“If it wasn’t for Monarch staff and community, I’m not sure where I would be at,” said Monarch School alumnus, Jorge Trevino, class of 2020. “They brought a safe place for students of all ages to hang out and learn. The bonds I made with friends and staff from there can’t be replicated. I will always thank Monarch for being part of my life, and I’m proud to have graduated from there.”
Monarch School is among thousands of local nonprofit organizations benefitting from the San Diego Foundation (SDF) Fifty & Forward Campaign.
The community foundation announced recientemente that, to date, it has granted more than $335 million of its $500 million campaign goal to local nonprofits supporting education, children and families, and the environment.
“Fifty & Forward provides opportunities for San Diegans to align their charitable giving and make a transformational impact on critical community needs that, when met, can change the trajectory of San Diegans’ lives for generations,” said Mark Stuart, president & CEO, SDF. “Thank you to our donors and partners for your generosity and love of San Diego – our home – now, and for the next 50 years.”
SDF also announced that $880 million of its $1 billion fundraising goal has been secured to date.
A $1 million legacy gift to Monarch School is from the estate of Dr. Ernest Llynn Lotecka, a San Diego-based behavioral health psychologist. Monarch School and other unhoused K-12 students will benefit from expanded education training of teachers and the revenue stability that an endowment will provide the nonprofit organization.
“We are deeply grateful for Dr. Lotecka’s generosity and love for our community,” said Afira DeVries, pagsresident & CEO, Monarch School Project. “This gift enables us to train more San Diego and California educators to support unhoused students, expanding our impact and advancing advocacy efforts to build a stronger, more equitable future for the youth and families we serve.”
Fifty & Forward is a grantmaking and fundraising campaign to align charitable giving, harness the generosity of San Diegans and realize the region’s greatest opportunities in education, for children and families, and the environment.
As San Diego Foundation marks its 50el anniversary this year, the Fifty & Forward Campaign celebrates the collective impact SDF has had and shares with donors, nonprofits and partners to benefit the San Diego region, with a goal of granting $500 million to nonprofits while fundraising $1 billion to fuel impact for the next 50 years.
Since the 2021 start of the Fifty & Forward Campaign, SDF has announced several major initiatives to improve quality of life in San Diego, including a four-year, $4 million commitment to make college a reality for local students furthest from opportunity; a partnership with Dr. Seuss Foundation to grant $3.5 million to help children ages 0 to 5 thrive and be ready to learn; and the Binational Resilience Initiative, through which SDF has invested nearly $2 million in 24 cross-border projects preserving the Cali-Baja coast for current residents and future generations.
SDF invites the community to bring together its resources, passions and spirit of innovation to create a place all San Diegans feel proud to call home.
Led by a campaign council of philanthropists and community leaders, the Fifty & Forward Campaign highlights the power of aligned grantmaking among donors and partners.
To learn more about the Fifty & Forward Campaign, visit SDFoundation.org/50.
Crédito de la foto: Pixabay.com
