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Premier Members Making a Difference: Interfaith Community Services

Premier Members Making a Difference: Interfaith Community Services

What is your Mission?
Interfaith Community Services empowers people in need to stabilize and improve their lives through comprehensive programs, in partnership with diverse faith communities and people of compassion.
What do you offer to the community?
Interfaith provides both immediate safety net services and long-term, life-changing services for the most poor and vulnerable of our San Diego County residents. Our 70+ programs are organized into five main areas: Self-Sufficiency and Supportive Services, Clinical and Behavioral Health, Employment and Economic Development, Recovery and Wellness, and Housing Services, all designed to overlap so that clients have access to as many resources as necessary for their individual situation. These comprehensive programs work to ensure that individuals become self- sufficient, active participants in the community. All programs are focused on the goal of helping individuals and families in crisis stabilize and improve their wellbeing, while also working to end homelessness and alleviate poverty in our communities.
What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC?
Interfaith Community Services is proud and thankful to be a member of NCPC. We work in partnership with hundreds of diverse faith communities, thousands of supporting donors and volunteers, and dozens of partner community-based organizations. NCPC strengthens our connections and our ability to work in genuine and true partnership to deliver on our mission of helping people help themselves.
What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months – one year?
Our greatest accomplishment in the past six months has been the opening of our new Abraham and Lillian Turk Recuperative Care Center, the home of Interfaith’s Post-Hospitalization Recuperative Care Program and our new Graduate Lodging Program. The only stand-alone center of its kind in San Diego, this new campus co-locates integrated, evidence-based social services, medical care, and behavioral health support to address the complex needs of individuals experiencing homelessness as they establish a pathway towards self-sufficiency. More than anything else, the Turk Center is a place for healing and restoration. It is a place for people who are medically frail and without homes or a place of their own. Interfaith envisions the Turk Center being the first of many new healing and restorative places in our community for people struggling with health problems and homelessness.
What event/program or campaign do you have coming up that you would like to share with our readers?
Mental health is on our mind.
Interfaith Community Services invites you to join our Annual Meeting and sneak peek of Change Your Mind (CYM), a unique initiative designed to change the conversation about mental health- –one mind–and one life–at a time. We will be hosting virtual conversations, inspiring microevents, social media engagements, and an inaugural #ChangeYourMind Festival in February 2022. For now, please join us October 28th, 11 am-1 pm, at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido. Details will be posted in the future on NCPC’s community calendar.
For more information, please contact Mitchell Snow, msnow@interfaithservices.org
What changes/opportunities have occurred due to COVID-19?
We are reminded daily at Interfaith Community Services that Resilience – the capacity to navigate difficult challenges and also improve along the way – resides within our clients, employees, and volunteer communities. We are proud of our organizational capacity to survive the pandemic and related critical challenges, and to grow and strengthen our critical safety net services to meet the needs of communities in crisis. With our broad continuum of programs and services, the resources we provide stabilize and rebuild the lives of our most vulnerable neighbors most disproportionately impacted by the economic devastation of COVID-19. Interfaith employees and volunteers continue to be heroic, on the frontlines, and essential in meeting our clients’ needs and providing supportive services, shelter, counseling, employment support, housing and access to healthcare. Interfaith continuously evolves to meet the needs of our community, yet our motto stays the same. We are Interfaith Community Services and we are Helping People Help Themselves. Please consider joining our invaluable community of volunteers! getinvolved@interfaithservices.org
Have you made a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization/company and if so, how are you demonstrating it?
For over 40 years, Interfaith Community Services has provided services to and advocated for vulnerable and underserved members of San Diego County – regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. Following the murder of George Floyd, Interfaith pledged to actively address the inexorable link between racism, poverty, homelessness, and trauma. In 2020, we launched an employee-led Racial Justice Working Group, and in 2021 partnered with a diversity consulting firm to facilitate our commitment to Anti-Racism. We are engaged in a lengthy process of self-assessment, education, and training for staff teams and faith communities. Our pledge to combat all forms of oppression and marginalization is central to our mission. We will continue to work diligently to bring to fruition our vision of a society in which all people can lead healthy, self-sufficient and empowered lives.

