Nonprofits Create Community is NIA’s theme for 2026, as we celebrate the ways that nonprofits come through for their communities in spite of all the challenges facing them. In this series, meet some NIA-insured nonprofits who share their stories of creating community in their own words.
Meet Synergy Family Services of Ukiah, CA
Mahala Enzler, MPH, Administrative Director of Synergy Family Services, explains:
“Synergy Family Services empowers youth and families to thrive through holistic support, post-adoption wraparound services, and community health programs that promote healing, stability, resilience, and stronger family connections.”
How does your nonprofit and your mission create community for the people and places you serve?
Fostering connection, empowerment, and collaboration.
“Serving Mendocino, Sonoma, and Lake counties, Synergy Family Services creates community by strengthening families and building meaningful connections among youth, caregivers, and local resources.
Through wraparound services, community health support, life-skills programs, and collaborative partnerships, we help individuals feel supported, connected, and empowered.
For example, our Community Health Workers connect families with healthcare, educational, and social service resources, while our youth programs build confidence, life skills, and positive peer relationships.
We collaborate with local schools, providers, and community organizations to create coordinated support systems that help families thrive.
In our work with Title 1 schools, we have embedded in-school supports to provide real-time social-emotional learning (SEL) tools to students to encourage better attendance, and higher engagement in learning.
By fostering connection, empowerment, and collaboration, we contribute to healthier, more resilient communities where individuals know they are not alone.”
What are your nonprofit’s biggest challenges or obstacles to creating community?
Maintaining quality when demand for services is high and secure funding is hard to find.
“Our biggest challenges include meeting the growing need for services in rural and underserved communities, securing sustainable funding to expand our reach, and addressing barriers that families face when accessing support, including transportation, mental health needs, and limited community resources.
As demand continues to increase, maintaining personalized, high-quality care while expanding services remains an ongoing priority.
Despite these challenges, we remain committed to ensuring that youth and families have access to meaningful support and connection.”
A broker’s take on community in action.
Before a nonprofit can help build community, they need insurance — and brokers are their guide to helping them find coverage, maintain it, and, if needed, make a claim on it.
Synergy Family Services partners with Alyssia Naples, a broker with InterWest Insurance Services, LLC, who helps them get the most value from their NIA coverage.
As their broker, Naples shared insight into the benefit Synergy Family Services brings to the community:
“Working with Synergy Family Services has given me a greater appreciation for the impact they have on the communities they serve.
I am continually impressed by their dedication to helping youth and families achieve stability, healing, and long-term success.
Their impact extends far beyond individual programs and helps strengthen entire communities.”
