Dear Friends,

In his classes, lectures and books, Dr. Leo Buscaglia preached the value of reaching out to others, passing on good fortune to someone in need with the belief that they in turn would lend a hand to another. So it was no surprise that when Leo set up his charitable foundation, he chose to designate it as a “public charity” rather than a “private foundation.” A foundation that would enlist the help and support from as many people as possible was consistent with his belief in the value of paying it forward.

Last year, many of you joined with the Leo Buscaglia Foundation in its work of helping small nonprofit organizations that are working at ground level. We are grateful for your generosity and I hope you will join with us again this year and be as generous as possible.

Our grantee organizations are mostly small, California and Nevada-based, and reflect the giving back spirit by using volunteers and mentors to tackle challenges with energy, creativity and dedication. I am pleased to share a list of the wonderful organizations the Foundation supported this year.

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Together we can make a difference!

Best wishes for the season,

Suzanne Torgeson
President
Leo Buscaglia Foundation

P.S. – Please register here in order to receive our periodic eNewsletters.

2012 Grant Recipients

• 24th Street Theater – Los Angeles, CA.  Received grant to pay the teaching artists in their Enter Stage Right program.  24th Street Theater strives to use art to make a difference in the lives of its community members.  Its mission is To Engage, Provoke and Educate with world-class art. 
  
  
• A Window Between Worlds – Venice, CA.  Received grant to support their Women's and Children's Windows Program.  A Window Between Worlds (AWBW) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to using art to help end domestic violence. 
  
  
• Anaheim Ballet – Anaheim, CA.  Received grant to support their STEP-UP! community outreach program.  Anaheim Ballet's mission is to enlighten and entertain audiences with classically rooted programming and contemporary presentation. Anaheim Ballet provides quality performances to audiences of balletomanes as well as novice ballet-goers and acts as a haven to talented Southern California artists and as a magnet to international talents. 
  
  
• BookEnds – Los Angeles, CA. Received grant to purchase books for community schools and classrooms as well as for general operating expenses. BookEnd’s vision is for a literate and philanthropic community. Their mission is to engage the community to provide all children with access to books by empowering our youth in service. Their goal is to dramatically increase book reuse in Los Angeles through the leadership of community partnerships and awareness.
  
  
• Boys Hope Girls Hope of Southern California – Costa Mesa, CA. Received grant to go towards program costs relating to staff training, group and individual therapy, nutritious meals, academic tutoring and support. Boys Hope Girls Hope helps academically capable and motivated children-in-need to meet their full potential and become men and women for others by providing value-centered family-like homes, opportunities and education through college.
  
  
• Bresee Foundation – Los Angeles, CA. Received grant to support their Goals for Life program. The purpose of the Bresee Foundation is to improve quality of life for our youth and their families by assisting them to gain higher levels of literacy, academic achievement, technological proficiency, career skills, health and well-being and overall family stability.
  
  
• Camp Kesem – Lafayette, CA. Received grant to support their national program growth and the development of four new 2013 chapters at the University of Southern California, Syracuse University, the University of Nebraska and the University of Oklahoma. Camp Kesem is a free, college-student led summer camp for children ages 6-16 whose parents have or had cancer. Camp Kesem has a two-fold mission: to provide children affected by a parent's cancer with a supportive, lifelong camp community that recognizes and understands their unique needs; and to empower college students to make a difference and build invaluable leadership skills by developing and managing every aspect of their Camp Kesem chapter.
  
  
• Craft and Folk Art Museum – Los Angeles, CA.  Received grant for their Folk Art Everywhere program.  CAFAM’s mission is to champion cultural understanding by encouraging curiosity about our world through the universal lens of folk art and contemporary craft.  The museum is guided by the conviction that exhibition programming should bridge local and global cultures and inspire a sense of inquiry and creativity within all people. 
  
  
• Food on Foot – Beverly Hills, CA.  Received grant for their Work for Food program.  Food on Foot is dedicated to providing the poor and homeless of Los Angeles with nutritious meals, clothing, and assistance in the transition to employment and life off the streets. 
  
