By Cynthia Hubert

August 01, 2024

Sacramento State’s Anchor University initiative will fund 18 new and continuing projects focused on cultivating community partnerships and addressing key issues in the Sacramento area.

Faculty, staff and students will use small grants from the program to collaborate with regional partners in the coming year on civic and community engagement projects.

The program recently awarded a total of nearly $100,000 for 18 projects led by Sac State in partnership with community groups, agencies, school districts and other organizations.

Their work will include helping homeless people vote in the upcoming national election, promoting health and wellness in schools, supporting mental health among young people, and helping youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds develop leadership and life skills.

“Through the Anchor University Grants program, we are making an investment in our community, helping to ensure that people around us have better lives,” said Rita Gallardo Good, Sac State’s senior vice president for Public Affairs and Advocacy and a member of the Anchor University Advisory Council.

Robert S. Nelsen Civic Engagement grants fund new or existing innovative projects and programs focused on civic engagement to improve the long-term welfare of the Sacramento Region. This year’s Sac State recipients, along with their community partners, are:

• The School of Social Work and community partner Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness, to mobilize and engage homeless people for the November 2024 general election
• The Department of Psychology and Sacramento Community Land Trust, pairing Sac State students with youth in South Sacramento to foster civic engagement
• The APIDA Center and Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs, to support and mentor young people in their academic and professional journeys
• The Department of Sociology and Her Health First, to explore medical interventions by Black doulas and midwives with an eye toward improving birth outcomes
• The Department of Gerontology and community partners Campus Commons Senior Living Sacramento and area schools, to promote civic engagement between older adults and younger people

Community Engagement grants fund new or existing projects and programs that focus on community-engaged partnerships, research, scholarship and learning that will improve the long-term welfare of the Sacramento community and address at least one of the six priority issues of the Anchor University initiative. This year’s recipients are:

• The Department of Environmental Studies and community partner Save the American River Association and Sacramento County Parks, to continue restoration work and turtle conservation at Bushy Lake
• The Department of Art and Sacramento County Unified School District, to continue a course that offers University students an opportunity to engage with local youth through a course called Barrio Art in the Community
• The College of Education and Grant Union High School, for a program focused on youth psychology and well-being
• The Department of Psychology and Nicholas Elementary School and Sacramento Valley Charter School, to fund an existing program designed to help youth improve social awareness, academic skills and mental health
• The Community Engagement Center and Bowling Green and Marion Mix elementary schools, for a program through which Sac State scholars exchange letters with elementary school students
• The School of Music and Robla School District, to continue offering violin and cello classes to underserved children in the Sacramento area while providing teacher training to University students
• The Dreamer Resource Center and Capital Storytelling, for a workshop series and showcase event that amplify the stories of immigrants from campus and the larger community
• The Department of Geography and Soil Born Farms, for a project that aims to enhance ties and deepen knowledge about cultural staple foods of immigrant and refugee communities
• The Department of Ethnic Studies and Museum of Children’s Art, in which University scholars will interact with students in Oakland, engaging them through letter writing, discussions and as campus hosts
• The Department of Computer Science and Aspire Twilight Academy, to introduce an innovative interdisciplinary course that merges science and art education
• Associated Students Inc. and Health Education Council, for a comprehensive program designed to nurture confidence, knowledge and wellness in fifth and sixth graders
• Project Rebound and Zion Girls Academy, in which Sac State staff and student volunteers will mentor people from diverse, disadvantaged backgrounds who have been impacted by the justice system
• The School of Music and Natomas Charter School, for the Festival of New American Music, which this year will seek to provide youth with access to guest artists through performances, lectures and masterclasses

Gallardo Good said each of the projects have the potential to leave a permanent imprint on the communities they will serve.

“Our investment as an educational institution in these communities will resonate for many years,” she said. “The fact that our Hornets are playing a role in enhancing the lives of others is a legacy.”