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2025 Community Engagement Impact Projects

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Among the ways Stanford works to make a difference is through community engagement impact projects. It supports its community engagement hubs -- Stanford offices, centers and institutes that join with local non-profits and governmental organizations, to create projects to address a problem, attempt to answer a question and intend to benefit the community. The collaborations are often relationships built over time and are rely intrinsically on the trust that has developed.

The 2025 projects were chosen by a campus selection committee and focus on building healthy and resilient communities in the Bay Area. Additionally, two-year projects focused on deeper engagement commitments continue through 2025.  

The 2025 Community Engagement Impact projects appear, alphabetically by project title, below:

Maria Morales with three farmers holding boxes of produce at her JM Organics Farm in Salinas

Maria Morales (left), owner of JM Organics in Salinas, is one of nearly 50 farmers who the non-profit, Fresh Approach hopes will benefit from the collaboration with Stanford’s Food for Health Equity Lab. Image credit: Courtesy of Fresh Approach

Addressing Food Insecurity through Supporting Equitable Food Systems in the Bay Area

Community Collaborator: Fresh Approach, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties

Stanford Leadership: Lisa Goldman Rosas and Wei-ting Chen, School of Medicine

Stanford’s Food for Health Equity Lab and Fresh Approach take a holistic approach to addressing food and nutrition insecurity in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties in this project. It focuses on making it easier for farmers, historically underrepresented in this sector, to sell produce to institutional buyers and help build the local food system. Undergraduate and graduate students will conduct literature review and gather critical insights from local farms, food organizations and schools and develop a Readiness Assessment Tool emphasizing values-based procurement, environmental sustainability and social welfare. The lab will establish a Technical Assistance Repository for farms, create an interactive online map to facilitate procurement relationships, and conduct a pilot study gathering feedback and tracking implementation of the tools.

Addressing Water Affordability for Hard-to-Reach Populations in Santa Cruz

Community Collaborator: City of Santa Cruz

Stanford Leadership: Khalid Osman and Sarah Fletcher, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, School of Engineering

This project will assess water affordability challenges faced by hard-to-reach and underserved populations in Santa Cruz. Water affordability is a barrier to water access for many low-income households, prompting the City of Santa Cruz Water Department to initiate a customer assistance program to reduce water bills for those in need. However, many renters in multi-family housing do not pay water bills directly, as their water costs are included in their rent. The project will inform the design of a customer assistance program for renters and low-income households by engaging up to 200 community members. The funding will help support research assistants to develop and implement surveys, conduct literature and policy review. Additionally, it will support outreach and incentives for participants to share billing information.

Water from a kitchen tap overflows a green glass

The collaboration will help the city of Santa Cruz offer a customer assistance program for low-income households to afford their water bills. Image credit: By Andres Simon via Unsplash

The San Mateo clinic of Samaritan House at its reopening Aug. 2024

The Samaritan House clinic in San Mateo will air educational videos in Spanish about chronic health issues that affect the clientele. Image credit: Courtesy of Samaritan House

Boosting Health Literacy: Video Education at Samaritan House Free Clinics

Community Collaborator: Samaritan House Free Clinics, San Mateo and Redwood City

Stanford Leadership: Charles G. Prober, School of Medicine

The Stanford Center for Health Education (SCHE) is collaborating with Samaritan House Free Clinics to enhance health literacy among patients, medically underserved and uninsured residents of San Mateo County. Many are affected by chronic health issues such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and high cholesterol, and 87 percent are primarily Spanish-speaking. The funds will support the co-creation of three tailored educational videos that will stream in clinic waiting rooms. The goal is to equip patients with the knowledge to engage in more robust discussions with their providers, make more informed decisions about their health, and improve their health and well-being. The videos will be publicly available through SCHE's YouTube channel to benefit a global audience and improve health literacy and outcomes.

Bridging Communities: Arts, Technology, and Leadership Development in East Palo Alto

Community Collaborator: StreetCode Academy, East Palo Alto

Stanford Leadership: Adam Banks, Graduate School of Education; A-Lan Holt, Office of the Vice President for the Arts

Stanford’s Institute for Diversity in the Arts and StreetCode Academy are collaborating to address community-identified needs and deepen connections between art, technology, and community. IDA will host middle school students from StreetCode for classes on Design & Tech, Music & Tech, and Storytelling & Tech, taught by Professor Adam Banks and Stanford students at the Black Community Services Center and the Harmony House. In spring, the program will expand to develop a cohort of community impact leaders from East Palo Alto and Cleveland, alongside Stanford students passionate about community-centered teaching. The project contains three key programmatic initiatives: Faculty Community Courses, Student Instructor Development, and a Community Impact Fellowship, supporting participants in leading community-based initiatives, strengthening bonds between Stanford and local communities through co-inquiry, co-learning and co-creation.

