Do you know someone in your neighborhood who's making a difference and deserves recognition?
Click here to find out how to nominate a Bay Area resident for a Jefferson Award.
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Do you know someone in your neighborhood who's making a difference and deserves recognition?
Click here to find out how to nominate a Bay Area resident for a Jefferson Award.
As we begin our 19th year of sharing stories of our Jefferson Award winners, Sharon Chin gives us an overview of 2023's community heroes who inspired us with their acts of service.
In San Francisco, a husband and wife have volunteered in the fight against food insecurity for more than 36 years.
California food banks used to distribute primarily canned and boxed food, but thanks to an innovative idea from a Bay Area man, they are also able to give away mostly fresh fruits and vegetables.
An Oakley woman has been offering the kind of support and healing that she didn't find readily available when she was diagnosed with cancer.
A pair of volunteers working for a South Bay organization go out of their way to bring warmth and nourishment to the unhoused, not just during the holidays, but all year round.
A Hayward teacher is using the timeless work of Shakespeare to inspire his elementary students to dream big.
An Oakland man is helping close the racial gap in graduation rates, as a study by the Brookings Institution shows 76% of Black boys complete high school nationwide compared to 87% of white boys.
A Vietnam veteran from Santa Rosa has made it his mission to make sure unhoused veterans are not forgotten.
A husband-and-wife team based on the Peninsula are "there with care," bringing compassion and support to families with children battling critical illness.
You hear "film industry" and many people immediately think "Hollywood." But an enterprising pair has been working to put the Bay Area on the map as a hot spot for filmmakers for the last 11 years.
The man known as "Rev. G" just returned from New York City where the Jefferson Awards' parent foundation, Multiplying Good, honored him with the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for extraordinary service to local communities.
A San Francisco artist has led the collaborative community mural movement in the city and Bay Area for nearly half a century.
A San Francisco man who led his family on a service project to collect litter is now cleaning up city streets full time with thousands of volunteers.
A pair of women from the Bay Area are taking their compassion for canines overseas by rescuing dogs from war-torn Ukraine.
A San Francisco man is marking 30 years of celebrating Filipino community arts and culture in the Bay Area
An Alameda County food bank employee created a model for the nation when she began helping people dealing with food insecurity get the nourishment they need.
An Oakland man whose life was changed in high school after being injured in a shooting has paired up with a fellow educator to help East Oakland teens succeed through an innovative school model.
The nonprofit helps single mothers throughout California with necessities for their families.
A Danville man who was a 2016 Jefferson Award winner says his nonprofit has kept 55 million crayons from ending up in landfills.
Nearly one million Americans are living with Parkinson's disease and the Parkinson's Foundation expects that number to grow by 20% in seven years. A North Bay physical therapist is giving patients hope in slowing the progression of the disease.
Shikira Porter and her neighbors sparked a new conversation about safety after joining NextDoor several years ago.
An Oakland native is raising literacy rates in Oakland public schools where standardized tests show only about a third of students are reading at grade level.
This week's Jefferson Award winner is a North Bay college student who has spent more than half her life raising money for pediatric cancer patients.
This week's Jefferson Award winner is a retired San Francisco teacher who has been making a difference among the nearly one in five California public school students who are learning English as a second language.
A San Francisco woman who has spent more than 30 years getting homeless pregnant women and their families on their feet is embarking on a major expansion.
A pair of past Jefferson Awards winners recently partnered to open new doors in filmmaking for San Francisco kids in the Western Addition.
A Marin County woman's horse riding accident decades ago helped spur an idea that began one of the oldest weekly therapeutic horseback riding programs in the Bay Area.
This week's Jefferson Award winner is San Francisco woman who's spent the last quarter century training thousands of young people in job preparation skills and self-esteem.
California makes up about 12 percent of the US population, but our state had nearly a third of the country's homeless last year, according to federal housing data.
A pair of orthodox rabbis are coming up with some unorthodox ways to serve their South of Market neighborhood in San Francisco and beyond.
An Alameda man is leading a fight for climate change that challenges each person to do one thing for the environment: plant a tree.
A woman from San Francisco who started a violence prevention program 18 years ago in the Bayview is helping disrupt the cycle of incarceration.
A Peninsula woman whose art program is being used in 26 states is now seeing her curriculum distributed worldwide.
She's credited with transforming a gang-infested Peninsula neighborhood into a place where families can thrive.
An executive chef who's also a former San Quentin corrections officer and ironworker who helped build San Francisco's Oracle Park is now helping people rebuild their lives with culinary skills.
