I have been a Big Sister (mentor) with BBBS Sac since April 2018. I cannot say enough good things…read moreabout what this incredible organization does for the youth in the Sacramento area. There is a very thorough screening process that comes with becoming a Big. A background check, Livescan, and interview are a few of the components. My match with Aj (my little) has been overwhelmingly successful. BBBS asks that you commit to a one year match, and spend approx. 6 hours a month with your little. They stress that quality time is the best route, i.e - walk in the park, zoo, museums, etc... If you are interested in investing your time into our youths, I highly suggest getting involved with BBBS. I can assure you, you will learn more about yourself than you think, annnnd giving back your time is so beneficial for your soul and mental well being. I feel so grateful for this organization and the amazing staff who genuinely care. Follow us on IG @Aj_Ness_BBBS to see what we're up to.

I have had the chance to be heavily involved in the BBBS program of Sacramento for the last 6 years…read moreas a Big Brother and the experience working with my little and the supporting team at BBBS has been one of the greatest I have ever had. Having a chance to work with this group of inspired and committed individuals is motivating to be around and the work they are doing is having a profound impact on our community.

This organization is amazing! The manager and volunteers truly serve from their hearts and with…read morelove. The sheer number of clients that pull through this food closet... and the volume of food they go home with is testimony! I have volunteered here and can testify!

I volunteered here at the beginning of the Pandemic. Love that they are about 15min drive from my…read morehouse. They serve A LOT of people through a drive through. The volunteers pick up the donated foods, pack them into boxes, then help load them into cars. All the volunteers were friendly and welcoming. If you're interested in volunteering, there are opportunities M-F from 7am to 2pm.

When I found kittens from my kitten under the guest bed I was HORRIFIED…read more There are less expensive shelters and alternatives in any area, but Itsie Bitsie Kristen was rad. She was kind, informative, helpful and an absolute blessing. Itsie Bitsie is my go to donation place for saving my kitten's kittens and not judging me for my ignorance. I rescue dogs, so this was a whole new world and while Kristen made it feel alright. The adoption fee is because their team to ask questions from us, and while my kitten is now spayed (thanks to resources provided by the rescue!) I'll absolutely recommend this place first because these animals are treasured before you even meet them.

Before I ever adopted a puppy with Itsie Bitsie, they came to our rescue when we found ourselves in…read morepossession of a senior dog we could not keep. They took her in, cleaned her up and by a glorious miracle found her a loving home. They really will help any animal they can. My experience adopting was equally impressive. They gave me a great head start with supplies and resources for our puppy, and even months later I can reach out to them with questions. They remember my puppy even over a year later love her just as much. We found an abandoned kitten in my back yard and Itsie Bitsie took her for us the next day no questions asked. They are in the process of cleaning her up and getting her out there for adoption. I was so impressed with them I even connected my boss with them to adopt a dog. All in all they are honest and they truly love what they do, I can't say enough good things about IBR.

I requested a refund for courses I canceled more than 24 hours in advance due to a death in my…read morefamily. I explained that I could no longer attend because I needed to be present for the funeral and ceremony, but my request was still denied. What made the experience worse was that Dave Wilkerson, Director of ACAI Studios & Gallery, personally doubled down on the decision despite the circumstances. A policy is one thing, but compassion and basic humanity should still matter. Being treated this rigidly during a family loss was honestly upsetting and disappointing. I would not recommend supporting an organization that responds this way to someone dealing with a bereavement emergency. Would you want to be treated this way after losing a family member?

