October 2020 Letter from Oceanside Charitable Foundation Board Chair Vince Alessi

Oceanside Charitable Foundation (OCF) Members and Friends, it is hard to believe we are already well into Fall. I hope you and your loved ones are good and healthy.

Thank you to those that were able to join us for our first virtual member mixer and video premier (via Zoom). It was great to see so many of your faces.

In case you missed it, our 2021 grant cycle is well on its way.

Thank you to our members for filling out the focus survey. This year, we will seek innovative projects that support and promote diversity and inclusion by acquainting and integrating students in grades 5 through 10 with each other and the diverse community around them.

Grant applications will open soon.

Membership continues to be a critical piece in our grantmaking. Please share OCF news with your friends and neighbors. Together we can do more for our community.

Dr. Bill and Deborah Loftus joined us exactly one year ago.  In our Member Spotlight, Bill shares with us their reason for joining OCF.

We also highlight past grantee, Boys & Girls Club and their Culinary Arts Program. OCF has supported the program for the last two years with a total of $20,000 in grant dollars awarded. I am so proud of their resilience and tremendous efforts during these critical times of need.

It is truly an honor to serve you all. Thank you for your commitment to Oceanside.

https://youtu.be/sHYJvHSM27A

Member Spotlight

Dr. Bill Loftus is a retired school principal and assistant superintendent who spent over 43 years helping children and families.

His passion for social justice motivated him to join the nonpartisan League of Women Voters and bring attention to the needs of our homeless neighbors and, more recently, help others learn about systemic racism. He has been a Parks Commissioner for the City and now serves on the City’s Library Board of Directors.

Bill and his wife, Debbie brought their family to North County in 1980 from Chicago, where Bill was a high school math teacher, secondary school principal and an assistant superintendent for a suburban school district.

“I joined OCF to support the good work of many smaller enterprises who strive to serve our underrepresented individuals who just need a little help to grow into becoming contributing citizens on this planet,” he said.

Grantee Spotlight

With the generous support of OCF and its members, Boys & Girls Clubs of Oceanside has been able to purchase a wide array of kitchen equipment, including work tables, kitchen knives, an ice maker, pots and pans, cutting boards, chef’s jackets and more.

Since purchasing the kitchen equipment, BGCO youth have been able to hone kitchen skills like slicing, dicing and peeling, while also learning the proper safety precautions.

“The meals we serve our youth help demonstrate that healthy foods can be much tastier than unhealthy fast food alternatives,” said Claire King, Grant Coordinator. “BGCO is creating real change in the eating habits of our youth by designing menus that kids will love, while fueling them with the proper nutrition they need to grow and thrive.

“While we had to put the program on hold due to COVID-19 restrictions, BGCO pivoted and began offering curbside pickup through our Emergency Food Program to anyone under 18 to ensure that our youth are still being fed.” In total, the OCF grant helped Boys & Girls Clubs of Oceanside feed the 1,400 youth that they serve daily. All BGCO members received meals through the Culinary Arts program.

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