The Community Foundation recently awarded over $220,000 to 23 nonprofit organizations in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties to support programs that help make this region a better place to live for all of us. These grants came from our Community Impact Fund, which was established by The Community Foundation to meet the needs of our communities as determined by our grants committee and with final approval by our full Board of Directors.

Alzheimer’s Association, Inland Empire Office, Healthy Body Healthy Mind Program.  The $10,000 grant will be used to provide services to aging adults, their families, and caregivers from underserved Latino and African American communities in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. These services include health education materials and workshops about risk reduction for memory loss and dementia through healthy lifestyle choices.

The Alzheimer’s Association was founded in 1980 by concerned family caregivers. Their mission is to provide support and assistance to persons with dementia and their families; to research the prevention, cure and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders; and to reduce risk factors for brain impairment. 

Assistance League of San Bernardino, Dr. Earl R. Crane Children’s Dental Health Center. The $9,880 grant will be used to expand the oral hygiene education program at the Dental Health Center, which was established by the Assistance League 58 years ago to provide dental and orthodontia services to low-income children.

Barstow Employment Specialized Training (B.E.S.T.) Opportunities, Inc.  The $4,645 grant will buy equipment needed to expand and improve a Vocational Assessment Program that assists disabled adults in job training and finding employment. 

The mission of B.E.S.T., established in 1981, is to promote the independence, productivity, and integration of disabled adults into the community. The program began as a day program then gradually expanded to provide social, recreational, and job training components.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and the Inland Empire.  The $10,000 grant will help fund on-site mentoring programs that provide volunteer mentors to at least 200 youth who are falling behind academically because they are distracted by social and emotional stress factors. The program currently serves Emerson Elementary in Riverside and Great Oaks School in Temecula. The grant will allow them to expand the program at these two schools and add two more schools. 

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a 51-year-old organization dedicated to helping children in need reach their potential through relationships with volunteers. They have served disadvantaged youth in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties for 23 years.

Clinica De Salud Del Pueblo, Inc., Mecca and Blythe Health Project. The $6,596 grant will be used to improve health care services offered at clinics in Blythe and Mecca by replacing aging and failing medical equipment, and purchasing additional equipment.

Established in 1970, Clinicas is one of the first federally funded health centers established in California and today operates eight comprehensive health centers in Riverside and Imperial Counties, and three dental clinics. They treat uninsured, homeless, substance abuse, and economically disadvantaged populations. The clinics provide a broad spectrum of care, including primary health care, dental, laboratory, family planning, HIV testing, immunizations, preventive medicine, hearing and visions screening, pharmacy, health education, parent education, and outreach and transportation.

Coachella Valley Unified School District, 21st Century Community Learning Centers. The $10,000 grant will provide a field trip to 625 middle school students during the 2007 summer school program. The field trip will tie into the summer school curriculum.

This after-school program provides academic, homework assistance, and enrichment activities to the underserved student population in the Coachella Valley Unified School District., which has a student population that is 90 percent socioeconomically disadvantaged. The program currently operates at 13 elementary schools and one middle school, serving over 2,000 students per day.

Coalition for Common Ground, Community-T-Centers.  The $10,000 grant will be used for educational and technology supplies for neighborhood technology centers that serve at-risk populations. The technology centers offer free classes and certification in computer technology, as well as tutoring and homework assistance, to children and young adults aged 9-22. The centers serve over 300 people daily at six Riverside parks.

The Coalition was created in 1996 in Riverside to create opportunities and resources for at-risk youth and their families designed to reduce drug abuse, incarceration, street violence, unemployment, and poverty. In 2005 they partnered with the Riverside Park, Recreation, and Community Department to develop the Community-T-Centers (“T” for technology, training, and tutoring). The success of these centers led the city of Riverside to invite the Coalition to open six more Community-T-Centers by the end of 2007. 

