“Jesse Aguiar is an open-hearted and passionate individual in the EOH community. He attended East Los Angeles College, is the Director for the “Beyond Foster Care” Program at Journey House nonprofit organization, is a loving father, and a former foster youth.

Here is what Jesse has to share with current foster youth:
“When you are in the thick of the struggle dealing with social workers, courts, the lack of family, or even worse, homeless out in the streets with no income and no food, it can seem impossible to imagine that one day you WILL have a home. And that one day you WILL have that family. Survival mode is real and feeling alone in this world makes it hard to imagine that your heart will have peace and joy, but it will. We first have to understand the roots of our traumas, that is how the healing process begins. Today I have a successful career with a home and beautiful family. It took work, vision, goals, and action plans to get to where I am. But healing my wounds gave me the strength to do this. You can too.” – Jesse Aguiar”

Click here to learn more about Echoes of Hope. 

Email received from Vernon Schmid –

Nearly four decades ago, I sent Dr. Buscaglia a poster I made that contained a summary of the words he read near the end of his “The Art of Being Fully Human” chat. (the video can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmIDDtSIfWw)  He liked it, and the words are still what I give as a wedding present which includes a picture of a bumblebee in my late mother’s garden.

I’ve been thinking of him extra and not just because my 1979 high school class reunion is coming up. One of the speeches given by a teacher who was inspired by Dr. Buscaglia’s speech when it appeared on PBS.

“We had an amazing time sorting all the food we collected throughout May! Over 13,000 units of shelf-stable foods, all sorted and packed for dozens of great nonprofits, food pantries, shelters, group homes, and many more. Thank you to all those who helped us collect food, and a big thanks to Good Shepherd Catholic School (Beverly Hills Catholic School), Miracle House, Partners for Potential, Larchmont Charter School, and all our Big Sunday regulars for an amazing effort today!”

Click here to learn more about Big Sunday. 

Another amazing Home Creation. Team Building taken to the next level as a corporate team takes an extended lunch to change a life!

Click here to learn more about A Sense of Home.

Fund For Teachers Fellow Friday is actually FellowS Friday, as we highlight our first team of the summer — the “Spainward Bound” team from a #duallanguage elementary in Kansas City. Read about their plans on their blog. 

Click here to learn more about Fund For Teachers. 

“ECHOES OF HOPE strives to awaken the spirit of hope in the lives of children, youth, and young adults in need by alleviating barriers and helping them reach their full potential. 

Founded in 2007 by Stacia and Luc Robitaille, the nonprofit has helped thousands of at-risk and emancipated foster youth succeed by providing the resources, love, and support they so richly deserve.”

Leaders of Tomorrow is one of their programs and they are a hand selected group of aspiring young adults who receive scholarships from Echoes of Hope to obtain their college degrees, transition to adulthood, and advocate on behalf of the organization.

Scholars in this program are required to participate in three of the four quarterly “Days of Hope”. Day of Hope provides opportunities for personal, educational, emotional, and spiritual growth.

In collaboration with Echoes of Hope, some of their Leaders of Tomorrow have ventured into creating their own nonprofits.

Click here to learn more about Echoes of Hope. 

“Founded in 1968 by Dr. Maurice Allard, Pacific Chorale is internationally recognized for exceptional artistic expression, stimulating American-focused programming, and influential education programs. Under the artistic direction of Robert Istad, the Chorale presents a substantial performance season of its own at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Orange County, California, and is sought regularly to perform with the nation’s leading symphonies. Pacific Chorale has infused an Old World art form with California’s hallmark innovation and cultural independence, expanding the traditional concepts of choral repertoire and performance.

Pacific Chorale is comprised of 140 professional and volunteer singers. In addition to its long-standing partnership with Pacific Symphony, the Chorale has performed with such renowned American ensembles as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the National Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and Musica Angelica. Other noted collaborations within the Southern California community include the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Long Beach Symphony, Pasadena Symphony, and Riverside Symphony.

