PREVAIL

08/28/2026

Save the date: our 50-Year Celebration is happening October 23rd at Elkhorn Country Club, and we would love nothing more than to have this whole community there with us. Fifty years of growth, name changes, and thousands of people served deserves a real celebration, not just a quiet acknowledgment. We still have individual tickets and tables available for you to join this celebration, so hurry and get yours before they are all sold out!

08/28/2026

08/27/2026

Last evening, PREVAIL was honored to join community partners in celebrating the retirement of Kay Ruhstaller, CEO of Family Resource Center

We are deeply grateful for Kay’s years of leadership, vision, and dedication to strengthening families throughout our community. Her commitment to collaboration and partnership has made a lasting impact, and PREVAIL has been fortunate to work alongside her in our shared efforts to support individuals and families across San Joaquin County.

As we celebrate Kay and wish her all the best in this well-deserved next chapter, we are also excited to welcome Dr. Christina Vela as Family Resource Center’s new CEO. We look forward to continuing our strong partnership and working together to build a safer, stronger, and more connected community.

Congratulations, Kay, on your retirement, and welcome, Dr. Vela!

08/27/2026

If you've been thinking about getting involved with PREVAIL, here's the honest range of what that can look like: direct service work like crisis intervention, indirect service like our Clothing Closet or special events, or even hosting a donation drive or offering your professional services through a special project. Whatever fits your life, our HR team can help you find the right starting point. Reach out anytime at [email protected] or 209-941-2611.

08/25/2026

One of the most common reasons people don't apply to volunteer anywhere is that the process feels like a black hole. Here's what's real at PREVAIL: every volunteer completes a background check through LiveScan fingerprinting. From there, indirect service volunteers train on the job, while direct service volunteers complete our 69-hour VAT training, mandated reporter and sexual harassment training, and 40 hours of mentoring and job shadowing with direct service staff before working independently. It's a real process, meant to prepare you well, not just check a box.

08/24/2026

True community safety isn't built by just one person—it’s a team effort. When we look out for our neighbors, support local youth, and show up for families in transition, we build a protective baseline that helps everyone thrive. Safety isn't just an individual journey; it is a shared community responsibility.

👉 What you can do: Keep an eye out for those around you, stay informed about local resources, and remember that even small acts of neighborly support create a massive ripple effect across San Joaquin County. Read our latest blog to discover how we can build safe spaces together.

08/21/2026

We're curious about something: who in your life would make an amazing PREVAIL volunteer, and why? Maybe it's the friend who remembers everyone's birthday, or the coworker who always notices when something's off. Tell us about them in the comments, or better yet, go ahead and tag them. You might be the reason they find out about the volunteer work we do.

08/20/2026

Three weeks ago, we received an incredible call: a donor had a very large donation of brand-new essential items for PREVAIL and the clients we serve.

We were incredibly grateful—but we also had an immediate concern: How were we going to transport and manage a donation of this size?
That’s when community stepped in.

A huge thank you to JSG Trucking, who generously provided a truck to transport the donation and safely held the items for us until we were ready to receive them.

Today, another group of community partners helped us complete the journey! Students from the University of the Pacific joined us as part of their Pacific Day of Service, helping unload the truck and sort the many donated items so they can make their way into the hands of those who need them most.

These brand-new essentials will support PREVAIL clients as they rebuild their lives with courage, dignity, and hope.

This is what community support looks like. Sometimes, an organization has the opportunity to meet a tremendous need but doesn't have the capacity to do it alone. Partnerships like these allow us to say YES—yes to receiving more resources, yes to reaching more people, and yes to ensuring our clients have access to the essentials they need as they move forward.

To JSG Trucking and the University of the Pacific students who volunteered today: thank you for showing up, lending your time and resources, and helping us turn one generous donation into meaningful support for our community.

When our community comes together, we can do so much more.

08/20/2026

Tomorrow's the day!

08/19/2026

Our story has three chapters so far. We started as the Women's Center of San Joaquin County in 1976, focused on supporting survivors of domestic violence. As the need around us grew, we became Women's Center, Youth & Family Services, adding support for homeless and runaway youth to our mission. Today, we're PREVAIL, serving anyone in our community affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, or youth homelessness, regardless of who they are. Each name change happened because the community needed more from us, and we said yes. Fifty years in, that willingness to keep growing is still exactly who we are, and it's a big part of what we'll be celebrating this October.