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Premier Members Making a Difference: FACE Foundation

Premier Members Making a Difference: FACE Foundation

What is your Mission?

The mission of The Foundation for Animal Care and Education (FACE) is to enhance and preserve the quality of life of animals by providing access to necessary medical care and education.

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

FACE has recently joined North County Philanthropy Council and we are so excited to be here. We hope to learn from fellow fundraisers and to gain additional insight, skills and networking opportunities. We are also looking forward to strengthening and growing our corporate and community partnerships.

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 out 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 176 veterinary hospitals throughout San Diego County that generously discount their services for qualified FACE patients by at least 25% and help to fund raise 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 11 different organizations to serve over 600 pet owners in San Diego County, many of which are experiencing homelessness. We have a commitment 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 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?

In the past six months, keeping up with the changes for our team (events, for example) while maintaining our strong programs that support our community was a big accomplishment for FACE. It is great to know that because we have been able to remain steady, we can still be here as a resource to pet owners who have struggled due to the health crisis. A huge thanks to our supporters for enabling our program’s success.

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

Our 9th Invitational Dog-Friendly Golf Tournament is November 16 at the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club. This tournament allows players to enjoy a day of golf with their furry friends followed by dinner, drinks and prizes – all to support FACE’s lifesaving programs. For more information please visit www.face4pets.org.

What changes have occurred due to COVID-19?

During this past year, as our community continues to adapt to the changes in our daily lives due to COVID-19, FACE has also seen our constituency of grantees change. FACE has seen an increase in applications due to job loss and business closures. Prior to California’s Stay at Home order, 10% of our grantees reported being unemployed in 2020. Now this has increased to an average of over 50% for the past six months.

 

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. In doing so, we are committed to sharing our processes and encouraging participation along the way from others.

Premier Members Making a Difference: Alliant

What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC?
As an affiliate who specializes in risk management it is great to hear the major concerns of nonprofits of all sizes. NCPC has given me an opportunity to learn things I can share with my clients that shows them I am a student of their industry. I use what I have learned to council nonprofits on best practices and ideas other organizations are using.

What is your Mission?
I love learning about the great things our community organizations are doing to make San Diego, “America’s Finest City!”

What do you offer to the community?
As a specialist in nonprofit insurance, I assist them in identifying their exposures and offering them solutions to protect themselves against those risks.

What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months/one year?
Having merged with Alliant in 2019, I now have the resources of a large national insurance agency without losing the local agent feel. The best of both worlds!

What changes have occurred due to COVID-19?
I believe crisis creates opportunity for innovation. The pandemic has forced families to find ways to supplement the education of their children. This crisis has hit the inner city families the hardest, with many of them not having the technology necessary to supplement public school education. I have helped several new organizations whose purpose is to help families find top tier education online. Some of these organizations can even offer the equipment/technology necessary to get this type of education. I believe online education has a prominent spot in our future and the pandemic has forced us to advance the progression of this type of education. It is great to be working with organizations who are on the forefront of societal changes!

For more information contact Joseph Giamanco, Vice President, Select Business Solutions at jgiamanco@alliant.com

Meet Our Member: Kitchens for Good

Kitchens for Good (KFG) is a nonprofit that was founded in 2014 on the belief that all food has power and all people have potential. KFG operates a 20-month certified apprenticeship program that equips individuals with the knife skills and life skills to break the cycle of poverty and launch meaningful careers in the culinary, baking, and hospitality industries. Apprentices–overcoming histories of incarceration, homelessness, and foster care–hone their culinary skills while upcycling rescued food into nutritious meals for hungry San Diegans.  KFG fights food waste by partnering with local farmers and wholesalers to collect cosmetically imperfect and surplus fruits and vegetables. Together, KFG’s culinary apprentices and community volunteers glean, chop, and upcycle this perfectly edible food into wholesome meals.  In partnership with local food assistance organizations, KFG distributes these meals throughout San Diego to people without access to affordable, nutritious food.  This program engages apprentices, who encountered hunger themselves, in a daily opportunity to give back during their culinary training. Through a proven apprenticeship model, the program trains apprentices with industry-informed curriculum, places them into jobs, and then tracks, mentors, and supports them as they progress along a career path and become self-sufficient.

