A Force for Care: The Free Healthcare Roadshow Changing Lives Across California

Cyndi Ankiewicz: [00:00:00] Because of you, I filled out an application. I'm no longer homeless. I have a job. I'm actually contributing to my community, and I couldn't do it without being able to see. Other people, they wouldn't be able to do it without smiling and not being in pain constantly for- Mm-hmm ... dental issues. Watching somebody who actually comes in, they're sad, they're embarrassed because they don't have any teeth.

They don't smile. They don't eat things like even a sandwich. And being able to leave with a little pep in their step, smiling, just beaming with confidence is huge and life-altering

Jeff Holden: Welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. Our purpose and passion are simple: to highlight the incredible nonprofits that make our community stronger. Each episode is a chance for these organizations to tell their story in their words, sharing not just [00:01:00] what they do, but why it matters to the people they serve, to their supporters, and to all of us who believe in the power of community.

Through podcasting, we hope to amplify their voices, inspire connection, and give them one more tool to impact the hearts of donors, partners, and neighbors alike. Our work is made possible through the generous support of our partners. CapTrust, offering fiduciary advice for endowments and foundations.

Western Health Advantage, a local not-for-profit health plan that believes healthcare is more than coverage, it's about caring. Core, executive leadership and comprehensive support services. They work in it so you can work on it. And Five Star Bank, a local trusted advisor to community nonprofits for over 25 years.

Our episode sponsor is Sacramento Venture Philanthropy, a community of generosity combining people, expertise, [00:02:00] and capital for good. This episode is powered by SMUD, Sacramento Municipal Utility District's Shine Awards program benefiting nonprofits for energy efficiency. Apply today. 

Some nonprofits bring care to the people.

California Care Force brings an entire healthcare system to a community. 

In this episode, I'm talking with Cindy Ankowitz, Executive Director of California Care Force, an organization that operates almost like a healthcare roadshow, loading approximately a million dollars in equipment into trucks and transforming fairgrounds and event spaces into no-cost dental, vision, and medical clinics.

With up to 70 dental chairs, prescription glasses made on-site, and volunteer healthcare professionals donating days away from their own practices, these clinics do far more than relieve pain. They restore smiles, sight, confidence, and opportunity. [00:03:00] Since its beginning, California Care Force has served more than 55,000 people, mobilized nearly 24,000 volunteers, and delivered more than $21 million in donated healthcare services.

Cindy and I talk about the enormous logistics behind every clinic, the community partnerships that make them possible, the patients' stories that stay with her, and why funding remains the difference between reaching three or four communities 

a year and reaching many more. This is what happens when healthcare professionals, volunteers, and communities become a true force for care 

Cyndi Jankiewicz, welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast Network.

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Thank you so much for having me. I'm looking forward to sharing our program and, and ha- given having this opportunity. 

Jeff Holden: Well, you have so much that I think people aren't aware of that I'm looking forward to getting into the conversation as well. California Care Force California Care Force. It's a really cute name.[00:04:00] 

But it really comes from a much more serious beginning. Mm-hmm. And the service you provide the communities is anything but cute. It's really life-changing, in some cases even life-saving. 15 years or so of service, California Care Force has made quite an impact in the regions throughout the state. Can you give us a little history of the organization?

Sure. 'Cause it's really quite a unique model. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Well, actually, we started as Remote Area Medical, which is a national or even international organization. And so that was in 2011, and we had a organization. We organized volunteers to come and do services. I believe it was for, like, almost five or seven days of services for free.

And it was a great organization. We became RAM California briefly. Uh, but what we realized, and our volunteers realized, that we really needed to focus on the state of California. The need here is so great. The, the situations can be very unique here. So we decided to create California Care Force, which is basically the name is cute, I've got to say, but it's [00:05:00] also because we are a group of peri- of people coming together to give care.

So we're a force giving care to our community. 

Jeff Holden: And you're an outgrowth of the Oral and Maxillofacial- 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Yes. Surgeons ... Help 

Jeff Holden: me. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Yes, yes, yes. So yes, we are the charitable arm of California Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, or CAOMAS. So they have been our staunch supporter. They're our founding organization, and, you know, they give us the space so we don't have that overhead cost.

Really has been-- We wouldn't be here without CAOMAS and the leadership there. 

Jeff Holden: And to clarify, what you do is it literally is not unlike a rock band tour. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Then you put together everything that's necessary- Mm-hmm ... to come to a community to provide vision and dental and medical care- Mm-hmm ... as the equipment itself, let's say underneath a big tent- Mm-hmm

in some cases, I'm sure. Mm-hmm. 

Scott Thomas: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: And I think in our conversation you were saying about 40,000 square [00:06:00] feet- Mm-hmm ... would be the ideal. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: And there's dental chairs, there's a medical section, there's a vision section, and this roadshow goes from market to market to market across the state. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Correct.

Correct. So we actually, when we started and broke away from RAM California, or RAM, was about 2013. Some wonderful, generous donors gave us some startup funds, so we were able to purchase about a million dollars' worth of equipment. Wow. So we do have 72 chairs, dental chairs, all the operatories that go with it.

We have vision to make. We make glasses on site, so of course we need to have great equipment there because we have to be able to cut glass. You know, we have to cut the lenses as well as do the whole refracting and then our medical care as well. But dental is really where it, it takes the majority of space.

