RUBICON PROGRAMS INC. SINCE 1973. December 2005 2500 Bissell Ave, Richmond, CA 94804 www.rubiconprograms.org 510 235 1516 In this issue: 1) Season’s Greetings from Rubicon! 2) Participant profile: Mark Thomas 3) Donate to Rubicon Programs this holiday season! 4) Serve Rubicon Bakery desserts this holiday season! 5) What does Rubicon do? 1) Season’s Greetings from Rubicon! This year has been a big year for Rubicon - we expanded our programs into Berkeley and our gourmet desserts onto the web. And we couldn't do it without you. Thank you for your support over the past year including your volunteered time, in-kind donations, financial contributions, purchases of our gourmet desserts, and procurement of our landscaping services. Without your commitment we would not be able to help people like Mark (see below) who come through our door every day. From the Board of Directors and Staff of Rubicon Programs, Rubicon Bakery and Rubicon Landscape Services, we wish you and yours a very happy and healthy holiday season! 2) Participant Profile: Mark Thomas Mark's 5 year-old son was his motivation. Mark was a young father without a job and without the means to support his son. And he knew that he had to do something in order to be a better dad. He attended our 2-week employment training program. He met with a Rubicon employment counselor who helped him find a job. Mark now works at Bayer as a packaging operator. He has a steady income and is a better dad to his son – taking him on trips, helping him with his homework, and playing football with him. Mark said that Rubicon “handed me a hammer and a box of nails and told me to build a house. They weren’t going to build the house for me, I had to do it myself. The truth is that we have to take responsibility for ourselves.” 3) Donate to Rubicon Programs! Will you help us serve the Bay Area men and women who want to rebuild their lives? Donate to Rubicon Programs and feel confident that your money is going to a nationally respected organization. We effectively respond to the local needs of those living in poverty and homelessness by providing them the tools and the opportunity to put the pieces back together. Walk out any door in the Bay Area and you can see first hand that homelessness and poverty are daunting challenges. Richmond's unemployment rate was 7.8% in July 2005 which is over 144% higher than that in the state. Berkeley reports that 20% of its citizens live in poverty. And San Francisco counted 2,497 men and women living on its streets in January 2005. Rubicon Programs solves these problems one person at a time throughout the Bay Area. Join us. We ask that you contribute a meaningful amount to Rubicon Programs, whether that is $50, $100, $500, $1,000, $5,000 or more. Whatever the amount, we make the process easy. Donate online or send a check (payable to Rubicon Programs) to 2500 Bissell Ave, Richmond, CA 94804. Click here to donate today! 4) Serve Rubicon Bakery desserts this holiday season! You can feel good about buying desserts from Rubicon Bakery! We are now online and ready for your order. Our desserts include a moist chocolate cake, a delicious carrot cake made with fresh carrots, and peppermint marshmallows that are perfect in hot chocolate. All of our desserts are made by hand with all-natural and high-quality ingredients. Our cakes and marshmallows are ideal for holiday presents, holiday parties, family gatherings and special care packages! Order today! For Christmas or Hanukkah delivery, order by 12noon (PST) on December 20. Click here to order your gourmet desserts! 5) What does Rubicon do? We help people who are low-income, homeless, and living with mental disabilities live independent lives by providing jobs, housing, legal services, career development services, mental health counseling, and money management services. We run two social purpose businesses, Rubicon Bakery and Rubicon Landscape Services, and from which 100% of net proceeds support our programs. Rubicon Programs Inc is 31 years old, has served over 35,000 men and women, has created thousands of jobs, and provided hundreds of homes. We want to share news and stories about Rubicon. And we respect your wishes if you do not want to receive these emails. To unsubscribe, tell us that you want to Opt-Out