Bay Area Proud

Bay Area Proud

Inspiring stories of people making a difference

Friday, Jun 1, 2018 at 10:17 PM PDT

Success Stories: Families, Once Divided, Celebrate Reunification

Success Stories: Families, Once Divided, Celebrate Reunification

Sadly, success is a word not used often enough to describe the fate of children who grow up in foster care. Their drop out, incarceration, and drug use rates are among the highest of any group. All the more...

Wednesday, May 30, 2018 at 10:51 AM PDT

San Jose Brothers Save Richmond Baseball Program With Donations To Replace Stolen Equipment

San Jose Brothers Save Richmond Baseball Program With Donations To Replace Stolen Equipment

Through their Baseball Buddies nonprofit, Jordan and Matthew Leffler have been sending used baseball equipment around the country and the world for close to a decade. Recently, though, it was a school in...

Thursday, May 31, 2018 at 01:26 PM PDT

Mother Gets Unexpected Gift After Introducing Daughter With Autism To Jewelry-Making

Mother Gets Unexpected Gift After Introducing Daughter With Autism To Jewelry-Making

25-year-old Siri Chettipally, who has been selling her jewelry through her online store, Designs By Siri, is now embarking on a charitable endeavor, The Blue Bracelet Project (www.bluebracelet.org).Garvin Thomas...

Tuesday, May 22, 2018 at 10:37 PM PDT

Santa Clara Factory Worker Shows Off Hidden Talent To Boost Coworkers' Spirits

Santa Clara Factory Worker Shows Off Hidden Talent To Boost Coworkers' Spirits

You've heard the saying about how when one door closes another opens? Well, when the factory where Guillermo Rodriguez worked closed, a whole lot of wall space opened up. It was a great opportunity not just for...

Friday, May 11, 2018 at 07:00 AM PDT

Turning An Arsenal Into Art: North Bay Mother Transforms Grief Over Son's Homicide Into Action

Turning An Arsenal Into Art: North Bay Mother Transforms Grief Over Son's Homicide Into Action

In 2014, Robby Poblete was shot and killed in an attempted robbery in Vallejo. His mother, Pati Poblete, is now dedicated to getting guns off the streets and, in some cases, putting them on display. The Art...

Saturday, Mar 31, 2018 at 10:39 AM PDT

Rancher Who Lost Wife in NorCal Fires Find Solace in Pet Cow

Rancher Who Lost Wife in NorCal Fires Find Solace in Pet Cow

Perhaps the only thing more surprising to Glyn Evan's than his attachment to Angle, his late wife, Valerie's, Texas Longhorn cow, was learning just how many in his community already were. Garvin Thomas reports....

Thursday, Mar 29, 2018 at 10:18 PM PDT

Girl Scout Sews Hundreds Of Garments For Premature Infants

Girl Scout Sews Hundreds Of Garments For Premature Infants

"To help people at all times" is part of the Girl Scouts pledge and something one South Bay teenager has taken to heart. Not just helping anyone, but helping the tiniest among us. Garvin Thomas...

Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at 09:22 PM PDT

Gathering At The "Flats": Santa Rosa Neighbors Devastated by Wildfire Stick Together

Gathering At The "Flats": Santa Rosa Neighbors Devastated by Wildfire Stick Together

For those who lost their homes in the North Bay wildfires, the road to recovery will likely stretch many more months, if not years. One group of neighbors from Santa Rosa's Coffey Park, separated after their...

Friday, Apr 27, 2018 at 08:31 PM PDT

School Security Guard Uses Campus Garden To Connect With Students

School Security Guard Uses Campus Garden To Connect With Students

Linden Keiffer took the security job at Eden Area ROP because he liked the schedule and the benefits. The greatest benefit, however, was not in the job description. Garvin Thomas reports.

Friday, May 4, 2018 at 05:23 PM PDT

After 25 Years Providing Bicycles To Needy, Non-Profit Needs A Little Help Itself

After 25 Years Providing Bicycles To Needy, Non-Profit Needs A Little Help Itself

The Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange has been fixing up bicycles for children, the homeless and low income people for the past 25 years in Mountain View. Now, a change of landlords has the program looking for...

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About

Each week NBC Bay Area's Garvin Thomas profiles the people, the groups, and the companies making the Bay Area, and the world, a better place to live. Bay Area Proud stories are success stories; inspiring profiles of those making a positive change in our communities. Do you know someone who we should profile? Contact garvin.thomas@nbcuni.com

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60 Years Later, Peninsula Man Becomes Eagle Scout at Age 85

North Bay Spirit Awards

The North Bay Spirit award was developed in partnership with The Press Democrat and Comcast NBCU to celebrate people who make a difference in our communities. In addition to highlighting remarkable individuals, the North Bay Spirit program aims to encourage volunteerism, raise visibility of nonprofits and create a spirit of giving. Click here for stories and videos about the recipients.

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