Program Sites

The mission of the Arden Manor Recreation and Park District is to serve all District residents by providing positive recreation experiences and by preserving and maintaining park-lands and facilities through efficient and effective management.

Arden Park Recreation and Park District provides safe, clean, beautiful parks and facilities, along with well-rounded professionally managed wholesome leisure time activities for all the residents. Services are provided to enrich the quality of life for people living in the District and to provide economic value. The District Board and Staff values public service, people, teamwork, innovation, quality, integrity, excellence, and the environment.

Sacramento City Unified School District is one of the oldest K-12 districts in the western United States (established in 1854). SCUSD serves 43,175 students on 75 campuses spanning 76 square miles.

SCUSD is home to a 2013 California Distinguished School (West Campus High School), the only public Waldorf-inspired high school in the nation (George Washington Carver) and the only Hmong language immersion program in the state (Susan B. Anthony Elementary School).

Alumni from SCUSD’s schools include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, nationally renowned political scholar Dr. Cornel West and author Joan Didion. Recent graduates from SCUSD are currently attending Harvard, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UC Davis and host of other prestigious universities.

Our Board-adopted mission statement promises the community that our students will “graduate as globally competitive life-long learners, prepared to succeed in a career and higher education institution of their choice to secure gainful employment and contribute to society.”

SCUSD’s students reflect the rich diversity that is the hallmark of Sacramento’s central city. Our student population is 37.1 percent Hispanic or Latino; 17.4 percent Asian; 17.7 percent African American; and 18.8 percent white. About 5.3 percent of students are of two or more races or ethnicities.

Residents within SCUSD speak more than 40 languages; 38 percent of students do not speak English at home.

SCUSD employs 4,213 people and operates with a budget of $383 million.

Criminal defense attorneys Christine Morse and Toni White observed as their clients repeatedly returned to the criminal system. They knew that at least part of the problem was the design of the system itself; standard rehabilitation programs simply don’t work. The study of criminology shows that incarceration does little to deter crime. The recidivism rate for offenders in California is a staggering 67%.

They decided to take action. Based on knowledge gained from years of working with offenders, they drafted a curriculum based on a multi-faceted approach to address the causes of criminal behavior. Once drafted, Christine and Toni met with psychologists and researchers at Sacramento State University, seeking insight and evaluation.

The University immediately recognized the power of the curriculum, which included cognitive behavioral therapy, legal education, life-skills training, challenging physical activities, yoga, meditation, and career counseling.

The Ascend program is cutting edge. It addresses the root causes of criminal behavior, rather than trying to treat a symptom. The difference is profound. Ascend graduates enjoy a 75% success rate. Even the remaining 25% are demonstrating great progress in improving their life decisions. Many of our students attend college – those who do typically perform at a 3.5-4.0 grade point average – they take their opportunity very seriously.

To date, the lives of 425 career criminals have been deeply changed by Ascend – these students are leading law-abiding, productive and happy lives.

Ascend has more requests for enrollment than we can currently accommodate. Christine and Toni work tirelessly to continually expand the program. Our long-term goal is that Ascend serve every community across the United States, working to lower the rate of crime and helping people build positive lives.

This is where donations come in. As a 501 (C) (3) non-profit, Ascend relies on donations in order to reach as many students as possible. Our goal is to serve those who want to change their lives, and by doing so, improve the lives of their families and the community in which they live.

The ASI Food Pantry exists to provide food and basic necessities to Sac State students with financial hardships and food insecurity, at no cost. In addition to helping alleviate hunger within our student community, the ASI Food Pantry aims to decrease the negative impact that food insecurities have on the academic success of...

Asian Resources is a non-profit community based organization established in 1980 dedicated to providing multiple social services needed in our community, empowering everyone we serve to become a vital part of our changing, diverse society.

In 1998, longtime public school educator (and now Deputy Director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) Don Shalvey joined forces with Silicon Valley entrepreneur and Netflix founder Reed Hastings to launch Aspire Public Schools, one of the nation’s first charter management organizations. The mission Don and Reed set...

In 1998, longtime public school educator Don Shalvey joined forces with Silicon Valley entrepreneur Reed Hastings to launch Aspire Public Schools, one of the nation’s first charter management organizations. The mission they set out to achieve was simple and straightforward: grow the public charter school movement by opening and operating small, high-quality charter schools in low-income neighborhoods…and prepare these students for college.

The Central Valley Region has 14 schools in the communities of Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, and Ceres. The Central Valley was Aspire’s first region, with University Charter School (Modesto) and Vincent Shalvey Academy (Stockton) opening in 1999. Our most recent addition to the region was the opening of Aspire Benjamin Holt Middle School in 2016. We currently serve over 5,800 students across the region.