North Marin Community Services

North Marin Community Services is a merged organization of the Novato Youth Center and Novato Human Needs Center. Our mission is to empower youth, adults and families in our diverse community to achieve well-being, growth and success. Our vision is a strong community with opportunities for all. Annually we serve 10,000+ people in need through an array of services delivered by more than 60 highly qualified staff and 250 dedicated volunteers. We are proud that half of our staff is bilingual, and we are able to serve a culturally and socio-economically diverse mix of families in a manner that integrates and unites our community. We provide educational, enrichment and support services at two facilities in Novato. We also work at Novato Unified School District campuses, at the Novato Teen Clinic (a partnership with Marin Community Clinics), and in the community throughout North Marin

A strong community with opportunities for all.

Goal One: NMCS will have a quality and sustainable mental health program that builds community wellness.

Goal Two: NMCS will respond to and meet the unique needs of immigrants and Spanish speakers.

Goal Three: NMCS will expand prevention efforts to increase equity and effectively advocate for and with the underserved.

Every manager ensures that their staff and themselves have access to opportunities for continuous learning, which is one of our five core values (our core values include: Collaboration and Teamwork, Cultural Competency, Excellence, Integrity and Learning and Continuous Improvement). Every staff member has $250-500 budgeted for learning opportunities each year. NMCS has a relationship with the Novato Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Novato Program, and will fund staff to go through the training. Our CEO, Cheryl Paddack, is a sponsor of Leadership Novato's Nonprofit Day as part of this program. Additionally, she meets with our 12-person management team weekly and the whole staff monthly. Cheryl Paddack was awarded the Excellence in Leadership Award from the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership in 2019.

As the pandemic brought many challenges to our community, especially to the low-income, vulnerable people that we serve, NMCS put into practice what we had been trained to do as members of VOAD: mobilize quickly to meet the community need. We continued to serve our community, rising to the challenges of moving to a virtual and socially distanced workplace. Our case managers switched from in-person visits to phone appointments, finding workarounds for problems that arose when clients did not have access to technology. They found that this shift made their services more accessible, as people could access our services with fewer barriers. Our mental health team moved to telehealth, navigating issues of confidentiality with care and attention to detail. Our childcare program opened its doors to the children with the greatest need as soon as possible, providing virtual learning support through the school year. We became a COVID-19 vaccination and testing site. Our Food Pantry increased capacity, and our lead Food Pantry volunteer, Cindy Stern, won the Community Pandemic Assistance Award. Additionally, NMCS won the 2021 Look Who’s Getting It Done Award, presented by District 5 Supervisor Judy Arnold, and CEO, Cheryl Paddack, was presented the 2021 Jefferson Silver Award by KPIX and Multiplying Good.