AYS’ second Concert in the Park with Elemental Music is just two weeks away on Sun. Dec. 5 11:30am! Join AYS’ brass quintet at Santa Monica’s Tongva Park for a 45-minute concert filled with classic holiday tunes. Come early or stay late for Elemental Music’s instrument petting zoo. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3Befh6I

Click here to learn more about American Youth Symphony. 

It seems like yesterday when a small group of parents met to discuss their concerns about rising violence among Costa Mesa’s youth. It was 1992 and the city had just experienced its first drive-by shooting. The parents didn’t want their teens to be drawn into gangs or street life. They met with City Manager Allan Roeder and other city staff to express their concerns. With City Councilman Joe Erickson leading the way, the City agreed there needed to be an alternative to the lure of street life, so they provided space at Rea Center, but it was up to the parents to provide and sustain the program. And so Save Our Youth was born. Share Our Selves acted as an umbrella agency until SOY became incorporated in 1993 and had its own federal tax number.

The parents and some community supporters got to work accumulating donated furniture, computers, pool tables, weights and exercise machines, even mirrors and padded gym flooring as well as a boxing ring to attract the kids. Many teenage boys flocked to the new center and when a Girls’ Program was started teen girls also came. The greatest early lift was an amazing donor who contributed money for over 16years to establish an innovative scholarship program which paid students for good grades and awarded them a grant upon graduating equal to the amount of money they earned during their years at SOY. Almost $2,000,000 were allocated to hundreds of SOY graduates who went on to colleges all over California. They draw the money down as they need it for college expenses.

From that humble beginning, SOY is now a full service organization, as these pages illustrate. Its numerous programs serve almost 400 teens. Because of financial cutbacks, SOY is operating with only two dedicated staff and has had to eliminate much of the scholarship program, but a core of dedicated volunteers and growing numbers of donors are helping to keep the Center open to fulfill its mission of serving Costa Mesa’s youth at risk. SOY is extremely grateful for the community support it has received these past 25 years.

In just 3 minutes, learn how OPICA provides support for older adults with memory loss and their families.

LAHR was founded in 1978 to serve homeless women and children, the majority of whom are victims of domestic violence. Since then, we have grown from a four-bed transitional shelter into four separate shelters with 80 beds, serving more than 180 women and children each year. Recently, Bridge funding has allowed us to extend our service to families with both mother and father, as well as single fathers with children.

Click here to learn more about House of Ruth. 

Since 2012 L.O.V.E. Foundation has been providing caring support through our community collaborative outreach events and resource and referral events offering food, hygiene, and community love and support for our homeless youth. Through these events, our team of volunteer “Love Warriors” work in collaboration with our “Legion of Love” comprised of local businesses, nonprofit partners, faith-based organizations, and local government partners, surrounding our most vulnerable youth and citizens with kindness, compassion, love, and respect.

Learn more about the LOVE Foundation here. 

Echoes of Hope received a grant to help with their Tomorrow fund. This is more information on that program.

“Leaders of Tomorrow is 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 our Leaders of Tomorrow have ventured into creating their own nonprofits.

Resources for Scholars include, but are not limited:

• Housing assistance
• Textbook/PC laptop assistance
• Grocery store gift cards and/or food vouchers
• Graduation expenses

In addition, scholars are eligible for: 

• Empowering workshops
• Paid speaking engagements

Qualifications: Application and two interviews”

Click here to learn more about other 2020 recipients.

FOOTPRINTS ON OUR HEARTS

a loving remembrance of Ginny Mancini

Ginny Mancini, a creative, inspirational visionary in the Arts – whether music, dance or theater – was a devoted and dedicated Board Director of The Leo Buscaglia Foundation for thirty-six years.

The Board members were blessed to experience her heartfelt belief in “paying it forward” and generous, supportive spirit. Ginny genuinely demonstrated Leo’s values of love, empathy and compassion. 

Ginny’s greatest superpower was to continuously share her extraordinary faithfulness to Leo’s memory with Board members. She and Henry were lifelong dear friends of Leo. 

Her guidance to the Board members was manifested by her collaborative spirit in oral presentation of the Arts when reviewing Request for Grants from non-profit organizations. Ginny uplifted and honored all of us with her presence and expert knowledge of the entertainment industry.

Her “footprints” definitely made a difference! If our legacy is measured by how many lives we touch, Ginny’s life was a tremendous success. 

P.S. The 50th Anniversary edition of “Love” and the 40th Anniversary edition of “The Fall of Freddie the Leaf” will be published in 2022 by Slack, Inc.

Hopefully, one of these books will be dedicated to one of the first and longest serving members of The Buscaglia Foundation – Ginny Mancini. 

Our sincere gratitude. 

“On a rare rainy day in LA, our wonderful Beauty Bus volunteers were working hard to brighten the gloom for the patients and caregivers staying on the oncology floor at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Set up in a conference room, bright shades of nail polish, glittering lip gloss sparkles, and the sound of soft giggles soon replaced the grey of clouds and the pitter-patter of raindrops on the high hospital windows.

While a small group of young girls debated the perfect shade of pink for their nails, moms relaxed into a soothing facial – the tension falling away from their shoulders, and two dads chatted quietly as they received a much-need trim. Here in the relaxed quiet of the temporary salon, it was easy to see the happy families joyful for a moment to just be, without the stress of the uncertainties that lie ahead.

One mother, Khadijah, shared, “My daughter was admitted to the Children’s Hospital due to complications from her brain tumor. I met some members of the Beauty Bus team while they were at the hospital and was given a bag filled with personal care items.” Allowing the pampering to continue even after their beauty services, each family that visits the pop-up salon is given a Bag of Beauty filled with hand-picked product to take with them and enjoy.

“The items were very useful and appreciated,” Khadijah continued. “The store in the hospital is not open on weekends and some parents don’t have anyone to bring them necessary items. Not everyone understands the struggles that caregivers are faced with. We appreciate what you do and look forward to supporting this organization.”

Khadijah’s kind words remind us of the reason Beauty Bus was founded and what motivates all we do each day. Loving kindness, support, and compassion will always be at the heart of the Foundation and we are grateful to be able to share that with our clients, volunteers, donors, and the entire amazing community that has grown around us!”