The Jennifer Taylor Honick Foundation was established by Gigi Michaels in 2000 through The California Community Foundation (CCF), in memory of her daughter Jennifer as a continued celebration of her life and many accomplishments.

Current Project

As an advocate for the disability community, the foundation is currently serving as a fundraising, marketing & development partner for Whirlwind Wheelchair International. We are proud to be a part of an organization that focuses on producing durable, low cost wheelchairs which are distributed in over 60 countries worldwide, while contributing to sustainable local economic development. Whirlwind also makes the proper fitting of the wheelchairs a priority above all else. The RoughRider wheelchair was specifically designed to enable people with physical disabilities to navigate the rugged terrain that is often a major issue in developing countries that would otherwise make independence through mobility inaccessible. The gift of a wheelchair helps those with disabilities to develop a true sense of independence by providing them access to education, social engagement and work opportunities.

“We believe that all children, regardless of their abilities or circumstances should have an opportunity to share in educational and social experiences that enrich their hearts, minds, bodies and souls. And inclusion is one of the most important gifts we can give any child at risk.”

With your support we look forward to continuing to do just that!

THE JTH FOUNDATION is proud to have contributed to many other projects over the years that have included:

SHELTER DEVELOPMENT

• THE RAIN SHELTER IN CAMARILLO ~ a transitional home for displaced families where two rooms have been built in memory of Jenny.

SCHOLARSHIPS & GRANTS

• EVERYBODY DANCE ~ Grants for inner city dance program for at-risk youth
• THE WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL DANCE TEAM ~ Scholarships for at-risk youth
• THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED YOUTH of MARIN COUNTY ~ Scholarships for visually impaired teens
• THE SANTA BARBARA YMCA ~ Scholarships for at-risk youth
• LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT ~ Scholarships for disadvantaged youth

PROGRAM FUNDING / SPECIFIC SUPPORT

• CANINE COMPANIONS FOR INDEPENDENCE ~ A non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs at no charge to the recipient.
• THE CONEJO VALLEY FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE ~ The Friendship Circle is a non-profit organization that addresses the challenges facing the families of children with special needs in a novel and innovative way.
• THE STEPHENS HOUSE ~ A transitional programs for young adults with disabilities.
• MENDING KIDS INTERNATIONAL ~ non-profit organization that provides surgeries to children across the world while training local medical communities to become self-sustaining.

As a donor directed fund, virtually all monies donated are designated directly to people in need. Only 1% of the total fund is used to provide for administrative purposes, which is why CCF was chosen to manage the JTH foundation. As we continue to build the endowment, we look forward to providing many more opportunities for children in need.

If you would like to make a secure, tax-deductible donation online, just click on the donation button located below and know that you will be helping to make a difference in the life of someone in need.

You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for the Jennifer Taylor Honick Foundation for Humanity.

You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for the Jennifer Taylor Honick Foundation for Humanity. Checks should be mailed to:

California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

The Jennifer Beltran Lopez Colibri Scholarship Fund supports underprivileged youth who wish to continue their education through high school and college. Help us raise $40,000 to award annual scholarships.

Jenny Beltran Lopez was a middle school teacher and an activist who believed in helping underprivileged children. A Stanford graduate, Jenny became inspired to teach in Redwood City’s low-income community, launching several programs to inspire her students to go to college.

Jenny and her teaching partner, Lubia Sanchez, worked with their seventh and eighth grade students to foster community building, goal-setting and the life skills necessary for them to be successful learners and leaders. They emphasized community involvement, showing their students how community service could improve their lives.

Jenny and Lubia told their students the Aztec tale of the fighting spirit of the hummingbird, or colibri. To her fellow teachers and her students, Jenny, who lost her battle with cancer at age 30, was like the warrior hummingbird.

She inspired her students to get a college education so that they could better their lives and follow Jenny’s lead in fighting for equity and justice. Jenny hoped her students would return to their community, working to improve city and local services and inspiring others as she had.

