A Message from the RCCD Foundation President
 In this issue of RCCD Foundation Focus, we are highlighting some of the donors and programs that support current and former foster youth at our three colleges. Students impacted by the foster care system represent one of our most vulnerable student populations, and the colleges continuously step up to the challenge and responsibility by providing specialized support services to ensure these students' success. RCCD serves over 1,200 current and former foster youth, according to self-reported student data, and many of these students participate in the Guardian Scholars Foster Youth programs at Moreno Valley and Riverside City colleges and the Phoenix Scholars program at Norco College. Each of these programs provide safe spaces within the broader campus communities where students can receive the type of unconditional care and support that many have never experienced prior to enrolling in college.
As we commemorate May as National Foster Care Month, I am honored to be part of an organization whose mission is to raise funds to help this population of students achieve their academic dreams and career goals. I, along with several other Foundation board members, have our own personal experiences with the foster care system so this issue and these students are especially close to our hearts.
I grew up in a home where foster children were welcomed and cared for. Although I was an only child, I never felt lonely because there were always foster children in our home. To this day, I am still in regular contact with my 76 year old foster brother. My life has truly been enriched because of the experiences I had growing up with foster children in our home.
Board member Raymond Hicks, a retired executive with Southern California Edison, was taken in as a foster child by the family of a high school friend when his own family was experiencing challenging times. Raymond's foster parents treated him as one of their own, and their high expectations and strong moral foundation helped him view his life and the world differently and had a powerful positive impact on the trajectory of his life.
Board member Martinrex Kedziora has a great responsibility as the superintendent of Moreno Valley Unified School District, which has the highest enrollment of foster youth students in Riverside County. MVUSD schools collectively serve over 600 foster youth students and offer specialized services for these students and their families through the MVUSD Community Wellness Center. Services include classes and workshops in health, literacy, parenting, and nutrition; resources for basic needs such as clothing, shoes, transportation, and food; family outreach and support through case management; health service referrals for access to physical, dental, immunizations, and health insurance.
Board member Paul Gill serves on the advisory board for Olive Crest, a local organization whose mission is to transform the lives of at-risk children through the power of family. The organization works to improve the placement, process and lives of foster children.
I hope you enjoy reading about the Guardian Scholars Foster Youth programs at Moreno Valley and Riverside City colleges and the generous grant funding these programs receive from the Anthony and Jeanne Pritzker Foundation. I also hope you will join me in gratitude as you read about donors like RCC alumnus Paul Masi and longtime RCCD corporate partner Tilden-Coil Constructors and their philanthropic contributions to this cause. Finally, please don't hesitate to contact the Foundation office to learn more about how you too can contribute to the success of the hard working foster youth students who are pursuing their goals at our colleges.
All my best,
Judy Horan
2018-19 RCCD Foundation Board President |
|
|
RCC Alumnus Establishes Endowed Fund for Foster Youth Program
 When Paul Masi contacted the RCCD Foundation several months ago to inquire about establishing a scholarship, he had no idea he would end up creating an endowed fund to help RCC in its efforts to assist current and former foster youth succeed in college.
Paul Masi is the youngest of seven siblings born and raised in Riverside by Frank & Dorothy Masi. The elder Masi’s were wonderful parents and very supportive of their children, but neither had attended college so this was not at the forefront of their minds in terms of their own children’s futures. However, RCC presented an affordable local option for the Masi siblings, who, like many current RCC students, became the first generation of their family to attend college.
“RCC provided me with an excellent start for my college education and led me to opportunities I would have never had otherwise.”
After leaving RCC in 1979, Paul continued his studies at Chico State University where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Geography. He went on to earn a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Today, Paul and his wife, Allison, enjoy supporting various causes in the northern California community where they live. When Paul’s mother died last year, he began reflecting on ways he and his family could honor his parents and make a meaningful and lasting impact. This is when Paul began looking at his philanthropic options, which led to him the RCCD Foundation.
“I am often contacted by donors about establishing scholarships because scholarship funds are the most visible investments that donors can make through the Foundation”, said Foundation executive director Launa Wilson. “I always enjoy having deeper conversations with people about their intentions, the family member(s) they are hoping to honor, and the impact they would like to make. This allows me to make thoughtful recommendations about the multitude of philanthropic opportunities, including but not limited to scholarships, where donors can achieve their charitable goals”.