Took a throwing class with Terry, who was great. He was super informative and willing to help…read morethroughout all my four classes. I ended up making about 5 pieces throughout the four classes. We glazed during our fourth and final class, meaning we had to return to find our pieces. When I came back the fifth week, my pieces were still not fired in the kiln yet. So I decided to come back in two weeks. That's where I ran into my issue. All of our completed pieces are in a separate room where the glazing happens. There was another instructor, bald lady who I believe instructs the hand throwing class, who was teaching her class how to glaze. My friend and I were looking for our pieces, trying to be as quiet as possible. However, noise is going to be made as we're rummaging through a bunch of finished pieces. There are about four separate sections where our pieces could be, so as we were going through the finished pottery pieces, someone from her class asked my friend and I to be quiet, which we were already trying to be as quiet as possible. She said that we were being rude and disruptive. However, this is just the nature of this room. People are going to be going in and out, trying to find their pieces, as they only place the finalized pieces here. This is when I expected the bald instructor to speak up but she was super rude as well. She was demeaning and condescending towards us. She talked down to us as if my friend and I were 5 years old. When we were looking through the non fired pieces, she raised her voice telling us not to touch the pieces if they weren't ours. The issue is, when you paint the glaze, not only does your piece look completely different, but the glaze is all different types of crazy colors. The only way to verify if the piece is yours is if you find your name on the bottom of the piece. So not only were we not able to verify if those pieces were ours, as the instructor was giving us attitude, we weren't able to find all of our pieces. We went back to our instructor, who was kind enough to find our pieces for us. Overall, we had a good experience but that last instructor really rubbed me the wrong way. I'm conflicted on what score to give, and really feel as though how are you an instructor when you are so rude? For sure left a bad taste in my mouth.

I am so happy these people are in my sons life! My son was barely saying one or two words but…read morewithin a month of seeing him, their speech therapist turned my son into a nonstop talking two year old! He knows colors, numbers, and can name well over 100 objects! I am in awe of Easter Seals pediatric speech program and tell all my friends that they are truly the best.

We use the therapy pool on Hurley off Watt and the warm pool with various instructors guiding you…read morethru activities is just great!!!! This is one of maybe three in the United States by Easter Seals.

** This review is not to reflect on team that did the heating/HVAC work (Air Temp Solutions); Jason…read more& his crew were awesome, and already gave their company/outfit 5-star reviews. HOWEVER, rest of this program is a LAUGHABLE joke from top to bottom. Couple weeks ago we get last minute call to squeeze us in for last minute appointment for next day, fine. "Robert" shows up, & straight out the gate dude's attitude was straight garbage. Before even stepping in our house, he's sizing it up from outside, saying "these kind of homes are a real pain to work on"; gee, thanks!? WTH!? "Robert" then comes inside, & is instantly going on about our cats (we're a cat rescue that operate /w a large rescue network), smell, complaining living room is too cluttered for window work, & asked if we could make space in front of them while they start outside. FTR, I'm "around 50ish", semi-retired, but also an old vet, while roommate is disabled & has issues even walking. So, in record time, roughly 10 mins (quite proud of that too), managed (with a cane in one hand) to move everything into center of the room, /w at least 5-6 foot clearance around the outside of living room. Can almost extend both arms out from sides while standing in walkway. (Even took pictures of a full walk around.) Come to find "Robert", had been outside CRYING to his boss boohoos about why he wouldn't do the job. We saw him & his work-buddy standing outside making various phone calls instead of working, when his buddy realized there's a camera, points it out, to then move away into a blindspot. "Robert" then comes in, unprofessionally, yammering a list of "issues" (too many cats, smells, cluttered [while I saw him eyeballing the walkway I made]), says he talked to his boss and rescheduled elsewhere & we'd have to reschedule. Turns out they already cracked some framing on windows, that up to this point, are STILL dangling in the breeze on the side of our house!!! We get in contact with the super-kind woman that does appointments, explain what happened, which she agrees was unprofessional & unacceptable, & said boss would be out next Friday. So this "boss" shows up, & was polite & welcoming, same way as /w "Robert". We explain situation, & straight out the gate he's defending "Robert" in saying that "he was absolutely right", then goes on to say they need at least 2 ft clearance to work, I show the 5+ ft walkway, to where he CUTS ME OFF & VERBALLY BLASTS RIGHT OVER ME, pointing at stuff like litter boxes & any other thing he could gripe about. I then BLAST BACK OVER HIM, "CAN I FINISH!?!?!?", pointing out that it was ALL MOVED and that WE TOOK PICTURES OF THE WALKAROUND. He then starts talking to us like we're children needing to understand "the important work that they do" (and when we ask how we're supposed to clear the space, he replies "boxes" when most is LARGE FURNITURE)... ROFLMAO, I'm a vet, use to run my own Tech/IT business, was a furniture-mover, paratransit, etc... never once did I EVER act like the clowns that they've been!!! Was eyelash away from THROWING him out of our house, so walked away & let roommate deal /w him. Come to find out, stuff to finish our home, got MISPLACED in storage for A YEAR, so to cover their backside & balance their books they're trying to "rush job" US. (No apology, etc.) The fool (AKA "boss") was even trying to scapegoat "Juan" who measures the windows, saying that Juan was supposed to tell us all this. Told him Juan showed up an hour AFTER "Robert" chickened out. Apparently he pointed back to when Juan said what was required as far as "clutter" A YEAR AGO. Also apparently, we get a pass b/c it's been a year, but sounds like they're rolling it downhill on to Juan & appointment-scheduler, saying, "was THEIR job to tell you these reqs"; though again, last-minute 12-hour notice, our stuff was LOST for a year, and even though "Robert" and "boss" were as professional as Walmart cashiers, Juan and appointment-scheduler seem to be catching the gruff for the setbacks. This "project" is a JOKE -- forever thankful for the heating/HVAC work & Jason's awesome team... but had I known the "leadership" couldn't tell their butts from a hole in the ground, & will defend completely out of line workers (when there's SO MANY out their looking for work!), to then scapegoat it all onto a window-measurer and appointment-maker... had I known the HEADACHE their "project" would be, I would have told them to not get ANYWHERE NEAR our house. I'm currently going back & forth /w myself as to whether or not I might just trespass them from the property entirely. Definitely WOULD NOT recommend even to my worst enemy! PS - I'm their ONLY shot at getting stuff moved & situated to get work done; instead of being professional, they want to waste my valuable time while clowning me. Learn "professionalism" & "basic negotiations", then MAYBE I'll *think* about letting you near our home again!