It's usually one of the very first needs of our community is the dental care. And we slowly have tried to add more than just getting- getting a filling for free, getting an extraction, or [00:07:00] getting your teeth cleaned, or X-rays. We have ex- considerable X-ray machines as well. But we also have just started doing crown service completely for free, as well as dentures on site.

So we're able to help out in those capacities as well. 

Jeff Holden: Dentures on site's amazing. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Dentures on site. It is. Couldn't do it without our volunteers and all the donated equipment that we have, which is amazing that we've been able to do that. But yeah, we can actually... We get a little bit of a, it's kind of like a template, uh, different sizes, and then our dental professionals actually are m- able to modify that f- to fit the teeth and fit the mouth and, and they can s- leave the clinic smiling.

Jeff Holden: So typically, in a region, I, I would imagine it, it's either by city or county of some sort that you- Mm-hmm ... you would come. And you've done multiples in Sacramento over the course of that 15 years. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: Let's say you're, you're coming to town. How, how many days are you here? What's it take to set up? What's, what's that whole process look like?

To me, it's a logistical nightmare. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Yes. But [00:08:00] that's why we have volunteers, because we have them handle that part. No. It really is a blessing that we do have the volunteers 'cause it is a huge endeavor- Mm-hmm ... in order to get this done. Of course, we have two very large storage units to support and house those million dollars worth of equipment.

We get a big semi and usually a box truck. We have volunteers who load it all up. We have volunteers who unload and set it up. It takes at least, for a large scale clinic, it takes at least two full days, more than 10 hours oftentimes to actually set that up. So and we do it all physically. We don't hire anyone.

Everything is, everyone is volunteers, and our volunteer leads are truly amazing. They're the backbone. 

Jeff Holden: So you come in, couple days to get set up. Mm-hmm. How long are you actually in service in a community? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Uh, depending on the community, uh, but typically for, again, a large clinic, we're there for three full days.

Okay. Uh, usually we open the doors at 7:00 in the morning to our patients, and we're usually there... We officially close the doors at 5:00, but of course we usually have people that we see until about 6:00, until their services are complete. 

Jeff Holden: [00:09:00] Which is kind of amazing when you think about it because if I go to the dentist and I wanna get a crown, I get the temporary.

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: And then I gotta wait a week or two or three, and I come back in. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Oftentimes. 

Jeff Holden: Here you can come in and it's all done in that one to three days. You could walk out with a whole new smile- 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Oh, 

Jeff Holden: absolutely ... in one to three days. Oh. Which we'll get to in just a second. Yeah. Or, or a health analysis. I know that diabetes and, and- Mm-hmm

cholesterol and those sorts of checkups are really significant. So you get your blood workups and responses right away. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: We do do blood gluco- glucose level testing and, and blood pressure- Mm-hmm ... for everyone that comes in our door before they go to either vision or dental services. Wonderful. Or medical.

Our primary services though are gonna be the vision and dental services. Medical is much smaller. You could talk to, of course, a physician, nurse practitioner to about aches, pains, wound care, which we have had to do, especially when we're dealing with a large unhoused population. Mm-hmm. So those kinds of things, m- of course, education.

And in some clinics we do do A1Cs directly [00:10:00] there, where, yes, you can get the A1C results right then and there. We don't do any other extensive blood work though, so I just wanna clarify. Thank you. We're not gonna check lipid levels and all that kind of thing. It's mostly just making sure they're available, ready, and physically capable of being able to have the next services.

Jeff Holden: As a question, let's say they c- they come in and you recognize something from that blood pleasure- Sure ... pressure test, or, or something looks really aberrant. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: Is there a referral out, or does it go back into the community and then they find a way to get themselves taken care of? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: We really want to have that partnership with our community vendors.

So we have federally qualified healthcare agencies, or FQHCs. We invite them to come, set up a table, and we tr- really try to do a walk to them. So for example, if we have a patient who doesn't have dental care, for example, we're gonna walk them. We're gonna ask them that question, and we're gonna take them to a group that does provide either free or they accept Medicaid or Medicar- Medicare, or even just a sliding scale [00:11:00] fee- Mm-hmm

so that they can have that follow-up care. Because of course, especially with dental, we want you to come in every six months for cleaning. Even though we've already helped taking care of the acute and immediate needs, you know, we want people to, to continue to increase their health. And that's the same with our medical section.

We have referrals that we refer out. 

Jeff Holden: Excellent. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: And vision 

Jeff Holden: Which is a great segue to the collaborative nature of what you- Sure ... have into a community. What does that look like? Who do you find you work with often when, for lack of better description, the force is coming- Sure ... to town? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Yeah. Well, you know, we are a very, very small staff.

We wanna be as efficient and as effective as possible, and we can't be in every community in the state of California. So when we c- decide on an area, we reach out to that community, and we create what we call a host committee. They are volunteers, typically in the medical community, dental field. They could be marketing professionals, dentists, w- whomever, volunteer organizations, and those are our boots on the ground.

Mm-hmm. Without [00:12:00] them, we couldn't do anything. They do-- they distribute our flyers. They let us know where we should have the event. In Humboldt County, where are we gonna park? You know, there's no parking downtown, you know. They are the ones that know their community, and they're the ones that actually reach out, and that's how we market mostly.

