January 2021 Letter from RCF Board Chair Kris Zook

Greetings and Happy New Year everyone!

I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable holiday season. We regret we could not gather this year due to the pandemic.

The board wishes to thank all of our members. Your generosity played a role in helping to alleviate food insecurity in Ramona this year during this pandemic. You have made a significant difference for our community!

You also were able to support many of our local nonprofits, as you do annually. The board will soon be working to make additional grants in support of COVID-19 recovery in Ramona for 2021.

Would you be interested in being more deeply involved in the Ramona Community Foundation (RCF)? We would love to have your leadership. Please contact Trudy Armstrong at trudy@sdfoundation.org to let us know.

RCF has awarded well over a quarter million dollars to benefit the community of Ramona over the last nine years. This is due to your generosity and pooled philanthropy.

Please renew your commitment today, and share the incredible impact on our community by asking your neighbors and friends to join us in this critical work.

Contact Trudy Armstrong at trudy@sdfoundation.org for assistance with a new membership or your renewal.

Kris Zook, Chair

Board Member Bio: Robert Krysak

Robert (Bob) Krysak, born and raised in New York City, moved to Ramona in 1986 after leaving the Marines as a Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps.

Bob served 14 years as a Ramona Municipal Water District Director, serving nine of those years as Chairman. He also represented Ramona for three years on the County Water Authority Board of Directors.

Bob has been an active member of the community since he moved to the area. He has been a member of the Chamber of Commerce for more than 30 years, is on the Board of the Ramona H.E.A.R.T. Mural Project and has been president of the Ramona Bar Association. He is also a Founding Member of RCF.

“Being a member of the Ramona Community Foundation is an opportunity to spend enhanced foundation dollars in the Ramona community for the betterment of our town and its numerous philanthropic ventures,” said Bob. “I am continually thrilled to be a small part of this grand venture.”

Nonprofit Partner: Voices for Children

Thanks to the support of RCF and its members, Voices for Children was able to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic with creativity and consistency.

Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, Voices for Children graduated 214 new Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) from their training program last year and matched each with a child in foster care. They also quickly pivoted and launched a digital training platform for CASAs and continue to refine their online training content and optimize digital training tools.

Of the 1,600 children advocated for by CASA’s last year, 10 of these children came from the Ramona community. CASAs helped each of these children with critical support at school, in court, and in the community and ensured that they had access to the resources necessary to participate in distance learning, access remote mental health services to address past trauma, and maintain safe and stable housing placements.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has created new obstacles for children in foster care, making the need for advocacy and consistent support all the more important. We are grateful to the Ramona Community Foundation for making it possible for us to provide CASAs to children during this especially critical time,” said Kelly Capen Douglas, Voices for Children’s President & CEO.

With the support of RCF, Voices for Children plans to increase their focus on mental health support, educational advocacy, and consistent care and support for children in foster care through the rest of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.