Joyce Jane Cammilleri lived a full and accomplished life as daughter, sister, wife, mother, teacher, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.   Her philanthropy, however, was one of the aspects of her life of which she was most proud.

During her lifetime, she took great joy in helping those in need.   After the sale of her company, JOICO Laboratories, in 2001 she founded the Joyce Jane Cammilleri Family Fund here at the California Community Foundation with the goal of giving to the following causes:

1. Assistance to organizations engaged in or supporting medical research;
2. Assistance to organizations serving children with disabilities;
3. Assistance to religious organizations, and
4. Assistance to organizations serving economically disadvantaged children.

Through the fund, Joyce and her family have supported numerous causes and organizations dedicated to creating a brighter and healthier future, including USC’s pioneering Brain and Creativity Institute. For more info on Joyce’s life, and to contribute any stories, memories, and photos of Joyce that you might have, please visit her online memorial at:

http://www.forevermissed.com/joyce-jane-cammilleri/

Please join us in honoring Joyce’s legacy of giving to the above causes.

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

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

ABOUT THE FUND

All donations received are directed towards research and treatment of young people suffering from mental illness such as depression, anxiety disorder, stress, issues of self-worth and self-harm psychosis and behaviour problems.

Dr. Anthony Kidman strived to help treat and integrate those suffering from mental illness within their families and society; and to remove the stigma and shame associated with mental illness. We at the Unit will continue his work and endeavour to keep his vision alive.

ABOUT THE FOUNDATION OF LIFE SCIENCES

The Foundation of Life Sciences was set up by Dr. Kidman which supports the work of the Health Psychology Unit at UTS, of which he was the Director. Donations can be made to continue his work and keep his vision alive. Donations are tax-deductible.

For more information about making a donation, please contact Vandana Bhushan, email: vandana.bhushan@uts.edu.au

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

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

About Gibson International Charitable Foundation

“The Gibson International Charitable Foundation strives to make the communities we serve into better places to live through active involvement and financial support for local organizations in need.” This is our mission statement and all of the agents at Gibson International have opened their hearts and embraced its message.

Throughout the year agents generously donate a portion of their commissions so that the Charitable Foundation can contribute to local organizations such as Heal the Bay, Dream Street Foundation, Venice Family Clinic, Guide Dogs of America, YWCA, Disabled American Veterans… and the list goes on and on.

In addition to the monetary donations, the agents at Gibson International also rally their efforts to donate household supplies to shelters, gather coats and blankets for the Mission Project downtown, make sandwiches for PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) and adopt Veteran Families during the Holidays. Giving back is part of who we are at Gibson International!!

Update for the Gibson International Charitable Foundation

Thanks to the generosity of the Gibson International agents, clients, family and friends, the Foundation was able to make grants to over 26 different local organizations to help people and animals in need.

During the Holiday Season the Gibson International Foundation continues to reach out to the community by adopting several veterans and their families and providing food and gifts to brighten their holidays, as well as donating coats and blankets to The Mission Project in downtown LA and collecting toys for children who might not otherwise receive a gift at the holidays.

For more information about Gibson International, please visit www.gibsonintl.com.

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

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

To combat the negative impact Proposition 209 has had for nearly two decades on the recruitment of underrepresented medical students, The Wyatt Family, and the UCLA/Charles Drew University Chapter of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) at the David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM) has partnered with the UCLA Black Alumni Association (UBAA) and engaged the Dean’s office, the financial aid office, alumni, faculty and the community to establish The Lacey E. Wyatt, M.D. MPH, Legacy Medical Student Scholarship.

The late Lacey E. Wyatt, M.D., MPH was a leader at UCLA in medical education, a treasured mentor to trainees and junior faculty, a clinician, devoted mother, daughter and sister working to improve the care of underserved populations in Los Angeles County. Dr Wyatt was Associate Director of the UCLA Family Medicine Residency Program and Associate Clinical Professor of Family Medicine.

The SNMA, UBAA, the DGSOM faculty and students and the Wyatt Family have united to build an endowed scholarship in Dr Wyatt’s honor. Her legacy of a caring, supportive and diverse academic community is embodied in this scholarship.

