Students and advisers from five Sacramento area high schools joined in a virtual rally Wednesday – with kids from Los Angeles, Fresno and Oakland schools – as part of the National Week of Action to raise awareness about the overuse of extreme school discipline. The rally connected more than 100 students, parents and community activists via live video feed to discuss recent trends in suspensions, expulsions and other harsh punishments in California schools. According to data from the California Department of Education, there were 235,033 students enrolled in public schools in Sacramento county in the 2010-11 school year. There were 47,678 suspensions and expulsions issued that same year

The nonprofit organization Ubuntu Green is literally planting seeds of change within the Sacramento community, nearing completion of the first year of its Home and Community Gardens Project. The project seeks to provide low-income families in the Building Healthy Communities target area with healthier access to food and to create a greater sense of community in the selected neighborhoods. For more information on BHC, click here. Building Healthy Communities is a coalition comprised of many different community-driven organizations that are all funded by California’s largest foundation--The California Endowment. The BHC seeks to implement a ten-year plan to renew the health in children an

Local youth are documenting community issues that impact them and their environment via photos, short videos and documentaries and then posting it on the Youth Voices Story Map site, which was launched in April. The online map features 85 links that are connected to many stories illustrating issues varying from neighborhood cleanliness, safety, education, to employment . Nine counties in the capital region area are displayed in the map. These areas are: Yuba, Nevada, El Dorado, Placer, Amador, Sacramento, Yolo, Solano and Sutter. Six issues are showcased in the map: neighborhood assets, local challenges, health and safety, social justice, education and role models. The map is navigated

Sure, you see the Kings everywhere in the community donating either time, money or tickets to a future home game. But this time it was different. And, according to Kings President of Business Operations Matina Kolokotronis, it was one of the most important community-minded event the Kings have ever had the chance in which to participate. On Thursday, the Sacramento Kings, The California Endowment and the Sacramento City Unified School District gathered at Earl Warren Elementary School in South Sacramento to announce their partnership in creating the new “Get Fit with the Kings” program that is intended to boost the overall health of Sacramento-area youth. On-hand for the festivities wer