Feel Good Friday - California Community Foundation

Another week and fires are still burning around Los Angeles so again we’re going to highlight an organization providing support to the impacted communities. Today, it’s the California Community Foundation.

Established in 1915 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, the mission of the California Community Foundation (CCF) is “to lead positive systemic change that strengthens Los Angeles’ communities.” They do this through fundraising and awarding grants to organizations that provide “long-term, comprehensive solutions that address the vital issues concerning quality of life in Los Angeles County.”

Let’s start with the wildfires. This falls under CCF’s focus area on community resilience and empowering communities to adapt and thrive in the face of climate change. In response to the current wildfires, CCF created a Wildfire Recovery Fund. As of January 17th, they have raised over $30 million from a cross-section of donors, including major corporations, foundations, and more than 27,000 individual donors. Over $15 million in grants has already been awarded to nearly 130 nonprofit organizations and future donations will help people in the region recover and rebuild.

Other areas of focus for CCF include housing and homelessness, education, health, immigration, arts and culture, and civic engagement. Examples of what the funding provides includes: low-interest loans and grants to create and preserve affordable housing, making art accessible for all, healthcare and health education for economically disadvantaged residents in greater South Los Angeles, creating more equity and inclusion so immigrants and their families can thrive, and education initiatives for students from underserved communities.

In the last fiscal year, CCF gave out more than 9,837 in grants, which totaled just over $440 million. Since 2004, they have given more than $3.9 billion in grants, which has impacted hundreds of thousands of lives across Los Angeles County.

If you’d like to help the California Community Foundation respond to the wildfires or otherwise help strengthen Los Angeles communities, you can. Make a donation and spread the word on social media. Like the CCF Facebook page and follow them on Instagram and LinkedIn. 

Feel Good Friday - Disaster Relief

The fires in Los Angels are still burning so we’re going to highlight another organization providing support to the impacted communities. Today, it’s Direct Relief.

Established in 1948 as the William Zimdin Foundation and headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, Direct Relief “provides appropriate and specifically requested medical resources to community-based institutions and organizations throughout the world and across the United States.”

Let’s start with the fires in California. Direct Relief has coordinated their response efforts with local and state agencies and health associations, deploying emergency response teams to deliver critically needed relief items. This includes 2.3 million N95 respirators and more than $100 million in medicines and medical supplies. This short video shows what Direct Relief is bringing to community centers in the region.

This is just one example of how Direct Relief responds to disasters around the world. Whether the event is caused by fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, typhoons, disease outbreaks or is a humanitarian crisis as a result of war, the focus is on rapid mobilization. Direct Relief responds to specific requests from local partners and coordinates with other organizations and public agencies in the affected areas to ensure the most efficient use of resources.

They also provide healthcare for vulnerable communities. This work focuses on maternal health,  tribal health, health equity and disease prevention. Direct Relief supports locally-run facilities around the world providing essential health services, as well as supporting facilities in all 50 US states. You can explore this interactive global aid map to see the distribution of humanitarian aid and their international network of healthcare partners.

Since July, 2024, the beginning of fiscal year 2025, Direct Relief has provided over $98 million in medical aid, 763,780 pounds of medicine and supplies and more than 21 million doses of medicine to people in need.

If you’d like to help Direct Relief improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty and disaster, there are many ways you can support them. Volunteer in their Santa Barbara office, make a general donation to the organization, or a specific donation to respond to the California wildfires. You can also amplify their work on social media by following Direct Relief on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and subscribing to their YouTube channel. 

Feel Good Friday - Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation

This week a series of devastating wildfires have been burning in the Greater Los Angeles area and the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) is leading the response. Time to learn about an organization that supports these firefighters, the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation.

Established in 2010 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, the mission of the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation is to “provide essential equipment, training and public outreach programs for the Los Angeles Fire Department to supplement city resources.” 

According to statistics on their website, there are “over 3,500 firefighters embedded in 106 stations throughout the city” and “the LAFD responds to an emergency call every 35 seconds, making it one of the busiest in the nation.” Right now there are over 400 firefighters from LAFD battling the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires.

What you may not know is that approximately 97% of the city's fire budget is allocated towards personnel costs, which leaves only 3% to cover all other life-safety costs. That includes things like fire engines, gear such as gloves and rescue flashlights, and specialized equipment like thermal imaging cameras, drones, and swift-water rescue boats.

That’s where the LAFD Foundation comes in. They channel donations from private, corporate, and community partners and turn them into tangible resources to help firefighters protect the people of Los Angeles. They also use this money to fund a variety of programs that include: addressing the mental health of firefighters; training and deploying canine therapy dogs to critical incidents; an adopt-a-fire-station program that makes improvements at individual stations; and youth programs that “offer students the opportunity to learn about a career in the fire service through engaging task-driven activities where they develop skills in leadership, teamwork, and overall confidence.”

Since 2018, the LAFD Foundation has provided over $25 million to LAFD to fund programs and  fire station grant requests. They have recently issued an Emergency Funding Alert to provide crews fighting the current wildfires with emergency fire shelters, hydration backpacks and wild land brush tools. You can help by making a donation in response to this alert.

