Alicia Romero's voice mail has been so overwhelmed this week, she's had to ask for help in returning phone calls.
Sacramento area residents have been phoning in, she said, to donate cash or such things as camping equipment and River Cats game tickets to her organization, the Sacramento Violence Intervention Program.
"You name it – the world is just blessing SVIP," Romero said Thursday.
A Sunday story in The Bee featured the work of the program, which Romero coordinates. The project, which helps victims of violence between the ages of 15 and 26, is a joint effort between Kaiser Permanente and The Effort Inc., a Sacramento nonprofit that offers social services to families.
Romero and her co-workers help program participants and their families by assisting them with education, job opportunities and counseling, among other services.
By Thursday afternoon, Bee readers already had donated more than $1,200, Romero said. The community's generosity moved her to tears.
"Somebody donated $200 – that's huge. That is a big deal," Romero said. "I'm floored and amazed and completely impressed by the community and where their heart is."
Karen Rivera was one Bee reader who reached out to SVIP. She said she wants to donate some camping equipment she does not use and an RV that is sitting idle at her Meadowview home.
Asked why she wanted to help SVIP, Rivera, 51, said it seemed like a good cause. She noted that the program probably serves young people from her own neighborhood.
"When I was growing up, I knew some people who got into trouble, and some of my friends didn't make it," she said. "If they could've done an intervention … "
Her voice trailed off. She started again.
"Just anyone trying to better themselves, in my book, is worth the time and the effort," she said.
HOW TO HELP
Sacramento Violence Intervention Program organizers say they need cash donations, gift cards for grocery stores, sports or camping equipment and tickets to cultural events. Donations can be mailed to:
Alicia Romero
8233 E. Stockton Blvd., Suite D
Sacramento, CA 95828
Checks should be made out to The Effort Inc., with "SVIP" on the memo line.
• For more information, contact Romero at (916) 201-0309.
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Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038. Follow her on Twitter @Kim_Minugh.
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