Coots Care Group, La Quinta. The $10,000 grant will help improve the safety and living conditions of 79 impoverished farm worker families housed at the Oasis Trailer Park and improve the learning environment for their children. Volunteers will install water heaters, evaporative coolers, and fencing, and renovate bathrooms and kitchens at the trailer park. The grant will also support Coots Care outreach efforts at the Oasis Elementary School, where they have “adopted” several classes and provide the children with tutoring as well as supplies such as backpacks and books.

The Coots Care Group was formed in March 2003 by six men who wanted to take concrete steps to improve the living conditions of impoverished farm workers in the Coachella Valley. They formed an outreach ministry associated with St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in La Quinta. Recipients are chosen based on family need independent of religious affiliation.

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Riverside County, Inc. The $10,000 grant will be used to help attract and retain more volunteers to act as advocates for abused and neglected foster children. 

CASA of Riverside County was founded in 1990 at the request of the Juvenile Courts to serve abused and neglected children who are dependents of the courts.  CASA volunteers undergo a thorough screening and intensive training course, after which they become officers of the court. Their duty is to investigate each child’s circumstances, make recommendations during their dependency hearings, ensure that the child receives needed services and resources, and act as advocates to keep the child’s needs as the focus of the court case.   

Foundation for Community and Family Health, Corona.  The $10,000 grant will support the services provided in the Corona Regional Medical Center’s Children’s Center, primarily the immunization program.

The Foundation was formed in 1992 as part of the Corona Regional Medical Center to provide services to the needy in the Corona/Norco communities. The Children’s Center, created in 1998, provides free immunizations for children from newborns through age 19 and has provided over 36,000 immunizations to date. Other services include weekly support groups for mothers, safe babysitting classes with CPR certification for teenagers, and free parenting classes.

Girl Scouts—Spanish Trails Council, Community Based Outreach Program.  The $10,000 grant will support outreach programs for at-risk girls in grades K-12.  At-risk girls are considered to be those who live in foster care, have parents who are incarcerated, are victims of violence, are teen parents, live below the poverty level, are high school dropouts, or are from single-parent homes. The goal is to provide these girls with the opportunity to participate in the Girl Scouts program, which is geared toward building girls’ self-esteem and helping them develop self-reliance and leadership skills.

The Spanish Trails Council was established 39 years ago and currently provides services to 1,100 troops in 36 communities within Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties.

Hesperia Unified School District, The Clothes Hanger program.  The $10,000 grant will provide new clothing for K-12th grade students of Hesperia Unified School District who are referred by school site staff to the program due to extreme family need. The grant will allow the program to serve more children in response to the rapidly growing number of students in the district who are in need.

The Clothes Hanger program began in 2002 as a response by the school district to the need for clothing and other resources for students and their families who are in financial distress, are homeless, or are otherwise unable to buy appropriate school clothes.

House of Ruth, Inc., Domestic Violence Awareness Campaign for the Inland Valley Faith-Based Community.  The $10,000 grant will support a comprehensive domestic violence awareness campaign targeted specifically to the Inland Valley faith-based community, including the creation and distribution of a domestic violence toolkit and training sessions. 

Established in 1977, House of Ruth assists and advocates for victims of domestic violence by providing shelter, programs, education, and opportunity; and contributes to social change through intervention, education, and prevention programs to increase community awareness. Their objectives are to increase the knowledge and skills of their clients through counseling and instruction, to enhance their safety and well-being by providing a caring environment; and to better their circumstances through medical and legal advocacy, housing assistance, job training, education counseling, and career planning.

Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino, Legal Clinic.  The $10,000 grant will help establish an agency office in the Morongo Basin.

The Legal Aid Society was founded in 1957 to protect the rights and privileges of indigent and low-income persons by guaranteeing them access to the judicial system.

Loma Linda University Medical Center, Norton Neighborhoods Initiative.  The $10,100 grant will help fund a “healthy snacks” initiative that will enlist the cooperation of ice cream truck vendors to provide healthier foods to children in areas of high poverty. It will also support a program that provides incentives to students participating in mentoring, neighborhood service, and work experience education.

