April 16

April 2016
Dear FOCUS Members,
FOCUS kicked off St. Patrick’s Day with a bang this year at our Candelas on
the Bay breakfast meeting. We had 50+ members in attendance, most of
whom were garbed in green in keeping with the holiday. Everyone looked
great, but I’d have to say that Marjorie Logan won the prize for best looking
Irish lady . . . even though she’s Scottish! Please check out our Event Photos
page to see how terrific everyone looked.
Thank you Fred Eckert and Grace Lowenberg for making all of the
arrangements for our meeting – it was a perfect location with delicious food!
Thanks also go out to our hostesses Sharyn Blongiewicz and Betty Lepore.
Clarice Perkins put together and donated another wonderful basket for our
raffle, this one having a St. Patrick’s Day theme. Thank you, Clarice! And
thank you Suzanne Manuel for selling the raffle tickets, which added $235 to
our FOCUS funds.
Bob Plumbley, the FOCUS shopper for Any Body Can Youth Foundation,
shared his experiences and observations while interacting with some of the
youth that benefit from the program. Thank you, Bob!
Our speaker, Renee Galente, spoke to us about youth sex trafficking within
San Diego County, which the FBI has identified as one of the top thirteen
counties for child prostitution. It was a riveting presentation, as well as a
heartbreaking one.
This month we will be hosting a Happy Hour at the Coronado Cays Yacht Club
on Thursday, April 28th. All the details for this can be found in the flyer
below.
For those of you who have not yet purchased your “Come Together” tickets,
which is our biggest fundraiser of the year, please buy your tickets soon.
Tickets are $100 per person, and can be purchased by mailing your check,
payable to FOCUS and marked “tickets”, to P.O. Box 180023, Coronado, CA
92178. This is going to be such a fun event! We will be putting an ad into the
Coronado Eagle newspaper soon, so please buy your tickets now so that you
don’t miss out!
Please read on to learn more about all that’s been happening with FOCUS.
Lorna Perez-Caster
TREASURY
HELEN KUPKA
TREASURER’S REPORT - MARCH 2016
It’s always great to be a FOCUS treasurer, especially when you know the
organization is financially healthy and having such an impact. This month we
provided much-needed assistance to the San Diego Rescue Mission, Vista Hill Parent
Care, Voices for Children, ASYMCA, Storefront Drop In Center, STEP and Christian
Community Services Agency in the amount of $10,580. Now that is a LOT of
shopping!
Tickets sales for our Come Together event are trickling in and total $13,400 and
along with underwriting donation of $16,000 this month our bank balance is sitting
pretty at just over $91,000. This puts us in good position to fund our grants to
agencies and throw a great event on May 15. Don’t miss it
SUNSHINE
BONNIE VAN VUGT
We Hope You Are Feeling Better:
Lynn Walsh
R.G. Head
Carole Hoover
Our Condolences Go Out To:
Dotty Turner
Congratulations:
Heidi Wilson for being named Community Woman of the Year!
MARSHA BUCKLEY BOYLE AND LYNN WALSH
FUNDRAISING
CONNIE BIENFAIT and DOTTY TURNER
We need more than a little help from our friends for our May 15th fundraiser. We
have about 130 reservations thus far so we are only about half way to a sellout.
Please be sure to talk up the event and reserve your tables! Checks should be
mailed to:
FOCUS
P.O. Box 180023
Coronado, CA 92178
You can also drop checks in Connie Bienfait’s mailbox at 53 Green Turtle Road in the
Cays.
Underwriting for the event is going especially well, thanks to Ethel and Fred Kallsen.
We have secured many terrific silent and live auction items, but we still need more,
especially contributions to the baskets Clarice Perkins is making. Please drop off
your donations for the baskets at Clarice Perkin’s (1128 First Street, Coronado) or
Connie Bienfait’s house or call/email Connie and she will pick them up. The themes
for the baskets are Time to Relax, Gardening, Beach/summer Fun and It’s 5 o’clock
Somewhere.
We also need more volunteers for the event - especially people to check people into
the event; check out/take payment for the auction items, bartend and to clean up.
Remember, with regard to auction items, please contact Connie Bienfait before
soliciting any stores, restaurants or businesses so she can keep a list of who is
contacting which vendors to prevent duplicating efforts and annoying any
contributors.
