Darin “Koncreet” McClintock – a healthy and loyal son, brother, husband and friend – unexpectedly passed away in August 2011 from Oxycontin use. The Darin McClintock Foundation was created in his honor shortly thereafter to combat the unknown yet lethal side effects of Oxycontin and other narcotic pain medication.
Since its inception, the foundation’s two goals have been:
1.) to educate doctors and the public on the domino effect of that first prescription
2.) to support rehabilitation from addictive prescription medication.
We are happy to announce that we have been successful on both fronts in our first year. With this controversial topic finally making its way into the media, we hope to gain momentum and continue our uphill efforts far into the future.
You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for the Darin “Koncreet” McClintock Memorial Fund. Checks should be mailed to:
California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Brenda Berman was a mother, philanthropist and selfless friend to many around the world. Whether living in New Zealand, Australia, Silicon Valley or Southern California, her life was dedicated to helping others – no matter their age, creed or culture.
Mission
Brenda had several interests throughout her dynamic life:
- Her concern for the environmental protection of the land, water and air.
- As her two beautiful sons grew and eventually ventured out on their own, Brenda had a desire to support women seeking an education in an effort to re-start their lives.
- Finally, Brenda’s life ended prematurely as she waged a proactive and courageous battle against triple negative breast cancer. One of her final hopes was that a cure be found to eradicate this dastardly disease from the face of the planet.
The Brenda Berman Family Foundation fund has been established to honor Brenda’s memory and her commitment in support of these three specific causes.
To make a secure donation online, click on the link below. You may also send checks payable to the Brenda Berman Family Foundation.
You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for the Brenda Berman Family Foundation. Checks should be mailed to:
California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
The Belkin Charitable Donation Fund supports local organizations providing essential services to youth and families in greater Los Angeles. This includes organizations such as:
- CFY LA (formerly Computers for Youth) provides low income students, their families and their schools with computers, training in using digital tools to expand learning time, and a powerful online learning platform to help close the achievement gap between the rich and poor.
- Children’s Hospital L.A., the largest hospital devoted to treating children in Southern California, CHLA provides the finest pediatric care in the nation, regardless of a family’s ability to pay.
- Habitat for Humanity L.A. works with donors and volunteers to offer low income families a hand up into safe, affordable housing in exchange for sweat equity. Habitat L.A. has built or renovated over 350 homes since 1990.
- The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank is at the heart of a food distribution network that provides food to over 1000 agencies feeding the hungry and food insecure across Los Angeles County. For every $1 donated, LARFB distributes $5 worth of food. In other words, $1 provides a meal to a family of four
You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for the Belkin Charitable Donation Fund. Checks should be mailed to:
California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
OUR MISSION
The Annette Funicello Research Fund for Neurological Diseases is dedicated to funding research into the cause, treatment, and cure of Multiple Sclerosis and other neurological diseases.
OUR HISTORY
Annette first noticed her MS symptoms in 1987 when she was making the movie “Back to the Beach”, a friendly spoof of her early sand-and-surf films that received both public and critical acclaim. Despite recurring symptoms, in 1989, Annette teamed up with long-time friend and Beach Party co-star, Frankie Avalon, for a successful year-long concert tour that re-lived the music and fun of the 1960’s. By 1992, rumors and gossip began to surface in the press after Annette’s MS symptoms became increasingly pronounced. It was then she decided to go public with her condition.
As she recalls in her book, “When stories about my MS came out, everyone gave me their love and prayers. I’m human, and sometimes I can’t help but ask, ‘Why me?’ But I believe that everything happens for a reason, and I know now that my mission is to help others raise funds for MS.” True to her word, in 1993 she established the Annette Funicello Research Fund for Neurological Diseases with a dream of finding a cure.
