Fire Victims Scholarship Fund Receives $50,000 from Mission Federal Credit Union

SAN DIEGO – March 25, 2004 – The San Diego Fire Victims Scholarship Fund, established at The San Diego Foundation to benefit students adversely impacted by the 2003 wildfires, has received a $50,000 donation from Mission Federal Credit Union (Mission Fed).

Ron Martin, President & CEO of Mission Fed, said, “We were all greatly disturbed by the disaster that left so many families devastated, and were proud to contribute to the immediate needs, as well as the recovery and rebuilding efforts, of affected communities.”

“As a credit union with close ties to the educational community, Mission Fed was especially concerned about the many young adults adversely affected by the fires. Numerous students in the stricken areas were forgoing higher education to help their families recover. We believe that education is vital in overcoming challenges and are proud to offer this $50,000 donation to the San Diego Fire Victims Scholarship Fund. We hope these scholarships will help families in our communities not only rebuild, but move forward as they planned in creating a high quality of life for themselves and their families.”

According to Valerie Attisha, Director of Scholarships at The San Diego Foundation, the fund was established specifically to provide financial assistance to almost 500 high school students who were drastically impacted by the fires.

“This fund was launched in the immediate aftermath of the San Diego County wildfires through a $50,000 lead grant from Comerica Bank. We received contributions of $50,000 from Nokia and
$40,000 from the San Diego Fire Relief Fund (created by the San Diego Chargers and the NFL
Foundation) to further build and support this scholarship. We thank Mission Fed for this generous donation that will help us reach the goal of assisting as many students as possible.”

The San Diego Foundation laid the groundwork for its Community Scholarship Program in 1997. The purpose of the program is to financially support San Diego County students of all ages in reaching their educational goals. There are more than 100 scholarship funds at The Foundation established by caring individuals, corporations and organizations. Each fund is different and reflects the interests of the donors. Last year, The Foundation awarded approximately $500,000 in scholarships to 175 individuals who range from 17 to 61 years of age. Since inception, the Community Scholarship Program has awarded $6 million in scholarships.