Quarterly Letter from CVCF Board Chair Lisa Johnson

To our CVCF members and friends,

Chula Vista Community Foundation recently lost our admired grant chair, board member and dear friend Simon Silva. It is with great sadness that we share the information. Simon was such an integral part of our foundation. We wish to honor Simon and share some additional information about his life and family.

Lisa Johnson
Board Chair, CVCF

Member Tribute Spotlight: Simon Silva

Simon Silva was a dedicated public attorney and volunteer who focused on improving the lives of others. He and his wife, Claudia, moved to Chula Vista in 1997 where they raised two successful daughters. Simon had a long career of public service including the Marine Corps, California Attorney General’s Office, San Diego City Attorney’s Office and most recently the Chula Vista City Attorney’s Office. He was dedicated to his community and was a board member of Chula Vista Community Foundation (CVCF) and Chair of the Grants Committee. Simon was also a board member of Serving Seniors. Known for his humility and kindness, Simon’s passion for serving his community will be missed by all.  If you would like to honor Simon’s memory and his work in our community with a gift, his favorite organizations were CVCF and Serving Seniors.

Grantee Spotlight: Burn Institute

Thanks in part to the generous support from the Chula Vista Community Foundation, the Burn Institute’s Fire Safe Seniors Program has worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to ensure one of our most vulnerable populations – seniors – have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their homes. Because of grants and donations, the Fire Safe Seniors program has continued to provide this vital service for free to seniors in our communities during the pandemic with enhanced safety protocols in place to keep residents and volunteers safe.

“I feel safer in my home, the person who explained the information was informative and I am very happy,” said one recipient.

Along with installations of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, dedicated staff and volunteers also take the time to sit down with seniors and provide valuable fire safety information. This information includes how to create a fire escape plan, how to reduce the risk of fire in the home, what the different beeps and chirps from the alarm mean, and how to test alarms each month to ensure they are working. These preventative measures help prepare seniors before there is an emergency.

“In a fire, seconds count,” said Susan Day, Burn Institute Executive Director. “Roughly half of home fire deaths result from fires reported at night between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most people are asleep. Home smoke alarms can alert people to a fire before it spreads, giving residents enough time to get out.”