Premier Members Making a Difference: Catalent

What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC?
At Catalent San Diego, we are dedicated to two things:

  1. “Patient First” philosophy drives all of our actions,
  2. Community Support and Involvement helps everyone else we don’t touch.
Our volunteering and philanthropy programs amplify the enthusiasm we have for giving back to our communities—especially in the areas of health and STEM education. Catalent San Diego has a long history of giving back to our neighbors. Through “Catalent Cares,” employees have been organizing volunteer projects and charitable giving for years. In alignment with our corporate responsibility strategy, we encourage employees to volunteer for organizations that serve patients, expand STEM education, and protect the environment.

Catalent San Diego has one community ambassador who coordinates with our Corporate Responsibility team, defines the local volunteering strategy, and connects employees to causes and nonprofit partners important to the site. Our ambassadors champion volunteering and ensure that our projects align with local community needs. In alignment with our actions and philosophy, Catalent San Diego benefits from being a part of NCPC, because we become more directly connected to the organizations that are doing the heavy lifting to help our community at large.

Catalent San Diego’s mission is to develop, manufacture and supply products that help people live better, healthier lives. We work closely with innovative biotechs (worldwide) that have life-changing small molecules or peptides. In the San Diego facility, we help biotechs turn these molecules into capsules, tablets or injectables to be used in ‘first in human’ clinical trials.

What do you offer to the community?
We have a long tradition at Catalent San Diego of volunteerism with our employees through our ‘Catalent Cares’ program to the donation of grants for non-profits that have heavy, positive impacts in our community. We willingly give our time and treasure to ensure that our community knows that we could not be here without them. We not only help construct lifesaving treatments (with our partner biotechs) for those in need, but we also give back in a more immediate and direct way.

What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months – one year?
We worked on over 60 life-changing therapies, focusing on very different indications to include oncology, COVID-19, Parkinson’s, and many more. We also donated over 1000 hours of community service during the pandemic. Some of the beneficiaries of these hours went to supporting Mountain Shadows Thanksgiving gift baskets, San Diego Food Bank, Homeless Hygiene Supplies, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Community College Career Panels.What event/program or campaign do you have coming up that you would like to share with our readers?
In late October 2021, we are opening our first-ever Clinical Supply Services warehouse and manufacturing depot in San Diego. This is a 25,000 sq. ft. facility that will store clinical supplies and therapies. The facility will also have the ability to package tablets, capsules in very specific ways (e.g., blinding, special label techniques, import/export, complicated packaging designs and blister cards) and deliver them to anywhere in the world for clinical trials. Bottom line – we will have another facility to support the Patient First!

Have you made a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization/company and if so, how are you demonstrating it?
At Catalent, we foster an environment where individuals are welcomed, appreciated, heard, and respected, where differences and similarities are valued. We aim to create a collaborative and engaging workplace that drives innovation and excellence. From our experience, employees with different backgrounds and experiences working together can yield better decisions, driving innovation and excellence in everything we do. Our diversity and inclusion (D&I) council breaks down silos where people feel they can share their ideas freely and take considered risks, often leading to higher contributions. We frequently have in-depth discussions about the direction of the D&I strategy, priority areas and the groundwork that needs to be done across the organization. Our D&I program creates a working environment that provides more innovation, better access to talent, and additional opportunities for continued career advancement. Collaboration through trust, respect, and empathy are key elements for success. The uniqueness of every employee makes Catalent an inclusive place where

