, Leadership, Self Esteem and unlock creative and artistic abilities that may otherwise be underutilized in our youth.
We are planning to further enhance the awareness of our youth to the different types of Colleges and Universities and Trade Schools throughout the nation for Academic and Athletic Direction.