In just 5 years of operation, KFG has enrolled over 400 apprentices and maintained an 85% post-graduation employment rate, 81% of whom received a raise or promotion within 18 months of completing the workforce training. In addition, 238,765 pounds of food were rescued and prepared into approximately 478,715 meals. This year, KFG has shifted resources to meet the increased need for food assistance brought on by COVID-19 with the goal of producing an additional 288,000 meals and training 150 apprentices for careers by next year. Thanks to the support of donors, volunteers, and committed staff, KFG continues to positively impact the San Diego community while ramping up efforts to meet critical needs. For more information on KFG programs, events, and how to donate, please visit: https://kitchensforgood.org/

Meet Our Member: Educational Enrichment Systems

Founded in 1979, Educational Enrichment Systems’ (EES) mission is to create opportunities for children to become future leaders through quality early education. EES accomplishes this by providing a unique and affordable child development program in an environment designed to meet the social, emotional, physical, and educational needs of the child, as we strengthen and preserve the family and all who influence the life of the child.

EES has grown into one of the largest and most respected non-profit child care providers in the region, operating 23 early education centers across San Diego County from Chula Vista to Vista. Their innovative partnership with Vista Unified School District helps to educate nearly 700 Vista children every year, and over 500 children who began kindergarten in Vista this year were educated at an EES preschool.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, EES has mobilized to provide access to critical resources to the 1,300 San Diego County families it serves. EES has provided hundreds of referrals, addressing a range of needs including rental assistance, food, and diapers. EES’ partnership with Feeding San Diego has resulted in over 25,000 pounds of food distributed to EES families since March, 2020.

For more information about EES, please visit www.educ-enrichment.org.

Premier Members Making a Difference: Community Resource Center

What is your Mission?
After seeing so many in need in the community, a group of community and business leaders came together to form an organization addressing the homelessness and food issues in the community, forming Community Resource Center (CRC). Established in 1979, CRC has grown from providing basic needs for families in crisis, to offering programs that create equitable access to healthy food, stable housing and safe homes.
What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC?
For our staff, a major benefit is the connection to other organizations so we can hear about best practices and trends. For our organization, the benefit is the connection to other organizations with a strategic view to partnerships, to help more of those in need in our community.
What do you offer to the community?
CRC helps the hungry, homeless and hurting in North County San Diego, with wraparound services that include a domestic violence emergency shelter, hotline and prevention/education outreach; a Therapeutic Children’s Center; professional counseling; legal advocacy; a food and nutrition center; and homelessness prevention and intervention assistance.
What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months/one year?
CRC celebrated its 40th birthday last year, a milestone event for any organization. It was the perfect time to recognize the founders who started CRC, the efforts of the community to support us and the accomplishments we’ve achieved, but also the perfect time to create a long-term vision and strategic plan for the organization, its programs and our people.
Our 40th birthday celebration and renewed vision helped us respond to the increased need for our essential services created by the economic impact of COVID-19, and articulate our commitment to racial equity and social justice.
During the period March 13 – September 4, CRC provided 6,449 emergency shelter nights at hotels for homeless families and individuals and 2,269 nights of shelter to survivors of domestic violence, answered 1,275 calls to our domestic violence hotline and provided 6,570 distributions of healthy food to households in need.
What changes have occurred due to COVID-19?
We’ve had significant change in the way we provide our services due to COVID-19. Our food pantry has moved to a contact-less distribution, our counselors are providing compassionate therapy sessions via tele-health conferencing and our case managers are meeting with clients via telephone and video. The pandemic has increased the need for our programs – food, housing, safe shelter – such that we’ve expanded our services to reach more people and added staff to handle the increase in caseload. We’re also working strategically to streamline and improve our IT capabilities to enable our staff to work effectively from the office or any remote location.
Have you made a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization and if so how are you demonstrating it?
CRC is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion – with a particular focus on racial equity and social justice. We recognized that our Board of Directors does not have the diversity it should, based on our client population and community, and we are taking immediate steps to rectify this. We are also looking for ways to address systemic racism because we recognize that Black, Indigenous and other People of Color disproportionately are represented among the people we help.
For more information go to www.crcncc.org.

Premier Members Making a Difference – CSUSM

What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC?
NCPC provides an incredible opportunity for professional development, leadership experience and networking for CSUSM’s Development team. As North County’s only four-year public institution, it is important for members of University Advancement to be well connected in the region to advance collaborations and cultivate a culture of philanthropy to better serve our community.

