TuCARE Chosen As One Of California’s Non-Profits Of The Year

TuCARE chosen as one of over 100 "Nonprofit of the Year"

Sonora, CA – Tuolumne County Alliance for Resources & Environment (TuCARE) is one of over a hundred non-profits honored with the title of “Non-profit of the Year,” statewide.

These honors are bestowed by state senators and assemblymembers from each district in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the communities they serve. Mother Lode Assemblymember Frank Bigelow chose TuCARE. Executive Director Melinda Fleming shared how the recent TuCARE dinner may have sealed the deal.

“He [Bigelow] was really thrilled because he got to be there that night and watch the presentation. I know he was really pleased with the direction that we are trying to move things in Tuolumne County. ”

That presentation was regarding the newly created Community Wildfire Protection Fund, which was the focus of last weekend’s Mother Lode Views, as detailed here. It will help clear built-up vegetation and construct fuel breaks to help reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire in the county. Fleming had this reaction to getting picked: “Really thrilled. TuCARE works really hard and we are pretty small, so getting that kind of recognition is pretty valuable to us, to our message and what we are trying to do in the community, so very pleased.”

That message, since it was founded in 1988 and has grown to more than 700 members, remains the same: TuCARE is committed to ensuring the long-term viability of all of our natural resources through an ecosystem management approach toward the stewardship of our public lands. It seeks stability for our natural resource industries through wise use, thus ensuring the economic soundness of local communities.

One key strategy of the organization is to educate the public about how land and resource managers are taking care of those things. Fleming explains, “Because we really believe if people are exposed and they understand better how resources are managed, when they do things like vote, they make better decisions about what they vote on.”

A celebratory luncheon by CalNonprofits will be held for honorees and legislators on California Nonprofits Day, June 8th, at the State Capitol. As the CEO of the association, Jan Masaoka, shared, “California Nonprofit of the Year gives elected officials the opportunity to shine a light on the important work nonprofits are doing in their districts and for everyone to appreciate the collective impact of nonprofits in our communities.”