OUR ORGANIZATION
The Annette Funicello Research Fund for Neurological Diseases is a non-profit foundation with a specific interest in supporting clinical studies that seek to expose the underlying cause of Multiple Sclerosis and therapies that show promise of reversing the symptoms of this and other neurological diseases. Unlike most non-profits, we have no paid staff, which allows our organization to operate at little cost, and per Annette’s wishes, ensure nearly all donated funds are used for research purposes only.
Please visit AnnetteConnection.com for more information.
You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for the Annette Funicello Research Fund For Neurological Diseases. Checks should be mailed to:
California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
The Angelrock Project Foundation supports global programs for women and underserved youth from low socio-economic backgrounds in the U.S. and abroad, with a particular focus in South Africa.
In particular, the foundation sponsors Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service, a volunteer and educational program for youth from Brooklyn, N.Y. that begins with a two-week service mission to Johannesburg, South Africa. The year-long program allows youth to act as global ambassadors fully engaged in the world around them through education, service and advocacy activities. The program targets inner-city youth and has three main objectives:
- Expose them to world travel
- Promote active and ongoing community service projects
- Promote gratitude and excellence in education and beyond
In South Africa, The Angelrock Project Foundation specifically supports educational initiatives for orphaned and vulnerable children, provides nutritional support and sponsors income-generating programs for grandmothers who are raising their grandchildren due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
The Angelrock Project Foundation also supports breast cancer research, child abuse awareness initiatives and Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
The Angelrock Project Foundation is an affiliate fund of the California Community Foundation and supports the causes of The Angel Rock Project, an online e-village promoting volunteerism, social responsibility and sustainable change.
About Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service
With help from South African non-governmental organizations and U.S. supporters, 30 inner-city, at-risk youth from Brooklyn, N.Y. began their year of service in August 2008 and were led by humanitarian and activist Malaak Compton-Rock, wife of comedian Chris Rock. For two weeks, the group spent time in shantytowns of Johannesburg, South Africa, and worked with orphaned and vulnerable children and granny-led households. The youth volunteers also visited Johannesburg’s important monuments, museums and national parks through the support of South African Tourism. Named Global Ambassadors for one year upon their return, youth are involved in advocacy, educational and service activities through September 2009.
Journey for Change’s youth participants attend the Salvation Army Bushwick Community Center’s after-school program, the same center that Compton-Rock’s husband attended as a child. Since gang violence, illegal drugs and poverty is rampant in the participants’ neighborhoods, the community center serves as a haven by providing a safe, nurturing environment where youth can access tutoring, technology, recreational and nutritional programs.
Learn more about the project by viewing CNN coverage about the youth’s travels.
About the Angelrock Project
The Angelrock Project is an online e-village promoting volunteerism, social responsibility and sustainable change. It was created in 2008 by Malaak Compton-Rock to promote community service, humanity, peace, equality, social responsibility and sustainable change.
Learn more about the The Angelrock Project.
You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for The Angelrock Project. Checks should be mailed to:
California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Since 2003, in Abdi’s name, we have helped raise awareness and organized many Bone Marrow drives in partnership with City of Hope and Be The Match, operated by the National Marrow Donor Program and helped register more diverse people in the Marrow Registry to improve the chances of finding a match for any child anywhere in the world. We need more people to join the registry all over the world. The cure for blood cancer lies in the hands of ordinary people. Learn more by visiting www.bethematch.org.
With the help of our generous donors, we can do more every year! Here are some examples of how we have made a difference over the years:
- We have partnered up with a wonderful non-profit organization called the Dream Foundation to give life to final Dreams of many terminal Leukemia patients, improving the quality of their precious lives in ways medicine alone cannot. For example, in Abdi’s name: Theodore, 48 from Lake Owego, OR, Alva, 32 from Moreno Valley, CA and Miguel, 18 from Santa Ana, CA were able to create one final joyful memory with their loved ones at the happiest place on earth: Disneyland. Roene, 70 of Maine went on a memorable trip with her two sisters. We also sent Denise, 58 from Forked River, New Jersey to Graceland with her husband. Tracie Ann, 32 was able to travel to Hawaii with her wonderful mother.