You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for the Lacey E. Wyatt, M.D., Legacy Medical Student Scholarship. Checks should be mailed to:

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

John Ondrasik of the band Five For Fighting launched a charity-driven Web site in 2007, whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com, the first music video community site that raised money for charitable organizations. Visitors to the site contributed by making and posting a video for the Five For Fighting song, “World,” or by watching videos on the site. The charities personally chosen by John Ondrasik included Augie’s Quest, Save The Children, Fisher House Foundation, Autism Speaks and Operation Homefront. This project raised over $250,000 for the designated charities.

In 2021, John became involved with many organizations performing evacuations from Afghanistan of American Citizens, SIV holders, Afghan allies, and persons of high risk. His Afghanistan withdrawal protest song “Blood on my Hands” became a viral voice for many Afghan veterans. These experiences led to launch a bipartisan mission Americans for Afghanistan.

Americans for Afghanistan Five for Fighting Mission Points:

1. Support NGO’s who are continuing to evacuate and rescue American Citizens, SIV holders, Legal Permanent Residents, Afghan allies, and person of high risk still trapped in Afghanistan.

2. Provide Support and Services for Afghan Veterans suffering from PTSD due to the abandonment of their Afghan allies.

3. Be a loud and clear voice on behalf of the women and children of Afghanistan who are suffering the greatest women’s and children’s rights retrogradation in recent history.

4. Magnify the voices of Afghan artists who have escaped the Taliban and call for an end to the suppression of music, free expression, and the arts in Afghanistan.

5. Support, highlight, and create relocation efforts for Afghan refugees around the world.

All donations to Whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com will serve charitable organizations that serve the Americans for Afghanistan five mission points. Recipients will include the Gary Sinise Foundation and The Afghanistan National Institute of Music. More beneficiaries will be added soon.

In partnership with the California Community Foundation, online contributions can be made here.

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

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

There are about 50,000 children in the foster care system in Los Angeles, most of whom have few, if any, financial resources. These children are eligible for financial assistance for special needs through the Special Needs Fund.

This fund was established in 2000 at the California Community Foundation to meet “special needs” — vital components of growing up that are out of reach for children in the foster care system. Special needs of the past have included: an article of clothing, a pair of glasses, limited dental care and tickets to a baseball game.

This fund is designed to fill in where no other resources are available to meet the needs of foster children. Judicial officers, attorneys and social workers may nominate a child in foster care for a grant up to $600 to supply childhood essentials.

Help us continue meeting the needs of these children.

The Special Needs Fund is a fiscal sponsorship fund of CCF Community Initiatives Fund, a California nonprofit public benefit corporation operated, supervised and controlled by the California Community Foundation.

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

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

Sherry Gordy, the daughter of Motown founder, Berry Gordy, created the Sherry Gordy Foundation in 2004 to assist underprivileged youth and young adults. Gordy, the mother of two sons, grew up in Southern California and is a businesswoman in the mortgage and real estate industries.

She turned her energies and life experiences toward the exploration of some of the nation’s best philanthropic programs and institutions, strengthening her dedication to form a foundation that will have a lasting impact on future generations.

The mission of the Sherry Gordy Foundation is to enhance the educational success, employment opportunities and emotional health of children and young adults who face economic, environmental or emotional challenges, through an array of programs that create opportunities to enable wise life choices.

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

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

Grandparents raising orphans has become common place in many sub-Saharan communities.  Seeing the extraordinary barriers these orphaned children faced, Mama Sarah Obama decided to roll up her sleeves and do whatever she could for orphans in her community.  She started with feeding programs, then adopted several orphans and eventually established the Mama Sarah Obama Foundation.

The Foundation’s mission is to improve the education and welfare of disenfranchised children in order to help them successfully achieve their goals and have a better future.  Today, Mama Sarah has developed a vision for her legacy that will build upon her actions, accomplishments and resources to make a lasting impression on the causes she believes in.  This vision is being implemented through her work at the Foundation, and includes the construction of an Early Childhood Development Center, Rehabilitation of a Primary and Secondary School, Construction of a Medical Center, and Establishment of the Mama Sarah Scholarship Fund.

For more information, visit www.MSOF.org.

