January 2019 Letter from CCF Board Chair Sandy Lund

Happy New Year Carlsbad Charitable Foundation (CCF) members!

CCF had a wonderful 2018, and we look forward to continuing to grow our reach and impact this year.

Thank you to those who voted in our grant focus survey last summer. This is the basis for our Grants Committee in writing this year’s RFP.

For our 12^th grant cycle, we asked for proposals for programs that focus on youth and seniors interacting and mutually benefiting from connecting with one another. Our Grants Committee is currently in proposal review, and we are looking forward to having a ballot with our finalists to the membership sometime in late March.

Thank you to those that were able to join us at the beautiful home of Jodi and Rusty Wallis. We had over 90 in attendance and heard from past grantee Voices for Children on the progress and impact of its grant.

Since July, we’ve welcomed nine new members – a mix of individuals, Under 40 members and corporate supporters. We’re grateful to them for choosing to invest in our community. Hear from one of them, Polly Williams, below.

We also have an update from Interfaith Community Services.

We are always looking to grow our impact in the community. If you know anyone interested in membership, please contact Estela Mitrani at The San Diego Foundation for more information.

Cheers to an epic and meaningful 2019!

Member Spotlight: Polly Williams

CCF Member Polly Williams serves on the Grants Committee.

Polly’s love affair with Carlsbad started in the first grade as a regular weekend and holiday visitor. She spent every possible childhood moment in the ocean or on the sand, living a life focused entirely in a westward direction.

She made her career in Los Angeles as a nonprofit executive, passionately supporting the advancement of foster youth, restoring public landmarks, supporting the arts, and helping to produce large scale sporting and other events.

In 2015, Polly and her family (husband, Loren Chaffin, and 11-year-old twins, Jake and Sarah) decided that the time was right to make the move full-time to Carlsbad.

In addition to her work as a nonprofit management consultant, she is focusing her time on family, philanthropic activities, and getting to know Carlsbad and the North County area more deeply.

She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Vista, where she recently guided the organization through a strategic planning process. In 2018, she was a guest lecturer for the USD School of Leadership & Management on the topic of Managing Resources.

Past Board involvement in Los Angeles included being a member of the Westridge School Board of Trustees and a member of the Boards of Directors for United Friends of the Children, the Getty House Foundation, and the Raglesville Lake Foundation.

“I have such gratitude for this city – what it meant to me as a child and what I hope it will mean to my own children,” Polly shared.

“I wanted to be part of a group supporting and celebrating Carlsbad, but also recognized that I needed to learn more about the needs and challenges here.

“For me, the best way to do that is through the nonprofit organizations who serve the community. That’s why I asked to join the CCF Grants Committee, so this is a journey of both giving and learning for me,” she explained.

Grantee Spotlight: Interfaith Community Services

CCF was proud to present a 2017-2018 grant of $60,000 to Interfaith Community Services to support the Interfaith Recovery and Wellness Center (RWC).

Judy and Robert, graduates of Interfaith’s residential addiction recovery program.

Bolstered by the generous support of CCF, Interfaith has provided community members in need with an effective path towards sobriety, wellness, and independence through RWC’s programs.

Prior to RWC opening in 2017, staff at the Carlsbad Service Center were trained to use the Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) screening tool. They then incorporated it into their intake packet for individuals seeking assistance at the Carlsbad Service Center.

If an individual screens for high-risk alcohol or substance use disorder behaviors, staff members contact RWC for a more comprehensive screening and referral to treatment.

A certified Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Counselor also visited lnterfaith’s Carlsbad Service Center once a week and participated in regular ride-alongs with the Carlsbad Police Department. Collaboratively, Interfaith and the Police Department were able to connect with and reach Carlsbad residents experiencing homelessness.

These interventions increased opportunities for screening, assessing, and connecting Carlsbad residents who suffer from Substance Use Disorder with treatment opportunities.

This is just a one Interfaith program that empowers people-in-need to stabilize and improve their lives. We’re proud to support the amazing work of Interfaith and the lasting impact it’s making in our community.

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