Awards from New Foundation Donors

I am very excited to announce that among Sunny Hills’ new donors thus far for our current fiscal year are two prestigious foundations, the Irene S. Scully Family Foundation and the Albert & Elaine Borchard Foundation. As new supporters of the agency, both have given significant gifts to programs at Sunny Hills.

The Irene S. Scully Family Foundation has donated $10,000 for program support at the Marin Academic Center (MAC). MAC is one of Sunny Hills’ longest standing programs; there have been children in this program for over thirty years. MAC is a California certified nonpublic school serving children ages 5 to 15 whose educational and behavioral challenges are too acute to be handled in traditional public school environments. MAC provides high-quality, individualized education that addresses each student’s needs, and builds upon their interests and fundamental desire to learn and grow. Serving children from throughout the Bay Area, MAC aims to move their young clients, when ready, into less restrictive academic environments in their local public schools. I am particularly pleased that this excellent historic Sunny Hills program is receiving this recognition and support.

The Albert & Elaine Borchard Foundation has given a grant of $20,000 for one of our newest program, the Parenting Teens Program at BAYC. This new program is an expansion of BAYC’s Transitional Housing Program. It is designed for foster youth who either have children or are six to nine months pregnant. This specialized population of foster youth is underserved and youth currently have limited options for housing. It is important that these youth be given the same opportunities to build the skills necessary to be independent. In addition to the educational, vocational and mental health services common to all of BAYC’s housing programs, the Parenting Teens program also provides assistance with parenting skills, parent-child bonding techniques, stress reduction, creating safe and healthy living conditions, time management and balancing life responsibilities. The Borchard grant is a strong show of support for a program that supports one of the traditional Sunny Hills client populations (emancipated foster children) in an entirely new way.

I am particularly appreciative of these two new foundation gifts given the current economic situation. A recent New York Times article looking at foundation giving this past year predicted that the coming year will be even tougher and more competitive for nonprofits seeking foundation support. As we look ahead and prepare for the continued ripple effect of the economic situation in the world of philanthropy, I am pleased appreciate that our programs – both new and old – remain relevant to these foundations.