Greetings members and friends, and happy spring!
I don’t know about you, but I am beginning to see the light at the end of this pandemic. It makes me excited and hopeful about our future. Thank you to those that were able to join our virtual Ballot event! I especially enjoyed hearing from the Grants Committee and learning more about our 2022 grant finalists.
This year’s Membership Ballot includes organizations that reflect Oceanside Community Foundation’s (OCF) continued high standard of giving. In the last few months, the Grants Committee reviewed an impressive 25 applications and conducted seven site visits.
We look forward to sharing our finalists for programs promoting and fostering inclusion among students in Oceanside.
In the meantime, please enjoy our latest member spotlight from new member, Katie Nunan. We are so grateful for her family’s incredibly generous legacy in Oceanside and OCF!
We also have a great update to share from last year’s grantee, Words Alive and its Family Literacy Program. We are honored to be its community partner and supporter!
Member Spotlight: Katie Nunan
Katie Nunan spent most of her career as a teacher and administrator in Capistrano Unified School District. During her 20 years as an English teacher, she also wrote grants designed to enhance classroom instruction.
She left the classroom to help establish the Beginning Teachers Support and Assessment program (BTSA) in the district and served as a reviewer of BTSA programs throughout the state.
Now retired, Katie enjoys hiking, kayaking and spending time with her two daughters and two young grandchildren. She is a frequent traveler in non-pandemic times.
Her father Tom Nunan, along with Colleen O’Hara, founded OCF, but it wasn’t until Tom’s passing that Katie began to truly appreciate the scope of its work. She watched as her mother, Billie Nunan, a member of the Grants Committee, pored over the many worthy grant applications that needed review.
After attending the annual meeting where the grants were awarded, Katie realized she wanted to get more involved in this important organization.
She is particularly impressed by the accountability and efficiency inherent in the grants process and looks forward to serving OCF by supporting so many deserving Oceanside programs.
Grantee Spotlight: Words Alive’s Family Literacy Program
As families continue to face the challenges of learning at home, a grant from OCF to Words Alive is empowering Oceanside agencies to connect young children to the power of reading through play.
“It’s been a lot more fun than I originally anticipated! Each meeting I see the littles and parents hopping on [Zoom] with smiles on their faces. And their eagerness to participate just warms my heart,” said Maulalo Pasefika from Oceanside Boys and Girls Club.
Words Alive’s Family Literacy Program empowers young families with habit-building behaviors that support a literacy-rich home environment, and guides parents along a journey that strengthens their innermost educator. Families build early learning skillsets together and share quality time reading in their preferred language.
Words Alive is building long-lasting knowledge and expertise in Oceanside. Approximately 180 families have participated in the proven, six-week program so far – receiving books and essential learning supplies to keep.
“We loved the program. The craft with the books was great,” shared an Oceanside parent. “We have all the crafts completed on the fridge. We learned about the parts of the book, and we like the songs in English and Spanish.”
“Especially now, we all need the joy, love and skills that reading together brings,” shared Rachael Orose, Executive Director of Words Alive. “Words Alive is deeply grateful to the Oceanside Community Foundation for the investment in our Family Literacy Program and for the opportunity to change the story for Oceanside families.”
