CASSY Chosen As a 2024 California Nonprofit of the Year
Counseling and Support Services for Youth (CASSY) is proud to announce it has been selected as a 2024 California Nonprofit of the Year by California State Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, District 28.
CASSY is one of more than one hundred nonprofits that will be honored by their state senators and assemblymembers for their outstanding contributions to the communities they serve.
Since 2009, Counseling and Support Services for Youth (CASSY) has shown how effective and powerful school-based counseling can be for everyone involved. Through partnering with schools and communities, we integrate mental health support into the fabric of the school and reach students in a familiar, safe environment. Our mission is to destigmatize mental health services and make supporting students’ social and emotional well-being the norm in our local schools. We want to provide all students with the continuity of support they need, from the first day of kindergarten until they graduate from high school, to be successful in school and life.
“Amidst the ongoing youth mental health crisis, the need for student support has never been greater,” said CASSY Executive Director Marico Sayoc. “Day in and day out, our highly qualified therapists are making a tangible difference in the lives of young people in our community, and we are deeply humbled to be recognized by Assemblymember Gail Pellerin as a 2024 Nonprofit of the Year.”
“Nonprofit organizations touch the lives of millions of Californians in ways that can often go unrecognized. From the childcare program to the soccer team, from the art class to the health clinic, and from the community organizer to the animal shelter – nonprofits improve the lives of all Californians and make our communities stronger,” said Geoff Green, CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits), a partner for this initiative. “Nonprofits are also a key economic driver in our state, accounting for 1 in 14 jobs. It’s important to recognize all they do.”
According to “Causes Count,” a 2019 report commissioned by CalNonprofits, the nonprofit sector is the 4th largest industry in the state, employing more than 1.2 million people. Each year, California nonprofits generate more than $273 billion in revenue and bring in $40 billion in revenue from outside of California. The unpaid labor contributed by volunteers at nonprofits is equivalent to 330,000 full-time jobs every year
Now in its ninth year, the Californian Nonprofit of the Year initiative provides the opportunity for each California state legislator to recognize a nonprofit organization doing outstanding work in their district. The program culminates with a celebratory luncheon at the Capitol on California Nonprofits Day, which this year is June 5.
The program is sponsored by the CalNonprofits in partnership with the state Senate and Assembly Select Committees on the Nonprofit Sector. CalNonprofits, the leading policy voice for California’s nonprofit sector, focuses on advocacy, education, and research to build a more powerful and politically engaged nonprofit network across the state.