Coloring for Kindness Event
Lifeline was selected as the beneficiary for a "Coloring for Kindness" event on July 23 from 1:00 - 3:00 PM hosted by Swami's cafe. Come join artist, John Barge III & author, Donna Weber as we color for kindness to support Lifeline's mission of building self-reliance among youth, adults, and families. The kindness project coloring book/journal ($24.99) includes your choice of colored pencils, crayons, or markers.
Host a Dropbox for this Year's Back to School Drive!
Lifeline is committed to helping the youth in all of our community-based programs start the year off right. We know that for many students from low-income families, having the necessary supplies at the beginning of the school year helps remove barriers to learning. Join us this year in meeting our goal of collecting over 500+ brand new backpacks filled with supplies--- together we can make sure our youth and young adults start off the school year right! There are three ways you can help: 1. ShopourAmazon Wish List 2.Donate Online 3. Host your own back to school drive with your friends and family. Here are some tips and pointers on how to successfully host a dropbox at your office, neighborhood, or other places of gathering. (You can download a full donation drive kit/plan from the button below.) 1. Contact Anabel Melo, amelo@nclifeline.org / 760-842-6254 to sign up.She can also provide extras of the following: Electronic files or hard copies of posters or fliers to decorate your box/bin. Branded graphics and logos to allow personalization of marketing materials. Electronic or hard copies of a donation form for each donor to fill out when they drop off their backpack/supplies. This allows Lifeline to thank your donors and to ensure that they receive credit for their donations. Lifeline swag (limited quantities available) to give away to donors when they drop off. 2. Obtaina box or bin and place in a prominent location preferably with lots of foot traffic at your place of business, church, community center or your home. 3. Decorate the box. If possible, make the drop-off location area exciting (add balloons or streamers etc.) Smaller sized boxes/bins, as well as clear/seeing through boxes/bins give the appearance of fullness. A box/bin that appears full is more likely to entice donors to vie even more than a sad, empty box. You can replace with a bigger box as you receive donations. Below are some examples of boxes/bins: 5. Draftand forward an e-blast to your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and anyone you think would like to participate. Let them know they can purchase a backpack and/or supplies or they can make a donation online or buy supplies from Amazon’s Wish List. You can begin letting people know on July 10th that the collection dates are from July 19 through August 1. 6.Continue to spread the word, with updated e-blasts and social media and drive traffic to your box and Lifeline’s website and Amazon account. 7.Deliverbackpacks and all completed donation forms to Lifeline at200 Michigan Avenue, Vista, CA 92084 no later than Friday August 5th. Backpacks will be distributed to a variety of Lifeline clients on Tuesday, August 8th, one week before the start of school.
Zuniga's Story
Zuniga has been in Lifeline’s TYH, transitional housing program for nearly two years, and has put in a lot of work to learn independent living skills, maintain full-time work as well as make permanent connections in the community. During her time in this program, Zuniga has learned to stay on top of obligations and responsibilities, especially those related to independent living. According to Zuniga, what has been most helpful in the program, has been support from staff, case management meetings, and “tough love” that has helped her to take responsibility and learn ways she can be successful. “The staff has motivated me to keep going on being independent even when I was struggling and dealing with family issues and was not in a good place mentally.” Before entering the program, and even in the beginning of her time in the program, Zuniga says that she was struggling to hold a full-time job. As of March, she shares she will have been employed full-time with the same company for a year. Additionally, she is learning to budget and is preparing to purchase a car with the money she is saving. “I am thankful for the support and encouragement from LifeSpring and Lifeline Community Services on my journey to self-sufficiency.”
Lifeline Highlights the Month of May as Mental Health Awareness Month
One of our resident experts, K Thomas (LPCC, NCC (they/she)) is featured in two interviews discussing the importance of mental health, the services Lifeline Community Services provides, and information about human trafficking in San Diego County. In the May episode of Oceanside Spectrum KCOT, K discusses the challenges that youth have faced with their mental health, particularly since the onset of the pandemic, and the mission and services Lifeline Community Services provides. K is also a guest on the Diving into Healing Podcast from the San Diego Psychological Association. The episode gives an introduction to human trafficking and explores definitions of trafficking, common dynamics, local statistics, and how to identify and report an abuse. Please take some time this month to check in with your mental health, as well as those around you. Lifeline has many resources available for youth and families, including referrals to community partners and other organizations.
