Dear Friends,
During his lifetime, Dr. Leo Buscaglia, emphasized the value of outreach to individuals in need, believing those helped will give help to others. This was a core value to the founding of the Leo Buscaglia Foundation. Smaller organizations with lean budgets emphasizing volunteerism or mentorship of others were of particular interest. His good fortune continues to help individuals improve their quality of life and life in their communities.
In a time when more non-profit organizations struggle to make ends meet, the Foundation supported 18 organizations awarding grants totaling $78,000. The grants are modest in amount, but often crucial to the organization’s work assisting those in need. We are proud to be associated with the organizations funded this past year and are proud to share the list of the 2016 awardees.
On behalf of the board and staff, thank you for your interest and for your contributions to the Foundation. Keeping in mind our good fortune in this season of thanksgiving and joy, we ask that you consider the Leo Buscaglia Foundation in your year-end giving. A gift to the Foundation assures that Leo’s good fortune will continue to fund our mission to assist others in need by helping small non-profit organizations.
Best wishes to all as 2016 comes to a close,
Keri S. Botello
Keri S. Botello
President
Leo Buscaglia Foundation
2016 Grant Recipients
Angelica Center for Arts and Music (ACAM) – Los Angeles, CA. Received a grant for their 2016 Spring Session. The mission of ACAM, a community based arts education organization, is to nurture and mentor at-risk youth in the arts in the greater Pico-Union neighborhood. ACAM seeks to empower youth, build self confidence and self-esteem by developing their creative talents and honing their skills in music, theatre and dance. They are under the fiscal sponsorship of the New City Parish. ACAM also received a grant from the Leo Buscaglia Foundation in 2013.
The Art of Yoga Project – Palo Alto, CA. Received a grant to support the Art of Yoga Project’s programming at their sites throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and will cover teacher salaries as well as go towards purchasing supplies for the classes. The mission of the Art of Yoga Project is to lead at-risk, exploited and incarcerated teen girls involved in the California juvenile justice system toward accountability to self, others and community by providing practical tools to effect behavioral change. They send specially trained yoga teachers and art educators into the system to teach a gender-responsive intervention program to promote girls’ self-awareness, self-respect and self-control. The Art of Yoga Project also received a grant from the Leo Buscaglia Foundation in 2014.
Beauty Bus Foundation – Santa Monica, CA. Received a grant for support of three initiatives to facilitate the way they recruit, manage and energize their all volunteer workforce: 1) Implementing a new app for volunteers to communicate with clients, 2) an increased social media presence and 3) greater outreach to potential volunteers. The Beauty Bus Foundation delivers dignity, hope and respite to chronically or terminally ill men, women and children and their caregivers through beauty and grooming services and pampering products.
Big Sunday – Los Angeles, CA. Received a grant for the expansion of their largest volunteer week of the year, Big Sunday Weekend, into A Month of Sundays, a month-long Festival of Service that will encompass opportunities to help every single day in May 2016. Big Sunday builds community by providing all kinds of engagement opportunities for all kinds of people.
Families and Criminal Justice – Los Angeles, CA. Received a grant to go towards program expenses that support the critical relationships between Families and Criminal Justice participants and practitioners. These include telephone and internet access costs, printing and duplication costs and home visitor mileage. Families and Criminal Justice operates under the fiscal sponsorship of Special Services for Groups. They were founded with the mission of preventing intergenerational crime and incarceration. Their goal is optimal health and development among children of families involved in the criminal justice system.
For Kids Foundation Monterey Bay – Capitola, CA. Received a grant to provide direct support for families in medical and dental crisis. The grant will provide funds to families who need transportation to and from distant hospitals and for emergency rent and food. It will also be used for dental and orthodontic services as well as for a stipend and miscellaneous expenses for a social work intern. For Kids Monterey Bay provides one-time or short-term basic assistance to individual children in areas such as education, health and safety. In addition to providing funds for specific medical and dental crises, the organization provides money for transportation, short term rental support, supplies, clothing and other critical needs.
Girls Rock SB – Santa Barbara, CA. Received a grant to help cover the costs of their workshops. Girls Rock SB empowers girls through music, promoting an environment that fosters self-confidence, creativity, and teamwork. They challenge gender stereotypes, encourage collaboration and tolerance among peers, and provide a comfortable space for girls of all backgrounds to express themselves. Through music lessons, workshops, group activities, and performance, girls learn skills that help guide them throughout their lives.
