The YMCA of San Diego County has been making a positive impact through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility in North County for over 60 years. Thanks to generous community support and partnerships, the Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA in Encinitas, the Joe & Mary Mottino Family YMCA in Oceanside, the Palomar Family YMCA in Escondido and YMCA Youth & Family Services sprang into action to confront challenges of the global pandemic. The YMCA is serving in new, critical ways and truly lifting up members of our communities like never before.

Since March 2020, the YMCA has accomplished the following across North County:

• Over 25,000 community members were given access to new, virtual Health & Wellness programming focusing on the spirit, mind and body.
• Over 5,000 weeks-worth of camp provided essential childcare to working families in North County.
• 2,562 North County seniors were called by YMCA staff to check on their well-being and provide connection.
• Over 300 potential lives saved through organized blood drives at North County Y’s during the pandemic.
• Youth & Family Services conducted 3,272 phone and virtual sessions to provide access to mental health services, as well as held 429 mobile outreach events and touch points to give at-risk youth access to basic needs and hygiene items.

And we are especially honored that since August 2020, the YMCA has been the only fully-licensed child care provider partnering with school districts in Encinitas, Oceanside and Escondido for full-day distance learning support. Newly formatted licensed child care and part-day academic enrichment programs were developed quickly to respond to our communities’ needs and have supported over 1,300 enrollments…and still counting!

This year, the YMCA’s Annual Campaign will support our continued efforts in providing COVID-19 relief, youth development and distance learning support programs, and strengthening both the physical and mental well-being of our neighbors. For more information, please visit www.ymcasd.org or contact Development Director, Emily Figueiredo, at efigueiredo@ymcasd.org. The YMCA thanks our generous supporters and partners for making this work possible!

What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC?
As new members, we are looking forward to being a part of a community, that offers resources to help promote our values of our Foundation and raise awareness for our advocacy in affordable housing.

We are looking forward to learning from other non-profits, supporting other non-profits and meeting and networking with others.

What is your Mission?
The Allgire Foundation is dedicated to empowering people who are impacted by the lack of affordable housing and changing their lives through advocacy, education and support programs that provide tangible help. Ultimately, we want to make their house a home.

What do you offer to the community?
Allgire General Contractors has been building affordable housing for more than 30 years, becoming one of the top contractors and a strong, positive force in the community.

With the retirement of founders Rick and Mary Ann Allgire, the company’s passionate employees are honoring them and continuing their legacy through the Allgire Foundation, an organization the employees created to give back to the community where they live, build and play.

Through their decades of building affordable housing, Allgire General Contractors has observed that residents moving into affordable housing often lack some of the basics needed for a new home: plates, silverware, pots & pans, cleaning supplies, basic hygiene supplies, and so many other needs. The Allgire Foundation is helping fill that void by providing community care packages to residents of these communities. The Foundation will also focus on providing scholarships to people living and working in affordable housing to help create new opportunities and a brighter future.

What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months – one year?
2020 was a huge year for us, not only was the Allgire Foundation founded and introduced to everyone, but we had a few successful operations.

Our initial goal with the Allgire Foundation was to create care packages for residents when they move into an affordable project (pots, pans, cutlery, shower curtains, cleaning supplies, hygiene kits, etc.). We noticed that many residents moving into an affordable community do not have the means to afford some of these basic items that many of us take for granted.

However, earlier this year as we were faced with this challenging time, the Allgire Foundation shifted some of its efforts to help provide needed food packages to residents of affordable communities – especially seniors and families that cannot venture out to grocery stores as easily and safely as the rest of us. We utilized Allgire General Contractor’s onsite warehouse and the incredible manpower of their employees, and we had the ability to assemble and deliver over 15,000 care packages to the doorsteps of over 80+ affordable communities in San Diego.

In November, we were able to support a new 80 senior household project in Vista for Wakeland Housing Development Corporation. These resident “Welcome Home” care packages consisted of a collapsible shopping trolley bag with home items and cleaning supplies.

