Supporting the California Surf Museum: A Hub of Surfing History and Culture
The Parker Foundation is proud to support the California Surf Museum with a recent grant to assist in funding their part-time Administrative Assistant. Since 1986, the California Surf Museum has been preserving and sharing the rich history of surfing, offering visitors a deeper understanding of this iconic sport and its impact on culture and communities.
Under the guidance of Jim Kempton, the museum’s Executive Director, the California Surf Museum continues to thrive. Jim, an accomplished author, editor, film writer, and historian, has been a key figure in maintaining the museum’s vibrant presence in the community.
The museum is known for its dynamic exhibits that showcase the rich history of surfing, highlighting pivotal moments in the sport’s evolution. From groundbreaking innovations in surfboard design to the personal stories of legendary surfers, these exhibits offer an engaging look at surfing’s deep cultural impact. Whether focusing on the history of women in surfing, or the technological advancements in equipment, the California Surf Museum’s exhibits provide something for everyone.
Throughout the year, the museum also hosts a variety of events bringing together surf enthusiasts and newcomers alike. In addition to exhibitions and events, the museum holds an annual gala and golf tournament, further enriching the surf community while raising funds to support their mission.
The dedicated staff and volunteers are all historians of surf culture and keep the museum open seven days a week with a warm welcome.
We are honored to contribute to the continued success of the California Surf Museum and look forward to seeing how their dedication to preserving surfing history will inspire future generations. Learn more about the California Surf Museum.
The Parker Foundation’s grant of $40,000 to Support the Enlisted Project (STEP) has made an enormous impact on the lives of low-income enlisted service members and transitioning Veterans, as well as their families. As a nonprofit organization dedicated to building financial self-sufficiency, STEP provides financial counseling, education, and emergency funds to families who are facing a financial crisis.
With the support of The Parker Foundation, STEP’s Emergency Financial Assistance Program aided and empowered 404 families in just five months. These families worked with STEP’s social workers to improve their long-term financial wellness through one-on-one counseling aimed at impacting the entire family.
STEP also ensures that 100% of qualified program applicants maintain their basic needs. The Parker Foundation’s support contributed to helping 55 families remain in their homes, 25 households keep their utilities turned on, and 65 families maintain their vehicles through assistance with rent or mortgage payments, vehicle loan or insurance payments, and repair costs.
The impact of The Parker Foundation’s grant extends beyond immediate crisis intervention. STEP’s focus on financial literacy and empowerment has yielded promising results. Through financial counseling and free financial seminars, STEP has helped clients better understand their finances and increase their financial literacy.
The Parker Foundation’s investment in STEP has been instrumental in helping military and Veteran families overcome financial challenges and build a more secure future. By supporting STEP’s comprehensive approach to financial self-sufficiency, The Parker Foundation has made a lasting difference in the lives of those who have sacrificed so much for our country.
Learn more about the Support the Enlisted Project (STEP)
In December 2022, The Parker Foundation awarded Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego (CCDSD) a grant in the amount of $50,000 for operational support. During the last six months, their programs have provided the following services:
Homeless Services:
Rachel’s Programs, consisting of Rachel’s Women’s Center, Rachel’s Night Shelter, and Rachel’s Promise, have provided over 38,124 services, including showers, laundry, clothing, a mailing address, meals, and case management. Monthly, Rachel’s Women’s Center has served an average of 282 unique women, Rachel’s Night Shelter has served 43 unique women, and Rachel’s Promise has served 49 unique women. Through Rachel’s Programs, 11 women have exited into permanent housing.
La Posada, CCDSD’s men-only shelter, has sheltered an average of 63 men per month, providing them with 15,791 supportive and case management services. Services include meals, obtaining identification cards and birth certificates, behavioral health care, employment support, and hygiene facilities. In the last six months, 13 men have been able to enter permanent housing.
Community Services:
The Emergency Food Distribution Network Plus (EFDN+) program has provided 1,552 households and 5,378 individuals with food. Their EFDN+ team has distributed over 215,109 pounds of food, equivalent to 179,258 meals, through their 12 distribution sites and pantries. Their EFDN+ program works closely with the Cal Fresh Healthy Living program and has provided nutritional education to 5,548 people. This team has also assisted 454 individuals and families with SNAP applications. These programs have the common goal of reducing food insecurity in the most disadvantaged communities in San Diego.
CCDSD’s Foster Grandparent program has volunteers to tutor and mentor youth with special or exceptional needs with the goals of increasing school readiness, reading proficiency, and providing socio-emotional support. During the past six months, they’ve had an average of 19 volunteers who volunteered over 4,908 hours.
Refugee and Immigration Services:
The Refugee & Immigration Services Department includes CCDSD’s Immigration Legal Services programs (Removal Defense, Unaccompanied Minor Defense, Affirmative Immigration Legal Relief), Refugee Services Programs (San Diego Newcomers Project, Reception & Replacement, Safe Passages), Afghan Support and Investment Program (NGO administrator of state-wide program) and the San Diego and Imperial Migrant Shelter Program.
The Affirmative Immigration program assists clients in applying for the appropriate legal application or remedy. Legal service providers carefully screen clients and understand the eligibility requirements for certain benefits and the potential negative consequences of applying for a particular benefit. This program has assisted an average of 248 unique individuals a month with over 270 services. The top countries of origin include Haiti, Mexico, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
Throughout CCDSD’s Migrant shelters, they have served over 75,288 adults and children in San Diego.
The Safe Passages Program provides for the release and family reunification of unaccompanied, undocumented children who have been apprehended by immigration officials. The program serves around 25 children on an ongoing basis.