For more information visit the Catalent website

Premier Members Making a Difference: FACE Foundation 2021

What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC? 
The Foundation for Animal Care and Education (FACE) is proud to be a member of The North County Philanthropy Council. We enjoy attending the Volunteer Awards Celebration, learning from the great webinars and meeting other nonprofit organizations and foundations.
What is your Mission? 
The mission of FACE is to enhance and preserve the quality of life for all companion animals by providing access to necessary medical care and education.
What do you offer to the community?
Established in 2006 by a group of veterinarians and concerned community members, FACE is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) public charity that provides financial grants for animal owners who are unable to afford the cost of their pet’s emergency or critical care. The goal of FACE is to end economic euthanasia, which happens when a beloved pet is euthanized simply due to the cost of medical care. What started as a beautiful vision to stop the surrender and euthanasia of beloved family pets has become a supportive center where families in crisis can get a helping hand to save their pets’ lives. FACE grantees are typically low-income families, senior citizens, veterans, military families, students, disabled individuals or hard-working families and individuals who struggle to survive paycheck to paycheck. FACE proudly works with more than 185 veterinary hospitals throughout San Diego County that generously discount their services for qualified FACE patients by at least 25% and help to fundraise whenever possible. With a tagline of “Saving Pets and Helping Families,” the work at FACE is just as important for the animals we save as it is for the families who are spared the heartbreak of losing their best friend.
Along with providing financial assistance for veterinary care, FACE also has a Community Outreach Program that focuses on connecting under-served pet owners with resources to veterinary care and pet supplies. Since 2016, FACE has partnered with 12 different organizations to serve pet owners in San Diego County, many of which are experiencing homelessness. Currently, FACE is collaborating with Feeding San Diego to reach even more families by providing pet food and supplies to their furry, loved ones at drive-thru distributions. We are always looking to partner with additional nonprofit organizations that serve a community that may also need help with food and care for their pet.
We commit to educating our community about animals through our Humane Education Program. We offer a variety of fun and interesting education programs that emphasize the human-animal bond and STEAM topics through a hands-on humane education curriculum. Due to the pandemic, we are reaching many more people through online platforms across San Diego County and beyond with our education program. Every month a different topic is discussed about pet care. We listen to feedback and topics are chosen based on what people are asking to learn about such as pet dermatology and dog body language.
What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months – one year?
We are so excited to celebrate a major milestone, our 3,000th pet life saved at FACE. It has taken so much work and could not have been accomplished without our dedicated partners to get us this far. In our first year, we assisted 12 pets with one veterinary hospital. Now, we are assisting almost one pet per day and are working with more than 185 hospitals in San Diego County. We are grateful to have been able to save our 3,000th life and look forward to assisting as many more as we can in the years to come for our community.
What event/program or campaign do you have coming up that you would like to share with our readers? 
This year, FACE celebrates 15 years of saving pets and helping families in our community. To honor this milestone, we will be hosting a 15th Anniversary event on September 11th at The LOT in La Jolla with dinner, drinks, silent auction, raffle prizes, outdoor games and a private film screening of Dogs Days – all to support FACE’s lifesaving programs! To views details or register for the celebration, please click here.
On October 18, join FACE for our 10th Invitational Dog-Friendly Golf Tournament at the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club. This unique tournament allows players to enjoy a day of golf with their furry friends followed by dinner, drinks, an exclusive auction, an exciting awards ceremony, and more – all to support FACE’s lifesaving programs. This event is sure to be your dog’s favorite day of the year! To view details of the event and to register, click here.
What changes/opportunities have occurred due to COVID-19?
Since the beginning of the pandemic, FACE has seen an increase in applications from families experiencing unemployment. Before 2020, the unemployment rate of our grantees was 4% and now it is above 30%. We continue to reach and help families in need with innovative and safe ways throughout the COVID-19 crisis.
Have you made a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization/company and if so, how are you demonstrating it?
FACE helps families of all backgrounds, and now more than ever we are committed to supporting communities that face disproportional financial barriers, which can limit their access to resources to care for their pets. In our work to help families and save pets, we serve and stand alongside those who have been marginalized. We continue to support humane, fair and compassionate treatment of our fellow humans just as we advocate for the animals.
We seek to listen to, learn from and amplify the voices of those who have not had a seat at the table to improve our organization and our sector. Our team is actively working on creating a more diverse board of directors and staff. In doing so, we are committed to sharing our processes and encouraging participation along the way from others.