I lost my job and my husband is disabled, things have been difficult to say the least. I heard…read moreabout the help they offer at CRP and applied. I can honestly say that they have been so wonderful and have provided assistance in which I am forever grateful. The federal grants and corporate donors do exist and I can tell you first hand that help is out there. The application process isn't over night but it didn't take too long to get approved and have some great things happen for our home. If I could hug each and everyone I have had interaction with I would. If you can meet the guidelines I tell you to apply immediately because they truly help families and they have helped mine so much! Thank you Monica, Juan, Jesus, and all the other angels who have helped us with the improvements to our home. I am forever grateful to you all.

My daughter went to LEA for 1.5 months, here is our take:…read more Pros: * Morning play time in the backyard * science experiments that kids like * Bright-wheel subscription to get pictures of kids throughout the day Cons: * Less experienced teachers * Lack of warmth, my daughter didn't adjust to daycare even after 1.5 months and every morning would ask if she has to go to school and cried a lot saying she doesn't like it there * when we asked for pictures/ everyday menu of food we were sent a huge message about trust, condescending and undermining comments * Our kid was told crying is bad and not to cry in the facility. Ms K was friendly and nice until we requested / asked more details of our daughter's day. Now our daughter started elsewhere and transitioned in just a week and loves it there and we find it a lot more comfortable with transparency. Update: Ms Kuntal, yes our primary reason for leaving was need for care on Friday, nowhere in my review I mentioned otherwise, we had issues with interaction and transparency which also added a reason to move. I would have given 1 star if I felt the care was that bad. I did thank for the service but didn't "praise" anywhere, it's my responsibility to thank for the service. WE DID NOT ask for minute to minute update. All we asked for was everyday menu and not sample menu, and picture of food if it's hard to type the food menu. Initially nap times were accurate though we mostly expected amount of sleep but eventually update were only scheduled hours.

