I hope everyone is doing well! Happy Mother’s Day to all our Mothers…
Thanks to everyone who came out to Hungry Hawk on May 1!
I want to share that our Escondido Community Foundation (ECF) grants committee members are busy completing site visits for our 2024 grants.
Save the Date of July 10 at Forgotten Barrel for our Annual Ballot Presentation Dinner! This year’s focus is special outdoor projects within Escondido. “We want to encourage people to gather and enjoy the outdoors, whether in urban places, open spaces or recreational facilities,” said Rosemary Burson, ECF Grants Chair. “Projects such as benches, shade trees and structures, slash pads, water stations, and lighting are just a few of the items we have heard are in need, especially during the hottest times of the year.”
Lisa Ruder and the Special Project committee have invited qualified artists or nonprofit arts organizations to submit applications to create public artwork that offers broad community benefits, such as fostering a sense of place, enhancing Escondido’s image and identity, and heightening community exposure to and appreciation of the arts. “This is the second phase of our Arts and Beautification Initiative, which will work with the City of Escondido, California Center for the Arts, Escondido and local artists,” says Lisa. “Our goals are to enhance the image of Escondido, increase community pride while supporting underrepresented artists, and encourage community-based, interactive designs that will engage the public in meaningful ways.” These funds come from donations to the Giving Arch!
There is still the opportunity to purchase a name plaque on the Giving Arch. This revenue will go directly into our Special Projects Funds for either city beautification or unknown emerging needs. Do not miss this opportunity. Contact Trudy Armstrong at trudy@sdfoundation.org or (619) 764-8602 for more information. Click here to access the form.
THANK YOU for all you do in our community. Your commitment to preserving 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.
Jan
Jan Jones
Chair
Escondido Community Foundation
Grantee Spotlight: A Step Beyond and ECF Volunteers
A Step Beyond (ASB) received gracious support from the Escondido Community Foundation in late September 2023 to provide comprehensive programming during its 10th program year. The primary goal for ASB is that each participant remains in the program for nine to ten years and high school graduates with the personal, academic, and emotional tools to successfully initiate the next phase of their lives through matriculation at a college, university or career-track training program. Throughout all our programs, participants receive daily mentoring from staff, faculty, and volunteers; long-term mentoring is critical for keeping participants engaged in our programs, school and other activities.
Our program provided services to 150 sixth through twelfth-grade students from Escondido. We offered group wellness support and counseling services, which resulted in the graduation of 15 ASB twelfth graders who enrolled in a university, college or career program. Additionally, we held six World of Work career labs for 100 students from sixth to eighth grade and arranged financial literacy and essential skill-building workshops for 150 students from sixth to twelfth grade.
We credit ECF’s grant from Escondido Rotary for the significant increase in volunteers, with around 30 volunteers from the Escondido Charitable Foundation. Having an increased number of volunteers is incredibly valuable to running our organization and our programs. This is the first time ASB has experienced such a considerable increase in volunteers and we are so grateful for them. We see volunteers as investors in our mission to serve children and teens and they are vital to the sustainability of our organization.