What is your Mission?
Building on an innovative 30-year history, California State University San Marcos is a forward-focused institution that focuses on the student as an active participant in the learning process. As a Carnegie-classified “community engaged” university, CSUSM students work closely with faculty whose commitment to sustained excellence in teaching, research and community partnership enhances their learning. The university offers rigorous undergraduate and graduate programs distinguished by exemplary teaching, innovative curricula and the application of new technologies. CSUSM provides a range of services that respond to the needs of a student body with diverse backgrounds, expanding student access to an excellent and affordable education. As a public university, CSUSM grounds its mission in the public trust, alignment with regional needs and sustained enrichment of the intellectual, civic, economic and cultural life of our region and state.

What do you offer to the community?

  • Accessible, affordable, quality education to students in our region.
  • Graduates who are well-trained in their discipline through experiential learning; 80% stay in the region after graduation, fueling our local workforce.
  • A commitment to building a stronger and more vibrant region by connecting the university to surrounding communities in mutually beneficial ways.
  • CSUSM is an economic engine that supports thousands of jobs by pumping more than $458 million into the region annually and boosting the future earning potential of its students, according to a comprehensive study.

What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months – one year?
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, donors gave generously to our Student ReliefFund, including many gifts from CSUSM faculty and staff. Donor support, along with other sources of funding to the Student Relief Fund, provided relief aid to over 1,400 students during the spring semester. This support helped students with tuition, technology and basic needs, allowing them to stay on their educational journey.

What program or campaign do you have coming up that you would like to share with our readers?
Students and faculty across the university have a passion for addressing global issues, and they have the ingenuity to tackle those challenges. The new CSUSM Innovation Hubis designed to bring the resources, education and support to develop collaborative partnerships among students, faculty and community in order to meet societal needs through innovation and entrepreneurship. By providing mentorship, guidance and access to technology and expertise, the Innovation Hub supports the creation of new products, services and collaborations. The hub also engages with our community by addressing societal needs through innovative practices and partnerships with a focus on enriching the intellectual, civic, economic and cultural life of our region.

What changes/opportunities have occurred due to COVID-19?
In mid-March, CSUSM moved university operations to a virtual environment. All classes were moved online, and staff and faculty transitioned to working remotely. This fall, more than 90% of classes will be taught virtually and most staff and faculty will continue to work remotely through December.

Have you made a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization?
CSUSM has a longstanding commitment to providing students with an inclusive educational experience that prepares them to be effective in a multicultural and diverse work and living environment, both in the region and in the world. The university has received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED)  Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education, for six straight years. This national honor recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment  to diversity and inclusion. CSUSM remains focused on ensuring that institutional priorities, initiatives, policies and practices take into account, reflect and support the university’s goals and expectations for diversity and inclusion. With this aim, CSUSM continues to improve institutional access and equity through effective recruitment and retention of diverse students, faculty, staff and administrators, providing them with equitable and expanded opportunities for success. We strive each day to make all campus community members feel welcomed and valued.

For more information go to www.csusm.edu

Meet Our Member: Jewish Community Foundation

The Jewish Community Foundation (JCF) was established in 1967 and believe that every individual has the power to make a difference and together we can change the world. By partnering with individuals, families, and community organizations, JCF engages, educates, and inspires generations of givers to achieve their philanthropic goals and secures current and future support for a vibrant Jewish and general community in San Diego, Israel, and around the world.

JCF San Diego has been nationally recognized for several initiatives, most notably their Endowment Leadership Institute (ELI) teaching local Jewish organizations how to build their endowments, plus the Trusted Charitable Advisor (TCA) program, a network of San Diego professional advisors who are dedicated to building relationships and integrating charitable planning as a strategy for achieving clients’ overall goals.

With its launch of the Impact Investment Pool in 2017, JCF became the first Jewish community foundation to offer donors impact investing options, with several investments being made right here in San Diego. JCF has also been locally recognized for its work supporting other nonprofits in the region, facilitating grant programs and offering educational workshops for organizational staff.

JCF is honored to hold Donor Advised Funds on behalf of more than 850 individuals and family fund holders, and we hold custodial and endowment funds for more than 80 local organizations. During fiscal year 2019-20, the Foundation awarded and facilitated $78 million in 7,300 grants to more than 1,800 organizations. Please visit www.jcfsandiego.org for more information.

Meet Our Member: Mission Fed

At Mission Fed, the health, well-being and safety of our members, employees and community is always our top priority. We have been proudly serving San Diegans for nearly 60 years and our stability coupled with our commitment to building deep relationships with our community partners is what makes us the premier credit union in San Diego.