A child facing the camera reacts while wearing a virtual reality device over eyes

A child dons a virtual reality headset at a StreetCode activity during the San Mateo County Fair 2024. Image credit: Courtesy of  StreetCode Academy

A black man receiving a shot from a white female doctor under a CDC poster

The collaboration with clinics and the San Mateo County public health department aim to identify and design coordinated systems to improve care to at-risk populations across the county. Image credit: The Centers for Disease Control

Bridging the Public Health and Community Clinic Gap: Improving Healthcare Access in San Mateo County

Community Collaborator: San Mateo County Health, Redwood City 

Stanford Leadership: David Shi-Ann Chang, School of Medicine

San Mateo County recently conducted a community health assessment that identified access to health care as a priority. At the same time, San Mateo County community members identified challenges for underserved populations to get such access, due to difficult navigation and fragmented services. Through its Primary Care and Population Health Community Partnership Program, Stanford will partner with San Mateo County's public health department and community clinics that offer safety net services to better understand barriers and opportunities to increase access to primary care. The aim is to collectively identify and design coordinated systems to improve care to at-risk populations in San Mateo County, including substance use disorder treatment, linking previously incarcerated patients to care, and connecting homeless individuals to care. The award will support an evaluation project, convenings, and mini-grants for projects to pilot access ideas.

Broadening Horizons - Engaging ESUHSD Students in STEM Careers

Community Collaborator: East Side Union High School District, San Jose 

Stanford Leadership: Risa Wechsler, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC), School of Humanities and Sciences, and Office of the Vice Provost and Dean of Research; Xinnan Du, KIPAC

Inspiration and career preparation are essential for high school students in STEM. However, students from disadvantaged backgrounds — particularly Latinx students – typically have limited exposure to STEM careers, such as astrophysics. The Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC) and East Side Union High School District (ESUHSD) will provide opportunities for the students and their families to interact face-to-face with scientists, including field trips, guest lectures, science fairs, and astrophysics-themed family engagement events in Spanish. The award supports transportation of ESUHSD students and KIPAC scientists to participate in these activities, and educational events offered in Spanish.

Four astrophysics scientists, one woman and three men, sit on stools in front of an image of the cosmos

Spanish-speaking scientists and students answer questions during Noches Astronómicas, an educational program in Spanish offered by KIPAC, at James Lick High School in November 2023. From left to right: former KIPAC research scientist Enrique Lopez Rodriguez and physics PhD students Andrew Sullivan, Bernardita Ried Guachalla, Jhonnatan Gama. Image credit: By Xinnan Du / KIPAC

Steven Lee gives a presentation in a large meeting hall before a group of more than 100 community college students

Community college students hear from Steve Lee, Stanford University Assistant Dean of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity during Day of Science 2024 at College of San Mateo (April 20, 2024). Image credit Rahul Vishwa

Community College Outreach Program - Day of Science

Community Collaborator: College of San Mateo, San Mateo 

Stanford Leadership: Anne Villeneuve, School of Medicine

Community colleges enroll students from a diverse range of demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds, including low-income students and those who are the first generation in their families to attend college. The Community College Outreach Program (CCOP) provides hands-on, first-time research opportunities and scientific and career mentorship to these students, who remain underrepresented in STEM fields. This award supports the 2025 CCOP annual Day of Science Symposium, which is hosted at the College of San Mateo and open to all community college students. The program features scientific presentations by Stanford scientists and career panels that bring forward the voices of former CCOP student interns and community college graduates. The event helps students visualize themselves in CCOP’s research opportunities at Stanford, and breaks down barriers between Stanford and communities.

Empowering Unhoused Neighbors' Health: Medication Adherence and Expanded Outreach with WeHOPE

Community Collaborator: WeHOPE, East Palo Alto

Stanford Leadership: David Shi-Ann Chang and Hannah Lee, School of Medicine

For individuals experiencing homelessness, insecure environments and the lack of safe storage options often lead to loss of personal property and medications. Medication theft, in particular, undermines treatment adherence, exacerbating health conditions and hindering stability. In collaboration with WeHOPE and powered by the student-led Stanford Housing Equity Project this project introduces a possible solution: a flexible pill container paired with a wearable storage device, supported in tandem with bi-weekly pop-up clinics offering basic medical care, harm-reduction resources, and case management services. WeHOPE, a trusted community partner in East Palo Alto, highlighted the challenge of medication theft and is leveraging this collaboration to develop data-driven strategies to address this pressing issue.The award supports flexible pill containers, wearable devices, personal hygiene items and supplies for homeless outreach, food, drink and barber services for homeless clients.

