5 Nonprofits To Get Behind In The Rohnert Park-Cotati Area

ROHNERT PARK, COTATI, CA — Nonprofit groups are keystone community organizations in the Rohnert Park, Cotati area. Fortunately, there is no shortage of organizations to volunteer for or get behind financially — and that need your help.

Here are five outstanding nonprofit groups you should know about in the Rohnert Park, Cotati area:

1. Cotati Accordion Festival is more than an annual event. It is a nonprofit organization established in 1991 to promote the love of the accordion and support local youth service organizations. Cotati Accordion Festival has donated more than $500,000 to the youth of the community for performing arts in local schools. The two men responsible for the origination of this event were Clifton Buck-Kauffman and Jim Boggio. It was the love of and respect for the accordion and Cotati, that brought the festival into being. Boggio thrived on all things music and even recorded an album, "Accordion to the Blues," at the Cotati-based recording company, Prairie Sun Studios. Buck-Kauffman thrived on civic involvement, having served on the City of Cotati Community Service Commission, Cotati Chamber of Commerce and Cultural Arts Council of Sonoma County. The first Cotati Accordion Festival was presented as a community service, free to the public, and was held in the downtown plaza under the oaks. The response was overwhelming. More than 30 years later, the Cotati Accordion Festival continues to recognize the need for outside sources to keep performing arts programs in schools and believes that discontinuing music, drama and art is detrimental to the education of future generations.

How To Help: This nonprofit festival is run by volunteers and can never have too many. Sign-ups are typically online and require a commitment to at least three hours during the two-day festival weekend. The Cotati Accordion Festival also relies on sponsors, stating: "Together we're providing a lot of value to the community." The dates have been announced and donations are already being accepted for the 33rd annual Cotati Festival, to be held Aug. 17-18, 2024, at La Plaza Park. For more information, visit CotatiFest.com.

2. Farm To Pantry started with a walk around a Sonoma County neighborhood. Founder Melita Love saw so many fruit trees in her neighbors’ yards with once beautiful fruit rotting on the ground beneath them. She thought what a shame it was to see waste like that when 1 in 4 people in Sonoma County were facing food insecurity. So, she DID something about it. In 2008, the nonprofit Farm to Pantry was launched to serve a need in the local community: to provide a continuous supply of fresh, healthy produce to its most vulnerable neighbors who lack access to it by cultivating a community of growers and volunteers. The mission then and now is to bring together communities to end food injustice and reverse global warming by rescuing and sharing locally-grown food with those who have been systematically marginalized. Farm to Pantry envisions a just food system in which everyone has access to healthy food that honors and nourishes our community and heals the planet by eliminating food waste. Since 2008, the group has delivered over 6 million servings of fruits and vegetables. In 2022 alone, the nonprofit rescued over 400,000 pounds of produce.

How To Help: Farm to Pantry accomplishes this do with the power and commitment of over 500 volunteer gleaners, 400+ property owners and more than 100 community partners. There are many ways to help: become a volunteer gleaner, help grow the table, or grow a row/start a community garden. Sign up here to become a volunteer.

3. First Responders Resiliency Inc is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the psychological, neurological, physical, emotional and relational well-being of first responders and their families. Founded and operated by first responders, the organization is based on current evidence-based research and science that provides comprehensive, holistic modality training to equip first responders —and their families— to become more resilient both on and off duty. To expand its services and mission, FRRI is currently in the process of developing the First Responders Resiliency Center in Cotati. This center will be a home for training and will provide real-time access to wellness and support services. Its services will include but are not limited to trauma therapists, massage therapy, addiction and recovery support, mindfulness-based programs, physical resiliency training, wellness and nutritional consultation, equine-assisted therapy, cancer support services, family services, preventative holistic modalities and tactical yoga and meditation.

How To Help: There are opportunities to become a founding member of the resiliency center or fund a scholarship for a first responder to attend a three-day resiliency training. There is also a wish list of items needed for the center. Learn more at Resiliency1st.org/support-us/.

4. Common Ground Society all began at a preschool when "Just Two Moms" did a presentation on Down syndrome at their children’s preschool for World Down Syndrome Day in 2018. News of the presentation quickly spread and the two moms were asked to come and present in many classrooms. The requests quickly became overwhelming, so they decided to try their hand at all-school assemblies, and they were a hit. Common Ground Society, founded in 2020 as a 501c3 nonprofit, shifted its focus from just Down syndrome to a multitude of diagnoses. Its mission is to share stories to educate and empower the community to be more compassionate, accepting and inclusive of people with disabilities. The organization works to connect families through monthly meet-ups and support groups; offers customizable presentations to help get the conversation started about disabilities and inclusion; offers teacher resources; provides hospital support bags; and more.

How To Help: Volunteers with a high dedication to the Sonoma County community are sought to serve on social media pages, as event coordinators and as support for meetups and events. Learn more here.

5. Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife; the promotion, understanding, appreciation, protection and conservation of wildlife through educational outreach programs and advocacy efforts. Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue also makes charitable contributions to animal rescue and rehabilitation organizations as authorized by its board of directors. Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue has a team of trained staff and volunteers available to rescue wildlife seven days a week and provides specialized medical care to over 1,500 animals a year. On average, Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue releases 70 percent of the patients it helps.

How To Help: There is always a need for new volunteers for many roles, from administrative duties to animal care duties at the rescue center in unincorporated Petaluma. Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue has a junior volunteer program for children 13 and older; it has year-round internship opportunities and a community service volunteer program. People can also volunteer to host a release site or volunteer to transport animals or supplies. Read more here about the various volunteer opportunities at Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue. The organization also accepts donations of food and supplies and online monetary donations. And there are several other ways to help.

RELATED: Read about five Rohnert Park-Cotati nonprofits previously featured by Patch as part of this series.

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