COMMUNITY: Friends of Children United Society holds 40th Anniversary RUBY GALA

March 23rd Military Salute at I Bar on North Island

FOCUS!

Impactful Caring & Giving

There’s No Place Like Coronado

By Angela Culbertson

There was a time in our Coronado history where during summer vacations, L. Frank Baum, the author of numerous storybooks on the Land of Oz, would read his stories aloud to children outside the Hotel del Coronado. His iconic stories were wonderful reminders for children to keep their dreams alive. Who can forget the cinematic image of Judy Garland’s Dorothy, whose overarching desire was to return home? After missing the balloon ride home to Kansas and still in the Land of Oz, Dorothy fell under the gentle spell of Glenda the Good Witch. Glenda waved her magic wand over Dorothy’s head, sweetly instructing Dorothy (who was still wearing the Ruby Red Slippers) to tap her heels

together, close her eyes and think to herself, “There’s No Place Like Home, There’s No Place Like Home, There’s No Place Like Home.”

Well, it’s 2022 and so much has been upended and displaced in our world. For those who want to see a better place for our children, it can feel like we have taken many steps backwards. Since the pandemic alone, the rise of homelessness saw an uptick. Amidst those numbers are children who, unlike Dorothy, have no place to call home. The numbers in San Diego County alone are staggering. If only there was a magic wand that could be waved above their heads to bring an end to the suffering of all children everywhere. We may not have the magic wand, but we do have FOCUS the Friends of Children United Society.

FOCUS raises funds for charitable purposes for the comfort and betterment of battered, abused, homeless, disabled, disadvantaged, military and foster children within San Diego County. Over the course of the past four decades, FOCUS has assisted over 100,000 children in need through 100+ aid agencies. This April, the organization is hosting the FOCUS 40th Anniversary RUBY GALA to celebrate 40 years of community engagement and support for San Diego children dealing with difficult circumstances.

The founding of FOCUS in Coronado by Rosemary Pettit was inspired by WAIF, a national organization that facilitated over 35,000 adoptions over the course of its history thanks to the undaunted efforts of actress Jane Russell. Ms. Russell created WAIF as a proactive response to the adoption complications she personally experienced while trying to adopt a child from overseas. Ms. Russell championed the passage of the Federal Orphan Adoption Amendment of 1953, which allowed, for the first time, children of American servicemen born overseas to be placed for adoption in the United States. Testifying before Congress in 1981, she spoke regarding the challenge to the newly enacted Adoption Assistance Act: “Do away with (the law) and we're right back where we started: warehousing kids as if they were spare tires... maybe losing them altogether when their records get stuffed in the wrong file.” Coronado resident Rosemary Pettit, after meeting Ms. Russell, was inspired by the work that Ms. Russell was doing through WAIF. Not long after Ms. Russell’s testimony took place, Ms. Pettit engaged members of the Coronado community and immediately set out to create a local organization that would endeavor to assist needy children and families across San Diego County, which eventually came to be known as FOCUS.

Recently, the pandemic challenged the organization to find creative ways to assist many children who were facing hunger and much worse. FOCUS, still based in Coronado, is 120 members strong and has made significant strides in assisting other organizations with gap funding for much needed purchases. This means they help agencies purchase needed items from meals to cargo vans.

Over the past few years, the organization has embarked upon an organizational reassessment. It began with the idea to update their website. To do this, the all-volunteer organization delved further into their giving parameters to assess their strengths to align consideration more adequately and realistically to the needs of agencies they have supported. Not only did the organization develop a new website, but through that project members became more dedicated to grow the organization with renewed purpose and vitality to expand its trajectory of supporting children’s service agencies in San Diego County. In 2022, they added a new category

FOCUS member Jeri Barsz delivered helmets to Armed Services YMCA for their Horse of the Sun Ranch.

of support to include corporate sponsorship. Also, to acknowledge the efforts of their first 40 years, members decided to award a special grant up to $40,000 of purchasing power to a San Diego organization that provides direct support to children in San Diego County.

As one listens to current President Pat Robitaille discuss the overwhelming number of applications for this year’s special grant, she felt compelled to tell me the very first one the selection committee reviewed brought tears to the eyes of the committee members.

The FOCUS 40th Anniversary RUBY GALA

is Sunday, May 15th from 5:00-10:00 p.m. at the Community Center.

In further listening to Ms. Robitaille, it is also noticeable that the organization is grateful and proud of its newest members who are poised to make 2022 a banner year. Her enthusiasm for the FOCUS mission is palpable as she is eager to see new members engage with the organization. She feels this will only serve to add more value to our region. She is a powerful voice who is committed to growing and serving the vision of FOCUS to aid as many children as possible in San Diego County.

The FOCUS 40th Anniversary RUBY GALA is an event that you will not want to miss. It’s not quite ruby slippers and there’s no story hour at the Hotel Del, but it's something better that directly supports the children of San Diego. On Sunday, May 15th is the FOCUS 40th Anniversary RUBY GALA will take place from 5:00-10:00 p.m. at the Coronado Community Center. On that evening, FOCUS will award a significant, onetime $40,000 purchase grant to a deserving organization. Your support of any of their worthwhile events goes directly to their mission.

If you have a heart for keeping alive the dreams of so many vulnerable children, please attend. You can also visit their website, focus sdkids.org to sign up and volunteer. Become a member and join other Coronado community members who make a difference in the lives of children through FOCUS.

• Angela Culbertson, freelancer & consultant, offers Art Walking Tours in Coronado & Arts District Liberty Station via the ArtWalks.Tours website.