SMSC Receives $10,000 Grant from Bank of America to Support Work Activity Program

Bank of America
Chris Hinman, SMSC Board Trustee; Jon Frandell, Bank Bank of Americaof America Merrill Lynch V.P. – Associate Resident Director; Susan Couch, Bank of America SVP – Business Banking; Debra Emerson, SMSC CEO; Clifford Cho, Bank of America Merrill Lynch SVP – Market Executive; Toni Petruzzo, SMSC Board Trustee; Sharon Esche-Irving, SMSC Board President.

 

On July 9, St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center was the gracious recipient of a $10,000 grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. The grant will be used to fund the work activity programs – one of the innovative programs at SMSC that provides adult students with developmental disabilities with an education, practical life skills and vocational training.

“This grant will help us to continue to find employment opportunities in the community for our students,” said Debra Emerson, CEO of St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center. “Bank of America has been a wonderful partner.”

St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center’s Work Activity Program targets the individual employment goals of over 50 adults, of the 400+ total individuals enrolled at the Center. The program is designed to help mitigate notoriously high unemployment levels experienced by people with developmental disabilities. With the additional coaching this program provides, the selected students are supported for a 12 to 18-month period at the end of which, they are able to move on to individual job placements in the community. The programs at St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center are continuously made possible by the generosity of individuals, foundations and corporations like Bank of America.

“Employment generates income and personal pride. That is why Bank of America supports local workforce development programs, as a way for unemployed and underemployed people to get the educational and vocational tools they need to obtain and sustain a job.  Our support of St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center is truly unique in that it provides invaluable resources to help prepare and place those most challenged to employ – our community’s disabled adult residents who are capable of working and earning their own incomes,” said Rick Bregman, San Diego market president, Bank of America.

St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center is deeply grateful for the caring generosity and ongoing support of Bank of America. On behalf of the students and staff at the Center – THANK YOU Bank of America!

Call to Artists – Bountiful Art 2014

2014 Bountiful ArtworkSt. Madeleine Sophie’s Center and the Autism Research Institute invite you to submit your artwork to the 2014 Bountiful Art show.

Juried by Christine Knoke from the Mingei International Museum.

The show opens on Friday October 4, 2014, at the Kensington Gallery, 4186 Adams Avenue in San Diego.

To submit artwork download the detailed directions and the application below.

ENTRY DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 19

2014-Bountiful Art Directions

2014 Bountiful-Application

Vertigo © Mark Smith

Opportunity Drawing Items – 37th Haute with Heart Fashion Show

You can’t win if you don’t play!  Pre-purchase your Opportunity Drawing tickets to win!  Live drawing at our 37th Haute with Heart Fashion Show and Luncheon August 16, 2014

Opportunity Drawing Items
  1. $1,000 in CASH (Donated by San Diego County Credit Union)
  2. Padres Terrace Level Suite for twelve (12) vs. San Francisco Giants on September 21, 2014. Includes 3 parking passes, food, and beverages.  For the detailed menu CLICK HERE, to view the suite CLICK HERE.
  3. Wine Chest filled with 50 assorted wines (90 points or above)
Tickets: 1 for $5, 5 for $20, 20 for $50, 50 for $100
Purchase Drawing tickets online CLICK HERE

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Live Auction Items – 37th Haute with Heart Fashion Show

Get Ready to bid and win with our Auctioneer Extraodinaire and Master of Ceremonies Steve Hamann on these amazing experiences at our 37th Haute with Heart Fashion Show and Luncheon: Fashion on Pointe!

Live Auction Items
  1. One week stay for two (2) at Rancho La Puerta Fitness Resort & Spa – Donated by Rancho La Puerta (Value: $7,500). To see more on the resort CLICK HERE.
  2. One week stay for up to six (6) at an Ocean Front Condominium in Ocean Beach, CA – Donated by Toni Petruzzo (Value: $3,000). To see more on this condominium CLICK HERE.
  3. Dinner Afield for up to twelve (12) a pop-up, outdoor, 3-course family-style meal with wine in the serene setting of St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center Organic Garden – Donated by St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center (Value: Priceless). To see more on our garden CLICK HERE.
  4. A Private Yacht Experience – Enjoy a private charter for a 3-hour cruise on an 80-foot Broward Luxury Motor Yacht. Accommodates up to 25 guests and includes fuel and crew. Hors d’oeuvres and wine provided by St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center – Donated by Sunset Rendezvous (Value $5,000). To see more CLICK HERE.
  5. Mammoth Mountain Get-Away for Up to 6  – Enjoy five (5) nights in a spacious two-bedroom, two-bath condo that somfortable sleeps up to six (6) people. Daily towel service, washer/dryer, LCD TV, DVD player, fireplace, High-speed wireless access, underground parking and a spa located by each building. If you enjoy fishing, hiking, or skiing, this is the place for you! Donated by Roger & Margaret Hueppchen (Value $1,900).

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SMSC Receives Generous Gift from Terence R. & Barbara C. Caster

SMSC Receives Generous Gift from Terence R. & Barbara C. Caster

a-1-self-storage-logo-croppedThe Caster Family continues to change lives at St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center.  Last week the Center received a generous gift in the amount of $10,000 from the Terence R. and Barbara C. Caster Rotary Donor Advised Fund. These funds will be used to support the $2000 per student funding gap at the Center that serves over 400 adult students with developmental disabilities.

Although SMSC, receives funding from the State of California that covers 75% of the annual budget, the Center relies on individual donations, corporate gifts, and grants from generous supporters like Terence and Barbara Caster and The Caster Family Foundation to cover the remaining 25% of the annual budget.

The Caster Family owns A-1 Self-Storage and has supported St. Madeleine’s for decades, beginning with their volunteerism when son, Brian Caster (President of A-1 Self Storage) and his siblings served at the Center during the summer while growing up.

A-1 Self Storage has 17 locations in the San Diego County area and more than 40 locations statewide. It is the self-storage division of the Caster Cos., a third-generation, family-owned company headquartered in Southern California since 1959. Caster Cos. develops and manages A-1 Self Storage, A-1 Car Storage, and other commercial properties in California. Its portfolio includes more than 4 million square feet of real estate.

On behalf of the 400+ adult students at St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center, we’d like to express our sincere gratitude to the Caster Family for their kind gift. We deeply appreciate their caring generosity and ongoing support.