In honor of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., students from five Richmond schools joined parents and community members to March for Peace in Nystrom/Iron Triangle neighborhoods on January 13. This was the fifth M.L.K. March for Peace that the schools and community organized together. Approximately 400 students participated.

Eleven nonprofit organizations that serve Richmond residents have been awarded Fall 2011 Capacity Building Grants by Richmond Community Foundation (RCF). RCF works to leverage philanthropic and community resources to build a healthy, sustainable community through investments, leadership, and community engagement.

Decreases in funding across sectors and geographies have significantly hindered the ability of agencies and nonprofit organizations to serve Richmond residents. RCF launched the Capacity Building Grants initiative in early 2011 intent on addressing these economic challenges at a root-level. This year's Request for Proposals (RFP) represented the second "round" of the grant initiative and a third round will be offered in Spring of 2012.

During the week of November 12-18, 2011, Richmond Community Foundation (RCF) will join more than 700 community foundations across America for Community Foundation Week. For more than 20 years, the effort has raised awareness about the increasingly important role of these philanthropic organizations in fostering local collaboration and innovation to address persistent civic and economic challenges.

Today, Tuesday, November 15, Richmond Community Foundation will receive a Proclamation from the Richmond City Council commemorating Community Foundation Week and recognizing RCF's role and impact in Richmond.

Hearing the name "Rosalind Randle" brings forth warm feelings in many people. A community activist, leader and mentor, "Roz"--as she is affectionately known--has lived and worked in North Richmond and Richmond for more than 50 years. Her roots in the community run deep.

Ms. Randle's interest in the Maritime Center restoration is personal. The Maritime Center, located at the corner of Harbour Way South and Florida Avenue, was one of the first child development centers in the country, started as a place for the children of women who worked in the Kaiser Shipyards during World War II. Following the war, it continued to operate as a school for more than sixty years. Ms. Randle's grandmother worked in the Kaiser Shipyards in the 1940s. Her niece attended school at the Maritime Center in the 1970s. Her granddaughter now attends kindergarten at Richmond College Prep Schools (RCPS), a public charter school located on the site that serves primarily students from Santa Fe, Coronado, and Iron Triangle neighborhoods.

While Ms. Randle's commitment to the Maritime Center renovation comes as no surprise, the way she got involved in the actual rehabilitation is unusual. Rosalind Randle balked at conventional retirement after serving 15 years as a Recreation Specialist for the City of Richmond. In the vein of another "double-R" name, (that is, "Rosie the Riveter,") she became a construction worker at the Maritime Center. "I wanted to change my career field, and use my skills in building to be creative," she stated. "I was excited to work with my hands."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE--

What: After eighteen months of construction, and six years of planning and fundraising, the Richmond, California community will come together to celebrate the completed restoration and renaissance of the historic Maritime Child Development Center. The Center houses the Richmond College Prep Schools preschool and kindergarten, the offices of the Richmond Community Foundation, community meeting spaces and a National Park Service interpretive center. The interpretative center/museum brings to life the rich history of the Maritime Center through “hands-on” history displays, archival photo exhibits, and in a restored historic classroom with original furniture and toys. The National Park Service estimates that 30,000 to 50,000 people will visit the Center annually.

Richmond Pulse, Richmond's community-based, youth-driven news media outlet, has launched its first English-language print newspaper edition. Richmond Pulse is a project of New America Media (NAM), made possible by a grant from The California Endowment. The printed newspaper arrived Thursday, and hits newsstands today. The newspapers will be made available free at newsstands, online from Richmond Pulse and as inserts in The Globe Newspaper.

The 12-page full-color newspaper, in tabloid format, will have an initial run of 7,000 copies. In order to serve the growing Spanish-speaking community in Richmond, a translated version is also available from Richmond Pulse. The paper edition complements the richmondpulse.org website that publishes both written and video stories.