- Every year we have helped pay for the expenses & treatment of impoverished children suffering from leukemia in Iran as well as financial support to their families through a wonderful non-profit, non-governmental organization called MAHAK.
- We have sent kids diagnosed with leukemia/brain tumor/cancer along with their siblings to the summer Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, which is a place where kids with cancer can be kids again, play outside and have fun like any healthy kid.
- We have given grants to City of Hope’s Sheri & Les Biller Patient & Family Resource Center that help Leukemia patients through pain & palliative care physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, spiritual care chaplains, healing arts workshops, social workers, spiritual care chaplains, healing arts workshops, peer support groups, health information, complementary medicine, nutrition education, etc.
- With the help of another amazing non-profit organization called Challenged America (our non-profit fiscal sponsor) that provides wheelchairs, etc. to kids with disabilities, we were able to hold fundraising events in Abdi’s memory and raised enough money to donate tens of thousands of dollars to the Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Center at Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach, which provides comprehensive treatment and research for children and their families who are fighting cancer or a serious blood disorder. They provide psychological testing, late effects follow up, and counseling to assist children facing school and social issues as a result of fighting a life-threatening disease.
- We sponsored children suffering from leukemia in the Annual Champions Run for Life as well as sponsored “A Day in the Playroom” for one week in the pediatric hematology-oncology unit, which benefited the Jonathan Jacques Children’s Cancer Center at Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach: They provide comprehensive treatment and research for children and their families who are fighting cancer or a serious blood disorder.
- We have sent grants to the City of Hope Clinical Social Work Dept to help alleviate financial pressures on leukemia patients’ families in need.
- We have made contributions to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, as well as to “Challenged America”
- We are continually looking for ways to make a difference now in the lives of those suffering from leukemia in our beloved Abdi’s name and are grateful for the incredible support you have shown us; hope you will continue to support us in our endeavor for years to come.
About the Fund
Abdullah “Abdi” Towfigh’s journey started on July 9, 1973, when he was born to Iranian parents traveling in Akron, Ohio. He was a fun-loving, energetic and kind-hearted human being who enjoyed life to the fullest. He was a loyal friend and a unique, bright and courageous individual whose personality exuded love and excitement.
After the 1979 Iran Revolution, the Towfigh family immigrated to France and then to the United States in 1980. Abdi lived in America until his sudden, early death on Oct. 10, 2003, from leukemia. He was only 30 years old.
Abdi attended UCLA as an undergraduate student and went on to earn a law degree from USC Law School. In 1999, he began his legal career with Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker in Los Angeles.
Abdi had a closely-knit circle of friends who were incredibly supportive. A former colleague’s eloquent words embody the degree of appreciation and respect those closest to him feel:
“I met Abdi Towfigh as his client and he [soon] became a friend. He was one of those rare individuals who seemed to operate quite effortlessly at a spiritual level that I continue to aspire to in my life. As a member of the Paul Hastings team, he personified all of the positive attributes expected from someone working at such a major legal concern: strong, fit, handsome, confident, articulate, intelligent, effective and distinctive. But what most impressed me were those qualities so rarely found in such a naturally gifted human being: warmth, concern, humility, kindness, consideration, appreciation and respect. At 30, he was engaged in a promising career and so very full of life. And then, just a few weeks after he suddenly fell ill and took a medical leave of absence, he was gone — a victim of the ravages of leukemia.”
With help from Abdi’s former firm, Paul Hastings, the Towfigh family in 2003 created the Abdi Towfigh Fund to Fight Leukemia in his memory. Fund proceeds provide hope and help to children and others who suffer from this dreadful illness.
You may also send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, noting that the donation is for the Abdi Towfigh Fund to Fight Leukemia. Checks should be mailed to:
California Community Foundation
717 W Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012