In December we launched our first “Operation Holiday Cheer” that was a huge success. For this mission we decided to gift three separate gifts; a family package that included pancake breakfast items, a children’s stocking that included two toys and holiday candy and a senior gift package that had a puzzle book, pack of playing cards and snacks in it.

This holiday fundraiser allowed us to assemble and deliver 5,000 gift packages to families, children and seniors.

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

We are currently working on our 2021 schedule, but we plan to do a second round of food care packages in March to families and seniors that may be affected with COVID and the lockdown.

As we had to cancel our first Fundraiser Gala in 2020, if this year permits it, we will be hosting our first Gala this August, which we are really excited for.

We have a few new affordable housing projects that construction will be completing throughout this year, so we are planning on welcoming the residents with care packages as they move in.

Learn more by visiting: https://allgirefoundation.org

The Veterans Association of North County (VANC) is a nonprofit that was established in 2007, which serves as a one-stop resource center for all active-duty, military veterans and their families. We centralize services from diverse agencies to assist with benefits, transition training, mentoring and coaching, education, health and wellness.

VANC is known throughout Southern California as the resource center for veterans offering the most services, all at no charge.

VANC’s response to the COVID pandemic was to start a no-touch, no-contact food and diaper distribution and from April through December we served 19,101 with 89% being active-duty, given away 192,550 diapers and have delivered on an average monthly to six housebound veterans.  The community has embraced the food and diaper distribution and VANC by volunteering each month for a total of 3,142 volunteer hours during the pandemic so far. VANC receives no State or Federal money and wants to give a heartfelt thank-you to each individual donor and companies supporting us to fulfill our Mission.

For over ten years, VANC has been committed to serving active-duty and military veterans.  We will continue to advance our humanitarian work for our Past and Present Military Heroes!

For more information, please visit https://www.vanc.me/

North County Lifeline’s mission is focused on self-reliance, and we work with more than 5,000 individuals, children and families each year. Lifeline’s counseling services are designed for low-income families, victims of abuse, children with mental health challenges, adults overcoming substance abuse, homeless youth and young adults, and foster youth.

Lifeline’s clients have been particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Families continue to face job loss, food insecurity, housing instability, and homelessness. At the same time, these families are also faced with the challenges of distance learning and social isolation.

To meet these growing needs, Lifeline implemented video-based telehealth in March 2020 to continue providing clinical services, as well as in-person support, as essential workers. In addition, the Lifeline Emergency Fund has supported more than 1,860 clients since March with food, housing, utilities, technology, transportation, and healthcare.

In the words of one person, “I am extremely elated with the personal and caring help in my life at this point in time. You go above and beyond with personal concern to help me get back to a place of independence and self-sufficiency.”

We are grateful to our community and everyone who has increased their support for those in need this year.  Thank you!

To learn about Lifeline’s 5 Ways to Give Online, please visit https://www.nclifeline.org/wishlist

https://ncphilanthropy.org/5967-2/

Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos – Bridging the Digital Divide

In a “normal” year, the Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos (BGCSM) serves over 4,000 youth members ages 6-18 in after school programs and during school breaks. But, as we all know, 2020 is anything from normal… Today, BGCSM is serving as a Distance Learning Center to meet the critical needs of students and families in the San Marcos community.

“I can’t emphasize enough the important role Boys & Girls Club is playing in our region,” says Cathy Baur, newly appointed President & CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos. “For our families having our doors open means they can go to work with the reassurance that their children will have the support they need to succeed in online learning and be well cared for by our staff.”

Cathy assumed her new role September 1 after just a 45-day retirement from California State University San Marcos where she was Vice President for University Advancement and had served the campus for 12 years.