An open hand holds pills and another holds a pill bottle against a plain gray surface

Stanford physicians and students are collaborating with WeHOPE of East Palo Alto to decrease medication theft from individuals experiencing homelessness, which undermines adherence to treatment. Image credit: By Towfiqu Barbhuiya via Unsplash

Students look over chrysanthemum flowers for a corsage-making event at The O'Donohue Family Educational Farm

Chrysanthemum flowers grown by Asian American farmers on Stanford lands and in the Bay Area were a popular corsages worn at past Big Games. Corsage-making at the Farm in November 2024 recreated that tradition. Image credit: Lisa Chung 

Forgotten Flowers: Asian American Flower Farms at Stanford, 1890-1960

Community Collaborators: Bay Area Chrysanthemum Growers Association, Chinatown History and Culture Association, Chinese Historical and Cultural Project, San Jose 

Stanford Leadership: Laura Jones, Land, Buildings & Real Estate (LBRE)

The Forgotten Flowers project is a public history/campus heritage project joining LBRE’s Heritage Services with three organizations in the local community. The legacy of Chinese American contributions, particularly in the agriculture and flower-growing industries, has been largely overlooked in broader historical narratives. Together, with regional Asian American heritage organizations, the project will research and document flower-growing and flower markets at Stanford and in neighboring communities. The funding will accelerate research and documentation of local flower growers, leveraging the social networks of the community partners, and translate that research into online exhibitions and events. It will support video-taping and editing oral histories, online storytelling, outreach and hospitality at exhibit-planning workshops. The goal is to increase awareness of the contributions of Asian American flower growers to our communities and campus history, and to foster a feeling of shared heritage and cultural understanding.

Healthcare Careers Pathways

Community Collaborator: Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District

Stanford Leadership: Jill Helms, School of Medicine

The project, in partnership with Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District (MVLA), provides underrepresented students the opportunity to learn more about career pathways in the healthcare field. MVLA’s Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) and Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs will expand these opportunities to even more students, allow more class visits to Stanford and implement a “train the trainer” model to sustain and grow the program. The award supports supplies and offsets the costs associated with visits to Stanford, provides stipends for near-peer mentors, who are MVLA students and 2024 graduates of the summer internship at the Helms Lab, and pays biostatisticians who help improve pre-and post-surveys and questionnaires, and analyze resulting data.

Students from Mountain View and Los Altos high schools, dressed in white lab coats visiting the Stanford's Helms Lab

Mountain View High School students at Stanford’s Helms Lab, as part of the Career Technical Education class in 2024. Image credit: Jerri Anna Roper 

A woman in green and a younger woman in white stand at the front of a chalkboard with words the "Disability Community Center"

Holly Tabor and Sydney Walls introduce an IDD@Stanford presentation at the 2024 fall quarter brunch, which serves to inform and build community. Image credit: Lisa Chung

IDD-TRANSFORM: Partnering to Improve IDD Health and Transition to Adulthood in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties

Community Collaborators: Partners and Advocates for Remarkable Children and Adults (PARCA), Special Olympics of Northern California and several additional community-based organizations

Stanford Leadership: Holly Tabor and Lisa Goldman Rosas, School of Medicine

This project focuses on transition to adulthood for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD), particularly the challenges of accessing health care. Individuals with IDD face challenges not only in accessing healthcare itself, but also related to social determinants of health such as housing, transportation, employment and legal rights. The project builds on existing collaborations and partnerships of IDD-TRANSFORM and IDD@STANFORD with IDD stakeholders at Stanford and in the community. The award will support three virtual forums, a continuing medical education event for healthcare providers, three IDD@Stanford brunch activities for community building, and production and dissemination of an educational video in collaboration with Stanford Medicine EdTech.

