Ramona Community Foundation Awards $62,500 to Enhance Quality of Life in Ramona and Meet Community Needs

For Immediate Release

October 14, 2021 – San Diego, CA – Ramona Community Foundation (RCF), an affiliate of The San Diego Foundation, today awarded $37,500 to 10 local organizations and $25,000 to Feeding San Diego through the Vibrant Community program to enhance the quality of life for those who live, work and play in Ramona. 

“The Ramona community has a long road of recovery from the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 health and economic crisis,” shared Kristin Zook, RCF Board Chair. “We’re proud to partner with local organizations to assist in recovery efforts and meet the emerging needs of Ramona residents through these grants.”

These nonprofit organizations’ core mission is to serve the Ramona community, which has been severely impacted as a result of COVID-19. Supporting the projects of the grantees will ensure that their work and efforts will inspire community pride and revitalization and increase the quality of life of the broader community.

About the 2021 Grantees:

• Ramona Senior Center – Senior Nutrition Program
  The $5,000 grant will support the organization’s efforts to serve 200 seniors over the age of 60 tasty and consistent meals, offer socialization activities and support the program’s delivery and food expenses.

• ArtReach – Arts Education
  The $3,000 grant will help ArtReach return to Ramona Elementary and offer students online and in-person arts-based learning classes to encourage students’ individual art-making and discover the joy of collaboration during transitions around on-campus learning.

• Write Out Loud – Stories for Recovery
  The $2,400 grant will help the organization’s efforts to provide professional artistic experiences for young people and senior adults who may struggle with finding accessible transportation. Whether it’s providing Ramona residents better access to their local library or neighborhood schools, the program aims to unite the community through reading, story-telling and arts services.

• Burns Institute – Fire Safe Seniors
  The $1,500 grant will support the organization’s mission to educate participants about fire and burn safety through tailored educational materials that cover smoke alarms and their maintenance, fire and burn prevention methods and provide participating households new smoke alarms with 10-year lithium batteries at no cost.

• Girls on the Run SD – Girls on the Run
  The $4,600 grant will aid the program to continue providing 20 third-to-fifth-grade girls from Ramona Elementary sport and youth-mentoring programs that will encourage positive, emotional, social and physical development.

• Voices for Children – CASA Program
  The $5,000 grant will help the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program support children in foster care with a CASA who will advocate for and support them during what may be the most difficult chapter in their lives. This grant will fund the recruitment, training and supervision of two additional CASAs who will advocate for, support and mentor Ramona youth.

• North County Health – TrueCare Access
  The $5,000 grant will help TrueCare continue to provide comprehensive healthcare services and prescriptions to low-income families and help alleviate the financial challenges to those who lost their jobs during the pandemic.

• Boys and Girls Club – Reopening the Boys and Girls Club
  The $5,000 grant will help the program reopen to the community, enroll 76 members and hire a total of six part-time staff members to offer sports and other after-school programs to create a safe after-school place for children to attend in Ramona.

• Trauma Intervention Program – Crisis Intervention
  The $3,000 grant will fund the program to support trained (TIP) volunteers in the community to assist emergency responders on scene who are unable to stay with victims and ensure their emotional well-being is being taken care of during an unexpected death, homicide or community disaster.

• H.E.A.R.T. Mural Project – Photo-Op Mural
  The $3,000 grant will fund the installment of an interactive photo-op mural at 625 Main Street in Ramona where people can stand in front of it and become part of the picture. The mural will join other H.E.A.R.T murals to act as an economic stimulus by attracting Ramona residents to the Downtown area, as well as boost tourist traffic in the area.

Additionally, RCF awarded $25,000 to Feeding San Diego to work with local Ramona food distribution sites to distribute food to those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The sites are as follows:

• First Congregational Church of Ramona
• Restoration Ranch
• In His Steps
• Ramona Food & Clothes Closet
• Mountain View Church of Ramona

In its 10 years of grantmaking, RCF has granted more than $320,000 to over 60 nonprofit programs that strengthen quality of life for all who live, work and enjoy Ramona. To become a member, visit the RCF site or contact Trudy Armstrong at trudy@sdfoundation.org.

About the Ramona Community Foundation & the Regional Affiliate Program

The Regional Affiliate Program, including the Ramona Community Foundation, was established by The San Diego Foundation to create a regional network of affiliate foundations by leveraging local leadership, building endowments, increasing impactful philanthropy, and promoting civic engagement. Affiliates reside in Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Escondido, La Jolla, Oceanside, Ramona, Rancho Bernardo, and 4S Ranch-Del Sur. The Regional Affiliate program has exceeded 1,000 members, established endowments of more than $5 million overall, and granted more than $6 million in total to nonprofit organizations throughout the region.

About The San Diego Foundation

The San Diego Foundation inspires enduring philanthropy and enables community solutions to improve quality of life in our region. Our strategic priorities include advancing racial and social justice, fostering equity of opportunity, building resilient communities, and delivering world-class philanthropy to realize our vision of just, equitable and resilient communities. For more than 46 years, The Foundation and its donors have granted more than $1.3 billion to support nonprofit organizations strengthening our community. Learn more at SDFoundation.org.

Contacts

Lorena Nava Ruggero, The San Diego Foundation, lruggero@sdfoundation.org, 619-309-5179