We, we really do the word-of-mouth. We rely on our partners so much to be able to get the, the message out, and they're responsible for helping us raise the money to cover the cost of coming out. 

Jeff Holden: Which is-- it's, it's a great part of the conversation. I wanna hang a little bit first on that, that collaborative piece.

Sure. Are there any types of organizations that you see that you tend to align with in each of the markets- Mm-hmm ... or some that maybe have a statewide presence? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: We try to work with the counties, you know- Sure ... so that the government entities, they have a lot of programs, especially our smaller rural communities.

We like to focus and, and get groups working with seniors because senior care is so important, and they don't have a lot. You think that they do with Medicare, but, like, for glasses, for example, you get one pair of [00:13:00] glasses in their life, you know, as a senior- Hmm ... with Medicare, unless you have, of course, something other kind of insurance.

So we wanna work with our senior populations. We work with children, of course, and schools. We really wanna work with them. And not only to partner with the schools to get, say, you know, "Here's this clinic. Come. Bring your parents. Bring your kids." It's also to help increase medical professions, to educate our teenagers about the importance of medical issues and, and the career and what they can do to impact their community locally by, you know, coming and learning about these programs.

Jeff Holden: How is a community decided? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: You know, we try to look at where the need is the greatest. So we're gonna look a lot-- We're gonna focus a lot of our attention on ratio of provider to patients. And if we have, you know, 300 patients and only one dental, you know, provider, for example, we're gonna be going to that community if we can.

So that is a large part of how we're gonna decide where we're gonna go. [00:14:00] However, in addition, it's gonna be the money. Do we have the volunteer resources? Do we have the host committee that are willing to help us raise the money to come out to that community? I would love someday to have somebody just give me a blank check, and then we can decide exactly where we need to go based on 100% of the need, not on 100% of can we raise the money and have- Mm-hmm

the program there. 

Jeff Holden: And hold that thought- Oh ... 'cause we're gonna get to that question specifically. Oh. Specifically. So the, the thing that I like that's really unique about your organization is it's not centrally Funded, meaning central pushing the money into the community. It's the other way around. It's the c- host committee in that particular community who goes out and puts everything together- Mm-hmm

knows that the need is there. The, the opportunity has been vetted, and now it's up to the host committee to say, "Okay, here's what we need to do. Here's the funding we need to raise." Mm-hmm. And a- as we were speaking earlier, the funding is really predicated on the size of the market. Absolutely. Which just makes [00:15:00] natural sense.

A bigger facility or a facility in, uh, in Los Angeles is gonna cost a lot more than it does in Humboldt County. Mm-hmm. Is there a, a, a norm, for example, that you could maybe give us, like a, a standard county or, or maybe a Humboldt to an LA or a Humboldt to a Sacramento? What do those price differentials look like?

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Sure. Why don't I go with a two-day compared to a three-day? Sure. That might be a little bit easier. So some of our smaller communities, we do a two-day clinic. A two-day clinic, again, depending on how far away they are from Roseville, which is where we are physically located and where our s- our equipment is, anywhere from $90,000 to about $120,000.

That would be just pure cost of what it costs to bring our equipment, set everything up, have the food for our volunteers so that they don't faint after they've been working on a mouth for eight hours. 10, 12 hours, right. Exactly. And so that's kind of how much a two-day clinic would be. Typically, a three-day clinic, which we would have for, let's say Sacramento or LA, that is, of course, a lot more.

It takes more time to set up. It takes more days to set up. And [00:16:00] so those clinics are typically around $250,000 for a cost. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. So it gives people who are listening a ballpark to say- Mm-hmm ... "Hmm, you know, maybe we can raise that in our community." And i- if I'm not mistaken, you said there could be, like, 65, 72 dental chairs in a- Mm-hmm

facility in one, one setting in a- 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Absolutely ... in an event? In a large, in a large event, yes. Like Sacramento, we held in October of 2025. We took over two buildings at Cal Expo, and we had 72 dental chairs set up, and that was including our denture and stay plate section as well as the X-ray section. So 'cause we have, of course, the whole Nomad X-rays, and we have the, what we call pano X-rays, which are the ones that go around the whole head and really- Mm-hmm

get the whole jaw and everything related to the person, so we know exactly, our providers know exactly what's going on in their mouth. So yeah, that's, and that's just that. We have the, for vision, our vision section, we can have up to 10 lanes. So we could have up to 10 optometrists seeing people and deciding what a [00:17:00] prescription is, as well as we have, I believe, three different machines to actually produce the glasses on site.

Jeff Holden: And if I'm not mistaken These aren't just your basic glasses. You actually have contemporary, fashionable glasses- Oh ... so people can walk out really feeling dignified- Absolutely ... and proud of what they- Mm-hmm ... accomplished in this setting. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: We have thousands of frames that an individual can ... And they're all donated.

We don't use reused glasses. And Kaiser, I wanna just do a shout-out to them. They provide so many of our, our frames, and it's great. We have Gucci. We have, you know, Ralph Lauren. I mean, you know- Right ... and, and it's fun. We wanna give them the experience. If they go to a store, you know, you're gonna try on different glasses with your friend.

