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Sonoma County · Since 1976

We hire the young people nobody else would hire, and pay them to heal the land.

Mentorship, a paycheck, and a career for youth who have been written off. Rides for seniors who cannot drive. Streams and forests restored by the same hands. One organization, fifty years, one county.

Donate See the work
What we do

Three things, and they hold each other up.

The restoration contracts pay for the crew. The crew is made of young people building a career. The seniors they drive live in the same towns. It is one machine, not three programs.

Youth

Mentorship, counseling, and paid job training for young people ages 16 to 25, including those on probation. Vista Academy, Headwaters, Upstream, Raíces a Cumbre.

A paycheck, not a pamphlet.

Seniors

Free rides to the doctor, the pharmacy, and the grocery store for homebound seniors, driven by neighbors. Windsor Wheels, and now Conexión Cloverdale.

Nobody misses an appointment.

The land

Wildfire fuel reduction, watershed restoration, and invasive plant removal across Sonoma, Mendocino and Marin, done by our own trained crews.

The work that funds the work.
Why it works

The numbers from one year.

Every figure below is from our own 2024 Impact Report.

80%of youth improved their school attendance
70%of graduates report better mental health
100%of youth who stayed ten weeks called it very helpful
80%reported a decrease in general anger
150+youth in mentorship and skill building
30+community service projects completed
25acres of habitat restored
5streams restored across 9 townships

Source: Circuit Rider Community Services 2024 Impact Report.

In their words

The young people say it better than we can.

Vista Academy participants photograph their own hikes and write about what they see. These are theirs, unedited.

The road is getting clearer, the future is still blurry, but I know it's there.

— G.M.

What I'm grateful for is life, and that I'm out of the hall, because I can see my family now. I can finally eat dinner with my family.

— A.H.

When I was put into probation most of my teachers lost hope in me. But others saw that I got up and kept on going.

— P.G.
Get involved

Two doors. Both are open.

Whether you are here to help or here because you need help, you are in the right place.

I want to help

Drive a senior to an appointment. Mentor a young person. Give an hour on a restoration day. Serve on the board. Tell us what you are good at and we will find the fit.

Volunteer

I need help

Programs for youth, families, and seniors, offered in English and Spanish, at no cost. Call us or come by either office. You do not need a referral to ask a question.

Call (707) 838-6641
Coming up

Come stand in a room with us.

12Sep

Fiesta For the Future

5:30 to 8:00 PM · Windsor Ecological Center, 9619 Old Redwood Hwy. Tacos, live music, and the community that makes this work. Free tickets.

1Dec

Giving Tuesday Holiday Open House

5:30 to 8:00 PM · Vista Academy, 401 College Ave, Santa Rosa. Warm, low key, and everyone is welcome.

Fifty dollars puts a young person on a restoration crew for a day.

They get paid, they get trained, and a piece of Sonoma County gets healed. That is the whole model, and it runs on people like you.

Donate