VCCF Power of Purpose – April 2025
On the vast savannahs of East Africa, the Maasai warriors begin each encounter with a greeting that reveals the soul of their civilization: “Kasserian Ingera?” they ask. “And how are the children?”
This isn’t small talk. It’s existential inquiry.
The traditional response—”All the children are well”—carries the weight of their societal health. When all the children are well, life is good. The strength of the tribe, its future and its present moral standing, all converge in this simple exchange.
I was thinking about this greeting while driving through the streets of Santa Paula for our Isabella Project mural unveiling and steering committee meeting. As a mid-sized agricultural town in Ventura County, nothing could seem farther from the Maasai plains than this collection of tract homes, strip malls and citrus groves nestled in a valley 90 minutes north of Los Angeles. Yet I feel something remarkable here: a community that unconsciously carries the Maasai wisdom in its heart.
America in 2025 has fallen into a polarization trap. We’ve sorted ourselves into epistemic tribes, each convinced the other side threatens civilization. Our social trust metrics have cratered. We’ve become communities defined by what we hate rather than what we love. The social fabric, as political scientist Robert Putnam observed decades ago, continues its steady unraveling.
But Santa Paula suggests another pattern.
At our last Isabella Project gathering, I sat in a community center watching residents from across every conceivable demographic divide—white businessman, Latino mural artist, elected official who splits their time between home and Sacramento, teacher, ballet folklorico dancer and business owner—all gathered around a shared vision called the Isabella Project.
The Isabella Project isn’t just another well-intentioned community initiative. It represents something deeper. It is guided by a comprehensive roadmap that addresses children’s needs by reimagining everything around them—housing, education, transportation, labor policies. It’s gloriously ambitious, occasionally unwieldy and entirely essential.
What struck me wasn’t the project’s scope, but the shared moral language permeating the room. Despite our differences, we had found something powerful—a common concern for our children’s future that transcended our various tribes.
I came to work at the Ventura County Community Foundation partly because I sensed this communal wisdom. There’s something beautiful about watching a community embrace tribal wisdom in modern form. When societies fragment, we typically look for sophisticated policy solutions or structural reforms. But perhaps what we need is something more ancient—the recognition that our collective well-being is measured best by how our children fare.
When the Maasai answer that all their children are well, they’re expressing both reality and aspiration. In Santa Paula’s embrace of the Isabella Project, I see us doing the same—describing not just the community they have, but the one they seek to build. And in that aspiration might lie wisdom for us all.
If you would like to learn more about the Isabella Project, we encourage you to visit vccf.org/isabella-project. There are so many ways you can help.
Je vous prie d'agréer, Monsieur le Président, l'expression de mes sentiments distingués,
Roshin Mathew
Directeur des initiatives stratégiques
Isabella Project’s Mural Unveil
Last month, the Isabella Project was delighted to unveil our murals at Glen City Elementary to the Santa Paula community. The art celebrates the importance of highest-quality early childhood education in our community, and we are so grateful to everyone who joined us for such a special occasion. Watch the highlight reel and view the photo gallery below!
Watch Now: Lunch & Learn with 805 UndocuFund
Our most recent Virtual Lunch & Learn featured the 805 UndocuFund, who shared about the vital work they’re doing to protect our undocumented neighbors and provide resources for community members to use. Watch the video to learn more and see how you can help support your community.
Travailleurs agricoles ! Bus Tour
Celebrating last month’s Farm Worker Appreciation Week, VCCF’s marketing and communications intern Nailea Gaytan wrote about her experience attending the House Farm Workers! Bus Tour. Check out her article to learn more about the impact of affordable farmworker housing and the innovative solutions in our community to address that need. And be sure to watch the moving highlight reel from the Weingart Foundation!
kidSTREAM: Bringing Joy with STEAM Kits
Some good news in our community: during the fires in SoCal earlier this year, kidSTREAM teamed up with the American Red Cross, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, the Salvation Army, and local corporations to donate and distribute 500 STREAM (science, reading, technology, engineering, arts, and math) kits in English and Spanish to local and regional families who lost their homes to recent wildfires.
Merito Foundation’s Ventura County Earth Day Festival
Join the MERITO Foundation as they host the Earth Day Festival in downtown Ventura in partnership with the City of Ventura Environmental Sustainability Division, and in collaboration with the EV Advocates of Ventura County and Downtown Ventura Partners. Come for a day of music, food, environmental education, sustainable goods, and fun! This free festival will also highlight the local businesses that are committed to environmental sustainability and green technologies.