You're gonna have glasses. You're gonna say, "Hey, is this one better for me, or is this one better?" And we want them to experience that, and we do. We provide that experience. 

Jeff Holden: I have to get into the human part of it here, because I remember we had a, a sideline conversation earlier talking just about getting everything set up, of [00:18:00] some of the experiences that you've seen.

Mm-hmm. I mean, I'm, I'm visualizing somebody could walk in looking like X, walk out with a new mouth- ... a new set of dentures and glasses, and you have a haircut for 'em- ... you could be all set, right? Yeah. The, the whole fashion- 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Absolutely ... 

Jeff Holden: situation. Mm-hmm. Give me a couple examples of s- what you've seen. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Actually, one of the examples that is just so much fun...

I mean, we took picture... It was just a great, lively, positive story. So we support the Placer Veteran Stand Down every year. We go and we provide all the medical services. So this is veterans and their family members receiving services, including haircuts actually. But for us, we provided this one man, just...

He was an older gentleman. He didn't have any teeth, 'cause for dentures we need to have edentulous or no teeth. He got full set of dentures within the first day, came back the... And, and, and then also was able to get a, a great pair of glasses so he could see, you know, beautifully and smile. And then the next day, he brought his fiance [00:19:00] to get his, her glass, or yeah, her glasses that day.

So and then that night, they got married. So y- and these favorite- Oh, 

Jeff Holden: on the campus? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Uh, they didn't get married on the campus. Okay. But they got married and, and so the next day when we were cleaning up, they came back and they're like, "You changed our life," you know? "We were able to smile and see each other during our vows."

So that was kind of a fun, a fun story. But some of them are, you know, vision, for example. You don't realize, I think, how much vision is so valuable. I mean, y- we think, "Oh, well, if I'm blind, obviously you're gonna have a problem reading. You can't drive and things." But there are people who just need a correction.

Mm-hmm. And it's easy for us to provide that correction. We don't do contacts, but we do do glasses, including bifocals. And we had recently, we were in Eureka two years ago, and we were there recently for just a volunteer kind of fair. We had three different people come to us and thank us for being there in 2024.

And one person was like, "Look, I'm still wearing your glasses. Because of you, I filled out an [00:20:00] application. I'm no longer homeless. I have a job. I'm actually contributing to my community, and I couldn't do it without being able to see." Other people, they wouldn't be able to do it without smiling and not being in pain constantly for- Mm-hmm

dental issues. Watching somebody who actually comes in, they're sad, they're embarrassed because they don't have any teeth. They don't smile. They don't eat things like even a sandwich. And being able to leave with a little s- pep in their step, smiling, just beaming with confidence is huge and life-altering.

And we have that every day we have a clinic. 

Jeff Holden: And if I'm not mistaken, all the medical care is pr- Provided volunteer as well, yes? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Absolutely, yes. We don't provide any fees. We don't charge anything. We don't even ask if someone has insurance. Anyone can come and receive our services for free because of our volunteers.

Mm-hmm. So we have oral surgeons, optometrists, ophthalmologists, dentists, nurses, you know, medical doctors. They all come and with [00:21:00] the goodness of their heart, volunteering hours on their feet to really help make a difference for their community. 

Jeff Holden: And away from their own practice. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Absolutely. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: At least for whatever, the two or three days.

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Or longer with their traveling. Absolutely. And that's what's hard, I think. They really are. Especially after COVID, I think things changed in our medical community. So it's harder for them to let go of their practice. Or sometimes they don't even have their own private practice anymore. Mm-hmm. So it is...

That's one of our challenges that we face, is getting those v- providers, especially optometrists. 

Jeff Holden: And over the course of this, let's call it the 15 years- 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Sure ... 

Jeff Holden: over 55,000 people have been served- Mm-hmm ... through CareForce, $21 million- Mm-hmm ... in funding generated to pull it all off, and 24,000 volunteers. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Mm-hmm.

Jeff Holden: That's an amazing number of people engaged in the process throughout the state to make this happen. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Absolutely. Well, and just to clarify, it's $21 million worth of the value of the services. [00:22:00] Thank you. Thank you. We didn't spend $21,000 because... No, we didn't do that. You couldn't. You couldn't raise that much, right?

Yeah. But it's the value of if somebody had to pay for it, it would've been $21 million over of services provided for. 

Jeff Holden: Which is an incredibly astounding number- Mm-hmm ... when you think about it. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: It is. 

Jeff Holden: My guest is Cindi Ankowitz of California 

Care Force. We'll return to hear more about their unique delivery of healthcare in the state after we take a moment to recognize those who help this program stay healthy.

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SMUD Shine Awards are competitive and funds are limited. Submit your proposal by July 31st. Learn more at smud.org/shine. [00:23:00] 

James Beckwith: I'm James Beckwith, president and CEO of Five Star Bank. We're dedicated to supporting nonprofit organizations who advocate for the strength, resilience, and vitality of those they serve.

When nonprofit organizations thrive, our community does too. By supporting the Nonprofit Podcast Network, Five Star Bank is amplifying the voices and meaningful impact of our nonprofit community. We're Five Star Bank, a trusted nonprofit partner. How can we help you? 

Darrell Teat: We are really excited to be part of the family and contribute to the work that you all are doing.