Where do I begin! I'm Ms. Elizabeth, I've been the lead Preschool teacher at LEA since December of…read more2020. I completed my bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies while teaching here and I am now moving on to Elementary. Little Explorers Academy is not just a daycare, but it is a family. Students, their parents, and their teachers collaborate in the most caring way, and we hold each other to the highest standards. LEA is not a corporate daycare that sees a child as a number. Every child is a part of the family, and their teachers care for them in this manner. Staff turnover rates are extremely low at this daycare, as administration promotes the structure of a work-life balance. Students here grow in a Montessori- like- cohort from ages 0-5, and many establish life-long friendships. The infant teacher, preschool teacher, and Ms. K provide students with the best quality education, routine, and meals. LEA has won the best food program award in the Folsom area for the last 5 years in a row, thanks to Ms.K's spectacular cooking, and attention to nutritional value. Students become extremely well-rounded as a result of LEA's program. Graduates from Little Explorers Academy have no problem moving on to kindergarten, as we promote manners, politeness, provide adequate education, and give students a sense of security and trust in their teachers. I am so sad to move on from LEA, as the students here have become my family. However, I have openly planned since my hire date in 2020 to make my way to Elementary after graduating with my BA. Oncoming staff are chosen with such diligence. Our new preschool teacher has a heart of gold, and I have been helping her grow accustomed to our routine over the last 3 weeks. I wouldn't want to leave the kiddos with anyone else! All in all, if you are new to LEA, trust that your child is in the best hands possible Sincerely, Ms. Elizabeth

Fat Kitty City Humane Society is amazing because it gives cats a second chance--and, for many, a…read moresanctuary to call home for as long as they need it. My story is about a cat who was dumped at a warehouse. FKCHS trapped the cat and provided needed medical care and placed the cat in foster care. When the cat was ready he was put up for adoption. That is where I met him. He is the sweetest little guy and is between 6-8 months old. I have had him 1 week and couldn't imagine life without him. This is just one story. There are so many more like this. The volunteers and staff are dedicated to providing the best for each cat in their care.

Very concerning adoption experience with Fat Kitty City Humane Society, a nonprofit based in El…read moreDorado Hills, during its adoption event at PetSmart in Folsom. We visited the Folsom PetSmart genuinely intending to adopt a cat from Fat Kitty City Humane Society in El Dorado Hills. We dealt with Katrina Nopel, who presented herself as very familiar with the cats and their personalities. We explained that we were looking for a younger cat, roughly six months to a year or somewhat older. Katrina repeatedly directed us toward two very young kittens that we were not interested in. When we instead became interested in an older orange cat, Katrina described the cat as "skittish" and decided the cat would not be a good fit for our family. What concerned me is that Katrina barely knew us and had not meaningfully asked what temperament we actually wanted. What if a shy, cautious or independent cat is exactly what we were looking for? Not everyone wants an extremely active kitten. We interacted with the orange cat for approximately ten minutes. The cat approached my husband, played with him and was very friendly with him. We specifically said we understood that the cat could generally be skittish and still wanted to adopt her. Katrina nevertheless refused to allow us to proceed with that cat because she determined the cat wasn't right for us. When I called afterward to question the decision, I was then given a different reason: the cat needed to be adopted with its sibling. Katrina acknowledged to me that the cats were not a bonded pair, and they had not been presented or advertised to us as a required pair. She told me that adopting cats in pairs was something she planned to discuss at an upcoming organizational meeting. This experience left me genuinely concerned about Fat Kitty City's adoption process. A rescue representative should absolutely educate prospective adopters about a cat's personality and decline placements when there is a legitimate welfare concern. But I do not believe a representative should decide what personality an adopter should want without first learning what that adopter is actually looking for. I have formally raised this matter with Fat Kitty City leadership. The organization acknowledged my complaint and stated that it is reviewing what occurred. I will update this review when I receive the results of that review. My concern is ultimately for the cats--particularly older, shy or less outgoing cats that may already have fewer opportunities to find permanent homes. I sincerely hope Fat Kitty City reviews how these placement decisions are being made.