Meet Our Member: North County Lifeline

North County Lifeline has been furthering our mission to build self-reliance among youth, adults, and families through high-quality, community-based services across San Diego County since 1973. On September 1 at 11:30am we will celebrate our annual Lifeline Awards Event virtually, highlighting the key community partners and volunteers who helped make our mission possible. This year, we invite you to join us for the 2021 Lifeline Awards Event – “Change the Story,” celebrating how Lifeline & community partners have helped youth, adults, and families change their own stories through building self-reliance. Limited event sponsorship opportunities are still available starting at $250. Tune in to the LiveStream on September 1, from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM featuring emcee Mark Mullen from NBC7 and Lifeline’s Executive Director, Don Stump. Visit our website at nclifeline.org/lifelineawards2021 to RSVP or Sponsor. For more information contact Brooke Stance at bstance@nclifeline.org.

 

Meet Our Member: Mission Federal Credit Union

Mission Federal Credit Union (Mission Fed) is honored to serve as the largest member-owned, not-for-profit, full-service financial institution exclusively serving San Diego County.

Success is measured by results. We measure our success based on a double bottom line of both financial performance and social purpose.

Mission Fed is committed to enhancing the lives of all of our stakeholders including our 270,000 member owners, 600 employees, and our larger extended community throughout the county, by focusing intently on financial education and financial inclusion to provide the essential resources and skills to help every San Diegan experience financial wellbeing.

In 2020 we were humbled to be recognized as one of the Top Workplaces in San Diego, but what we’re most proud of is the fact that just simply by banking with Mission Fed you are automagically doing good for San Diego. In the last year alone, our employees, members, and community stepped up and raised over $680K for local nonprofit organizations, including the San Diego Food Bank, the San Diego Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army among many others to support our most disaffected brothers and sisters in San Diego in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mission Fed’s focus is hyperlocal and intentionally supports our local communities throughout San Diego County by investing our time, treasure and talent to help hundreds of nonprofits and critical causes in our region. We purposefully build deep relationships with our valued community partners to maximize impact and change lives for the better. You can see some of our collaboration at www.missionfed.com/community-relations.

Our Mission Fed ecosystem is keenly focused on three key areas:

  • Health and Well Being:Food Scarcity and Feeding People, Health Related Causes, Homelessness, and Pet & Animal Needs
  • Serving the Underserved:Including our large local Hispanic Community, but extending deeply into Diverse Communities throughout the county
  • Values-Based Community Organizations:Local Emerging Nonprofits, and Values-Aligned and Capacity-Building companies/organizations that are making a difference locally

Financial Literacy and Financial Inclusion are a through line in all that we do. We also remain attentive to preserving and protecting our cherished San Diego environment and activate volunteer opportunities to support this important cause.

If you’re looking for a like-spirited partner, or have an upcoming event that aligns with our vision and values, don’t hesitate to contact any member of the small-but-mighty Mission Fed team including:

To learn more our organization, please visit www.MissionFed.com. We are federally insured by NCUA and are an Equal Housing Lender.

Meet Our Member: Boys & Girls Club of Vista

The Boys & Girls Club of Vista (BGCV) empowers every Club member, through safe and impactful experiences to:

  • Graduate high school with a plan for college or a career
  • Contribute to their community
  • Live a healthy life

BGCV was founded in 1963 to serve youth that needed a safe place to go outside of school hours. With a focus on three priority outcomes: Academic Success, Healthy Lifestyles, and Character/Leadership Development, BGCV is providing youth with the opportunity to build the skills needed to succeed in today’s globally competitive workforce.  Club programs at five sites help kids ages 5-18 build healthy habits and provide opportunities for them to become resilient leaders through mentorship, accountability and modeling good behavior. In 2018, we embarked on a new five-year strategic plan that includes goals to double the impact of the programs we offer the community.