Norton Neighborhoods is a project of the Community Outreach Office of Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC). The program started in 2001 and is aimed at improving the health and quality of life in southeast San Bernardino and southwest Highland, an area of extreme poverty. This after-school program includes Norton Gardens, where children grow and eat their own healthy foods; tutoring and mentoring; and work experience and money management education.

Loma Linda University, Operation Jessica.  The $10,000 grant will help 60 at-risk boys ages 13 to 17 who live in group homes in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. These boys will be offered the core program, which includes a four-day intervention and a weekly follow-up activity.
 
Operation Jessica (named in the memory of Jessica Salazar, a troubled young teen who had hoped to work with youth at risk but was killed in a gang war at age 14) has served 253 kids in San Bernardino and Riverside County group homes since it was implemented in 2001. Their primary purpose is to bring about spiritual transformation in the lives of troubled youth, with the goal of decreasing behaviors that put them at risk for increased involvement in the juvenile justice system.

Michelle’s Place, Breast Cancer Research Center.  The $10,000 grant will help provide breast health services to uninsured, underserved women in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties who have a symptom of breast cancer.

The Resource Center provides emotional and education support to those living with breast cancer, and services such as free mammograms, ultrasounds, and other diagnostic treatment.

Miracles in Recovery, Inc., Save the Babies Program.  The $10,000 grant will help provide comprehensive alcohol and substance abuse treatment services for pregnant women who are in recovery, helping improve their chances of delivering a healthy baby.

Miracles in Recovery was founded in 2001 and is the only licensed residential treatment facility in San Bernardino for perinatal mothers with alcohol/substance abuse problems. They also provide residential substance abuse treatment to men, women, and mothers with children.

Samaritan Counseling Center, Behavior Education and Management Services (BEAMS) Program.  The $10,000 grant will provide training in behavior modification to help parents of children with developmental disabilities including autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and seizure disorders.

The Center, founded in 1973, is one of 500 accredited faith-based counseling centers in the United States. It serves a broad geographical area that includes parts of western San Bernardino County and western and southern Riverside County.

San Bernardino Sexual Assault Services, Inc. (SBSAS), Volunteer Training for Courtroom Advocates.  The $10,000 grant will provide training for San Bernardino and Riverside County volunteers to become advocates for sexual assault and domestic violence victims during their court appearances.

The SBSAS has been helping victims of sexual assault and domestic violence since 1973. They provide immediate crisis intervention, one-on-one counseling, hospital and court accompaniment, and advocacy services.

Smile Factory for the Children of the Desert, Kindergarten Oral Hygiene Intervention Program.  The $10,000 grant will be used to screen, educate, and provide preventive treatment to 5,500 kindergarten students in the Palm Springs, Desert Sands, and Coachella Unified School Districts. Mobile dental clinics come to each elementary school annually to provide treatment on site.

The goal of the Smile Factory is to ensure that virtually every underserved elementary school child in the Coachella Valley is screened, diagnosed, and treated by a dental professional. This early and preventive care not only improves their oral health overall but prevents the need for later, more expensive care of acute dental problems such as cavities and infections. The Smile Factory has successfully screened, treated, and provided oral hygiene instruction to over 30,000 Palm Springs Unified School District elementary school students over the past three years.

Teen Line—Center for the Study of Young People.  The $10,000 grant will be used to help open a satellite hotline in Riverside County, at the request of the Riverside County Office of Education.

Teen Line, established 27 years ago, is a teen-to-teen telephone hotline and website outreach program that  helps troubled youth address their problems by providing a safe way to talk things out with another teen without fear of embarrassment or disclosure. Last year over 9,000 teens called or emailed and more than 30,000 attended outreach presentations.

Victory Community Church Operation Rescue, the Green Room Project. The $10,000 grant will furnish the “Green Room”—a resource center for youth  transitioning out of the foster care system—with furniture, work stations, bookshelves, supplies, and resource materials.