An East Bay woman who took over a San Pablo animal shelter has dedicated her life to helping abandoned and abused animals in the Bay Area and beyond.
The head of a San Francisco nonprofit that's been a "rock" of support for at-risk children has expanded its vision to meet a critical need that arose during the pandemic.
A former boxer has spent the last 20 years training at-risk children in the sport that gave him a fighting chance at life off the streets.
When Catalino Tapia came to the U.S. many years ago, he had a sixth-grade education, six dollars in his pocket, and the American dream. He won a national Jefferson Award for his creative scholarship program in 2009. Since then, has given hundreds of students a chance to pursue their dreams.
A member of the San Francisco 49ers defensive line helps level the playing field to give underserved children a playbook for future success.
A former tech entrepreneur's innovative idea has reunited hundreds of homeless people with their families. Now, he's expanding into a groundbreaking support system that's one of the largest privately-funded pilots for people experiencing homelessness.
An East Bay woman helps make sure that new immigrants with no other educational opportunity can learn beginner English in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood.
This week's Jefferson Award winner is an Oakland native who wants to introduce as many young people as he can to the sport that he says changed the course of his life.
From movers to builders, 59 Bay Area community programs were honored as silver and bronze medalists at the KPIX Jefferson Award ceremony.
An East Bay man saw that few women or people of color are getting jobs in one of technology's fastest-growing sectors. So he decided to do something about it.
For more than 36 years, Reymundo Espinoza has led an effort to expand affordable health care for some of the poorest people living in the South Bay.
In the Ingleside, a Bay Area pastor inspires his community with a nationally lauded black history collage.
A trio of friends created a new model of community giving in San Francisco that has fed nearly three million people and helped rescue several hundred small businesses since the pandemic began.
For nearly five decades, he's been fighting poverty and planting seeds so others can expand the work.
An East Bay man who was incarcerated as a young person turned his life around, and now he's guiding at-risk kids toward their own paths to success.
Do you know someone in your neighborhood who's making a difference and deserves recognition? Nominate a Bay Area resident for a Jefferson Award.
We're frequently asked for tips on presenting the best possible nomination. Here is some advice from the selection committee:
- Be detailed - that doesn't mean be too wordy, but don't leave out the basics of what your nominee does, and how he or she does it. Be specific about the individual's contribution. Use examples or anecdotes, as well as numbers. Include how many individuals, families or communities are served by your nominee.
- Keep in mind, the award is geared toward recognizing individuals rather than organizations. Consider nominating the founder or leader of a group rather than an entire contingent.
- Be mindful of the selection committee's guiding principles: impact, inspiration, sustainability, innovation, and need. Ask yourself how your nominee's work relates to these core ideas and detail that in your nomination.
- Feel free to include web links!
Our steering committee selects the winners. (The committee meets approximately every six to eight weeks. Winners will be notified directly over the following weeks. If a nominee is not selected, the nominator will receive a note letting them know.)
Wednesdays on KPIX 5 News at 5 p.m.
Thursdays on KPIX 5 News at Noon
Two additional suspects have been arrested in connection with the deadly Dec. 29 shooting that killed Oakland Police Officer Tuan Le, including the alleged gunman's mother, according to media reports.
Friends, coworkers and community members came together Friday morning at a solemn vigil honoring the memory of Tuan Le, the Oakland police officer killed in the line of duty one week ago.
Following three days of testimony from incarcerated survivors of sexual abuse at Federal Correctional Institution Dublin, the legal teams representing the victims held a press conference Friday outside of U.S. District Court in Oakland.
Oakland and Alameda County are asking for volunteers to help with the annual "point in time" count of homeless residents.
Former President Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court review a landmark decision in a case from Colorado finding he should be kept off the state's primary ballot.
In a post-pandemic era when San Francisco is far more frequently lamenting the closure of venerable music venues, the Rickshaw Stop is marking two decades of operation with a full month of special shows.
Police in East Palo Alto announced on New Year's Day that the community had zero murders reported in 2023, a far cry from the early 1990s when the city was dubbed the nation's "murder capital."
San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Bridge now has newly installed stainless-steel netting that suicide-prevention advocates hope will save lives.
Crime in parts of San Francisco where private public safety contractor Urban Alchemy is stationed is noticeably declining, according to a new study from Stanford University.
Officials in Pacifica announced that the closed Pacifica Pier would be remain shut down for several weeks to repair damage sustained during recent stormy weather.