  
• Free Arts for Abused Children – Los Angeles, CA.  Received grant to strengthen their volunteer outreach, management and support related to ongoing recruitment, training and placement at their partner agencies.  The mission of Free Arts for Abused Children is to inspire hope in the lives of abused, homeless and at-risk children through innovative creative arts programs and positive interactions with caring adult volunteers. 
  
  
• Homework House – Azusa, CA.  Received grant to expand their Volunteer Development Program.  The mission of Homework House is to establish and sustain neighborhood-based learning centers where at-risk children and their families thrive academically, socially and spiritually.  Homework House addresses the achievement gap of underserved students by creating welcoming neighborhood learning centers where students participate in tutoring, mentoring, enrichment activities and are engaged with people who are committed to their long-term success. 
  
  
• Inside Out Community Arts – Venice, CA.  Received grant for their Alumni Mentor Program.  Through visual arts, performing arts, and media workshops, Inside Out Community Arts promotes healthy interaction among diverse at-risk and underserved Los Angeles middle-school and high school youth.
  
  
• The Laurel Foundation – Pasadena, CA.  Received grant for their Camp Laurel program.  The mission of the Laurel Foundation is to empower children, youth and families affected by HIV/AIDS by providing educational and support programs in a safe and trusting environment.  Their vision is a world in which children, youth and families live unencumbered by HIV/AIDS.
  
  
• Scott Newman Center – Torrance, CA.  Received grant to support their Rowdy Ridge program.  The Scott Newman Center is dedicated to preventing drug abuse through education. It also supports the Rowdy Ridge Camp, which provides a life-affirming program for families recovering from drug addiction or who are survivors of spousal abuse. 
  
  
• Shakti Rising – San Diego, CA.  Received grant for core operating support for their Transformation Through Service Program.  Shakti Rising is a leading San Diego non-profit organization whose mission is to create social change by empowering young women to uncover, rediscover and reclaim their whole selves.  Their work actively promotes community well-being by creating woman and child friendly societies that are safe, healthy, vibrant, diverse, sustainable and culturally alive.
  
  
• Sojourn Chaplaincy at San Francisco General Hospital – San Francisco, CA.  Received grant to help continue to recruit and train volunteers, providing them with the resources needed to support the patients, families and staff at San Francisco General Hospital.  Sojourn trains, supports and supervises a team of 25+ volunteers from different spiritual and religious traditions, genders, races, cultures and sexual orientations.  The volunteers provide emotional and spiritual support to patients, families and hospital staff in the most difficult and painful circumstances. 
  
  
• Southern California Counseling Center – Los Angeles, CA.  Received grant to support their Volunteer Training program.  SCCC trains volunteer counselors to provide high-quality, low cost mental health counseling for individuals, couples, families and groups.  Services are provided to low–income Los Angeles area residents with little or no health insurance. 
  
  
• Theater of Hearts/Youth First – Los Angeles, CA.  Received grant to support their Youth First Artist in Residence program which provides workshops in visual arts, creative writing, storytelling, theatre, music and dance to underserved, at-risk youth in Los Angeles County.  The mission of the Theatre Of Hearts/Youth First Artist-In-Residence Program is to prevent and intervene in youth violence by involving youth and their families in ongoing, high quality, standards-based, multidisciplinary arts education workshops for youth and professional development workshops for educators offered at schools and community-based sites in under-served neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles County. 
  
  
• Upward Bound House – Santa Monica, CA.  Received grant for their children's after school programs.  The mission of Upward Bound House is to eliminate homelessness among families with children by providing housing, supportive services and advocacy. 
  
  
• Young Musicians Foundation – Beverly Hills, CA.  Received grant in support of their Music Mentors Program.  The purpose of the Young Musicians Foundation (YMF) is to provide opportunities for youth of all socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds to develop their abilities and passion for music.  The Music Mentors Program serves children ages eight to 14 in the Lennox School District.  The program allows members of YMF's Debut Orchestra to give back by serving as mentors to the students in a district with few opportunities for music education.
  
  

For more information, please contact Jeff Jordan at (310) 791-3144 or email: info@leobuscaglia.org