'Ootchamin 'Ooyakma Youth Campout: Muwekma–Stanford Partnership for Land Stewardship

Community Collaborator: Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area

Stanford Leadership: Tadashi Fukami, School of Humanities and Sciences and Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Katherine Glover, Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve

Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma) is collaborating with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe to hold a summer campout for tribal youth, building on a successful pilot event in 2024 that the tribe proposed. The 2025 campout will bring together several Stanford entities with the tribe, solidifying the partnership by providing space to gather and practice cultural traditions, helping to reestablish connections to the ancestral homeland, working towards shared values for tribal sovereignty, and learning about opportunities available at Stanford. The campout provides opportunities for Stanford faculty, students, and staff to deepen their understanding of the tribe’s priorities and interests, paving the way for co-creation of environmental research, education, and stewardship programs. The award includes support for student interns, and allows tribal elder participation with lodging and honoraria for leading activities.

Participants from Muwekma Ohlone Tribe and Stanford pose for camera in the summer grass under a tree at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, known as 'Ootchamin 'Ooyakma

Participants from the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe and from Stanford gather behind the Leslie Shao-ming Sun Field Station at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma) in July 2024. Image credit: Marina Luccioni

Four teens, girls and boys, joke each other in front of a brick wall covered in graffiti

The voices of marginalized students will be used to shape policies that help improve student outcomes. Image credit: By Eliott Reyna via Unsplash

Roses Talk: Elevating At-Promise Student Voices in San Jose Unified

Community Collaborators: San José Unified School District and Henry T. Gunderson High School

Stanford Leadership: Subini Annamma, Graduate School of Education; Ralph Richard Banks and Hoang Pham, Stanford Center for Racial Justice, Stanford Law School

This project seeks to address persistent racial disparities in education by elevating the voices of the most marginalized students in educational decision-making. San José Unified School District leaders expressed an urgent need to better understand how to support its “at-promise” student population, those who are at greatest risk of failing to graduate and disproportionately identify as students of color. Through a policy lab course, Stanford students will engage in community-based research at Gunderson High School, conducting focus group interviews with students to identify how they would shape school and/or district policies to improve their educational outcomes. Using this data, Stanford students will develop policy recommendations aimed at improving engagement and academic outcomes for students at Gunderson and in SJUSD. They will present findings to school leaders during a spring convening at Stanford. The award supports the qualitative research and policy development process, honoraria for student participants, the convening, and a video documenting project impact.

San Mateo County Community Data Integrity Project

Community Collaborator: San Mateo County Executive's Office, Redwood City 

Stanford Leadership: Amy Gerstein, Kristin Geiser and Sebastian Castrechini, John W. Gardner Center for Youth and their Communities, Graduate School of Education

The John W. Gardner Center for Youth and their Communities and San Mateo County have launched a community data integrity project to assess the county's strengths, limitations, priorities, and capacity to collect and use community data for decision-making. County leaders have expressed a commitment to ensuring that decision-making practices are informed by the needs of the county’s diverse residents. But while the county employs a wide array of strategies for gathering community input, departmental silos contribute to redundancies, inconsistencies, and gaps in communication that stymie the county’s efforts to maximize the use of community data to inform policy and practice. The assessment will help the County create a more strategic, coordinated, and values-aligned set of data practices that advance equitable solutions to affordability, education, health, and sustainability challenges. The award supports the work of a research associate, a student research assistant, convenings, honoraria, and transcription services.

Several individuals in a meeting room write on large white paper pasted to the wall in an exercise to bring out ideas

The John W. Gardner Center for Youth and their Communities convenes research staff and community partners to review and analyze data. Image credit: Courtesy of the Gardner Center, Graduate School of Education

An avatar created by a student helps navigate games and exercises to teach about dermatology

Students create a personalized avatar representing their skin tone and facial features, and then practice applying sunscreen, hats and sunglasses in the virtual world. Image credit: Avatar created using Midjourney

Skin Health and Career Exploration with Augmented Reality

Community Collaborators: Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula, Menlo Park; Mentoring in Medicine & Science, Oakland

Stanford Leadership: Dawn Siegel, School of Medicine; Jeremy Bailenson, School of Humanities and Sciences  

This collaboration creates a transformative learning environment that exposes students to careers in health care and dermatology. Structural inequities that contribute to the lack of diversity in healthcare is seen starkly in the field of dermatology. The Stanford hub, Interactive Technology for Skin: Community Outreach, Research, and Education (iTS-CORE), with the Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula and Mentoring in Medicine & Science in Oakland, will conduct workshops using hands-on experiences and augmented or virtual reality (AR/VR). This award supports the updating of workshops launched in 2022, employing new AR/VR platforms that teach students valuable lessons about their skin, the largest organ in the body.

