July 2019 Letter from Carlsbad Board Chair Justin Peek

Hello, Carlsbad Charitable Foundation (CCF) members! I hope your summer is off to a fantastic start.

My name is Justin Peek and I am your new Board Chair. It is a true honor to serve CCF members and our Carlsbad community.

For more than nine years, I have invested in Carlsbad with my fellow CCF members and my family, and I am excited to support the organization’s impact and growth this upcoming year. I also want to say thank you to my friend and predecessor, Sandy Lund, for closing off such an impactful year as Board Chair! I expect this year to be no different.

What’s Upcoming

Our 13^th grant cycle is just beginning and you should have already received the annual focus survey. Please take the time to fill this out and let us know the issues in Carlsbad that matter to you. As always, our members determine the focus area of next year’s funding so it’s important that you share your thoughts.

This is also a great time to specify if you are interested in getting involved and joining a committee. We welcome and encourage your involvement!

For me, one of the most rewarding aspects of being a member is hearing first-hand the impact our grant dollars make. Please take a moment to read the inspirational story of impact below from our 2018 grantee Solutions for Change, who thanks to you, received a $60,000 grant in support of the sponsorship of multiple Carlsbad families.

And finally, our member spotlight is on Chris Ryan and Cyn Colip, who recently created a video featuring the impact of CCF. Welcome to CCF, Chris and Cyn!

In closing, I wanted to say that I am humbled and honored to serve you all. Cheers to another year of significant impact together and please let me know of anything I or your board can do to serve you and Carlsbad better. Enjoy the rest of your summer!

P.S.

Please save the date! Our next member event will be on September 12 at 5:30pm. You will not want to miss this! More details to follow.

Grantee Spotlight

Last year, a grant from our members helped Solutions for Change add a full-time Substance Abuse Counselor to its toolkit of services for homeless families in San Diego.

Over 65 percent of the parents that enter the doors of Solutions for Change have struggled with some form of substance abuse. They come to the organization ready to make a commitment to permanent change. Adding a Substance Abuse Counselor provided much-needed classes and expert one-on-one counseling for parents, which will bring stability to the entire family.

One of the families supported was that of Carlsbad resident Alicia and her two children. Alicia is a single mom who came to Solutions for Change with a history of addiction and incarceration. She grew up in Carlsbad but unfortunately followed in the footsteps of her father, who struggles with substance abuse. After several difficult years, Alicia came to Solutions for Change to get her life back on track and to regain the privilege of raising her two children. Alicia has been provided with individualized coaching from professional case managers, a host of classes and training, and supportive housing to get her back on track.

Thanks to the support of Solutions for Change and CCF grantmaking, Alicia now maintains a full-time job and has regained full custody of her son and young daughter. She just recently moved into permanent supportive housing with her two children.

We are proud to support the amazing work of Solutions for Change and the lasting impact it is making in our community.

Member Spotlight: Chris Ryan and Cyn Colip

Chris was born here in San Diego and grew up in Clairemont and University City. The soundtrack of his young life was Miramar jets and his passion for music. This passion led him into radio, where he worked on the air for rock/jazz/soft rock stations in Tucson and San Diego. You may have heard his voice on “Magic 102.1” or “Rock 105.3” back in the ‘80s and ‘90s. After 20+ years working in advertising and marketing, he launched Ryan Video Productions.

Cyn (short for Cindy) has been blazing a trail with Chris since 1985. Together, they have a son and share a home in the hills of Vista. Cyn studied Art History at the University of Arizona and earned an Interior Design degree here in San Diego. Recently, she has been staging homes, managing visual merchandising for Pottery Barn, and helping create content at Ryan Video Productions. In her free time, Cyn is studying French and plans to do an immersion program in France next year.

Both Chris and Cyn got to know the mission of the Foundation and the good people who founded it while doing research for the new CCF video. It was through that introduction that they fell in love with the spirit of giving.

They felt the pull toward becoming a part of something bigger that would leave a legacy in the San Diego community. Chris and Cyn are very excited to join the CCF family. We are thrilled to welcome them.