To our CVCF members and friends,
Happy New Year! After the holidays, this is the time we regroup, reorganize, and get back to business as usual. For our Chula Vista Community Foundation (CVCF) Grants Committee, chaired by Shauna Stokes, they have not stopped working even through the holidays. This is their busy time of year as they review more than 65 submissions and identify those that will receive site visits, to determine a final ballot. As selected by you [our members], we are focusing on important needs in our community related to children, families, and mental health. With more than 65 requests for our limited funds, we know there is great need in our community. In addition to your annual donation, you can help us do even more good work by referring one or more friends to join us!
Lisa Johnson
Board Chair, CVCF
CVCF Member Spotlight: Shauna Stokes
Shauna Stokes is a former administrative manager from the City of Chula Vista who spent 25 years in various city departments and positions, retiring as Assistant Director of Recreation. She is passionate about service and community, following in the footsteps of her late parents Quentin and Helen Stokes, who were active volunteers in Chula Vista. Shauna is a 30-plus-year member of the local service club, Altrusa International of Chula Vista Inc., and president of the Friends of the Chula Vista Library. She has been a resident of Chula Vista for almost 45 years, after graduating from UC San Diego with a bachelor’s degree in economics and from San Diego State University with a master’s degree in public administration. She was an Air Force “brat,” having lived in various cities in the United States and in Japan.
“I joined the Chula Vista Community Foundation after hearing a presentation about this amazing organization. I like the fact that CVCF supports local nonprofits to provide needed services and programs to vulnerable residents of Chula Vista. I thus became a grants committee member right away and am now Grants Committee Chair. CVCF continues to make a positive impact that has a ripple effect to help achieve a stronger, more resilient community.”
Grantee Spotlight: Just in Time for Foster Youth
Just in Time utilized $25,000 of Chula Vista Community Foundation grant funds, in addition to funds leveraged from other sources, to provide services to youth in the Chula Vista area through distinct services designed to reduce barriers and create connections for transition-age foster youth.
Just in Time provided over 160 service touchpoints to 74 Chula Vista youth from June 1, 2021 – May 31, 2022! These grant funds provided our Chula Vista youth, many of whom participated in more than one service at a time, with support across a variety of integrated services to help them achieve stability and continue working toward long-term goals.
Chula Vista youth Nina (left) has been an active participant during the grant period, utilizing the Financial Fitness, My First Home and Basic Needs services. Nina spent nine years of her childhood in four different foster care placements. The instability of her living situation created feelings of despair and distrust. Fortunately, with engagement in the Just in Time community, all of that changed. In Nina’s own words, “I have been surrounded by such amazing women and caring people who effortlessly prove to me that the world is a beautiful place full of so many beautiful people. I didn’t realize my negative view on life was fading away. I now know that there are so many loving people out in this world who want to see me succeed and it feels so realistic to know that I finally have people in my life to remind me that I matter!”
With gratitude to Chula Vista Community Foundation, Nina is well on her way to increasing her financial self-sufficiency and advancing her career, all while being cared for and nurtured as she works to overcome barriers common to foster youth.
Thank you, Chula Vista Community Foundation, for believing in Nina and the many youth we serve!