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Scott Thomas: Hello, this is Scott Thomas with CapTrust in our Sacramento office. I specialize in working with local nonprofits and associations. Annually, we survey private and public nonprofit organizations across the country to better understand challenges they see in today's environment.

In our more recent survey, we heard concerns about proper board governance, mission-aligned investment, and how to implement alternate investments. If you would like a copy of the survey [00:25:00] or to discuss your organization, look me up, ScottThomas@CapTrust.com. 

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Jeff Holden: So you mentioned if you had a blank check. Oh, yeah.

So I'm gonna give you the opportunity- My goal. ... explain that just a little bit more because if it did happen- Yeah ... what would it look like? What would h- what would you do differently today that you can't do now? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: So much of our time is focused on the funding efforts- Mm-hmm ... rather than [00:27:00] recruiting volunteers, helping the community, educating them about, you know, maybe physical education, adding programs.

There is so much need in our communities, especially in our rural communities. We can't get there. You know- Mm-hmm ... right now we can do about three to four a year, and that's it. And let me tell you, every month I have people calling me, asking me to come to their community, and we just can't do it. We don't have the funds, we don't have those, the staff resources, and we're unable to do it.

I wish we could, I really do, because there is a need everywhere. 

Jeff Holden: How do they find out about you? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Our website. We do press releases, of course, in the community. Oftentimes it's insurance companies, Medicare. Got it. They say, "Oh, check out this clinic," or they just look. A lot of people call us just on an individual basis thinking we're a site-built clinic, which we're not.

We load up our material, we go to a fairgrounds, we take over that fairgrounds, and then we, we offer the services and leave. So that is where a lot of people learn about us, [00:28:00] is asking, "Oh, I heard you did one in Sacramento. When are you coming back?" And unfortunately, because the need is so great throughout the state, we don't typically go to the same area every year.

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. If you could, you certainly would, but then you would still need the show. You need all the equipment, so you've got- Mm-hmm ... the million dollars worth of equipment once, but it can't be in multiple places at the same time. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: And, and probably not even close proximity on a calendar- Mm-hmm ... because it takes so much to tear down, set up- 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Mm-hmm, 

Jeff Holden: mm-hmm

put it all together. I mean, w- maybe two a month at the, in the best case scenario ever. Oh. If that. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Oh, two a month. That's just, yeah. 

Jeff Holden: A 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: lot. I can see your heads rolling. I'm like, wow. Oh my gosh, no. Yeah. Not, no, not even two. One a month. 

Jeff Holden: 10

a year. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Yeah. Well, we have... We rely so much on our volunteers, and our team leads are vital. They're the ones that put everything together. They're the ones that lead our volunteers. I am not a dental professional. I don't know anything about that. So we really need somebody to set that up. And our, [00:29:00] that's the only group of people that travel with us.

So one of our issues that we would have to do one a month is they're volunteering their time, often taking vacation time- Mm ... just to come and help us out. And to set up, it might take five days to set up, tear down, do the event. So plus add travel days on that, we're looking at somebody volunteering a week's worth of time.

So that would be a challenge for us. Yeah, 

Jeff Holden: the logistical nightmare- Mm-hmm ... got bi- it got bigger. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Mm-hmm. Yes. So yeah, we would have to actually pay, uh, staffing for that, and that would be costly. 

Jeff Holden: Yes. Well, a- and that was- Not 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: as efficient ... 

Jeff Holden: that was the next question I was going to ask. Mm-hmm. Uh, you know, as we come out of the The dream of what we could do with an- Mm-hmm

unlimited budget. If you, y- you look at specifically because the host committee is who funds the program in that- Mm-hmm ... particular market, what about the unrestricted for admin? Where, where does that come from? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Well, we, our admin costs are very, very low. We're, again, blessed that CalEMAS gives us the space, so we don't have any of that.

So a lot of the admin comes from undesignated donations, individual gifts. If [00:30:00] someone wants to donate stocks, add us in their will- Mm-hmm ... do a bequest, make a, a large major gift, that helps us with those costs, which is, you know, incredible. Um, but right now I believe there's only about... I just did our annual report for 2025, and 84%, I believe, of the money that's given to us actually goes right to our programs.

So our administrative and, and fundraising costs are very, very low. Mm-hmm. So we 

Jeff Holden: can- Which is testament to the community's- Yeah ... doing a great job. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Absolutely. And we have a variety of different... I mean, we do do fundraising. We ask foundations who might not be in a community but wanna support that community or wanna support our types of programs, they give us funds, and we allocate it to the different areas to make sure that if there is a little bit of a miss from that, that community, qu- can't quite raise the money, that actually we use our funds for that.

Jeff Holden: Okay. So we're close. Your, your, your event is coming up hypothetically in November. Yes. And the community's almost there. Oh, so close. J- j- just to push somebody over. You, you can [00:31:00] then do the event. You usually typically can find when it gets into those, say, you know, five-digit things, 10, 20, $30,000 to... I mean, it'd be tragic to, to not be able to pull it off if that was the- Mm-hmm

the miss. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: To where you can really get out, and, and the host committee, I'm sure, is working it harder at that point. Mm-hmm. And, and they could be going from just philanthropic contributions in a community to grant writing, right? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Correct. Yes. Okay. Yes, yes. Mm-hmm. And then we have a, a grant writer contract as well that helps us...

