Donante destacado de la VCCF: Entrevista con Christine Dale por Ginny Claborn

August 23, 2021

¿Quién o qué le ha inspirado más en su viaje filantrópico?

Vanessa Bechtel, President & CEO of Ventura County Community Foundation. I’ve been involved with national and international causes for many years. My passion is animal welfare. However, I was unfamiliar with community effort. What is a community foundation? What can it do locally?

¿Cuál fue su primera experiencia donando a una causa?

Both my parents were pediatricians and were always giving to causes. When I was eight years old, my mom donated to a global child sponsorship in my name. I corresponded with the young girl we sponsored.

Si pudiera conceder un deseo a su comunidad, ¿cuál sería?

Never give up.

We have been facing many problems over the past five years. Political strife, fires, global warming and COVID-19. I see the weariness and compassion fatigue.

¿Cuál es su mayor temor?

Global warming and what it will cause.

What fills you with hope?

Over 50 percent of human beings are good people. We can prevail; don’t give up.

How would you describe your current state of being?

With so many difficult challenges over the past few years, how to make sense of what has happened and is happening. I went through the five stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression and now acceptance. But I feel that acceptance of sad or dire situations is not the same as loss of hope, and I try to put my efforts into continuing to fight the good fight rather than fretting.

¿A quién admira más?

Forty-fourth President Barack Obama, author Neal Stephenson and CEO Vanessa Bechtel! I’d love to have dinner with all three of them at once.