Activism

OCCUR & SF Foundation FAITHS Program Presents Year-End Celebration: Taking Our Impact Higher!

Even in an era of tumult as we’ve rarely seen before, individuals in great need today are still looking to faiths and nonprofit organizations for answers and support. Many are asking if these institutions can still meet the challenge. Yes, they can.

Published

2 years ago

October 3, 2023

Oakland Post

L-R: Pastor Paul Bains, Dr. Jonathan Butler and Devone Boggan will lead a closing session called “The Power of Faith and Community.” Courtesy composite photo.

By Carmen Bogan

On Wednesday, Sept. 27, OCCUR and the San Francisco Foundation FAITHS Program presents the year-end celebration of A Model Built on FAITH Impact Series called the Power of Faith and Community. It will be held virtually from 9 a.m.-11 a.m.

In the 2023 series finale, four extraordinary, noted Bay Area, national and international leaders Pastor Paul Bains, St. Samuel COGIC Church and founder of United Hope Builders in East Palo Alto; Dr. Jonathan Butler, associate minister, S.F. Third Baptist Church, executive director of the San Francisco African American Faith-Based Coalition; and DeVone Boggan, founder of Advance Peace in Richmond, will discuss how the unique power of Bay Area faiths and non-profit leaders can meet the challenges we all face now, and even elevate their call to bring change, hope and healing to individuals and communities when we need it most.

The session will be moderated by Dr. Michelle Myles Chambers, FAITHS Program Director at the San Francisco Foundation (SFF). “In the Bay Area, we are blessed with faiths and nonprofit leaders that are action-oriented,” says Chambers who is also a community activist. “Somehow, organizations who themselves survive with very few resources have found a way to provide for the people they serve. How? Of course, they need more funding and other resources to sustain and grow. But what drives them is greater. It’s about justice, impact, and faith. These are the necessary resources they will always have in abundance. And that makes the difference.”

Panelists for this celebration session will discuss and answer questions about:

The essential role of faith and nonprofit leaders as advocates and activists.
How to build extraordinary organizations and programs from start to finish.
How these leaders found funding and other resources for sustainability.
How partnerships can help elevate growth and impact.
How Bay Area faith-based and nonprofit leaders can use the intensity of these times to level-up impacts.
Self-care, words of advice, encouragement, hope, and celebration of all faith-based and nonprofit leaders boldly answering the call to take on unrelenting, heavy lifts.

Join Us!

Date: Sept. 27, 2023

Time: 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. PST

Location: Virtual training, Zoom Meeting ID: 861 4945 3331

To Register for the Event: Visit AModelBuiltOnFaith.org

Questions: Email info@occurnow.org

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

People’s Republic of China Celebrates 74th Anniversary: Expression of Hope that China – U.S. Friendship and Prosperity Will Continue to Grow

Don't Miss

Suicide Prevention Week: A Reminder of the Mental Health Crisis Confronting Black Californians

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

2 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

1 week ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.