Buscaglia

Arts Bridging the Gap

Arts Bridging the Gap recieved  a grant to support the 2023-2024 Arts+Wellness programs at Fairfax High School and LA High School.  Specifically, the grant will support Program Manager Ariella Kirschbaum’s salary, teacher fees and classroom supplies.  ABG expects to reach 75 students at each school with the broader school populations engaging with the final projects.

Arts Bridging the Gap is a 501(c)3 Social Justice organization that uplifts the voices, experiences, and self-expression of youth from under resourced communities through immersive arts programs. They seek to cultivate the skills, mindsets, and connections that will allow youth to be their best and fullest selves, as individuals and as members of diverse, thriving communities.  They currently offer five educational programs that utilize the arts to provide resources and support for young people in under resourced areas to realize their full potential.

Friendship Foundation

Friendship Foundation received a grant to purchase supplies such as art supplies, crafts, sports equipment, and games for school clubs. Friendship Clubs will reach approximately 2,500 children during the grant year.  The Friendship Foundation transforms the lives of people with special needs, their families, volunteers, and eventually society. Friendship Foundation’s mission is to: 1) bring happiness and companionship to children with special needs in a way that celebrates their uniqueness and individuality through participation in age-appropriate social, recreational and educational activities with their peers; 2) build leadership skills and foster the values of altruism, volunteerism, and sacrifice among student volunteers; 3) impart renewed strength, comfort and peace of mind to the parents of these special children; and 4) heighten the community’s awareness, sensitivity and sense of responsibility with regard to responding to these vital needs.  The Friendship Foundation (then known as the Friendship Circle) received a grant from the Leo Buscaglia Foundation in 2010.

Click here to learn about more 2022 recipients. 

Adventures to Dreams Enrichment

Adventures to Dreams Enrichment recieved a grant to support their youth garden program.  The funds will be used for lumber for raised garden beds, garden supplies including soil and fertilizer and hands-on educational activities for their youth camps.  Their garden serves over 50 youth through enrichment programs and over 250 community members through monthly food giveaways.

The mission of Adventures to Dreams Enrichment is to empower youth by teaching them to grow their own food, engaging them in enrichment activities, providing mentorship and offering a safe environment to lean and play.  This provides an open avenue to creativity and open-ended thinking skills.

Access Books

“Love our @AccessBooks volunteers! Our work couldn’t happen without you. Shout out to our families from @pacificschoolpta for helping us with our MLK library refurbishment. Our next volunteer opportunity is fast approaching to sort books in Santa Ana, CA on Saturday, November 7th. Adults, children, and families are all welcome to join us for a few hours to make this day a complete success by signing up through our website”

Click here to learn more about Access Books. 

Village for Vets

Village for Vets received a grant for their Food First program to support food box distribution.  This will include paying a truck driver to deliver food boxes to formerly homeless and at-risk veterans who experience food insecurity and who live in permanent support housing in Los Angeles County.  About 300 veterans and their families will receive food box distribution two times per month over the next year.  Village for Vets fills critical gaps in key services for homeless and at-risk veterans in greater Los Angeles to support them on their journey to stability and independence.  They fulfill this mission through four core programs that safeguard the health of vulnerable veterans; promote food, housing and employment security; and provide links to life-changing benefits and services. 

As an approved agency of the Westside Foodbank, makes weekly deliveries of food boxes, including produce and pantry staples, to food insecure veterans living in permanent supportive housing in Greater Los Angeles. Many of these buildings are managed by the VA but others are part of New Directions, Step Up on 2nd and LA Family Housing.

Click here to see other 2021 recipients. 

Sages and Seekers

For this month’s #SeekerSpotlight, we are featuring Lina!
Lina is a first year University student from Bogotá, Colombia. She is extremely familiar with Sages&Seekers, and this upcoming Fall will be her 11th time participating in the program. Fun fact, Lina owns a bakery business!
Her favorite memory in Sages&Seekers has been: “Re-encountering my first sage on my tenth time in the program. Most wonderful feeling ever. All of my sages have had such a meaningful impact on my life, and this particular sage helped me greatly during a low point in the Pandemic.”
Looking forward to having you participate in the Fall Lina!
 