“I was compelled to join the Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos because I felt it was and could play such an important role in helping bridge the growing educational equity divide,” says Cathy. “It became very apparent as COVID-19 progressed and schools began adopting on-line models that families with means would be augmenting virtual learning by hiring personal tutors, nannies or other types of support – faster internet, better computer systems, etc. For parents who might be struggling financially, those options don’t exist. It started to feel like the speed of your internet might ultimately determine the quality of your child’s education.”

“BGCSM has always been there to support the kids in our region working to help them not only succeed academically but grow into strong leaders for our community. With COVID-19, the team at BGCSM quickly pivoted and came up with plans to support kids and families during this crisis and I feel so honored to be a part of this organization.”

Following only a brief shut down this spring, the Club quickly adapted.  BGCSM launched #VirtualClubhouse to offer daily video activities and virtual mentoring to youth when in-person programs closed due to COVID-19. The Club also served over 25,000 free meals to local families during the health crisis.

In mid-August, the main branch of BGCSM opened as a Distance Learning Center to support working families as San Marcos Unified School District began the new school year with remote instruction. BGCSM staff assist the students with navigating the complexities of on-learning. As a Distance Learning Center, BGCSM is in constant communication with San Marcos Unified School District principals, faculty, social workers and teachers to better adapt its support to meet the needs and expectations of each school in the district.

“BGCSM staff, and even Branch Director, are in direct communication with our teachers and admin to help best support our students. They walk over to pick up materials, troubleshoot technical issues, and discuss ways to better assist students who are struggling. Without them, many students would be home alone (likely not online) or parents would have to stay home causing additional financial hardship. The Boys & Girls Club have been invaluable partners in supporting our school and students, especially during Distance Learning,” said Julie Blide, Assistant Principal at San Marcos Elementary.

Prior to opening, BGCSM implemented an extensive COVID-19 safety plan. The Club enhanced daily cleaning procedures, including adding additional staff focused on safety and cleanliness support. These individuals operate on an hourly schedule with the goal of cleaning commonly touched areas. In addition to an enhanced cleaning routine, BGCSM integrated daily health screenings, temperature checks, and reduced building capacity to ensure a 11:1 youth to staff ratio, which is half the typical program ratio. BGCSM further limits the rotation of students between program spaces to reduce cross contamination. Each of these safety measures is done with staff, students and families safety and health in mind. To date, the Club has avoided any community outbreak of COVID-19.

After the virtual school day ends, students participate in BGCSM traditional after school enrichment programs. These programs focus on strengthening skills in STEM, arts & cooking as well as promoting physical and social-emotional wellness.

BGCSM has also integrated social and emotional wellness support into its weekly Club programming under the full-time Director of Member Impact, who holds a Master’s degree in Social Work. Wellness programming provides students with one-on-one or small group support to process feelings and emotions, encourage healthy coping and connection, and combat isolationism. Students are encouraged to build their capacity for self-esteem, trust and healthy relationship building.

In opening the Distance Learning Center, priority was given to families of first responders and essential workers and a lottery system was utilized to fill the remaining slots. Due to social distancing restrictions, the Club was only able to accept 88 students.

Hundreds are on a wait list to take part in BGCSM Distance Learning Center. Working to address the demand, BGCSM is partnering with North City and California State University San Marcos on a creative solution–expand the Distance Learning Center program to The QUAD (CSUSM student housing), which sits largely unoccupied due to COVID-19. Plans are for BGCSM to utilize classroom space to serve another 30 students. BGCSM is currently working to secure the necessary funding to help serve more families on their waiting list. As San Marcos Unified School District prepares to re-open its on-campus sites, BGCSM is working closely with each school to modify its after-school/hybrid program to best serve students.

COVID-19 has also played havoc with BGCSM funding. Its largest fundraiser was cancelled and revenue from summer day camp programs lost. As an organization, the cost of keeping BGCSM’s doors open has tripled due to enhanced safety measures put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

For all of us, 2020 is a year unlike any other. The Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos is adapting, pivoting and working hard to ensure it still fulfills on its mission to inspire and enable all young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens.

www.boysgirlsclubsm.org