June 13, 2014 – San Diego, CA – On Thursday, June 12, the Oceanside Charitable Foundation (OCF), an affiliate of The San Diego Foundation, held its 6th Annual Grant Awards Celebration providing seven nonprofits with $58,000 in funding.
These grants will enhance civic leadership, engagement, and volunteerism within the Oceanside community. The programs funded include Bread of Life Rescue Mission ($5,000), Oceanside Leadership Summit Project at the North County LGBTQ Resource Center ($5,000), Oceanside CERT program at the Oceanside Community Emergency Response Team ($5,000), Volunteer With A Friend program at Ivey Ranch Park Association ($5,000), School of Nursing Healthcare Project program in Oceanside with the California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM) Foundation ($10,000), TIP Training Academy and Resource Guide program in Oceanside, with Trauma Intervention Program of San Diego, Inc. ($10,000), and Oceanside REACH program at Vista Community Clinic ($18,000).
“We’re honored to present the Oceanside Charitable Foundation grants to these outstanding organizations,” said Chuck Lowery, Grants Committee Chair. “Our focus this year was to build community leadership and encourage volunteer engagement, which are relevant to our mission. These grantees’ programs demonstrate how local organizations are supporting our community in creative ways. The monies awarded all stay within our local community, reinforcing the intent of our general membership. OCF Grants Committee works hard to assure that every dollar raised and granted yields a positive impact in Oceanside.”
The late Matt McLaughlin left a generous legacy gift to The San Diego Foundation for use by affiliate foundations in North County. Thanks to the creation of the Matt McLaughlin Live Here, Give Here Matching Program, all OCF membership generated grantmaking funds (half of each yearly donation) will be matched dollar for dollar.
“Thanks to the generosity of Matt McLaughlin and all OCF members, we were able to achieve more than $260,000 in total impact in our community,” said Jennifer Lacy, chair of the Oceanside Charitable Foundation. “We look forward to seeing that number grow, especially with the ability to double our giving. There has never been a better time to become a member.”
Lacy noted that the Oceanside Charitable Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life and meeting emerging needs in Oceanside by increasing responsible and effective philanthropy; building a community endowment for the benefit of the region; providing funds annually to community organizations and causes, and giving the community a vehicle for legacy planning and gifts that will benefit Oceanside now and forever.
To become a member, contact An Lu at anl@sdfoundation.org; visit www.OceansideCharitableFoundation.org, or call An at (760) 929-2800.
About the Grantees
Bread of Life Rescue Mission
A grant of $5,000 will support Bread of Life Rescue Mission’s food distribution program. The Board, Grants Committee and the general membership voted to support their efforts in the pick-up and delivery of food to Oceanside’s working poor and homeless families. Bread of Life is addressing an issue that the foundation has determined to be critical in our community.
Oceanside CERT
Oceanside Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
A grant of $5,000 will allow Oceanside CERT to expand its civilian training programs. The mission of Oceanside CERT is to provide a cadre of well trained and equipped civilian volunteers capable of caring for themselves, their families and their neighbors in the event of a disaster. The OCF grant will allow CERT to expand from two training academies a year to four, expand from quarterly refresher training drills to bimonthly drills and launch a monthly training meeting offering expanded curriculum. The OCF grant will support CERT’s efforts to train 160 Oceanside citizens in the following year.
Volunteer With A Friend
Ivey Ranch Park Association
A grant of $5,000 will enable Ivey Ranch to spread the word about its volunteer programs to Oceanside students through visits to each school in the Oceanside Unified School District. Ivey Ranch Park Association provides therapeutic riding programs to both disabled and able-bodied children and teens and offers a variety of volunteer opportunities, from stall cleaning to horse-leading during lessons. The grant will support 23 school assemblies, during which Ivey Ranch staff will bring a horse to campus and introduce the concept of therapeutic riding and the ranch’s volunteer programs. The organization hopes to reach more than 20,000 Oceanside students through these assemblies and to engage at least 200 new volunteers.
School of Nursing Healthcare Project in Oceanside
California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM) Foundation
A grant of $10,000 will allow CSUSM nursing students to initiate a free wellness program at St. Anne’s Church in Oceanside. The project will focus on decreasing the incidence of metabolic syndrome, a major health concern nationwide. The project will be two-fold: community members of all ages will be screened for hypertension, hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia before and after the intervention. The intervention will consist of a wellness program that includes free aerobic activities, yoga, health education and healthy cooking classes. Past participants in the nutrition classes will eventually do peer training to continue the wellness program.
TIP Training Academy and Resource Guide for Oceanside
Trauma Intervention Program of San Diego, Inc.
A grant of $10,000 will enable Trauma Intervention Program of San Diego (TIP) to recruit Oceanside based volunteers with a local training academy. TIP volunteers are trained citizens in the community who provide emotional and practical support to citizens in crisis immediately following a tragic event. During the Oceanside academy, volunteers will be taught the tools needed to be the emotional and practical support for fellow citizens. The grant will also fund a much-needed update to the TIP print resource guide, which is compiled of local services frequently needed by TIP clients. With the OCF grant, TIP will be able to hold two training academies.
Oceanside REACH
Vista Community Clinic
A grant of $18,000 will enable Vista Community Clinic to engage the students in its REACH (Recreation, Employment, Academics, Communication and Health) program in a neighborhood beautification project. REACH, housed at the Libby Lake Community Center, strives to help youth lead healthier and safer lives and engages 75-100 6th-12th grade students each year. The OCF grant will engage these youth – along with 25 elementary-school students – in a Libby Lake beautification project that will include weekly trash pickups, painting two murals, re-painting the electrical boxes located around the park, and hosting four, larger park clean ups that will include the participants’ families.
About The San Diego Foundation’s Community Foundations
The Community Foundations, proud affiliates of The San Diego Foundation, help identify and meet the emerging needs of communities throughout San Diego County by encouraging and increasing responsible and effective philanthropy by and for the benefit of all who live, work and play in the region. The Community Foundations provide their communities with a vehicle fo legacy planning and gifts. The foundations are located in Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Escondido, La Jolla, Oceanside, Ramona, Rancho Bernardo, San Ysidro, and 4SRanch-Del Sur. For additional information, please visit sdfoundation.org/CommunityFoundations. For additional information, please visit sdfoundation.org.
About The San Diego Foundation
Founded in 1975, The San Diego Foundation’s purpose is to promote and increase effective and responsible charitable giving. The Foundation manages more than $660 million in assets, more than half of which reside in permanent endowment funds that extend the impact of today’s gifts to future generations. Since its inception, The Foundation has granted more than $873 million to the San Diego region’s nonprofit community. For additional information, please visit The San Diego Foundation at sdfoundation.org.
Contact
An Lu, 760-929-2800, anl@sdfoundation.org
Vince Heald, Beck Ellman Heald, 858-453-9600, vheald@behmedia.com
Heather Back, The San Diego Foundation, 619-235-2300, heather@sdfoundation.org