After exchanging a lot of emails and information with Launa over several weeks, Paul and his wife Allison decided to establish the RCC Guardian Scholars Foster Youth Program Endowed Fund at the RCCD Foundation (see article below for more detailed information about the Guardian Scholars program). This fund, established in honor of Frank & Dorothy Masi, will provide much needed funding to support current and former foster youth who are pursuing their education at RCC. Proceeds from the endowment will be available each year, in perpetuity, to fund the areas of greatest need within the RCC Guardian Scholars program. This may include emergency financial assistance, peer mentoring, academic advising, life skills workshops, and various other interventions to help this especially vulnerable student population succeed in college.
Paul Masi shared with Launa that his father spent some time in an orphanage as a child and that the Guardian Scholars program resonated with him because of that familial history. In the end, though, it was the idea of supporting an organization in his hometown that sealed his decision. “My wife and I decided to donate to RCC because it made sense that we would support an organization in the town where my parents raised their family”.
The RCCD Foundation board of directors and staff are extremely grateful to Paul and Allison Masi for their most generous gift to the Guardian Scholars Foster Youth program at Riverside City College. For more information about how you too can support this program, contact the RCCD Foundation at 951-222-8626 or foundation@rccd.edu
|
|
|
|
Program Spotlight: Guardian Scholars
College attendance is a hallmark of success for many young people transitioning into adulthood. Earning a college degree is a pathway to independence and can make a significant impact on an individual’s quality of life. For many youth impacted by the foster care system, a college education could not be more important. Yet, data shows that less than 10% of foster youth ever graduate from college. Those who are fortunate enough to attend college face many challenges that make college completion very difficult. Many of these students lack financial resources, are academically under-prepared, struggle with mental health issues, and often lack the emotional support of caring adults. The Guardian Scholars programs at Riverside City College and Moreno Valley College, along with the Phoenix Scholars program at Norco College, were established to help fill this void by providing an academic and social support system for current & former foster youth who are embarking on their college journey.
The Guardian Scholars programs were established at RCC and MVC in 2014 to support the academic needs of current and former foster youth who want to pursue college education. The program’s mission is to provide students with the resources and tools that they need to be successful at the college level, while understanding and addressing the unique challenges that foster youth face. The goal is to keep students engaged and actively involved in their education so that they can become independent and self-sufficient with a solid educational foundation for their future.
The Guardian Scholars programs have received financial support from a variety of sources since they were established, including grant funding from the Anthony & Jeanne Pritzker Foundation and the California Wellness Foundation, as well as donations from alumni and other community members. Due to this support, students who participate in Guardian Scholars are provided with specialized academic counseling, life skills workshops, access to emergency financial assistance, peer mentoring, and an emotional and social support system that most have never before experienced. The result is an overall increase in positive life and academic outcomes for these students.
The sense of community that has been fostered by Guardian Scholars and Phoenix Scholars is not limited to the RCCD campuses. The RCC and MVC Guardian Scholars programs are part of the Riverside Area Multi-Campus Network supporting foster youth on the Riverside City College, Moreno Valley College, and University of California, Riverside campuses. This collaboration promotes students’ success at the community college level, and helps to ensure successful transition to the university environment.
For more information about how you can support the Guardian Scholars and Phoenix Scholars programs, please contact the RCCD Foundation at 951-222-8626 or foundation@rccd.edu
|
|
|
Tilden-Coil Constructors Inc. Foster Youth Scholarship
Tilden-Coil Constructors Inc. has been a generous corporate partner to the Riverside Community College District for many years. Not only have they successfully built numerous District and College facilities, the company and its leaders have been heavily and consistently involved with RCCD in a variety of roles over the years. The late Henry W. Coil Jr. served as a member of the RCCD Foundation Board of Directors for nearly 20 years. During his tenure, he proudly played leadership roles in each of the Foundation's major initiatives, including the Foundation's first major gifts initiative, Campaign RCC, and the successful Passport to College campaign.
Current company leaders also share this commitment to RCCD and the broader community. Notably, Tilden-Coil was an early investor and leader in establishing the RCC Starting Blocks program, a summer swim and water safety initiative established in partnership with RUSD and the City of Riverside to provide access to swimming and water safety lessons for low-income and underrepresented families. The company has also consistently supported a variety of other RCCD initiatives, including Athletics and various special events.