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

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

The Muslim and Jewish Organized Relief (MAJOR) Fund believes that now, more than ever, bridges need to be built not only between the Muslim and Jewish communities in the United States, but among all communities of faith. Under no circumstances should decisions regarding immigration or any rights and privileges granted to citizens of or visitors to the United States be based on race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. The MAJOR Fund is committed to its founding principles of creating a meaningful interfaith community and together identifying global humanitarian needs and providing assistance through directed funding.

The MAJOR Fund is a unique alliance and partnership of Jews and Muslims; a close collaborative relationship of people from different faith backgrounds.  The founding members of MAJOR came together through their participation in a NewGround Fellowship. NewGround (A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change) works to create a world in which trust and partnership replace the current atmosphere of mutual suspicion among Muslims and Jews by equipping Muslims and Jews in America with the skills, resources, and relationships needed to improve Muslim-Jewish relations and cooperation on issues of shared concern.

The fundamental principles of our faiths, the Five Pillars of Islam and the Five Books of Moses, direct us to repair the world. We are turning our belief in these principles into action by identifying and funding projects throughout the global community. We seek to increase our sense of community and spirituality through personally meaningful work. Our goal is to assist people in need, regardless of their faith, in the critical areas of clean water, education and healthcare.

For more information, visit NewGround.

Project Update

The first project that we have identified to fund is a clean water project for an orphanage in Myanmar called Teikha Rama Nunnery. Teikha Rama Nunnery is in North Dagon with 100 orphan girls and boys and 200 day student boys and girls from the neighboring communities. Our project would provide clean, safe drinking water to the orphanage and school.

“Be a part of meeting the world’s greatest needs with your greatest gifts.” – Reverend Ed Bacon.

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

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

Fund Background

Recognizing the exorbitant cost to families of taking care of an adult loved one with a brain injury, The Keith Family Fund was established by Sharon Keith, a mother who experienced first-hand that resources were limited if the injured one was over the age of 18.

The Keith Family Fund plans to subsidize the cost of long-term residential care for adults who have acquired a brain injury as an adult. The fund will provide grants to nonprofit long-term residential care facilities (hereinafter referred to as the “homes”) to subsidize the care of patients selected by the nonprofit facility.

Sharon Keith has observed that there is adequate government assistance available to families whose members experience a brain injury prior to the age of 18, but little or no government assistance if the injury occurs after the age of 18. It is her intention that the fund’s distributions will lessen the economic hardship to families who are dedicated to the health and well being of their injured loved ones.

Fund Operations

The California Community Foundation (CCF) will invite select organizations, based on the recommendations of the Keith Family and CCF’s knowledge of the field, to be considered for a grant. Selected homes and other nonprofits will submit an application demonstrating how their client meets the fund criteria.

Overview

• Up to $36,000 per resident per year for nonprofit residential care facilities based on 50% of the average cost of care for a client in that facility. The grant amount will be reevaluated each year.
• Selected organizations will be eligible for multi-year funding commitments of up to 3 years of $36,000 – $90,000 per year per facility. Ideally, multi-year funding would be used by the home to provide more certainty on its ability to serve the same individuals each year and provide a level of stability for the individual and their family for care in the facility.
• Grants will be provided one year at a time with future year award eligibility determined based on receiving an annual report describing how funds were spent according to guidelines and describing the ongoing need for funding.
• Grants may continue if the organization is submitting reports describing proper use of funds to serve individuals qualified to stay in a brain injury home.
• Ultimately, homes will be reviewed every 3 years to determine that their status and financial situation still merits funding.
• Ideally, families will contribute financially to the costs of care in the facility and use of grant funds by the home will total no more than 50% of a family’s “out of pocket” expenses associated with a full-time care facility. “Out of pocket expenses” are defined as the monthly residence fees paid by the individual and charged by the brain injury home.
• Grants will not be used to cover personal medical expenses.

Eligibility

For eligibility, see the chart below:

Criteria To Apply

To Apply

For additional information on the Keith Family Fund for Brain Injured Adults, please contact Andres Telo at atelo@calfund.org or 213-452-6247.

Reporting Requirements

• Grantee organizations will be required to submit a grant reporting form online to CCF annually. The information provided on the form will be used to evaluate the fund’s activities and to better serve grantee organizations and individual recipients.