BGCV understands that sustainability is an important part of meeting our community’s needs. We plan for sustainability from the beginning of every project by securing community support, partnering with other organizations and businesses in the area and developing a plan to solicit ongoing financial support. We sustain all of our programs with philanthropic support from our community, including an annual gala and poker tournament, grants, individual giving as well as a separate 501c3 Foundation built by planned gifts.

Learn more about how you can get involved with our programs and make an impact at bgcvista.org.

Premier Members Making a Difference: Neighborhood Healthcare

What do you offer to the community?

Neighborhood Healthcare offers quality healthcare for every member of our community. Community health is about more than just vaccines and checkups. It’s about giving people the resources they need to live their best lives. The services we provide include General Medicine (for all ages), Dental, Behavioral Health, Prenatal & Women’s Health, and Specialty Care (Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Podiatry, and Diabetic Retinal Screening.) These services are of the highest quality paired with Compassion and Whole-Person Care which includes unique programs and resources that help patients stay healthy.

 

What is your Mission?

The Mission of Neighborhood Healthcare is to improve the health and happiness of the communities we serve by providing quality care to all, regardless of situation or circumstance.

 

What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC?

Being a member of NCPC has benefitted Neighborhood with relevant educational resources, as well as access to like-minded professionals with a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the fundraising, specific to the North County area.

 

What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months – one year?

Our biggest accomplishment this year has been our response to COVID-19. Not only have we given over 52,051 COVID-19 vaccination doses to patients and community members, Neighborhood also launched a fleet of three Mobile Health Units fully equipped with lab equipment and a Mobile Medical Assistant. These three mobile units travel to the homes of our highest-risk patients to draw labs, take vitals, and virtually connect the patient to their provider via an iPad. Our Operations and Clinical teams constantly evaluate the best care models for our patients, relying on innovation and rapid process improvement to ensure patients have continued access to quality care.

 

What event/program or campaign do you have coming up that you would like to share with our readers? 

Neighborhood’s Annual Fundraising Gala takes place at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on Saturday, September 18! Funds raised this year will support the expansion of our Mobile Health Services, to include a NEW Unit to provide Mobile Behavioral Health services (Therapy, Psychiatry, Medication Management, etc.) at local high schools (for both staff and students), as well as with partnering community organizations who serve clients in need of Behavioral Health support.

 

We are in search of silent auction donations and bottles of wine and/or spirits. These items will be used during the fundraising gala to raise critical funds for the Mobile Health program and all donations will be recognized during the event and with a donation receipt.

 

What changes/opportunities have occurred due to COVID-19?

Neighborhood changed the way it has provided services to patients by launching the aforementioned Mobile Health program. In addition, we moved more than 90% of all patient visits to virtual telehealth visits (either via phone or video) within the first two weeks of COVID. Historically, Community Health Centers could only receive payment for providing services if the patient had a face to face visit with a provider within one of our health centers. COVID-19 and our continued advocacy at the State and Federal levels have drastically changed this model to allow for telehealth services to remain reimbursable, therefore expanding access to patients who may otherwise have barriers to care.

 

Have you made a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization/company and if so, how are you demonstrating it?

At Neighborhood we see diversity as more than policies, programs, procedures, or headcounts. We continue to focus on community health care that serves anyone in need of quality health care.