The Refugee and Immigration Services Department began the Afghan Support Program in March 2022, providing housing assistance to Afghan OAW (Operation Allises Welcome) evacuees entering the United States. Initially, the program had two designated organizations serve as the regional ASIP leads, but as of December 2022, CCDSD became the lead in serving clients in Southern and Northern California.
The support of The Parker Foundation allowed CCDSD to continue the work to assist the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized in San Diego County.
Coastal Roots Farm
In December 2022, The Parker Foundation awarded Coastal Roots Farm with a $25,000 grant for its organic food program and distribution efforts.
Funds from The Parker Foundation were used to support the costs of organically growing and distributing more than 80,000 pounds of food to feed more than 40,000 community members of which more than 25,000 were food insecure.
Grant funds provided:
- No-cost deliveries to homebound Indigenous/Native seniors living throughout the County in partnership with the San Diego American Indian Health Center.
- No-cost deliveries to Indigenous/Native families of the Iipay Nation living on the Santa Ysabel Reservation, as well as families of the Mesa Grande Band of Diegueño Mission Indians, the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians, the San Pasqual Band of Diegueño Mission Indians, and the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians.
- No-cost deliveries to low-income, homebound survivors of the Holocaust in partnership with Jewish Family Service.
- No-cost deliveries to homebound seniors living at Mercy Housing’s Cantebria Senior Homes low-income senior housing.
- No-cost distributions in partnership with Vista Community Clinic, reaching predominantly low-income Latinx/Hispanic families, immigrants, and refugees.
- No-cost distributions for active-duty, low-level military families in partnership with Helping Hand Worldwide and wounded veterans in partnership with Wounded Warrior Homes.
- An on-site “Pay-What-You-Can” Farm Stand that provides up to $30 worth of produce at no cost and accepts CalFresh EBT on a pay-what-you-can system.
- Donations to other emergency food system partners.
“The food helps my family and me because we are tight on money after paying bills. We are so thankful for this program! We go twice a month, and we are able to portion out the food and freeze it for when we are ready to use it. We mix some meat and veggies into our spaghetti dinners. Tonight, we were able to make a big vegetable soup that will last us 8 meals (4 days of food). The program allows us to have vegetables especially when we can’t afford to spend money on fruits or vegetables for the week.” – Military Beneficiary
Foundation for Women Warriors
Foundation for Women Warriors is a 100-year-old nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring and empowering the women veteran community. Its mission is to serve women veterans and their children so that their next mission is clear and continues to impact the world. Their programs address the growing needs of the increasing population of military women transitioning to civilian life. They address the top four needs that women veterans have self-identified as crucial to the success of their transition: education, employment, housing, and childcare.
In May of 2021, The Parker Foundation awarded the organization a grant in the amount of $15,000 to support general operating expenses. Since May 2021, they’ve provided:
- San Diego women and children with emergency assistance for essential costs including rental assistance and utilities;
- Childcare Assistance;
- Cost-reducing essential household goods and baby supplies;
- Connected San Diego Women veterans to community resources for legal assistance, mental health, and employment; and
- Hosted virtual workshops and educated San Diego women veterans on a range of topics surrounding financial planning, budgeting, and career transition.
“Though COVID and inflation has had a disproportionate financial impact on women, through the support of donors like the Parker Foundation, we have been successful at keeping pace with their needs thus far.” – Jodie M. Grenier – Chief Executive Officer, Foundation for Women Warriors
Somali Family Service of San Diego
Somali Family Service of San Diego is a community-based social service organization that provides culturally and linguistically appropriate programs and services to refugee and immigrant communities of San Diego. Guided by its community champions, the organization empowers immigrants, refugees, and other underserved communities in San Diego through its programs that promote health, educational and economic success, and leadership development.
Since 2008, The Parker Foundation has provided $148,000 in funding to Somali Family Service of San Diego. Recently, in May 2021, a grant in the amount of $58,000 was awarded to support the Leaders In Our Neighborhood (LION)/Youth program.
Since the grant was awarded, the organization has served approximately 150 youth ages 14-18 years old with academic support through enrichment activities, technology support, S.T.E.M. career exploration workshops, and college and scholarship application guidance. They’ve also provided over 70 LION youth with leadership development, civic engagement activities, and youth empowerment sessions. Additional LION youth activities included health and wellness resource presentations and arts and culture workshops.
“The generous funding from The Parker Foundation for the LION program has allowed Somali Family Service of San Diego to maintain and enhance our services for our diverse refugee and immigrant youth in San Diego.” – Ahmed Sahid – President and CEO, Somali Family Service of San Diego
Learn more about Somali Family Service of San Diego
Rise Up Industries
Rise Up Industries supports formerly gang involved and at-risk individuals in their quest for a better, more meaningful life. They extend a rich array of services that not only counsel participants, but also provide opportunities for personal and professional advancement. Modeled after Homeboy Industries, the world’s largest, most successful gang intervention and reentry program, Rise Up Industries is a community of kinship that believes in boundless compassion and standing with the most marginalized among us, formerly gang-involved and incarcerated individuals.
Here is a link to a recent article in the UT
The Parker Foundation is pleased to have supported Rise Up Industries since 2015, investing $52,500 for its Post-Detention Reentry Center and Pilot Reentry Program, as well as expanding the Machine Shop Social Enterprise, which trains former gang involved individuals to be Computer Numeric Control (CNC) machine operators, a well-paying trade in high demand.
Learn more about Rise Up Industries >