{"id":24731,"date":"2026-09-25T14:16:38","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T21:16:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vccf.org\/?p=24731"},"modified":"2026-09-28T14:16:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T21:16:49","slug":"power-of-purpose-september-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vccf.org\/ja\/power-of-purpose-september-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Power of Purpose \u2013 September 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dear Ventura County Community Foundation family,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today I invite you to watch one of my favorite TED Talks of all time: Drew Dudley’s “Everyday Leadership.”<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In just six minutes, Dudley reminds us that we are all leaders. We tend to associate leadership only with enormous achievements, defining moments or extraordinary individuals. When we do that, leadership starts to feel inaccessible, something reserved only for other people. But our capacity to change another person’s life, and our community’s future, is far greater than we realize.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Dudley describes the “lollipop moment”:<\/strong> a seemingly small interaction that makes a lasting difference in someone’s life, often without the person responsible ever realizing what they have done. I remember a particularly challenging time in my own career when I wasn’t sure I could continue. At 11 o’clock one night, my mentor and colleague’s husband, David Luna, said to me, “Vanessa, you serve as keeper of the dream. You represent the dreams of thousands of people.<\/strong> Of course you can do this. There is no other option.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that was it. From that moment forward, the resolve was inside me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also think about the colleague who invited me to a Rotary dinner years ago. That invitation is how I met my husband and the love of my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We simply never know the full impact of our actions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, I invite you to think about your own lollipop moments. Who said something, extended an invitation, believed in you, or offered a small kindness that changed the direction of your life? And perhaps most importantly, have you ever told them?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we pause to remember these moments and take the time to thank the people who created them, we do more than express gratitude. We help people recognize their own capacity to make a difference. We plant seeds of generosity, connection and everyday leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would love to hear about your lollipop moments. Reply to this message and tell me yours. It would be fun to create a VCCF “Lollipop Moments” gratitude board, a place to thank the people whose words and actions have shaped our lives and to spread a little more love throughout our community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u30f4\u30a1\u30cd\u30c3\u30b5\u30f4\u30a1\u30cd\u30c3\u30b5\u30fb\u30d9\u30af\u30c6\u30eb\u3001VCCF\u4f1a\u9577\u517cCEO<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Neighbors Helping Neighbors: Thank You for Showing Up!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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As we prepare for the seventh round of grant making, we want to thank everyone who has made the Ventura County Neighbors Support Fund & Coalition possible. Because of you, the Coalition has granted out over $1 million dollars to 44 organizations<\/strong> doing vital humanitarian work to serve families, frontline workers, and small businesses<\/strong> impacted by these challenging and overwhelming times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below, we would like to share messages of gratitude from some of the grant recipients you have helped to uplift over the last year. We hope you will take a moment to watch them and see the impact you have made in our community. From our 33 partners to you and the hundreds of community members who have contributed to the Neighbors Support Fund, we thank you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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