In 2016, Tilden-Coil Constructors Inc. established a new scholarship to assist current and former foster youth who are studying at the RCCD colleges. "Our hearts really lie with the emancipated foster teens," said Dayne Brassard, Executive Vice President of Tilden-Coil Constructors. "They have been through so much as children and then are faced with making it on their own when they age out of the system. We are delighted to support their education so that they have a shot at making it in society."
The Tilden-Coil Constructors, Inc. Foster Youth Scholarship is awarded to students at Moreno Valley, Norco, and Riverside City colleges who are verified foster youth and have a minimum grade point average of 2.0.
|
|
|
Anthony and Jeanne Pritzker Foundation: Helping Foster Youth Achieve Their Full Potential
Riverside City College and Moreno Valley College have each been the recipients of generous grant funding from the Anthony & Jeanne Pritzker Foundation since 2013. This funding provides resources that enable the colleges to assist current and former foster youth students with a variety of services, including but not limited to peer mentoring, textbooks and other school supplies, life skills workshops, and emergency financial intervention.
The Anthony & Jeanne Pritzker Foundation has a well-earned reputation as a leader in supporting programs to help transition age foster youth achieve their full potential. The foundation's work in this area is led by Jeanne Pritzker, whose interest in foster care was ignited when, as a mother to six children of her own, she opened her home to the daughter of a friend who needed an alternative living situation. Several years later she welcomed an eighth child to her family, in order to provide her with a better educational opportunity. Raising this family, she realized how difficult it was, even for children from a loving home, to live away from their parents, and how challenging it was to be a parent to someone else’s child. In recent years, Jeanne Pritzker earned a doctorate in psychology and continues to build her professional skills as a clinician, curriculum developer and educator. Her personal and professional experience help inform the foundation's capacity to identify and bring together the best minds and resources available to create life-changing programs for foster parents, children, and young people who are reaching adulthood having grown up in foster care.
While the Anthony & Jeanne Pritzker Foundation primarily supports initiatives in the Los Angeles area, they see supporting colleges in the inland region as a natural extension of their commitment to help improve outcomes for young people in foster care in the LA area. Because of the geographic proximity to Los Angeles, many of the LA youth in need of foster care end up living with families in Riverside County and attending school and college there. Riverside City College and Moreno Valley College, along with their collaborative partners at UC Riverside, have strong reputations for first-rate Guardian Scholars programs that support foster youth enrolled on their campuses. Thanks to the initial investment and ongoing funding from the Anthony & Jeanne Pritzker Foundation, these partner schools established the Riverside Area Multi-Campus Network to promote the successful transfer of information and resources to support students across all three campuses. Last year, over 350 students were served collectively through the network and the goal is to continue growing the individual programs and the Multi-Campus Network’s collaborative activities each year.
"It’s extremely gratifying to see how our funding has helped students who have grown up in foster care complete their studies in college and go on to either continue their education in graduate school or find meaningful careers." said Winnie Wechsler, Executive Director of the Anthony & Jeanne Pritzker Foundation. "We are proud to be able to help these students have access to the quality education and opportunity that RCCD offers."
The RCCD Foundation staff and board of directors are eternally grateful to the Anthony & Jeanne Pritzker Foundation for investing in the RCCD colleges and the futures of the foster youth students we serve. |
|
Alumni - We Want to Hear From You!
As the Foundation continues to build its programmatic infrastructure in support of the RCCD colleges, we are working hard to ensure that we have the most up-to-date information on our alumni. If you attended an RCCD college and would like us to know it, please click here and provide your name (current and maiden, if applicable), college and year(s) attended, mailing address and other contact information, and any other pertinent details regarding your time as a student that you would like to share. Your help is greatly appreciated and the information you provide will be used to stay in contact and invite you to upcoming Foundation and/or College events that you may find of interest.
|
|
|
The RCCD Foundation staff and board of directors thank each and every donor who has supported initiatives serving foster youth in our colleges and the broader community. To learn more about how you can make an impact on these amazing students as they pursue their academic and career goals at RCCD, contact us at foundation@rccd.edu or 951-222-8626.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