Lifeline Celebrates National Volunteer Month with Annual Volunteer Awards!
Volunteers are the heart and soul of Lifeline Community Services! This past month of April we had the opportunity to celebrate and highlight the amazing work they accomplished in the last year. Thank you to everyone who attended the Zoom presentation and was able to pick up lunch at the Vista Campus. Thank you to our Title Sponsor who made this event possible: Congratulations to this Year's Award Winners! We appreciate you! Outstanding New Intern Award Winner: Outstanding New Volunteer Award Winner: Happy Lifeliner Award Winner: Team Spirit Award Winner: Mission in Motion Award Winner: Attitude of Gratitude Award Winner: Passion and Purpose Award Winner: Mike Cavataio Volunteer of the Year Award Winner:
Julia's Story
Julia’s Story Julia is a client of Lifeline’s mental and behavioral health programs. She is still a teenager, but due to her mother’s unfortunate health issues, Julia is now the sole provider for their little family. Thankfully, Julia is a capable and hard-worker who maintains full-time employment. However, she is taking on a lot of responsibility, and just enrolled in community college so she can improve her career options. Over the years, Julia has also worked hard to overcome a history of childhood sexual abuse and multiple family disruptions due to Child Welfare Services involvement. She continues to work with Lifeline to receive the mental health support she needs to process her trauma, build coping skills, and make a better life for herself. Recently, Julia received support from Lifeline to help with food expenses. This allowed her to stretch her budget to purchase school supplies for her upcoming semester instead of worrying about how to budget for the next week’s meals. With support from Lifeline and our generous donors, Julia is looking forward to a successful, self-reliant future.
Rest Haven Supports Recent Universal Studios & Fleet Science Center Youth Field Trip
Lifeline's Club Crown Heights (CCH) youth had the opportunity to take a field trip to Universal Studios and the Fleet Science Center thanks to the support from grant funder, Rest Haven Children's Health Fund. Field trips like these help provide CCH youth an afterschool outlet that helps build skills and plan for successful futures.
SDG&E Expands Resources for Youth STEM & Outdoor Outreach Programs
A recent grant from SDG&E supports Club Crown Heights (CCH) youth STEM programs like Outdoor Outreach! Club Crown Heights programs are aligned within a Positive Youth Development model, “Triple E”. Triple E focuses on Education, Employment, and Civic Engagement. In 2016, Club Crown Heights launched a STEM Education Project that encourages students to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math subjects. We are grateful for corporate partners like SDG&E who help make programs like this possible.
Lifeline Hosts COVID-19 Vaccination Day - March 4
Lifeline Hosts COVID-19 Vaccination Day & Weekly Testing Lifeline continues to provide BOTH testing and vaccine clinics in partnership with the County of San Diego every Thursday from 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM at ourVista location (200 Michigan Ave.) In partnership with the North County LGBTQ Resource Center and TrueCare, Lifeline will also be hosting asingle-day vaccine clinic on March 4 from 2:00 - 5:30 PM at Lifeline's Vista location (200 Michigan Ave).
Genentech Helps Bridge STEM Education Gap for Youth
Genentech Helps Bridge STEM Education Gap for Youth Genentech is a longtime and valuable partner of Lifeline Community Services and Club Crown Heights! The Club Crown Heights STEM Education Project was made possible through the very generous funding that launched the program in 2016. Since then, Genentech has continued to support the program allowing Club Crown Heights to consistently increase the size and the scope of the project which addresses the disparity in STEM education for low-income youth, an issue especially prevalent for Hispanic youth and girls of all ethnicities. Genentech staff volunteer their time, talents, and expertise to the tutoring program, reading groups, and lead STEM educational activities. Additionally, Genentech’s leadership – especially that of Paul Garza, Genentech Director and Lifeline Community Services Board Member, and Jaime Gonzales Vallejo, Genentech Upstream Manufacturing Supervisor and Lifeline Community Services Board Member – continue to provide vital support that is enabling Club Crown Heights youth to overcome obstacles, succeed in school, and go on to successful careers. Genentech has continued to provide vital support that makes the Club Crown Heights STEM Education Project possible. Thank you, Genentech!