During the remarkable 45-year tenure (1972-2017) of Artistic Director Emeritus John Alexander, the Chorale toured extensively in Europe, South America and Asia, performing in London, Paris, Vienna, Budapest, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Russia, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing and Hong Kong, and collaborating with the London Symphony, the Munich Symphony, L’Orchestre Lamoureux and L’Orchestre de St-Louis-en-l’Île of Paris, the National Orchestra of Belgium, the China National Symphony, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, the Estonian National Symphony, and the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional of Argentina. In 2018, Pacific Chorale traveled to New York City to join Pacific Symphony in making their Carnegie Hall debut, performing The Passion of Ramakrishna as part of composer Philip Glass’s 80th birthday celebration.

Education programs are central to the Chorale’s vision of inspiring love of choral music and lifelong learning. Pacific Chorale’s innovative educational initiatives have opened the door to the art of choral music and the magic of the creative process for thousands of students and adults annually, including: a Choral Academy for elementary school students modeled on the El Sistema movement; a Choral Camp presented in association with California State University, Fullerton providing high school students with training in music theory and vocal production; a Choral Festival uniting 400 singers each summer in a free community performance; Intro to the Arts and Passage to the Arts, partnerships with local social service organizations and high school choral directors that allow students, at-risk youth, and low-income families to attend Pacific Chorale performances free of charge; competitions and master classes to nurture the talent of young composers; and Concert Previews that provide deeper insight into the Chorale’s performance repertoire.”

Click here to learn more about Pacific Chorale. 

Strength in Support believes in a holistic approach of service with a combination of individualized clinical treatment, mentoring, and workshops can help veterans progress toward healing and re-engagement in community life.
Their staff and volunteers acknowledge and understand the sacrifices these families make, and we are passionate about doing whatever we can to meet their needs. Click here to learn more about their programs. 

The story of how they got their start…

“Mary Ann Finch was born in Lansing, Michigan and graduated from Michigan State University where she majored in education and the dramatic arts. She subsequently completed her MA in Communications at Arizona State University. In 1973, she made her way to the Bay Area to begin a Masters Program in Christian Spirituality at the Jesuit School of Theology in the Graduate Theological Union Seminary. While pursuing her degree, she studied health psychology at Saybrook University in San Francisco, movement therapy at Mills College in Oakland, and massage therapy at the Gefion School of Massage in Berkeley. She pioneered an area of study called Embodied Spirituality and taught as an adjunct professor at the Jesuit School of Theology.

In 1983, Mary Ann Finch established the non-profit Center for Growth in Wholeness in Berkeley, CA. Over the next few years, the center evolved into a professional school of massage with an emphasis on pastoral care for people suffering from HIV/AIDS during a time when many who had contracted the illness were dying alone and afraid. In 1990, Mary Ann took a sabbatical to Calcutta, India where she practiced hospice care alongside Mother Teresa at the Kalighat Home for the Dying Destitutes. At the end of her stay, she committed herself to the challenge Mother Teresa gave her, “go home and do there what you’ve done here: touch the poorest of the poor with your care.”

In 1993, Mary Anne renamed the non-profit to Care Through Touch Institute and in 1997 moved it’s headquarters to San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, known for drug abuse, crime, poverty, and homelessness. There she designed training programs to meet the specific needs of individuals traumatized by poverty. Women, the aged and dying, and those suffering from HIV/AIDS continue to be a special focus of CTI’s work, and we have expanded services to reach many who are low income, elderly, or ill. Some refer to us as ‘mothers’ others call us ‘friends’ or simply the ‘massage ladies’!

Over the years we have developed strong connections in this high-risk community through our compassionate and caring presence. During this time (35 yrs!) we have ‘aged’ alongside this resilient, but also fractured neighborhood. We feel both a passion and a responsibility to create a new model of compassionate care to specifically address not only the physical, but also the psychological and spiritual needs of the elderly homeless and marginally housed women and men in this community. As Mary Ann says, “I intend (and pray) that I will do this sacred work until I draw my last breath.”

Click here to learn more about Care Through Touch Institute.

The mission of the Rotary Club of Beaumont Foundation is to carry out the charitable and educational functions of the Rotary Club of Beaumont in vocational, community and international service as they relate to the needs and residents of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.