You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for the Jennifer Beltran Lopez Colibri Scholarship Fund. Checks should be mailed to:

California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

The Jean Kim Cortés Scholarship Foundation supports the love and passion that Jean had for the arts by supporting students in the Los Angeles Unified School District in continuing their study of music beyond high school. Jean’s hope was that that one day they, too, could play on the stages of the Music Center, the Hollywood Bowl or in any venue to which they aspired. By supporting the Scholarship Foundation, you will be contributing to Jean’s wish to provide students with the resources to pursue and realize their dreams in the arts.

About Jean Kim Cortés

As an immigrant student who arrived in the US when she was 14 years old, Jean’s love of the creative arts led to her graduation from UCLA with a degree in the arts. Later, she went on to become an elementary school teacher where she assisted immigrant students in making the transition to a new language and culture.

For 30 years Jean brought her creative talent and personal experiences to hundreds of students in the La Cañada and Los Angeles Unified School Districts. As an advocate for children, her love of the arts allowed her to enrich the classroom experiences of her students. Whether it was painting, singing, dancing, performing class plays, or creating an Opera Club, Jean’s energy and devotion stirred the inner artist in the hundreds of kindergarten and first grade students she taught.

In 2009, Jean retired when she was diagnosed with Thymic Carcinoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. Despite being told she had only a short time to live, her relentlessness and resiliency provided the strength for her to become involved and assist in many music programs within LAUSD.

The goal of the Jean Kim Cortés Foundation is to carry on her legacy of touching and changing lives through the arts.

You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for the Jean Kim Cortés Scholarship Foundation. Checks should be mailed to:

California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

The Jason Mraz Foundation helps sustain organizations aligned with Jason’s pillars of service:

HUMAN EQUALITY 

Free The Slaves: Liberating slaves around the world, helping them rebuild their lives, and researching real world solutions to eradicate slavery forever.

True Colors Fund: Seeks to inspire and engage everyone, particularly the straight community, to become active participants in the advancement of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality.

ARTS AND EDUCATION

VH1 Save The Music Foundation: Developing long-term, sustainable instrumental music programs that provide children access to music, regardless of financial situation.

School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community (SPARC): Inspiring young people to reach their full potential through quality training in the performing arts.

Free the Children: Helping driven and passionate youth at home engage in social issues contributing to the developing world.

ENVIRONMENT PRESERVATION

Surfrider: Dedicated to protecting our world’s oceans, waves, and beaches.

NRDC: The Natural Resources Defense Council’s purpose is to safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.

RECOVERY & ASSISTANCE

Life Rolls On: Dedicated to improving the quality of life of young people affected by spinal cord injury and utilizing action sports as a platform to inspire infinite possibilities despite paralysis.

MusiCares®: Providing a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need.

 

Stay connected to Jason:

Official Site – www.jasonmraz.com

Facebook – www.facebook.com/jasonmraz

Twitter – www.twitter.com/jason_mraz

You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for the Jason Mraz Foundation. Checks should be mailed to:

California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Los Angeles Times columnist Jack Smith and his wife Denise (Denny) were married for more than 50 years. In 1996, this fund was established at the California Community Foundation in their memories.

You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for the Jack & Denny Smith Memorial Fund for Literacy. Checks should be mailed to:

California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

We are PASSIONATE about music, fashion and creativity! Because of that, the Hot Topic Foundation’s mission is to support organizations which promote, encourage and educate teens and young people in the areas of music, fashion, arts and individual expression. The Hot Topic Foundation was founded at the California Community Foundation in 2004 and has granted about $8 million to more than 100 organizations throughout the U.S.

You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for the Hot Topic Foundation. Checks should be mailed to:

California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Ernest Lieblich was an avid supporter of children and the arts for many decades. His contributions over the years supported diverse organizations dedicated to providing children with the tools of self-expression through music and art.

Continue Ernest’s support of organizations providing much-needed services to those in need by contributing to his fund.

About Ernest Lieblich

Ernest was drawn to the arts at an early age when he would recite Shakespeare to his family at home in Germany. When he turned 16 his voice changed to a base baritone and he promptly started singing for any audience he could find.