Happy Hats for Kids in Hospitals – Torrance, CA. Received a grant to serve 1,370 hospitalized children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses within 12 months of receipt. Happy Hats for Kids in Hospitals does this with gifts of Hero Happy Hats and coordinating 60-page Hero Club bi-lingual, educational, story/activity books with crayons. Since 1991 Happy Hats for Kids in Hospitals has been dedicated to uplifting the spirits and enriching the lives of children hospitalized with serious illnesses. The goal of their programs is to switch the focus of the children and their families away from their discomfort through fun, informative and interactive activities. Happy Hats for Kids in Hospitals also received a grant from the Leo Buscaglia Foundation in June 2014.
The Heart Touch Project – Santa Monica, CA. Received a grant to expand the Children’s Program. The Heart Touch Project provides therapeutic touch care to hospitalized infants, children and adults on hospice. They are dedicated to ‘the training and delivery of compassionate and healing touch to homebound or hospitalized men, women and children.’ The Heart Touch Project also received a grant from the Leo Buscaglia Foundation in 2013.
Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre – Los Angeles, CA. Received a grant in support of two Duck Truck Residency Programs (DTRP). Funds will be used to support teaching artists fees, program staff salaries and the DTRP materials needed for the residency, potentially including props, printed materials and audio equipment. The mission of the Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre (HDDT) is building communities through the performing arts. The DTRP is one of HDDT’s outreach programs. It brings arts engagement to underserved communities via a 12 session/6 week curriculum that teaches the core elements of site-specific performance, cultivating aspects of art and health into the program. Heidi Duckler Dance Theater also received a grant from the Leo Buscaglia Foundation in 2014.
Kara – Palo Alto, CA. Received a grant to help with training expenses for volunteers with their programs serving youth, adults and their newest initiative to serve Spanish speakers. Kara provides compassionate support to people of all ages on their journey through grief so that they can move forward toward renewed hope and meaning. Their primary programs include Youth & Family and Adult Programs, Clinical Therapy Programs and Community Outreach and Training & Education Programs. Kara also received a grant from the Leo Buscaglia Foundation in March, 2014.
McGroarty Arts Center – Tujunga, CA. Received a grant to help fund their core programs including multidisciplinary arts classes, paid arts internships and outreach classes. McGroarty Arts Center provides access to the arts through in-depth arts instruction and experiences. Affordable or free multidisciplinary arts instruction is offered to at-risk youth, children and families as are performances, exhibitions and events that engage the greater public. The center is a venue for artists to present their work, while preserving the legacy of John Steven McGroarty and his historic home.
Mission to Assist and Provide for Seniors (MAPS Charities) – Newhall, CA. Received a grant to support their direct funding program. Included in the program are such things as rent assistance, dentures, eyeglasses, wheelchair ramps and other items that help seniors live more safely, comfortably and independently. MAPS Charities assists disadvantaged elderly people in Los Angeles County with funds for short-term solutions for critical concerns, by providing direct funds that allow them to stay in their homes, take care of their health and enhance their quality of life.
Mixed Remixed Festival – Los Angeles, CA. Received a grant to help finance the live show that culminates the Festival’s weekend of activities. The Mixed Remixed Festival is the nation’s premiere cultural arts festival celebrating stories of the Mixed experience, multiracial and multicultural families and individuals through films, books and performances.
Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation – Studio City, CA. Received a grant to purchase new instruments and repair existing instruments for a school that recently applied for support. The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation keeps music alive in our schools by donating musical instruments to under-funded music programs, giving youngsters the many benefits of music educations, helping them to be better students and inspiring creativity and expression through playing music. Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation also received a grant from the Leo Buscaglia Foundation in 2013.
Orchestra Santa Monica – Santa Monica, CA. Received a grant to support their Unique Communities concert focusing on strength through community. Orchestra Santa Monica is dedicated to providing orchestral concerts of the highest quality, at a cost that all can afford. It’s mission is to make a positive impact on the quality of people’s lives as they build a strong community of classical music lovers of all ages. Orchestra Santa Monica also received a grant from the Leo Buscaglia Foundation in March 2014.
San Pedro City Ballet – San Pedro, CA. Received a grant to support their DancEd Steps Up Program. The program supplies skilled dance education and instruction to children and teens throughout the Greater Los Angeles area, particularly in low income areas. The mission of the San Pedro City Ballet is to identify, train and promote a world-class pre-professional dance company from the diverse population of the Los Angeles Harbor area. It is founded in the base of classical works and traditions, and goes beyond to explore new contemporary and original modern works to provide training to schools throughout Los Angeles for arts educations and after-school programs. The San Pedro City Ballet also received a grant from the Leo Buscaglia Foundation in October 2014.
South County Outreach – Lake Forest, California. Received a grant to help pay for the operations of their Hunger and Homeless Prevention Program. The mission and purpose of South County Outreach is to prevent hunger and homelessness by helping people to help themselves. They have served the underemployed, the homeless and households in crisis since 1989. South County Outreach also received a grant from the Leo Buscaglia Foundation in 2006.