Other ways to support the LAFD Foundation include shopping for LAFD swag, donating to the Adopt-a-fire-station program and spreading the word on social media. Follow the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation on Facebook and Instagram.

Feel Good Friday - Hawai'i Community Foundation

Today’s Feel Good Friday highlights the Hawai’i Community Foundation, and their response to the recent wildfires on Maui.

Founded in 1916, the mission of the Hawai’i Community Foundation (HCF) is to “inspire generosity, advocate for equity, forge connections and invest in community to create a better Hawai’i.” 

HCF describes their work as follows: “HCF strengthens Hawai‘i’s communities by creating partnerships with funders, nonprofits, community and government leaders because we believe the resulting alliance is more powerful than the sum of its parts. We invest in initiatives that are tackling Hawai‘i’s greatest needs, from affordable housing to fresh water.  And we create grant opportunities for local nonprofit organizations who are working to build a stronger Hawai’i.”

The focus of today’s post is on the newly created Maui Strong Fund. It was set up to provide financial resources that can be deployed quickly, with a focus on rapid response and recovery. As of August 17, 2023, $43,796,771 has been raised! 100% of these funds are being distributed for community needs and $5,177,260 has already been awarded to grantees.

Some examples of organizations putting these funds to use include: Aloha Diaper Bank, which will be delivering diapers and wipes door-to-door to families of low-income, the unhoused, and others in crisis; Family Life Center which is setting up a temporary shelter for 30 displaced families; Maui Food Bank which is already providing food to the thousands of people displaced by the fires; and the Maui Humane Society which is addressing the animal displacement and injuries by providing care and temporary shelter. You can check this link to read more about all the grantees and see the current donation total.

The Hawai’i Community Foundation has been fostering the spirit of giving for more than 100 years and today would be a great day for you to let the spirit move you. If you’ve been looking for a way to help the people of Hawai’i as they recover from the fires, consider making a donation to the Maui Strong Fund. You can also show your support of the Hawai’i Community Foundation by making a donation to one or more of their other funds and amplifying their message on social media. Like the HCF Facebook page and follow them on Instagram @hawaiicommunityfoundation. 

Feel Good Friday - California Fire Foundation

Did you know September is Firefighter Appreciation Month? With firefighters in California still hard at work battling the Dixie and Caldor fires, today’s Feel Good Friday is a great time to talk about the California Fire Foundation.

Formed in 1987 by California Professional Firefighters, the California Fire Foundation “provides emotional and financial assistance to families of fallen firefighters, firefighters and the communities they protect.”

 

Their programs cover four main categories:

• Community Improvement – public safety and educational resources are provided through the Firefighters On Your Side program. Materials include information on how to prepare for wildfires, how make a 5-minute evacuation plan and other helpful guidance.

• Victim Assistance - firefighters throughout California distribute $250 gift cards to eligible victims of fire or other natural disaster as part of the Supplying Aid to Victims of Emergency (SAVE) program. People can then use those gift cards to purchase basic necessities such as medicine, food or clothing. In 2018, more than $2.6 million in gift cards was distributed to people affected by the Camp fire.

• Firefighters and Their Families – the Foundation supplies emergency support to departments and families of firefighters killed in the line of duty, including college scholarships for children of fallen firefighters. They also provide grants to individuals who demonstrate financial hardship so they can take the required physical and written tests needed to become a firefighter.

• California Firefighters Memorial -   every year, at the memorial to fallen firefighters in Sacramento, the Foundation holds a ceremony to commemorate the bravery of those who lost their lives in the line of duty.  

If you want to make sure you’re prepared in the event of a fire, check out this fire safety education page. To support the California Fire Foundation and the people they support, shop for merch, make a donation and amplify their work by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @CAFireFound and Instagram @calfirefound.

Feel Good Friday - California Fire Prevention Organization

Anticipating a summer full of wildfires is what inspired today’s Feel Good Friday focus on the California Fire Prevention Organization. 

The majority of California is in drought conditions and wildfire season has already started. That’s what makes the work being done by California Fire Prevention Organization (CFPO) so important. CFPO is a nonprofit organization that partners with communities and fire departments across the state to educate people about fire and life safety. Their mission is “to reduce the threat to life from fire utilizing technology, education, and localized awareness for the fire service and the general public.”
 
There are a number of educational programs that help CFPO achieve this mission:

• Ready, Set, Go - education on how to prepare for a disaster and know when to evacuate
• Fire Smart California – providing guidance on how to create and practice a plan for what to do in the event of a fire
• My Safe California – installing free smoke alarms for families that are unable to provide them for themselves and partnering with fire departments to deliver fire prevention activities and education
• Quake Smart California – education and resources for what to do when you feel an earthquake – DROP! COVER! HOLD ON!

Much of CFPO’s educational programming is targeted at children. In the last 33 years, the team has delivered fire and life safety presentations to over 670,000 students, primarily in Southern California.
 
If you’d like to increase your knowledge on fire prevention you can subscribe to the CFPO podcast. To help them with their work, make a donation and amplify their reach on social media by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @MySafeCA and Instagram @california_fire_prevention.