As a young man Ernest was caught in the tumult of World War II and although he had always supposed he would have a singing career, life found a safe haven for him in Portugal with his brother and sister.

Years later Ernest emigrated to the United States, first landing in New York, and working as a busboy near the West Village. He soon got a job as a singing waiter in a Jewish resort for the summer.

Drafted into the army in the early 1940s, Ernest was trained as a combat engineer, but it was discovered he could play the organ and he was re-assigned to Los Angeles where he spent the duration of the war.

Settling in Los Angeles after the war, Ernest began a long and successful business career culminating in his establishment of Food Craft, the pioneer in coffee and refreshment service for commercial businesses in Los Angeles.

Financial success allowed Ernest to pursue his love of music and the arts by supporting organizations that valued musical education for children as a cornerstone to enriching children, families and society.

Ernest was a strong supporter of more than 50 different organizations. Here are a few:

• Best Friends: A sanctuary for abused and abandoned animals.
• The Colburn School of Performing Arts: A premier Los Angeles performing arts school.
• Children of the Night: Rescuing America’s children from prostitution.
• City Hearts: Provides free classes in performing arts, literacy and visual arts for children.
• Covenant House: Provides shelter and other services for homeless youth.
• Harmony Project: Provides music education for children.
• The HeArt Project: Linking teenagers with professional artists and communities.
• Heart Touch: Trains individuals to deliver compassionate care to homebound or hospitalized, men, women and children.
• INCA: A Peruvian music and dance ensemble.
• Institute for Harmonic Science: A research institute that investigates the therapeutic effects of music.
• KCET: The public broadcasting station for Los Angeles.
• Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center: Supporting programs for homeless kids and  youth.
• Special Olympics: Creating a world of acceptance.
• Teach for America: Dedicated to ending educational inequity.
• Young Artists International: Dedicated to the continuity of the great tradition of classical music

You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for the Ernest Lieblich Foundation. Checks should be mailed to:

California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

The Dr. Irving Rappaport Memorial Fund intends to support the Dr. Irving Rappaport Endowed Chair in Head & Neck Surgery at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine in order to honor Dr. Rappaport’s commitment to the medical community.

Irving Rappaport passed away peacefully at home, at the age of 90, on Saturday, January 10, 2015, surrounded by his family. His life until that time was anything but passive. It was a life filled with activity and accomplishments.

Irving grew up on the rough streets of the West Side of Chicago, as on of the four sons of Russian and Polish Jewish immigrant parents. he began his quest for higher education at Crane Technical High School in Chicago, then studied at the University of Louisville School of Dentistry for his D.M.D. in 1947, and received his M.D. from the University of Illinois in 1953. After completing post-graduate in oral and plastic surgery, he and his wife, Julia, settled in California where he worked in an academic setting as well as a private practice. He became known and respected as a surgeon in the field of head and neck surgery, and possibly his most notable achievement was establishing the Center for Disorders of the Head and Neck at the University of California, Irvine.

Irv was a patriot and served his country as an officer in the United States Navy.  After his honorable service and discharge, he was later called back to service as the Medical Affairs Officer for Operation HARDTACK, the United States Navy’s High Altitude Nuclear Bomb Test program in 1958. He continued in the U.S. Naval Reserve, where he became Consultant to the Commanding Officer of the U.S Naval Hospital at Camp Pendleton, CA from 1964-1970.

Irv and Julia were married in 1952 at the SAE Chapel on the campus of Northwestern University. Their eldest son, James, was born in Chicago in 1954. After moving to California, they had four other children: Valerie, Janet, Richard, and finally, Steven born in 1964.

Always an active traveler from his early years, Irving visited countries on every continent accompanied by Julia. They shared their stories and pictures with friends, family, and their community. Irv was an aficionado of camera equipment and photography.  He also shared his wife’s interest in horticulture, eventually hosting the University of California, Riverside Avocado Breeding Project on their property; and having an avocado named after them, “the Regal R”. Irv had a passion for ethnic foods and beverages, which he shared with his family at evening meals and Sunday brunches.