Two additional suspects have been arrested in connection with the deadly Dec. 29 shooting that killed Oakland Police Officer Tuan Le, including the alleged gunman's mother, according to media reports.
Friends, coworkers and community members came together Friday morning at a solemn vigil honoring the memory of Tuan Le, the Oakland police officer killed in the line of duty one week ago.
Following three days of testimony from incarcerated survivors of sexual abuse at Federal Correctional Institution Dublin, the legal teams representing the victims held a press conference Friday outside of U.S. District Court in Oakland.
Oakland and Alameda County are asking for volunteers to help with the annual "point in time" count of homeless residents.
An Antioch woman suspected in a series of organized retail thefts was arrested following a heist at a Kohl's store in Brentwood, police said.
A Dublin woman was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after she allegedly ran over a former boyfriend in Mountain View earlier this week, police said Thursday.
A Monterey County resident was convicted of forcible lewd acts on a child under 14, prosecutors said Thursday.
Authorities said Thursday they have arrested a Hayward man in connection with a road-rage shooting last year in Santa Cruz County that injured two people, including a 3-year-old child.
A beach hazards advisory will be in effect Friday into early Saturday in the Pacific coastal areas due to beach and marine conditions, the National Weather Service said.
A suspect accused of trying to run over a San Mateo officer in November was arrested Tuesday, police said.
Time is apparently running out for California's "Inverness Shipwreck," an old wooden boat that became an Instagram star as it rotted on a shoreline north of San Francisco.
An advisory council says California Gov. Gavin Newsom should slash by at least a third the cost of his $360 million plan to build a campus with classrooms in the notorious San Quentin State Prison.
A beach hazards advisory will be in effect Friday into early Saturday in the Pacific coastal areas due to beach and marine conditions, the National Weather Service said.
The Marin County Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting next week to consider altering restrictions on short-term rentals in unincorporated areas of the county, including limits in coastal residential villages that are popular tourist destinations.
A months-long investigation into a man suspected of mail theft and credit-card fraud led to three arrests Tuesday on a variety of charges including drug and weapon possession and child endangerment.
Outfielder Mitch Haniger is returning to the Seattle Mariners after being acquired from the San Francisco Giants with right-hander Anthony DeSclafani and $6 million in exchange for left-hander Robbie Ray in a trade of underperforming players coming off injuries.
Nikola Jokic hit a 40-footer as time expired and the Nuggets stunned the Warriors 130-127 on Thursday night.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said giving suspended forward Draymond Green space away from the team is important for both parties.
Figuring out how many players he can rest for the playoffs while still fielding a team in a meaningless Week 18 game is a new challenge for San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.
The Oakland Athletics have blocked a move by Oakland's new professional baseball team the Oakland Ballers (aka the B's) from playing a June 29 game at the Oakland Coliseum.
Two additional suspects have been arrested in connection with the deadly Dec. 29 shooting that killed Oakland Police Officer Tuan Le, including the alleged gunman's mother, according to media reports.
Following three days of testimony from incarcerated survivors of sexual abuse at Federal Correctional Institution Dublin, the legal teams representing the victims held a press conference Friday outside of U.S. District Court in Oakland.
An Antioch woman suspected in a series of organized retail thefts was arrested following a heist at a Kohl's store in Brentwood, police said.
The Oakland Police Department on Friday confirmed that the official law enforcement memorial service for Officer Tuan Le has been scheduled for Wednesday morning.
A California state judge has ruled that Snap must face a lawsuit from families whose children allegedly used the Snapchat app to purchase fentanyl on the platform.
Time is apparently running out for California's "Inverness Shipwreck," an old wooden boat that became an Instagram star as it rotted on a shoreline north of San Francisco.
A California state judge has ruled that Snap must face a lawsuit from families whose children allegedly used the Snapchat app to purchase fentanyl on the platform.
A bill that would guide California state agencies' use of artificial intelligence was introduced Wednesday by state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa.
Wall Street started 2024 with a slump, giving back some of its powerful gains from the year before as several tech stocks experienced sharp drops.
A study from Harvard says social media companies collectively made over $11 billion in U.S. advertising revenue from minors last year.
San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Bridge now has newly installed stainless-steel netting that suicide-prevention advocates hope will save lives.
People who have more interrupted sleep in their 30s and 40s are more than twice as likely to have memory and thinking problems a decade later, a new study shows.
Ozempic and other GLP-1 RA drugs, including Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound, are being scrutinized.
