I hope your new year is off to a fantastic start!
Our grants committee is already off to a fantastic and fast start. We received 50 grant applications in response to our 2020 request for proposals. They have been reviewed and we are now beginning the extensive site visit process! It is amazing to see how well this committee is run. Thank you to our devoted volunteers and especially to our Grants Chair and incoming Board Chair Carmen Richardson.
Welcome to our new member and member spotlight, Monica Montano from Scripps Health! And please be sure to read down to enjoy one of our growing collection of grant impact stories, one of which we are extremely proud: South County Economic Development Council.
As we enter our 10th year of grantmaking in the community, I want to give my sincerest thanks to all of our members for their continued support and trust in our pooled philanthropy model. It is truly inspirational to see our dollars in action. Together we are making an even greater impact than individually.
Please join us at our 10Th Reunion Celebration on February 12th at the new restaurant, Shake & Muddle. As an added treat for both members and prospective members, we have invited our past grantees from these 10 years of giving to join us and share how our support has enriched our beloved community. It will be a magical evening. Cheers to 2020!
Member Spotlight
Monica joined Chula Vista Charitable Foundation to give back to the community where she grew up. She is a South County native and is now raising her daughter, Isabela, together with her husband Luis in Chula Vista.
She attended Chula Vista High Junior and High School and graduated from San Diego State University with bachelor’s degrees in journalism and political science. Monica continued to earn her master’s degree with an emphasis in global management.
Monica has been with Scripps Health since 2002, starting at what was then Scripps Memorial Hospital Chula Vista and now working for Scripps Health’s Office of the President. Prior to that she worked at Southwestern College for 8 years. Throughout her tenure she also worked for local legislators and in media. She serves on several organizations throughout San Diego and is a continuous advocate for our region and cannot imagine calling anywhere else home. Monica and her husband have one daughter, Isabela, who is a freshman at Otay Ranch High School in Chula Vista.
Grantee Spotlight
The South County Economic Development Council (SCEDC) was awarded a grant of $30,165 from CVCF for the 2018-19 grant cycle to help fund an optical training program, “I See My Future”. During a standard SCEDC Business Outreach meeting with the General Manager of the Costco Optical Lab in National City, he indicated he planned to hire 50 employees within the next year, but did not know where to find them. Local training programs were no longer offering optical/optician training and as such, a skilled workforce did not exist. To verify that this need was not specific to Costco Optical Labs, SCEDC reached out to several other optical labs.
Once the need for an optical focused workforce was confirmed, SCEDC assembled a committee comprised of service providers, educators, industry representatives, SCEDC members and a member of the Chula Vista Charitable Foundation. The committee broke into smaller task forces, one of which worked to find a qualified instructor. Industry representatives worked with Southwestern College to create specifications for the instructor.
Once information about the program was shared with the public, SCEDC was overwhelmed by 192 applicants. Sixty participants were selected to participate in the program. SCEDC had committed to providing training for 35 participants, however, by working with Southwestern College, the committee, and securing additional funding, they were able to increase that number to 60.
Participants attended class for 3.5 hours each week. A morning class was conducted at the South County Career Center and an evening class was provided at Southwestern College. A total of 41 students successfully completed the program. Thank you to our CVCF members for allowing us to support the amazing work of SCEDC and the lasting impact it is making in our community.
