October 2020 Letter from ECF Board Chair Jack Raymond

Zoom, zoom, zoom! Volunteer work for the Escondido Community Foundation (ECF) has not stopped. While we would certainly like to meet in person, we enjoy at least seeing and hearing each other frequently on Zoom.

I hope you were able to attend our virtual 14^th Annual Grant Ceremony. If you did, you already know that we just completed the biggest grant award ceremony in our history!

A remarkable $1.3 million in total awards were granted, $300,000 of which went to support local COVID-19 relief and address community needs during this trying time. The other $1 million was for the magnificent, iconic Giving Arch, dedicated to the City of Escondido this spring, thanks to support from a very special donor.

There is still a lot going on, and a lot to do before the end of the year.

Our Grants Committee has been working extremely hard, under the leadership of Emily Lowe, and will release our 2021 grant guidelines in mid-November.

In the holiday spirit, we ask you to consider contributing to our Super-Secret Santa program, which will fund individual cash gifts through the Escondido Police Department that will go to support our neighbors most in need of assistance. Please see more information on how you can give below.

In addition, there is still an opportunity to purchase a name plaque on the Giving Arch. This revenue will go directly into our Special Projects Fund for either city beautification or unknown emerging needs – you choose! Don’t miss out. Contact Trudy Armstrong at trudy@sdfoundation.org or (619) 764-8602 for more information.

THANK YOU for all you do for, and in, our community. Our hometown would not be home without you.

–Jack

Jack Raymond
Chair
Escondido Community Foundation

Your commitment to preseving and protecting the future of our community through your donations to our Community Foundation is making Escondido a better place to live, work and play. Please know how much your generosity is appreciated.

“Secret Santa”

Once again, ECF’s “Secret Santa” project will help the Escondido Police Department hand out $100 bills to those in need to help make their season brighter. ECF has recruited officers as “elves” because they regularly engage with the public, often with residents who have fallen on hard times or who have experienced tragedy.

The Secret Santa program also helps our police department forge positive relationships with our community. Officers approach the residents, explain the Secret Santa program, and hand them the money, much to the surprise and delight of the recipient. The stories the officers share are both heart-breaking and heart-warming.

We look forward to sharing this season’s stories with you at our next gathering.

Member Spotlight: Cathy O’Malley

Cathy O’Malley and her family have been a part of the Escondido community since 1990.  She loves the collaboration that happens in Escondido for the good of the community, whether it’s arts & culture, helping those in need, or programs for students. Cathy joined ECF so that she could give back to the community she has planted roots in and is proud to be able to give time and donations for the benefit of Escondido citizens.

In her free time, Cathy enjoys the history, culture, outdoor spaces, arts, restaurants and wineries that Escondido has to offer. 

“Being the ECF Grants Committee Chairperson and working with a dedicated group of individuals during the pandemic has been inspiring and reinforces how much good work is going on in our community,” Cathy shared.

Thank you for all that you do for the Escondido community, Cathy!

Grantee Spotlight: Escondido Community Child Development Center

With the generous support of ECF and its members, the Escondido Community Child Development Center was a recipient of grant funding during our 2018-2019 grant cycle. With this funding, ECCDC was able to create a beautiful mural on the corner of 9^th Avenue and Tulip Street, on the ECCDC school grounds. The mural is a walk-through of the history and culture of Escondido and has transformed a plain wall into a public art gallery to be enjoyed by the community and visitors to Escondido.

A wide walking path allows visitors to move at their own pace and get an up-close look at the meticulous artwork, deepening appreciation for Escondido’s vibrant history. Over 20,000 cars per day drive by the wall and there are many people who park and walk alongside to get a better look.

“If not for ECF, we would not have had a canvas for artists to design and paint this beautiful mural.  We would have settled on our original idea of having a rod iron fence,” said Jim Weise, Executive Director at ECCDC.  “This grant provided a creative opportunity to design a wall that would offer better campus security and provide a mural that emphasizes the beauty, history and culture of Escondido.”