Solana Beach Fund awards $15,000 in grants

The Solana Beach Fund, a part of Coastal Community Foundation of North County, recently awarded $15,000 to three local charitable organizations.

One of the recipients is PEP!, a pilot program that will help low-income preschoolers gain critical pre-kindergarten skills. The program is being conducted through Casa de Amistad, working with the Solana Beach School District, Head Start, and the Solana Beach Presbyterian Church.

Another recipient is the Youth Summer Leadership Camp sponsored by La Colonia de Eden Gardens Foundation. Approximately 60 “at risk” teen boys and girls will spend time at the Whispering Winds Conference Center in the mountains near Julian. There they will enjoy outdoor activities and learn from presentations led by MiraCosta College and San Diego County Office of Education Staff, and also by staff from MADD and San Diego Alliance for a Drug Free life.

The Trauma Intervention Program (TIP) will use its grant to provide public health services to Solana Beach residents. Volunteers will guide individuals to begin the grieving and healing process after a crisis. This reduces the possibility of severe post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and improves mental health.

The funds for these grants come from individuals who believe in the power of philanthropy to strengthen their community and who wish to donate to programs vetted by a committee of interested citizens, said Laura Fleming, chairwoman of the fund’s grant committee.

The Solana Beach Fund is a fund of Coastal Community Foundation, a nonprofit serving the North Coast for more than 25 years. Visit www.coastalfoundation.org.