Ugh, she's been amazing to help us get those, those funds as well, yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Good. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: But they're doing events for Humboldt County. We're going to Chipotle, you know, on July 25th, I believe, um- 

Jeff Holden: And that's your, your next upcoming- In Eureka. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm ... in November, I believe it is. Correct, yes. Not to date the program, but to give you an example of what this looks like.

So Humboldt County now is hustling to make sure that they have the funding to have their events. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Correct, in November. Usually, I think we've, we've have had to cancel an event a couple of times. We've had to postpone it to the next year just to give us a little bit more time to raise those [00:32:00] funds, including the Sacramento event.

Mm-hmm. So. 

Jeff Holden: But it doesn't- Eliminate the event, it just means we prolong it. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Absolutely. Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Mm-hmm. Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: What's the greatest need? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: The greatest need is funding, honestly. Because if we can... If we didn't have to focus so much of our time on funding, we can add more resources. We could get a mammography van there to add- Mm

mammograms. Actually, in Coachella Valley, we go there and, you know, they, we do have a sponsor that pays for our clinic there, so we can. We have a mammography van there. We do well women's visits, like pap smears, completely free. And those are things that we would be able to do, and add those services.

Periodontal services. Mm-hmm. That would be important. We, we've also really looked at our health, our medical section, to see what additional services could be done. But right now, we just need the money so that we can do the basics. And I'd like to see that, that grow. I'd like to do more. I'd like to see...

Personally, I'd like to see something down south, somewhere up here, and have [00:33:00] funding to actually have the equipment so we don't have to move it as much. Mm-hmm. You know, so we can eliminate two days of travel if need be. Um- 

Jeff Holden: So if somebody's got about a million bucks, they can give it to you- Absolutely ... and you can buy all the equipment you need and have two 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: sites.

Absolutely. That's exactly what I'd like to do. And- And 

Jeff Holden: an endowment for storage. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Oh, oh, we would love to have storage. That would be amazing. And an office too for ourselves as well. Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. And I think that makes sense. Just for people to get their heads around it, you know, that funding issue isn't necessarily through the central office of the organization here in Roseville.

It, it literally is the funding market to market to market. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Absolutely. 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. And so when you hear that it's coming to town, you recognize the significance of what this means for your community and the wellbeing of the community. Mm-hmm. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: There is the opportunity to get engaged, and/or somebody who is, you know, either philanthropically inclined, grew up in a particular county or city and knows that it's coming, they wanna, you know, push it out that way.

By all means, that works too. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: In terms of the actual communities, what sort of [00:34:00] responsibility or necessity is there? Is there any special permitting or requirements that you have when you bring the organization, the show, so to speak, to town, or is most of that fairly standard operating procedure?

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Well, honestly, that's a really good question. I've never been asked that before. But I look at California Care4ce as we are not directly a medical clinic. We're a nonprofit organization that facilitates our force of volunteers- Mm-hmm ... to come and do the services. So it's not a clinic, so we don't have any kind of obligations there.

Every one of our volunteers is there under their own license. They're under their own insurance. All we have to do is make sure that the fire marshal's okay with where we put our equipment and, you know, in whichever fairgrounds or wherever we're gonna be having it, as well as that we have general insurance taken care of.

Jeff Holden: Sure. Well, I mean, I'm thrilled to hear that too, because you don't get caught up in this morass of legal issues- Mm-hmm ... because you're not a clinic per se. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Absolutely. 

Jeff Holden: But the good that you do is absolutely [00:35:00] clinic- Mm-hmm ... clinician services. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah, I love that and thrilled to hear that- Mm-hmm, mm-hmm ... that we don't get caught up in the entanglements of, "Oh, are you-" I can go down the line- Right

and list and just to get a building built- 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Mm-hmm ... 

Jeff Holden: you know, what it takes. It sounds like you're able to move faster than, than any of that because of the way that you're structured and set up. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Absolutely. And it's very unique. It's in a unique sc- structure, especially since we're not a brick-and-mortar. And, and that's why we can really take a dollar or $100,000 and make it last and make an impact.

You know, it- we're not putting it towards a building fund. We're not putting it towards salaries as much. You know, we're, we're putting it towards where the need is, which is providing that direct service. Mm-hmm. And facilitating, actually, the providers to provide that direct service. And, 

Jeff Holden: and that's what intrigued me so much about wanting to speak with you because it's so unique.

Mm-hmm. And, and there's only one of you doing what you do. Occasionally, we'll hear of a healthcare system set up a free day, you know, in a community- Mm-hmm ... or two, but that's very different. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: To the scale right now here in [00:36:00] California, to my knowledge, we are the only ones that do large-scale clinics. You know, there are groups that do things for six hours here and there, have maybe five chairs.

But that's not 72 chairs. Yeah. You know, we're able to see a lot more and make a larger impact. 

Jeff Holden: Well, over three days and- Mm-hmm ... three different services from medical to dental to vision. Mm-hmm. Yeah, that, that just doesn't exist. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Well, and the other thing is we don't have any requirements. The only requirement we have is with the Placer Veteran Stand Down, that they have to be a veteran or a family member, and that's not our requirement.

That's the Stand Down's requirement. Anyone can come have our services. I mean, so we actually had someone two years ago in Eureka who wasn't able to... We didn't have denture services back there. It's a small community. We didn't have the space. She actually came with her son all the way down to Indio in 2025 to get dentures, to see a doctor.

