By Miriam Raftery

April 16, 2020 (Poway) – “The question I’ve gotten most often during this pandemic is `How can I help?’” says Steve Vaus, Poway Mayor and candidate for County Supervisor. “My answer is typically `Be there for your neighbors.’“  To facilitate this, Vaus has launched a website, AngelsWillHelp.com to help facilitate neighbors helping neighbors.

Rev. Shane Harris, local advocate for foster children, calls on Governor to extend foster care 180 days for youths aging out of the system

By Miriam Raftery

File photos:  Gov. Gavin Newsom and Rev. Shane Harris

April 13, 2020 (San Diego) – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a $42 million investment to protect foster youths and foster families impacted by COVID-19over the next three months, including $40.6 million in state general fund money and $1.4 million in federal funds.

The Governor is making more than $27 million available to help families stay together, nearly $7 million to support social workers and $3 million to support Family Resource Centers, among other expenditures.

By Mimi Pollack

April 1, 2020 (La Mesa) -- So far, 2020 has proven to be a disturbing year, and everyone’s anxiety has been heightened.  The majority of us are staying home and waiting.  I have been teaching my class at Grossmont College online and struggling along. Inspired by stories of folks helping others in these trying times, I also decided to take action in my own small way.

East County News Service

Photo by Rachel Williams: Syrian refugee children in El Cajon

March 29, 2020 (San Diego) – Refugees are among the hardest hit among our local residents impacted by COVID-19 shutdown orders. These are immigrants legally admitted to the U.S. after suffering war, famine, or other life-threatening hardships, primarily from the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

To help these new Americans, Partnership for Advancement of New Americans, in partnership with other refugee assistance organizations, has launched the San Diego County Refugee Assistance Fund.  Every penny will be donated directly to help a local refugee family.

You can donate here:  https://www.panasd.org/covidfund?fbclid=IwAR0sorX-O-fc-5H3hDa6fvN9TbmJqJ1fCEE3gPWR3_GRfDhyPl4mC8uB3-s

Their goal is to raise $100,000 so that they can support 100 families with grants of $1,000 each. In the first three days, over $80,000 has been raised.

According to their website:

"COVID-19 presents tremendous challenges for already struggling refugee families.

"The majority of San Diego’s refugee workers are in the restaurant, hotel, and transportation industries hardest hit by the pandemic. Even with the City of San Diego taking action to halt evictions, foreclosures, and utility shut-offs, people already struggling to make ends meet are now managing reduced work hours or furloughs, school closures, childcare challenges, and food scarcity. Community members have lost their jobs, drivers are facing major disruption with Uber and Lyft, and families have children that need to complete school assignments online, but don't have internet connectivity at home.

East County News Service

March 26, 2020 (San Diego) -- Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) has expanded its most vital programs to serve families and individuals of all faiths, background and ages, impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and wants San Diegans to know: Food, meals and transportation are available for those in critical need.

East County News Service

February 19, 2020 (Lakeside) – This Leap Year, the Lakeside Chamber of Commerce is hosting a “Leap of  Kindness Day.” The public is encouraged to drop off canned foods, dry goods and school supplies for people in need during the month of February to help people in need.   

Drop-off bins are located at the Lakeside Chamber of Commerce office as well as at Café 67, Mary’s Donuts in Lakeside, the German American Club in El Cajon, and Acai Addiction restaurant in Lakeside.

Donated items can be dropped off now through February 27^th, and will distributed to people in need on Leap  Day, February 29^th.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Rev. Shane Harris, courtesy of the People's Alliance for Justice

January 19, 2020 (San Diego) – Rev. Shane Harris, a former foster care youth, is emerging as a powerful voice for documenting and improving conditions for foster youths and those who have aged out of the foster care system.

He recalls turning 18 and being instantly homeless. “They dropped me off at B Street in downtown San Diego with an emancipation letter and one bag of clothes,” he has stated.” It wasn’t his first bout of homelessness. Harris had entered foster care at age 8, lost both parents, and ran away from one foster home earlier, winding up sleeping on the streets and couches of friends for six months. Now he wants to spare other young people from suffering similar ordeals.

Spring Valley resident Cassie Wells hailed for saving motorist’s life

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

Jan. 14, 2020 (San Diego) Actor and real-life cop, Henry Enrique “Erik” Estrada, who played the California Highway Patrol officer Frank “Ponch” Poncherello in the 1977-1983 tv show CHiPS, made an appearance at the CHP’s open house of their command center facility in Kearny Mesa on Jan. 10. 

(Pictured: CHP Chief Omar Watson with Erik Estrada - photos by Rebecca Jefferis Williamson)

 “I can get you out of a ticket,” quipped Estrada during his appearance. His humor matched with the celebratory spirit of the day and debut of the facility to the public.

By Miriam Raftery

December 15, 2019 (San Diego)-- San Diego Foundation Opening the Outdoors recently presented over $450,000 in grants for 13 programs that increase access to the outdoors for thousands of young people and local residents, also improving 17,000 acres of natural land and four miles of trails in San Diego County.

Recently, we interviewed Lydia Van Note, director of environmental initiatives for San Diego Foundation and Lacey Cannon, executive director of indigenous regeneration, a grant recipient working on tribal projects ranging from eco-building to creation of a food foraging forest. The tribe is also embarking on an ambitious project to plant a trillion trees using drones, helping to combat climate change.

The interview originally aired in October on the East County Magazine Show on KNSJ, 89.1 FM. Listen to the full interview by clicking this audio link, and scroll down for highlights.

East County News Service

December 21, 2019 (San Diego) – The ALS Association Greater San Diego Chapter has announced an anonymous donor in San Diego has pledged up to $50,000 in a matching year-end, donation challenge. This means every dollar donated to the ALS Association Greater San Diego Chapter until Dec. 31 will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $50,000, according to Steve Becvar, executive director, ALS Association Greater San Diego Chapter.

By Rebecca Jefferis Williamson

Dec. 13, 2019 (Alpine) The textured, marbled backstory of Alpine resident, June Kaufman, includes social outings with Jacques Cousteau, answering musician Bob Dylan’s fan mail, and wearing Jaclyn Smith’s clothes, not from her clothing line but from her donated outfits, given to a thrift store, after she wore them while working on the tv show, Charlie’s Angels.

Kaufman, born in 1940 in Oakpark, Illinois, moved with her parents to Coronado at age 2.  The family moved and she  grew up in Pacific Beach and La Jolla and even attended La Jolla High School with actress Raquel Welch.  “She was in my class,” said Kaufman.  But Kaufman, maiden name Snyder back then, got antsy; she skipped out of high school to move to Hollywood.

East County News Service 

December 12, 2019 (El Cajon) – The Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors (PSAR), a real estate trade group for San Diego-area realtors with an office in El Cajon, recently awarded $13,500 to four local nonprofits. The monies represented proceeds from two PSAR fundraising events held in 2019.

East County News Service

November 29, 2019 (El Cajon) – The ALS Association Greater San Diego Chapter will present the 11th annual ALS Golf Classic, a fundraising golf tournament, on Friday, Dec. 6 at the Singing Hills Golf Resort at Sycuan, 3007 Dehesa Road, El Cajon. The tournament is open to the public.