On behalf of our members, employees and volunteer board of directors, Mission Fed’s support of local non-profit organizations addressing the needs of our community due to COVID-19 impact continues. One of those organizations is the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, a critical lifeline for thousands of San Diegans that helps feed vulnerable families and seniors. As we shine the light on the San Diego Food Bank, we are proud to share that our recent campaign for the organization raised over $418,000, funds that allow for 2 MILLION meals to San Diegans in need.

We are extremely grateful for what all our local nonprofits and value-based organizations do to help our community thrive as they invest in neighborhoods through a variety of programs aimed at building resiliency and health. These past few months, we have learned a lot together, including the power of lifting each other up. Thank you, San Diego, for choosing to partner with Mission Fed as we continue to work together to make our region not just “America’s Finest City” but also “America’s Kindest Region.” Visit MissionFed.com to learn more.

Meet Our Member: Foundation for Developmental Disabilities

The Foundation for Developmental Disabilities  is the only organization in San Diego and Imperial Counties whose sole focus is to provide funding for innovative and start up programs to enhance the lives of people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Since 1986, the Foundation has provided over $7,000,000 to fund programs for organizations including Options for All, Autism Society SD, Partnership with Industry, Home of Guiding Hands, Noah Homes and Special Olympics as well as over $2,000,000 to directly assist clients of the San Diego Regional Center in emergency situations to avoid homelessness and provide basic necessities such as water and electricity.

The priority funding areas for the Foundation are housing, employment, family support and transportation. In order to address the extreme housing crisis especially for low income housing for people with developmental disabilities, last year the Foundation Board of Directors provided a grant for $700,000 to the Southern California Housing Collaborative to complete the funding package for a twelve-unit affordable housing project for the developmentally disabled. Pacifica at Playa del Sol in Otay Mesa will include 42 affordable apartments for qualifying tenants with 12-units specifically for residents with developmental disabilities.

During these unprecedented times the Foundation has quickly pivoted our focus to assist clients at the San Diego Regional Center through our emergency help fund. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unimaginable hardships for these families and in many cases the families have had to chose whether to pay their rent or put food on the table. In the past three months alone the Foundation has provided over $65,000 in emergency assistance grants ranging from $500-$1000 per client to help pay their rent, cover medical costs and help improve the quality of life of people with developmental disabilities in San Diego and Imperial Counties.

The Foundation for Developmental Disabilities is run by a passionate volunteer Board, a part time COO and two recently hired full time staff members. The Foundation staff are passionate about reaching out to smaller organizations that would otherwise be unaware of funding options and assisting them in the grant writing process. The philosophy of the Foundation is to help programs that are innovative as well as making a difference in the community and give them the extra push that could propel their work to reach a larger audience. That is why the Foundation is proud to fund smaller programs with grants ranging in size for $1500 to $100,000. The Foundation for Developmental Disabilities is proud to fund programs for low income individuals who otherwise would not have the opportunity to be a part of the communities in which they live.

Premier Members Making a Difference – The National Conflict Resolution Center

The National Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC) was founded in 1983 with a mission of empowering people to transform cultures by solving conflicts with respect, dignity and civility.

Conflicts occur everywhere – in homes, schools, workplaces and communities – and NCRC offers training, interventions and facilitations for all those settings. NCRC has worked in twelve countries across four continents and with six Cabinet-level departments, but the core service area has always been San Diego County.

NCRC pivoted quickly to the virtual environment and continues to implement key initiatives addressing the most challenging issues of our time:

  • #MeToo, Microaggressions and Harassment – with The Bystander Challenge
  • Mass Incarceration – with Avoiding the Pipeline to Prison
  • Freedom of Expression on College Campuses- with the Galinson Campus Civility Initiative
  • Racism, Religious Violence, Hate and Intolerance – with A Path Forward

NCRC is currently devoting all its resources to a comprehensive community response to the dual crises of the coronavirus pandemic and racial injustice under the umbrella of A Path Forward programming. Designed to help San Diego County not simply recover — but build better – the combination of training in inclusive communication, facilitated community dialogue, and restorative practices in schools and the juvenile justice system will strengthen families and communities across the county.

A Path Forward will be showcased at NCRC’s first virtual event on August 20 @ 7:00pm PDT, including a national conversation on racism. The event features NY Times #1 Best Sellers, Ibram X. Kendi (How to Be an Antiracist), Robin DiAngelo (White Fragility) and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Wesley Lowery. Attendance is free, though registration is required, and accessible from anywhere.