Nitazenes are powerful synthetic drugs that, in some cases, can be even more dangerous than fentanyl and carfentanil.
BlendJet has received dozens of reports of injuries from portable blenders sold between October 2020 and November 2023.
Former President Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court review a landmark decision in a case from Colorado finding he should be kept off the state's primary ballot.
State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) announced Friday that he introduced a proposal backed by city leaders that would make it easier to prosecute auto break-ins.
State Assemblymember Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, on Thursday announced he is rebooting his attempt to bring Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes to the city and state.
An advisory council says California Gov. Gavin Newsom should slash by at least a third the cost of his $360 million plan to build a campus with classrooms in the notorious San Quentin State Prison.
A bill that would guide California state agencies' use of artificial intelligence was introduced Wednesday by state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa.
The Pentagon launched discharge reviews for LGBTQ+ military veterans after a yearlong CBS News investigation.
President Biden honored transgender Americans on Trans Day of Remembrance, which falls on Nov. 20 and serves to pay tribute to trans people who have lost their lives to violence.
Laphonza Butler will be the first Black lesbian to serve in Congress and the first openly LGBT senator from California.
Following the death of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, former KPIX reporter Hank Plante spoke about her legacy among the LGBTQ+ community.
Gov. Newsom signed bills Saturday aimed at bolstering state protections for LGBTQ+ people, a day after issuing a veto criticized by advocates.
The pilot of the plane, identified as American Robert Sachs, was also killed, police said.
State Assemblymember Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, on Thursday announced he is rebooting his attempt to bring Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes to the city and state.
David Soul played Detective Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson in the 1970s TV show "Starsky and Hutch."
In a post-pandemic era when San Francisco is far more frequently lamenting the closure of venerable music venues, the Rickshaw Stop is marking two decades of operation with a full month of special shows.
Rage Against the Machine's Brad Wilk said he didn't want to "string" fans along any further after canceling a reunion tour.
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oakland Unified School District has seen an alarming spike in the number of unhoused students in the school system who deal with a host of challenges far beyond what most children face.
Meteorologist and CBS News Bay Area's resident pilot Lt. Jessica Burch got a treat during Fleet Week, taking to the skies with one of the Blue Angels.
A Bay Area man discovered his devastating loss left him with a new opportunity to rethink how he lives -- follow his journey in virtual reality, 360-degree video.
A groundbreaking medical study involving the UCSF Medical Center has shown some colorectal cancer patients can safely skip radiation treatment and enjoy a potentially higher quality of life.
Every day, San Francisco bar pilot Captain Zach Kellerman goes through what might just be the world's most dangerous commute.
The bicycle lane at Valencia and 19th Street was notably empty Friday afternoon, prompting local businesses and bikers to voice their shared concerns. José Martínez reports. (1-5-24)
Chief meteorologist Paul Heggen has the specifics on which days will likely be wet in the coming week.
Friends, coworkers and community members came together Friday to honor Tuan Le, the Oakland policeman killed in the line of duty one week ago. Da Lin reports. (1-5-24)
The Sierra is expected to get hit with another big dumping of snow on Saturday. Brady Halbleib went up the mountain on Friday for a preview of what's to come.
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to take up the Colorado Supreme Court's decision barring former President Donald Trump from its ballot. CBS News election law contributor David Becker joins with analysis.
As we begin our 19th year of sharing stories of our Jefferson Award winners, Sharon Chin gives us an overview of 2023's community heroes who inspired us with their acts of service.
In San Francisco, a husband and wife have volunteered in the fight against food insecurity for more than 36 years.
California food banks used to distribute primarily canned and boxed food, but thanks to an innovative idea from a Bay Area man, they are also able to give away mostly fresh fruits and vegetables.
An Oakley woman has been offering the kind of support and healing that she didn't find readily available when she was diagnosed with cancer.
A pair of volunteers working for a South Bay organization go out of their way to bring warmth and nourishment to the unhoused, not just during the holidays, but all year round.
A onetime pupil has now become a student advisor, giving back after years of mentorship led him to success.
Police departments all over the country are having a hard time finding new officers, but one Bay Area student is criss-crossing the world while preparing for a career in law enforcement here at home.
When most people graduate from college, they tend to focus on one job. But this month's Students Rising Above scholar is currently juggling multiple workplace assignments.
Itohan Ediae and Qien Feng are getting ready to leave for their first year of college and they are taking a lot with them: excitement, nerves, and memories from what has become an extraordinary friendship.
For Yvonne Soracco, walking the campus hallways is like turning pages in a scrapbook of her career.