She actually got on Ozempic, I believe. She got-- And, you know, got glasses, and that was a long drive for her. Mm-hmm. So you don't even have to really be in the community. You can [00:37:00] travel with us 

Jeff Holden: to see us anyway. You know, and just for the benefit of veterans organizations that we have either listening or that we've spoken to, what is the, the Placer Stand Down?

'Cause that's an annual event, yes? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Yes, it is. It's in Roseville. Every year, they usually have it at the Placer-- or at the grounds. 

Jeff Holden: County Fairgrounds. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: You know, in Roseville. 

Jeff Holden: Oh, no, at the grounds, the grounds. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Yes, it's at, at the grounds. Got it. Yes, uh-huh. 

Jeff Holden: Diff- which is different from the fairgrounds, everybody.

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Yeah. But they come every year. They provide free services to veterans and their family members. They have even people who, if they are unhoused, they can come, and they set up tents for them so that they can have services. They even have veterinary services for free. So they can come in and get their hair cut.

Unhoused, they can have showers. They have food every day. They provide food every day. There's a lot of vendors there so that they can see other organizations to support their needs. And then, of course, California CareForce provides the dental, vision, and medical services for free. 

Jeff Holden: And is that a particular time every year, the same time every year?

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Yes. It's usually the second week, I believe, of May. [00:38:00] 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Mm-hmm. And it's in the middle of the week. It's usually a Tuesday, Wednesday. Perfect. Two days. Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: Because that takes place on a regular basis- Absolutely ... in, in our region. Mm-hmm. So for the benefit of those, uh, I just wanna make sure we get that out there because here you are.

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: And, uh, you know, it's an opportunity to, for our, our veterans, share that information- Mm-hmm ... and say, "By the way, if, if you're, y- just hold on till May- Mm-hmm ... and then get up there and get it taken care of." 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Yep. If they can, that would be wonderful. Yes. Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: Excellent. So we know that running a nonprofit is a challenge for the leadership.

Many times you just wear it on your shoulders all the time. N- not that it's a bad thing, it's just, it's just there. Absolutely. And you can't not see it every single day in some way, shape, or form. But there is a, a human behind these nonprofits, and we wanna get to know Cindy just a little bit better. So we're gonna go beyond the mission for a second.

Okay. And I'm gonna ask you some questions that are, you know, just, just personal questions. Not- nothing heavy. B- but simple, fun stuff so people can, "Ah, I see. I see. I see." Sure. [00:39:00] All right. If you're on a drive- 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Okay ... 

Jeff Holden: you're gonna listen to podcast, music, or silence on a drive? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Silence. I love the silence. And actually, I just started listening to audiobooks.

I never had done that before, but, um, yeah. So either I'm listening to a book, talking on the phone, finally catching up with people, right? That's always so hard when you're working six, seven, you know, days a week and 10 hours a day. When do I catch up with people? So able to do that as well. That's what I usually do on a drive.

Windshield 

Jeff Holden: time. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: I'm sorry? 

Jeff Holden: Windshield time. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Absolutely. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: Favorite go-to comfort food. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Oh, tacos. That is always my go-to. Taco Tuesday, fabulous. I can eat them every day. Every day. Or burritos. 

Jeff Holden: Favorite movie. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Ooh, that's a hard one. Depends on what genre. You know, I still love Speed. Remember that one?

Jeff Holden: Oh, I do. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Oh. I do. All the time. I love that one. True Lies. That was a great year for movies, actually. I think Jurassic Park came out and yeah, that was a great time. [00:40:00] 

Jeff Holden: Any hidden talent, something people would be surprised to know about you? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Mm. Hidden talent. I have to say, it's not really a talent, but what people don't know about me is in the fifth grade I was a disco baby.

So I actually had a disco class and that was a lot of fun, and I still remember part of the dance. But I actually do like to dance. 

Jeff Holden: John Travolta? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Of course. That's the way. 

Jeff Holden: What's a perfect day off look like for you? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Spending it with my family. I have a beautiful grandbaby that has moved in with me, my son and daughter-in-law and him.

Um, and just that smile can make my day. 

Jeff Holden: If I'm not mistaken, two years old? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Yes, two. Mm-hmm. And he's just learning to swim, so that's my other thing that I like. And I like to, during the summer, I like to float. I like to just relax in the sunshine. I love the sunshine. 

Jeff Holden: So Cindy, if you weren't doing the work you're doing today, what do you think you'd be doing?

Cyndi Ankiewicz: I have no [00:41:00] idea. Probably volunteering, that's what I'd probably be doing. I've been in the nonprofit world for 40 years now, so I, I've never really done much of anything else. 

Jeff Holden: No, not in 40 years, 'cause I'm looking at you thinking that's gotta be your entire career. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Uh, pretty much, yes. 

Jeff Holden: If there's one question somebody would ask of you What would it be?

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Someone, anyone? Or, like, my kids. Yeah. What- I know what they would ask me 

Jeff Holden: for. What-- So in other words, what, what do you pe- what do you think-- what would you like people to ask you more? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: How can we help? 

Jeff Holden: Awesome. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: How can we help? 

