Yuma Sun - Raising Yuma Families
Helping Yumans help Yuma
Supporting local nonprofits critical to community’s success
“alot of people when they think of nonprofits in Yuma, they think of some of the most known ones like the Yuma Community Food Bank, amberly’s Place, the Crossroads mission and the Humane society of Yuma,” said arizona Community Foundation of Yuma Regional Director Veronica shorr. “Those are nonprofits that help people in need during hard times.
“But there are also nonprofits like the arizona Historical society, which focuses on our local museums; the Yuma Orchestra association, which focuses on music and music education; the special Olympics, which focuses on athletics for all; the Ymca, which focuses on (a variety of community programs); and on a more fun note, the girl scouts – our cookie girls – are a nonprofit. some also raise awareness for issues like Hunter’s army and advokate do for childhood cancer.”
as Regional Director for the arizona Community Foundation of Yuma, shorr is well acquainted with the world of nonprofit in Yuma. as a nonprofit organization itself, the ACF of Yuma’s focus is to help other nonprofits. With charitable dollars from local donors, they distribute funds to nonprofits through grant cycles in a process that is locally led.
so when shorr answered the question, “What is a nonprofit?” she had plenty of examples to share. From the organizations meeting immediate, critical needs to the organizations that assist with other causes or quality of life for the community, shorr emphasized that nonprofits in Yuma all want “to make the lives of those who live in Yuma a little easier.”
“each nonprofit has their own role in our community to make Yuma an interesting and healthy place to live in,” she said. “Without them, there would be a lot of arts and culture missing; a lot of assistance for individuals missing. There would be no community health because even our hospital’s a nonprofit. There would be no community without nonprofits.”
illustrating this, shorr noted some of the major services that nonprofits provide locally.
The Humane society of Yuma, for example, is Yuma County’s only animal shelter and provides pet control for the community through their spay and neuter program as well as provide for the health of Yuma’s pets with microchipping and vaccine services.
The Crossroads mission also accomplishes much for the community, stated shorr. as a homeless shelter and drug and alcohol addiction recovery rehabilitation facility, the mission takes in a lot of homeless folks. Without the mission, there’d be one fewer shelter providing space, meals and necessities for the homeless.
The Regional Center for Border Health and sunset Health have also proved helpful during the pandemic as their focus lies in community health, shorr explained. These organizations have provided COVID testing and help with vaccinations.
even when it comes to entertainment and keeping the arts and culture alive in Yuma, nonprofits make a big difference. Referring
back to the Yuma Orchestra association, shorr said it’s one of the few programs in the community that focuses on music education. and making possible events like the recent “spirit of Christmas” and “Classics by moonlight,” the association brings music to the community.
so why do nonprofits matter? shorr believes they’re essential. “at the end of the day, we’re all individually benefitted by the work of a nonprofit whether we realize it or not.”
she shares that there are many reasons to support nonprofits. supporting a good cause and getting to feel good about helping are some reasons, and she notes that one never knows when someone might need help – be it caring for a pet or getting a vaccine.
“support the nonprofits because they support you,” shorr said.
Choosing a nonprofit to support may be a daunting task, but shorr advises people to start with what they’re passionate about. “if that’s not
clear enough,look around you and see what’s important to you right now,” she said. “Be it being a mother to a toddler, caring for pets or going to local museums–go to the nonprofits that support your passions.”
On the topic of local vs. broader organizations, she said it’s good to look local first.
“Yuma’s very lucky to have a lot of local nonprofits that were started out of passion and need and it’s so important to support those nonprofits because they were created by Yuma for Yuma,” she explained. “it’s also important to support national nonprofits because they support local ones too. [But] if you really want to help the arts, (for example,) look into ones first that have the same mission that you can support locally.”
google and Charity navigator can be good places to start. Charity navigator allows individuals to check an organization’s actual irs status and yearly budget. it’s very transparent, but shorr adds that individuals can also contact the ACF of Yuma.
“Because here at the foundation, we work closely with a lot of nonprofits, we have a good grasp on who’s in good standing and who’s not as well as what programs they run,” she said.
individuals looking to learn more about Yuma’s nonprofits are welcome to contact shorr at (928) 539-5343. and if they’re certain of where they want to help, shorr notes that most nonprofits have websites with donation options. and plenty of organizations can also benefit from volunteers or having items donated as some have thrift stores to help generate funds for their causes.
To learn more about the ACF of Yuma and how to “give where you live,” visit https://www.azfoundation.org/give-where-you-live/ Yuma.