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Dear Ventura County Community Foundation family,
Today I invite you to watch one of my favorite TED Talks of all time: Drew Dudley’s “Everyday Leadership.”
In just six minutes, Dudley reminds us that we are all leaders. We tend to associate leadership only with enormous achievements, defining moments or extraordinary individuals. When we do that, leadership starts to feel inaccessible, something reserved only for other people. But our capacity to change another person’s life, and our community’s future, is far greater than we realize.
Dudley describes the “lollipop moment”: a seemingly small interaction that makes a lasting difference in someone’s life, often without the person responsible ever realizing what they have done.
I remember a particularly challenging time in my own career when I wasn’t sure I could continue. At 11 o’clock one night, my mentor and colleague’s husband, David Luna, said to me, “Vanessa, you serve as keeper of the dream. You represent the dreams of thousands of people. Of course you can do this. There is no other option.”
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And that was it. From that moment forward, the resolve was inside me.
I also think about the colleague who invited me to a Rotary dinner years ago. That invitation is how I met my husband and the love of my life.
We simply never know the full impact of our actions.
Today, I invite you to think about your own lollipop moments. Who said something, extended an invitation, believed in you, or offered a small kindness that changed the direction of your life? And perhaps most importantly, have you ever told them?
When we pause to remember these moments and take the time to thank the people who created them, we do more than express gratitude. We help people recognize their own capacity to make a difference. We plant seeds of generosity, connection and everyday leadership.
I would love to hear about your lollipop moments. Reply to this message and tell me yours. It would be fun to create a VCCF “Lollipop Moments” gratitude board, a place to thank the people whose words and actions have shaped our lives and to spread a little more love throughout our community.
With gratitude,
Vanessa
Vanessa Bechtel, VCCF President & CEO
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Neighbors Helping Neighbors: Thank You for Showing Up!
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As we prepare for the seventh round of grant making, we want to thank everyone who has made the Ventura County Neighbors Support Fund & Coalition possible. Because of you, the Coalition has granted out over $1 million dollars to 44 organizations doing vital humanitarian work to serve families, frontline workers, and small businesses impacted by these challenging and overwhelming times.
Below, we would like to share messages of gratitude from some of the grant recipients you have helped to uplift over the last year. We hope you will take a moment to watch them and see the impact you have made in our community. From our 33 partners to you and the hundreds of community members who have contributed to the Neighbors Support Fund, we thank you.
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Also, please join us for our upcoming Virtual Lunch & Learn on October 15, featuring more inspirational examples of Neighbors Helping Neighbors here in Ventura County. You can register for the call today! And be sure to visit our website to learn more, apply for a grant or donate to the Neighbors Support Fund.
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Isabella Project September Steering Committee
Shared Vision, Shared Progress for Our Community’s Children
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The Isabella Project just held its September Steering Committee meeting, addressing some of the most recent updates and setting up the next chapter of the project. Attendees then worked through a SWOT analysis, identifying Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. This time of shared reflection reinvigorated our partners and left them ready to move forward stronger in the next phase of the Isabella Project!
And please join us for our upcoming Isabella Project Virtual Lunch & Learn on October 22, featuring First 5 Ventura County! Register here.
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We are excited to announce the awardees of the ArtLife Foundation Fund grant opportunity!
The ArtLife Foundation Fund supports programs and initiatives that advance artistic excellence and foster creativity in Ventura County. This competitive grant funds arts organizations and educational institutions who work to advance artistic excellence; support arts educators and programs; and promote the study of Joe Cardella’s life, artwork, creative philosophy or ART/LIFE Limited Editions. Congratulations to all the organizations that were awarded!
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme
Conejo Oaks Symphony Inc.
Focus on the Masters
IGNITE Collective, Inc.
Maple Parent Faculty Association
Museum of Ventura County
New Art City Theatre
Ojai Playwrights Conference
Oxnard Performing Arts Center Corporation
Village Voices Chorale
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Smith-Hobson Foundation Fund
Open Now!
The Smith-Hobson Foundation supports arts and cultural projects, such as those associated with fine and performing arts, arts education and access, museums and historical societies in Ventura County. The deadline to submit an application is October 6 at 5 p.m. PST, so be sure to submit yours soon!
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National DAF Day
Tuesday, October 8th!
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Thank you MICOP for 25 Years of Impact!
At our last Board Meeting, the VCCF Board approved $105,416.54 in grant funding to Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) to support its Living with Love program, which provides culturally and linguistically responsive mental health services and domestic violence support resources to underserved women and children. The program serves Indigenous Mexican, migrant and Latino families who often face significant barriers to accessing care, including language, cultural and financial challenges.
Through trusted community health workers, participants receive mental health education, safety planning, coping strategies and connections to local behavioral health and domestic violence services, helping families build resilience and access support before situations escalate. We are grateful for our community’s generosity and for the vital role MICOP plays in the health and well-being of our region.
MICOP was founded in 2001 by Nurse Practitioner Sandra Young in direct response to the urgent needs of the Indigenous Mixteco community in Oxnard. From that single act of response, MICOP has grown into an organization with 20 programs serving families throughout Ventura County and the Central Coast. Congratulations MICOP on 25 years of impact!
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Environmental Workforce Collaborative Highlight
When Partners Show Up, the Land and the Workforce Both Thrive
The VCCF-led Environmental Workforce Collaborative was recently featured in an article from Edison International, where The C.R.E.W. was highlighted for their hardworking efforts in reducing wildfire risks and helping to clean up our region’s habitats. The article details the long-term impact that The C.R.E.W. has had on the lives, careers and passions of the young adults who are a part of the program, helping to create the next generation of environmental stewards.
The EWC is a partnership between The C.R.E.W., Safe Passage Youth Foundation, the Santa Monica Mountains Fund, the Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council, Los Padres ForestWatch, and the Ventura County Community Foundation. This Collaborative was made possible by funding from Edison International.
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Congratulations to 805 UndocuFund on being Assembly District 38’s 2026 Nonprofit of the Year!
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805 UndocuFund was selected by Assemblymember Steve Bennett as 2026 Nonprofit of the Year and recently recognized at this year’s Nonprofit Town Hall. VCCF was proud to partner on this event alongside Assemblymember Steve Bennet, Senator Monique Limón and CLU’s Center for Nonprofit Leadership. During the Town Hall, Assemblymember Bennett highlighted 805 UndocuFund’s vital support for our immigrant communities as inspiring and life-changing for our neighbors throughout the region. 805 UndocuFund was also one of the very first grantees of the Ventura County Neighbors Support Fund, a fund that provides humanitarian relief through trusted frontline partners.
To learn more about or contribute to the Ventura County Neighbors Support Fund:
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Earlier this year, VCCF also had a chance to sit down with Primitiva Hernández, Executive Director of 805 UndocuFund, for a video interview available on our YouTube. Explore our YouTube channel to learn more about the work being done by this incredible organization, as well as other organizations doing impactful work in our community.
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4001 Mission Oaks Blvd Suite A, Camarillo CA 93012
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