We exist to Mobilize Mercy throughout the Tri-Valley!
HOW DO WE MOBILIZE MERCY?
The Mercy Space is a collective effort to amplify compassion in action!
CityServe creates a space where the mobilization of mercy can be expressed through a diverse network of churches & faith groups, non-profits, businesses, schools, government agencies, community members and participants.
Without each piece of this essential network, The Mercy Space would not be as complete or as effective as it could be when all parts are unified and collaborating.
There are 4 commitments of The Mercy Space:
For the sake of prioritizing and amplifying Mercy, all partners of The Mercy Space collective must put aside distinctions. We are united in our common commitment to the value and virtue of Mercy.
In light of this commitment to prioritize Mercy, The Mercy Space does not have room for cultural wars, philosophical or theological division, or divisiveness of any kind. While The Mercy Space is not blind or ignorant of the cultural context in which we operate, we are committed to dynamically and counter-culturally focusing on the missional unity of Mercy.
Everyone is welcome in The Mercy Space. We are committed to radical hospitality for the sake of mobilizing mercy.
There is no hierarchy of The Mercy Space parts — each partner and Mercy Participant is essential to the growth of The Mercy Space, and each piece has a critical role to play in the mobilization of Mercy.
As our network grows, so does The Mercy Space.
Established in 2009, CityServe is a homegrown non-profit, grown out of the Tri-Valley churches’ desire to serve others close to home. As more local needs were met and other organizations, non-profits, and local city officials saw the impact, partnerships grew. The founding Pastor Roger Valci (Valley Christian Church) and Director, Gloria Gregory, fearless and graciously spearheaded this effort which evolved into one of the most comprehensive resources for volunteer opportunities and needs in the Tri-Valley.
In 2012, CityServe of the Tri-Valley received the federal 501(c)3 non-profit designation and was awarded our first grant from the City of Dublin. In 2013, we hosted our first annual Tri-Valley Thanksgiving Community Breakfast. In each year 2014-2016, CityServe volunteer hours exceeded 100,000 hours serving over 40 non-profits and many individuals in the Tri-Valley. In 2017, CityServe was awarded human services grants by the City of Dublin, the City of Livermore and the City of Pleasanton.
In 2019, when our current CEO, Christine Beitsch-Bahmani assumed leadership, CityServe introduced The Mercy Space platform to engage a new level of collaboration. Today, CityServe actively engages community members and partners to provide an extra level of support to our care coordinators and participants. We value mobilizing and coordinating efforts because we know it takes a village to help address the complex problems people face. In 2020, the signature “summer internship program” was launched to allow for college students and/or community members to come learn all aspects of working and serving in a non-profit during the summer months. In 2021, we stepped in the gap during the pandemic to disperse over a a million dollars in rental assistance directly to Tri-Valley residents and assisted over 600 additional families and veterans with applying for and receiving over 8 Million Dollars in back rent and utilities. During the year we also collaborated and housed over 74 unsheltered participants and they are STILL housed! During this same busy year we did extensive street outreach to identify most vulnerable unsheltered residents and also educated locals about Covid 19 while distributing over 33,000 masks, gloves and other PPE items. Our team of intervention specialists’ managed over 90 individuals in hotels and assisted with housing readiness. In 2022, with a deep increase in 60+ age clientele needing support, CityServe and Senior Support of the Tri-Valley joined together as one organization to better serve local seniors. As a result, the previous senior support team was hired by CityServe on Sept 8, 2022 and resumed all services and programs under a new name. The entire senior services team was incorporated into the organization as whole and now we can serve entire families under one roof with specialists for all ages. What will 22-23 bring?……stay tuned!