Click here to learn more about Sages and Seekers

Fringe Benefits Theatre

Fringe Benefits Theatre presents: “Creative Tools for Critical Times: Master Classes with Devised Theatre Innovators”
APPLICATIONS DUE: December 21, 2023. 👉🏼👉🏿👉🏽Find out more & apply @ www.cootieshots.org/master-classes

 

👉🏿👉🏼👉🏽Follow us & receive updates! @ #CreativeTools4CT

ABOUT THE SERIES: Participants will explore a variety of theatre activism strategies with leaders in the field of Community-Based Theatre. We’re honored to include internationally-acclaimed artists from throughout the United States, as well as from Cairo, Egypt. Fringe Benefits Theatre is hosting these monthly online workshops on weekend afternoons throughout 2024. Thanks to generous foundation and individual support, applicants accepted for the program will be able to participate for FREE!
SEEKING APPLICANTS who are undergraduates &/or recent graduates with skills in improvisation, theatre &/or video, an appreciation for collaborative playwriting & dramaturgy, and a passion for fighting for the things they care about. Applicants can register for one or all 13 Master Classes. Applicants who are accepted into the Certificate Program will receive first preference. Applications are due Thursday, December 21, 2023.
Follow us on Instagram (#CreativeTools4CT) to receive updates and engage with theatre & video arts activists!
We look forward to hearing from you!
 

Kingdom Causes Bellflower

Special shout out to @dearingloretta for providing great meals, like Inn-N-Out, to our Housing Support Group! 🏡💙
Loretta, your generosity and kindness truly make our support group sessions even more special. We’re so grateful for you and the tasty meals you provide that help create the perfect atmosphere for us to come together, share stories, and support one another. 🤝💙
If you’d like to send some love to the Housing Support Group by cooking meals or by giving financially towards a meal, DM or email volunteer@kcbellflower.org to learn more!
 

Kids and Horses Inc.

What Makes a Therapy Horse?

First off, contrary to some beliefs, therapy horses are not perfect. People in our industry our very aware that the perfect dream horses does not really exist; however, there are some pretty special equine partners out there that are ready to make a difference in the lives of so many.

 

Job Description

Therapy horses have to be used to being pulled out for lessons throughout the day. Unlike a lot of other horses, they aren’t able to do a long ride and rest for the remainder of the day. Often they have two to three lessons scattered throughout the day’s schedule. On top of that, they have to be used to different riders getting on their backs every day and having a variety of handlers tack and lead them. Therapy horses are commonly surrounded by a small army of people and are exposed to a variety of toys, props, noises, over the topline activity, etc. Not every horse can do this, but we sure do love and appreciate the ones that are ready, willing, and love their jobs.

 

What are we looking for?

Our program is currently on the look-out for some new equines to join our herd. Here is a small list of what we are hoping to find. We are open to some discussion on the size and age standards. 

~ Perfect age range for us (at the moment) is between 10 and 20 years old.
~ Size-wise we usually look for 14-15hh. We appreciate the stocky horses that can carry adult-sized riders, but we also enjoy having some narrower horses for our little riders. We are on the hunt for a Draft/Quarter Horse cross! 
~No major health problems or lameness issues.
~We aren’t usually picky about breeds of horses. It all depends on their background and temperament, but you won’t usually find any of the typically high-strung breeds on the property.  So far, we have had good luck with ranch and trail horses, and we have had a couple of retired three-day eventers work phenomenally with our clients.
~We appreciate horses that are versatile, solid, quiet, calm, tolerant, patient, good with people, able to accept a lot of sensory input (toys, noises, etc.), and not typically spooky.
 

 

How does it work?

We usually lease all of our horses from their owners. The horses are brought to the ranch for an assesment. Our equine manager and her team of staff and/or volunteers go through some steps to decide if we should accept the horse into the trial program. The horses than go through a 60-90 day trial in which they are exposed to what a day of lessons look like through mock lessons and one-on-one sessions with the horse team. From there, the horse may or may not graduate into becoming one of our prized therapy horses. All of our horses are well-taken care of and loved on daily.

Do you have a horse that you think might make a good therapy horse? Fill out the form below and let us know!

PROGRAM HORSE QUESTIONNAIRE FORM 

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