Greetings,
I hope this message finds you and your family well!
It is the time of year that, traditionally, we would be inviting you to our annual celebration of the grants we are awarding due to your tremendous generosity.
This year, however, due to COVID-19 variants and the fact that our children and grandchildren are not yet vaccinated, we are staying diligent and cautious and will not have our in-person celebration. We will gather and celebrate as soon as we are able!
The Ramona Community Foundation (RCF) has completed our 10th year of grantmaking. This year, we are awarding $37,500 to 10 local organizations and $25,000 to Feeding San Diego for a grand total of $62,500.
Here is the information on your 2021 grantees:
Ramona Senior Center, Senior Nutrition Program
The $5,000 grant will support the organization’s efforts to serve 200 seniors over the age of 60 nutritious and consistent meals, offer socialization activities and support the program’s delivery and food expenses.
ArtReach, Arts Education
The $3,000 grant will help ArtReach return to Ramona Elementary and offer students online and in-person arts-based learning classes to encourage students’ individual art-making and discover the joy of collaboration during transitions around on-campus learning.
Write Out Loud, Stories for Recovery
The $2,400 grant will help the organization’s efforts to provide access to professional artistic experiences for young people and senior adults. The program aims to unite the community through reading, story-telling and arts services.
Burns Institute, Fire Safe Seniors
The $1,500 grant will educate participants about fire and burn safety through tailored educational materials that cover smoke alarms and their maintenance, fire and burn prevention methods, and provide participating households new smoke alarms at no cost.
Girls on the Run SD, Girls on the Run
The $4,600 grant will continue to provide 20 third-to-fifth-grade girls from Ramona Elementary sport and youth-mentoring programs that encourage positive, emotional, social and physical development.
Voices for Children, CASA Program
The $5,000 grant will help the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program support children in foster care with a CASA who will advocate for and support them during what may be the most difficult chapter in their lives. This grant will fund the recruitment, training and supervision of two additional CASAs who will advocate for, support and mentor Ramona youth.
North County Health, TrueCare Access
The $5,000 grant will help TrueCare continue to provide comprehensive healthcare services and
prescriptions to low-income families and help alleviate the financial challenges to those who lost their jobs during the pandemic.
Boys and Girls Club, Reopening the Boys and Girls Club
The $5,000 grant will help the program reopen to the community, enroll 76 members and hire a total of six part-time staff members to offer sports and other after-school programs to create a safe after-school program for children in Ramona.
Trauma Intervention Program, Crisis Intervention
The $3,000 grant will fund the program to support trained (TIP) volunteers in the community to assist emergency responders on scene who are unable to stay with victims and ensure their emotional well-being is being taken care of during an unexpected death, homicide or community disaster.
H.E.A.R.T. Mural Project, Photo-Op Mural
The $3,000 grant will fund the installment of an interactive photo-op mural at 625 Main Street in Ramona. The mural will join other H.E.A.R.T murals to act as an economic stimulus by attracting Ramona residents and boosting tourist traffic to the Downtown area.
We also awarded $25,000 to Feeding San Diego to work with local Ramona food distribution sites to distribute food to those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The sites include:
- First Congregational Church of Ramona
- Restoration Ranch
- In His Steps
- Ramona Food & Clothes Closet
- Mountain View Church of Ramona
Would you be interested in being more deeply involved with RCF? We would love to have your leadership. Please contact Trudy Armstrong at trudy@sdfoundation.org to let us know.
RCF has awarded well over a quarter-million dollars to benefit the community of Ramona over the last 10 years. This is due to your generosity and pooled philanthropy. Please renew your commitment today, and share the incredible impact on our community by asking your neighbors and friends to join us in this critical work.
Contact Trudy Armstrong trudy@sdfoundation.org for assistance with a new membership or your renewal.
Bob Krysak
Chair, Ramona Community Foundation
Member Spotlight: Micole Moore
As a resident of Ramona for 17 years, Micole Moore has been actively involved in the community both personally and professionally as the co-founder of Ramona Ranch Vineyard & Winery, former Ramona Valley Vineyard Association (RVVA) President, and as a current RCF Board member.
“I enjoy learning about and helping community members supported by RCF, as well as seeing the difference our funding awards make,” said Micole.
Ramona Ranch has focused on sustainability and community involvement since its inception in 2004 and is San Diego County’s only Certified Sustainable Vineyard and Winery. They offer educational classes throughout the year from composting, to raising backyard chickens and wildlife classes, as well as wine education and opportunities to be a part of the winemaking process.
“Believing we are here for the long term, we rely on eco-diversity, rather than herbicides and pesticides, to create a healthy environment for our farm, wine and guests,” says Micole.
“We’ve planted an insectary, which invites beneficial bugs and birds to improve the bio-diversity of the farm, and we are recognized by the National Wildlife Federation as a Certified Wildlife Habitat. With a natural riparian area, the quail coveys are thriving in the vineyards, along with a family of California Greater Roadrunners, red-tail and cooper hawks, and you may glimpse the occasional golden eagle or snowy egret flying by as you enjoy the mountain views,” he shared.
Ramona Ranch Winery is open Friday – Sunday, 11:00am to 6:00pm. Micole and his team invite you to come by or to visit www.ramonaranchwines.com to learn more.
Nonprofit Grantee: Write Out Loud
Founded in 2007, Write Out Loud has a mission is to inspire, challenge and entertain by reading literature aloud to people of all ages.
Renewed funding from the RCF will help bring literary programs back to the region as Ramona emerges from the disruption and havoc created by the pandemic. Opportunities for residents to hear stories together will help the bonds of humanity grow stronger thanks to the empathy and tolerance that stories inspire.
Through the generosity of RCF, Write Out Loud will be able to present Japanese storytelling, Kamishibai (StoryBox Theatre) in Ramona elementary and pre-schools and at Ramona Library on a regular basis, enhancing the foundation for reading and a love of literature.
Stories, poetry and essays will be read aloud to Ramona Seniors at Ramona Senior Manor and Serving Seniors Schmale Family Senior Apartments each month, sparking the senses, making it easier for the brain to imagine, elaborate and recall.
Write Out Loud thanks RCF members for their charitable support and looks forward to bringing this program back to the community of Ramona for another year thanks to their generosity.