 

Our current employee demographics are representative of the populations that we serve, as is our Board of Directors, of which 51% must be patients of Neighborhood that represent the populations we serve. Neighborhood has implemented organizational culture questions when interviewing to support our equity-based values as an employer, ensuring our candidates reflect our internal culture of a community-based, diversity and inclusion-centered workplace. We have also introduced Panel Interviewing (Rather than a single interviewer) to ensure a cross section of managers to foster equity-based hiring. Neighborhood also provides Inclusion training during onboarding, and additional self-paced elective courses for diversity, inclusion, and culture trainings

 

We are committed to fostering an inclusive culture, making us better as a team and better as an organization. Diversity is having a seat at the table. Inclusion is having a voice. And belonging is having that voice be heard.

Premier Members Making a Difference: ProActive Leadership Group

What is your Mission?
As an executive coach and nonprofit specialist the mission of ProActive Leadership Group is to support individual leaders and nonprofit leadership teams to find a better way to grow personally and professionally and to support them to solve their greatest challenges. ProActive coaches clients to develop effective business strategies, scale their organizations and perform at a high level of success.
What do you offer to the community?
ProActive has worked for 30+ years in the nonprofit sector, 25 as a CEO. And through the years, they have developed methodologies and best practices that allowed the organization to function with efficiencies not only within the leadership team and staff, but with outreach and fundraising initiatives as well. But as you know, it’s really a labor of love that keeps the drive going. ProActive decided to transition into the role of executive coach and nonprofit strategist supporting nonprofit organizations.
Specific Areas of Expertise are:
  • 7 Attributes of Agile Growth
  • Strategic Planning – One Page Strategic Plan
  • Fundraising Plans
  • Nonprofit Business Practices & Strategy
  • Governance
  • Effective Growth
  • Organizational Alignment
  • Leadership Development
What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC?
As a member of NCPC, ProActive values the opportunity to meet and network with nonprofit leaders, board members, volunteers and corporate and community supporters. It is such a dynamic group of professionals. ProActive is energized when learning about the wide array of nonprofits serving the community.
What event/program or campaign do you have coming up that you would like to share with our readers?
ProActive has a Webinar on The Highly Effective One Page Strategic Plan on Tuesday, September 21 at 10:00 am. ProActive searched for an effective strategic planning process that can be used on a regular basis in the organization and found it and will share this highly effective approach with registrants at the Webinar.
For more information contact Nancy Batterman at Nancy@ResultsImproved.com.

Meet Our Member: Scatena Daniels

Scatena Daniels was founded in 2009 by Denise Scatena and Arika Daniels, who desired to bring their knowledge of marketing and communications to companies and organizations that actively support their community and strive for real world change.

Scatena Daniels is honored to work with some of the biggest brands in philanthropy and corporate citizenship, such as Cox Communications, United Way of San Diego County, Mama’s Kitchen, UC San Diego Extension, Planned Parenthood, and many, many more. Most recently, Scatena Daniels had the honor of working on the U.S. Census with the Count Me 2020 Coalition helping to reach groups identified as the hardest to count in San Diego and Imperial Counties.

The Scatena Daniels’ team of senior level practitioners believe authenticity always wins and everyone deserves to be heard. And it is through this steadfast lens we help our clients amplify their voice, increase leads for future funding and collaborations, and most importantly, inspire action.

For more than a decade, established brands and innovators in philanthropy rely on Scatena Daniels to reach local and national audiences. For more information, visit www.scatenadaniels.com.

Meet Our Member: A Step Beyond

A Step Beyond is a Creative Youth Development organization serving youth and their families living at or below the poverty line with free after-school dance classes, academic support, and social services.

We make a ten-year commitment to support students and their families from 3rd grade to high school graduation and beyond in order to create deep, meaningful relationships that will ensure the artistic, academic, and social-emotional development of our participants.  Our holistic program ensures that our students have the resources and support they need to find success in all the areas in which they live, learn and grow.  A Step Beyond’s program goes beyond the child’s dance experience by strengthening their academic performance and providing family support services and resources.  In this way, we go beyond the child to serve families, neighborhoods, and the greater community.

Visit a-step-beyond.org to learn more.