Jeff Holden: Great, great question. See? Painless. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Ah. I love it. Thank you. This was wonderful. I appreciate sharing-- having this opportunity to share.

Jeff Holden: How can the community support California Care Force? What's the best way to learn more? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: They can go to our website, Californiacareforce, all spelled out, .org. Definitely do that. We're also really looking at having a marketing committee. We're looking at rebranding potentially. So we're looking for people who have marketing [00:42:00] experience, uh, to join that brand-new committee that we're creating.

And then, of course, donating. You know, always keep us in your will, and any- anything really helps. 

Jeff Holden: The website is californiacareforce.org? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Correct. 

Jeff Holden: Okay, so very, very simple. It's the name .org. And I noticed you also have not only the ability to learn more about the organization, but you also have the ability for people who are interested in participating serv- getting service- Mm-hmm.

Oh, absolutely ... there as well. So if you are somebody who knows that the Care Force is coming to your community, you can go online and sign up, which I, I- We- Or is it just information? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: It's just information. Got it. Okay. We don't actually have any signups for pa- participants. Anyone can come. First come, first served, so they have to stand in line- 

Jeff Holden: Oh, even better.

So there's a- ... 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: and then we give first come, first served ... 

Jeff Holden: it's, it's just a purely- Mm-hmm ... dignified situation. Absolutely. Nothing to have to... I love that. Mm-hmm, 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: For the other [00:43:00] agencies that are hearing this conversation, I, I think it's really important because so many people do serve so many different communities around the state- Mm-hmm

that the knowledge of knowing you exist, you know, or saying, "Hey, we need to bring you back to Sacramento," or because the, the coverage here is regional, you name the county, El Dorado County, Elo- Yolo County, Placer County, or, or Sacramento, you know, back at Cal Expo. Just, just the awareness that that conversation can be had because the need is so great.

Scott Thomas: Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: And somebody may be able to see a value with their organization to partner and bring it. And so I wanna make that point because w-we typically don't, but in this case, because you're so connected in so many different ways, you know, you, you've got, uh, food insecurity and, and homelessness and/or housing insecurity, temporary even in some cases, but that medical part of it all...

And by medical, I mean the full encompassing holistic part of it, you know, [00:44:00] from, from the, the medical, the dental, and the vision. So many people don't have access to that on a regular basis. Mm-hmm. So many organizations are servicing those people that don't have that access. Just the thought of a combined opportunity- 

Scott Thomas: Sure

Jeff Holden: to say, "Why don't we- We, we'll bring it in and we'll help you. We've got the funding," and, and make it work. So I, I, I wanna point that out to those who listen that we know are in the nonprofit space. Mm-hmm. You know, other organizations that you're certainly open to that opportunity. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Absolutely. And we actually invite them to come and set up a table so to share their programs as well because we really do want our patients to not just come and get their teeth fixed.

We want them to have more of a holistic approach. We want them- Mm-hmm ... to get the services that they may need, you know, for anything in the community. And the patients, you know. I think we were talking earlier about, you know, we've had a nonprofit organization who learned about... You know, I was in the Fast Pitch program with SVP, and she was like, "This is great," and Sacramento clinic [00:45:00] came.

The next day I, I went to them and they're like, "Oh, one of my favorite patients." They came. The clients came and they got vision services, and I didn't realize he could barely see. He shouldn't have been driving. You know, I mean, so it, it... And he was just so thankful that he was able to come in. He got there early.

He didn't even have much of a wait. It was really pretty impactful 'cause everything does begin with health. 

Darrell Teat: Mm-hmm. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: I mean, you can't have other services if you can't eat or if you can't see, you know, or if you just feel sick. And, you know, dental issues especially, the infections that that can cause, it's not just pain.

Infections in your mouth can create problems, long-lasting problems throughout your entire body. Mm-hmm. We need to get those infections taken care of and have follow-up care. 

Jeff Holden: Well, bringing the equivalent of a superstar music tour- ... to our regional communities throughout the state's really a unique program.

I, I, I just have this, this vision all the time of, you know, here comes the band. Here's the tour. Here they are. You know, the band members are the doctors. The support team is the setup crew. The people are kind of the groupies. I wanna- Mm-hmm. ... come and do the same. You know, I'm excited to be here. [00:46:00] But it really is an amazing concept doing really, really amazing work.

So thank you and all the people that are involved, not just your team. Which how many people do you employ? 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: We have only three staff people. Oh 

Jeff Holden: my goodness. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. So your mighty team of four, you know, you and, and three. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: No, no. Three. That 

Jeff Holden: includes me. Oh, inclusive you. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: That's including me. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. Well, the mighty team of three.

The trio. And, and all those doctors. Yes. Doctors, dentists, optometrists, all those people that, that really give of their time, you know, thank you. We, we appreciate what that's all about. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: I just wanna say they are gonna... I'm gonna share that they're rock stars. I'm gonna say we're officially... We are rock stars in a...

'Cause it is- In the truest sense ... in the truest sense. That's right. They, they- So thank you ... go 

Jeff Holden: on tour. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: Well, let's go make something better. 

Cyndi Ankiewicz: Thank you so much for having me. 

Jeff Holden: This episode has been powered by SMUD, Sacramento Municipal Utility District's Shine Awards program benefiting nonprofits for energy efficiency.

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