In addition to his professional contributions, Irv was dedicated to community service and was named Honored Citizen of Orange County in 1968. He served on the Board of Directors for the Opera Pacific, the International Visitors and Protocol Foundation, and was a charter member of the Center Club.

Irving is survived by his wife of more than 62 years, Julia, as well as his five children and their spouses: James (Marilyn), Valerie (Thomas Byrd), Richard (Wendy), Janet, and Steven.  His survivors also include his grandchildren: Julia, Thomas, and Daniel Byrd; Drew and Brett Rappaport; Kailey, Amanda, and Noelle Rappaport, and Nolan Kretschmer.

A visitation will be held from 2:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. on Sunday, January 18, 2015, at the Fairhaven Memorial Park and Mortuary, 1702 Fairhaven Avenue, Santa Ana, California 92705.

The funeral service will commence Monday, January 19, 2015, at 9:30 A.M., and will be immediately followed by the burial with military honors, at the Waverly Chapel of the Fairhaven Memorial Park and Mortuary, 1702 Fairhaven Avenue, Santa Ana, California 92705.

You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for the Dr. Irving Rappaport Memorial Fund. Checks should be mailed to:

California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Camille Prezioso Toomey passed away Sept. 5, 2003. Born in New York City, she was a graduate of St. John’s University in New York. Camille held management positions at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, The Navy Exchange, TRW, Burndy, Xerox and IDC. She made time to serve as the president of the Rolling Hills Country Club Women’s Golf Club.

While earning her college degree, Camille worked full time. She understood the value of effort, desire and commitment. As she relocated with her husband a half-dozen times, Camille sacrificed her personal goals for her family. However, she was still able to find management positions in each new community.

Camille believed that helping an individual person helped our society as a whole. She felt that every young person who received assistance would help another later in life. She believed strongly in the American dream and looked for ways to pass that dream on to others. She treated all people as her friends, and looked for ways to help everyone.

The Camille P. Toomey Scholarship Foundation provides financial assistance to students of any age who need money, encouragement and support.

Of particular interest are students who return to school after suspending their college studies because of circumstances beyond their control. In addition, students who embrace Camille’s ideology of helping others, and provide assistance when such opportunities present themselves, greatly honor her memory.

Encourage and support students through the Camille P. Toomey Scholarship Foundation by contributing to this fund.

You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for the Camille P. Toomey Scholarship Foundation. Checks should be mailed to:

California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

The California ABLE Fund is a forward thinking partnership between the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE), Californians Together, with the California Community Foundation (CCF) serving as fiscal sponsor.

The California ABLE Fund addresses the needs of California’s over 1.3 million K-12 students who are English Language Learners.  The mission of the California ABLE Fund is to increase donor engagement and philanthropic dollars in order to build ongoing funding for leadership and educational projects, which develop and advance biliteracy and high academic achievement for English Language Learners.

The purpose of the California ABLE Fund is to provide opportunities for supporters and new prospective donors to join in a collective impact on the educational development of English Language Learners, with options to utilize untapped funding vehicles for planned giving.  This will be accomplished by growing a two-pronged philanthropic effort: (1) Fund for current projects that support the mission and purpose of the California ABLE Fund; and (2) Endowment Fund to advance the mission and purpose of the California ABLE Fund into perpetuity.  The California ABLE Fund is the dream of CCF donor, Sandra K. Anderson, in partnership with the California Association of Bilingual Education (CABE) and Californians Together.

The California ABLE Fund Founding Advisory Committee – (Left to Right) Felipe Agredano-Lozano, MTS, Senior Adviser; Sandra K. Anderson, Founder; Shelly Spiegel-Coleman Executive Director of Californians Together; and Jan Gustafson-Corea, Chief Executive Officer of CABE. (Not pictured) Laurie Olsen, Treasurer of Californians Together; and Raul Maldonado, Director of Financial Affairs of CABE.

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/CaliforniaABLEfund

Follow us on Twitter: @CalABLEfund

Email us at: CalABLEfund@gmail.com

You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for the California ABLE Fund. Checks should be mailed to:

California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012