Dear Friends,

Twenty-five years ago this month, our world changed in the span of an hour. But in the days and weeks that followed September 11, 2001, something else happened that we do not talk about often enough: strangers became neighbors. Lines formed outside blood banks. Firefighters drove toward danger instead of away from it. In our darkest hour, we discovered how much we needed one another.

I have been thinking about that this month because the same truth runs through everything we do at the California Community Foundation: Angelenos supporting Angelenos. Twenty-five years later, in a very different Los Angeles, we still reach for one another. The stories in this issue show what that looks like.
Sometimes the most meaningful legacies begin with a simple question: How can I help one person move forward?

For Peter and Violeta Pobjoy, that question became a way to honor their son, Kevin.

Kevin believed deeply in service, community and our ability to make a difference. Four years after his death, his parents wanted his generosity to continue reaching others. They considered creating a family foundation but ultimately chose CCF to establish a scholarship in his name. They trusted us to help turn their love for Kevin and their desire to serve into an opportunity for a student.

That student is Megan Ramos, a first-generation college student with a passion for biomedical science, national service and giving back to her community. Kevin and Megan never met, but the values they share created a connection across generations.

Megan will receive $25,000 annually for four years at UC Santa Cruz. The scholarship is also a powerful expression of faith in her potential—and proof that Kevin’s legacy continues to create opportunity.

Peter and Violeta wanted to make a meaningful difference in one person’s life. Through their generosity, they are doing exactly that.

CCF helps Angelenos support students pursuing higher education, realizing their potential and giving back to their communities.

In our last fiscal year alone, CCF awarded more than $5 million in scholarships. Each award reflects one Angeleno reaching toward another and saying: Your future matters. We believe in you. That same spirit—people helping people and Angelenos supporting Angelenos—runs through every story in this issue.

For residents affected by the Lineage fire, Adventist Health White Memorial became a place of care and refuge, providing emotional support, essential supplies and connections to services. Residents paid that support forward by traveling to Sacramento to advocate for contingency funds and stronger penalties to protect communities from future industrial disasters. Although those protections could not undo the harm they experienced, they fought for the people who may face the next disaster.

In Altadena, Black churches have offered that same kind of support for generations. Even after the Eaton Fire destroyed sanctuaries and the homes of many congregants, these churches continued to provide food, financial assistance, prayer and a shoulder to lean on. They hold the history and identity of Altadena’s Black community. Helping them rebuild will help that community remain rooted in the place it calls home.

More than 18 months after the Eaton Fire, members of the Every Fire Survivor’s Network turned their experience into action. They organized survivors across California, testified in Sacramento and rallied for protections for wildfire victims. Their voices helped shape the policies that will affect communities facing the next disaster.

At Alma Backyard Farms in Compton, people who have experienced incarceration are finding a new beginning. They are learning to grow food, build skills and give back to their neighbors. Just as important, they are surrounded by people who see their potential—not simply their past.

Planting. Rebuilding. Healing. Beginning again.

These stories come from different corners of Los Angeles, but they remind us of the same truth: none of us moves forward alone.

At CCF, that belief shapes how we work. We do not save communities. Communities support and strengthen one another. Our role is to listen, invest and help local leaders turn care into action and possibility into progress—because the community is our foundation.

The Pobjoy family shows how far one act of generosity can travel. A scholarship opens a future. A church anchors a community. A farm creates belonging. Survivors turn their experience into protections for people they may never meet.

This is what philanthropy makes possible when Angelenos invest not only in immediate needs, but in one another.

Restoration is not only about replacing what was lost. It is about helping one another build what comes next.
With gratitude,

Miguel A. Santana
President and CEO
California Community Foundation