SOAR Professional Development Short Course

Community Collaborators: San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, San Jose State University, Santa Clara University, University of California Santa Cruz, West Valley College

Stanford Leadership: Esther Adelsheim, Land, Buildings & Real Estate; Rodolfo Dirzo, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and School of Humanities and Sciences

To solve our pressing environmental challenges, including the decline of bird populations, requires a diverse and skilled workforce. The San Francisco Bay Research Coordination Network for Student Opportunities in Avian Research (SOAR) identified a critical need to help undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds become aware of the spectrum of jobs that exist in environmental fields and the skills required. SOAR’s professional development field course at the University of California’s Blue Oak Ranch Reserve in San Jose will offer students the opportunity to gain skills and confidence through exposure to field techniques and mentorship from environmental professionals. Students will receive support in honing their resumes and applying to summer jobs throughout the Bay Area. The award will pay for course transportation, food, lodging, supplies and stipends.

Students in the field for an environmental field program through Student Opportunities in Avian Research

San Jose State University students learn about avian ecology and bird banding at University of California Santa Cruz’s Younger Lagoon Reserve. Image credit: Courtesy of Rachel Lazzeri-Aerts

A group of six educators and counselors, look over substance abuse strategies for youth on a table

San Mateo County educators and school counselors explore youth engagement strategies for implementing evidenced-based programs, prevention and intervention approaches effectively. Providing educators ongoing professional development support ensures that schools can create a safe and supportive environment for students to make healthy choices. Image credit: Courtesy of San Mateo County Office of Education 

Upskilling School Staff in San Mateo to Address Youth Substance Use

Community Collaborator: San Mateo County Office of Education, Redwood City

Stanford Leadership: Bonnie Halpern-Felsher and Charles Prober, School of Medicine and Semay Johnston, Stanford Medicine

Research shows that schools across the nation are grappling with alarmingly high substance abuse. The Stanford REACH Lab and the Stanford Center for Health Education (SCHE) will develop a tailored online course for school staff through San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) to address adolescent substance use. The project will include the co-creation of educational materials such as videos, discussion prompts, and assessment exercises. It is intended to enhance school staff’s ability to adopt and implement well-vetted strategies for addressing substance use. It leverages REACH lab’s expertise in adolescent health-related decision-making and substance use prevention, SCHE’s expertise in health education design, and SMCOE’s expertise in adolescent education and the students and educators they serve. The award will pay for the production of the videos and co-design of the curriculum. All will be made freely available to San Mateo County schools and the public through YouTube.

Validating and Implementing the Measure of Immigration-Related Stress, Trauma and Strengths in Children (MIST-C)

Community Collaborator: Ayudando Latinos a Soñar (ALAS), Half Moon Bay

Stanford Leadership: Ryan Matlow and N. Ewen Wang, School of Medicine

The Early Life Stress and Resilience Program, through the Immigrant Child Health Initiative, and Ayudando Latinos a Soñar (ALAS) at the Colibrí Research Center will leverage this deeping collaboration to validate an instrument called the Measure of Immigration-Related Stress, Trauma, and Strengths in Children (MIST-C), assessing the mental well-being of immigrant, asylum-seeking, and refugee children aged 6 to 18. By piloting the MIST-C in clinical and social service settings, the project aims to fill a significant gap in existing research and provide a reliable tool for clinicians and researchers, ultimately enhancing our understanding and support of the mental health needs of immigrant youth. The award supports community convenings, stipends for community advisory board meetings and translation of materials.

Mexican folklorico dancers organized by ALAS perform in colorful dresses for spectators

Staff of Ayudando Latinos a Soñar (ALAS) and community members celebrate cultural traditions and advocate for immigrant families on the Coastside. Image credit: Courtesy of Ayudando Latinos a Soñar (ALAS)

A blonde woman walks with a Latina woman on a city street

An English Together volunteer and participant during a walk in Palo Alto.  Image credit: By Nico Hend Photography

Workplace English Certificate for Silicon Valley Volunteers

Community Collaborator: English Together, Palo Alto

Stanford Leadership: Amado Padilla and Nereyda Salinas, Graduate School of Education

Workplace English is critical for immigrant workers to interact successfully on the job and pursue economic opportunity. To address this need, English Together connects volunteers and Spanish-speaking workers in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties as one-on-one practice partners for greater fluency in the English they use at work. Volunteers meet with Spanish-speaking partners one hour per week, for a 10-week cycle, and often do multiple cycles. English Together’s main constraint in serving more learners is the number of volunteer language partners. This pilot project creates a tiered certificate program for volunteers, explores whether receiving a Stanford certificate helps recruit more volunteers, and provides professional recognition of the skills acquired by the language partner. The award supports marketing, project management, test run and assessments for the certificate.