Please consider getting involved and be sure to attend!! Thanks, Connie and Dotty constancebienfait@gmail.com (619) 947-6380
FOCUS
MARSHA BUCKLEY BOYLE AND LYNN WALSH
CONIE BIENFAIT AND DOTTY TURNER
MEMBERSHIP
MARSHA BUCKLEY BOYLE AND LYNN WALSH
MARSHA BUCKLEY–BOYLE and LYNN WALSH
MEMERSHIP
CONIE BIENFAIT AND DOTTY TURNER
The 2016 Directory is about to be printed! Paid Members,
both Active and Patron, will be included. If any information
has changed please notify either Marsha Buckley-Boyle at
(619) 862-3046 marshabboyle@gmail.com or Lynn Walsh
(619) 424-6195 licknden@gmail.com today!
Current News!
174 Paid Members
115 Active 59 Patron
NEW Active Member
Alan Kinzel (Lisa)
250 C Avenue
Coronado, CA 92118
alan@alankinzel.com
619-606-8188
NEW Patron Member
Stephanie Lay (Brett)
801 Margarita Avenue
Coronado, CA 92118
stephlay64@gmail.com
619-519-1646
FOCUS 2016 Membership
Name ___________________________
Spouse (if not a member) ____
Address _____________________________________________
Email _____________________
Telephone (Home)________________(Cell) __________________
Active ($75) ____ Patron ($150) ______
Active: Shall be persons who participate in all organization activities. Such
members shall vote, hold office and propose new members.
Patron: Men or women who have contributed one hundred fifty dollars or more
annually to FOCUS. Shall attend annual meetings at their own option and shall
specifically be invited to the annual Meeting.
ALL CLASSES OF MEMBERSHIP SHALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE
Please indicate your interests:
__Fundraising
__Decorations
__Newsletter
__Telephone Committee
__Hostess for Meetings
__Other
__Event planning
__Invitations
__Assembly & Delivery
__Raffle Donations
__Shopping for Projects
__Use of Home for Special Occasions
Mail completed form with check (payable to FOCUS) to:
FOCUS, PO Box 180023, Coronado CA 92178
PROJECTS
MARSHA BUCKLEY BOYLE AND LYNN WALSH
LISA ALVES and LESLEY ANGELINO
FU
MEMERSHIP
CONIE BIENFAIT AND DOTTY TURNER
THE FOLLOWING PROJECT WAS
APPROVED IN MARCH
Urban Street Angels/8 WEST - $11,000.
Urban Street Angels is a volunteer driven, non-profit organization formed in 2008.
Volunteers travel out to Ocean Beach 4-6 times per month and walk the streets delivering
between 75-100 hot meals, bottles of water, clothes, socks, shoes, first aid equipment and
referrals for medical, psychiatric, housing and job help. They also try to establish a trust
with these kids. In 2015 they distributed 4,000 meals, 2,500 bottles of water, 1,000
hygiene kits, 800 sleeping bags and backpacks. Every Tuesday they bring around 30 kids
back to their shelter in San Diego where they shower, get a change of clothes, socks and
shoes. They also have medical checks by qualified volunteers. After eating dinner, they
clear away the tables and put down sleeping bags on the floor and spend the night,
waking to a hot breakfast, then back to the streets.
Last year they launched a second initiative, 8
WEST. This is an 18 month transitional
program designed to give homeless youth a
hand up with employment and supportive
housing. The kids live and work together,
hand crafting and marketing a unique line of
organic and fair trade 8WEST soap. They
learn entrepreneurial skills as they make,
market, sell and merchandise their soap.
They learn responsibility, accountability and
work ethics. All skills that help in future job
placement. Their ultimate goal is to be fully
sustainable through the sales of the soap.
Funding is for: Food, water, sleeping bags,
clothes, socks, shoes, hygiene kits, first aid
kits, back packs, soap making supplies and
35 cots.
www.8west.org
www.urbanstreetangels.org
FOCUS Projects team with Dustin, an 8 West
Participant.
THANK YOU FOCUS!
MARSHA BUCKLEY BOYLE AND LYNN WALSH
MEMERSHIP
CONIE BIENFAIT AND DOTTY TURNER
Vista Hill Parent Care
Hi all,
We just wanted to share this picture of the BEAUTIFUL mural and newly painted and
equipped childcare center at our ParentCare Central site. The staff, moms and children
are all thrilled. One of the mom’s commented “it looks like a REAL childcare center, a
place I would love to have my children attend.”
Huge thanks to you all and especially to Lorna for her inspiration and personal attention
to the mural project. It is something we have dreamed of for a long time.
Check out the mural and our “shout out” to FOCUS:
With gratitude,
Sue & all of us at Vista Hill
Susan Schulte, MSW
Director, Foundation Relations
Friends of Vista Hill
EVENT PHOTOS
MARCH BREAKFAST MEETING AT CANDELAS
EVENT PHOTOS