Frank Motors Group recently sponsored the 12th annual Big Night on Ice at downtown Horton Plaza’s ice rink to benefit the Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County. More than 300 Bigs and Littles attended the event to enjoy a night of ice skating, a meet and greet with San Diego Chargers Jeromey Clary and Nick Hardwick and to eat Jack in the Box chocolate overload cakes.
Cavignac & Associates, a local risk management firm, and its employees donated $16,500 to benefit local San Diego charities during this holiday season. For the 15th year in a row, the employees of Cavignac & Associates pooled their funds to help those less fortunate, donating to 17 San Diego nonprofits as part of the company’s annual “Charity Fund” employee gift-giving program.
San Diego’s Westgate Hotel transformed into a winter wonderland recently during the hotel’s annual Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration and Fundraiser. All proceeds will benefit the nonprofit Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra. Holiday carols were performed by Caprice, an ensemble from the North Coast Singers.
Helen Woodward Animal Center’s annual Frosty Farm event was held recently with Pebbles, the holiday hog, making his debut. The center’s mission is to provide a variety of services that benefit the community through educational and therapeutic programs for people, and humane care and adoption for animals. The center is a no-kill facility that receives no government funding and relies on contributions from private donors to continue its life-saving mission. To help, please visit the Orphaned Objects Resale Store at the facility in Rancho Santa Fe Center.
Kineticom Inc., a San Diego-based staffing firm, recently hosted the fourth annual Home of Guiding Hands BBQ. The Home of Guiding Hands, created in 1961, serves more than 800 children, adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities in San Diego.
Make-A-Wish San Diego announced that Spinal Elements Inc., a San Diego-based spine technology company, is the recipient of the Make-A-Wish San Diego 2014 Corporate Partner Award, which acknowledges a corporate partner who has played a major role in granting 201 wishes during FY14. Spinal Elements has donated almost $100,000 to Make-A-Wish San Diego and has given additional support to Make-A-Wish chapters in San Francisco, Houston, Idaho and Colorado.
Jewish Family Service and Whole Foods Del Mar teamed up recently to raise funds for the Hand Up Youth Food Pantry. Through the efforts of Whole Foods Del Mar staff members and the generosity of its customers, the campaign raised more than $15,000. The JFS Pantry can provide more than 70,000 meals to San Diegans facing hunger this holiday season.
The Rancho Bernardo Community Foundation, an affiliate of The San Diego Foundation, recently awarded $67,000 to Rancho Bernardo nonprofits and schools. The event was attended by more than 350 community members with a grant focus of “civic engagement and leadership.”
Casa Familiar announced the grand opening of the San Ysidro Cox Communications Tech Center. The Cox Tech Center provides free Internet service to low-income families in San Ysidro and is made possible through a grant from Cox Communications San Diego. Cox Communications will also provide a total of $1,250 in scholarships to children who regularly attend the Cox Tech Center.
From now until Jan. 15, Just in Time for Foster Youth is running its My First Home for the Holidays campaign. This campaign helps dozens of transitioning youth transform empty apartments into safe and comfortable homes. The group looks to the community to help in giving either a cash donation, gift card to a department store or household items. For information, contact Jamie Inarda at jamie@jitfosteryouth.org.
Send Kudos/Giving items to sglidden@sdbj.com.