Power of Purpose – December 2025
Cara família da Fundação Comunitária do Condado de Ventura,
I spent yesterday morning enjoying a delightful coffee and croissant with one of your community foundation board members, Catherine Sepulveda. As always, time with Catherine is just so good for the soul!
For those who have not yet met her, Catherine is a bright light, kind, generous, deeply thoughtful, endlessly curious, creative, optimistic, and rooted in her values. It was only a few moments into our conversation when we found ourselves marveling at the kindness and generosity we have witnessed across Ventura County this past year and sharing our hopes and dreams for our community’s future.
In a season that so often feels rushed and full, it is a beautiful gift to pause for a few moments of quiet reflection. For Catherine, those moments this past year have been found simply in being present with her precious grandchild. For me, they are best found outdoors in nature, minus the howling winds and torrential rains of last night. I hope you will do just that as you enjoy this month’s newsletter, an expression of all that you continue to make possible together.
This year, because of your support, the Ventura County Neighbors Support Fund and Coalition was launched, inviting hundreds of people to give together to help neighbors through hard and challenging times. Already, you have supported 29 local nonprofits working with urgency to do all they can to help.
In truth, everywhere we look, neighbors are showing up for one another: giving, volunteering, listening, and caring in ways both big and small. I often wish you could each spend a full day with us so you could see firsthand the many causes and lives forever touched by your collective generosity.
It leads me back to a thought I return to often: community foundations are here for good, forever.
Together, we plant seeds today that will continue to grow decades from now. We can support early childhood education, strengthen local journalism, provide scholarships to students, and promote disaster resilience in ways that endure. We can help stabilize nonprofits, nurture community leadership, and invest in systems change work that is effective even when it takes time. At our best, community foundations hold the long arc of a region’s hopes and possibilities.
This year, that long arc has been shaped by you.
From all of us at the Ventura County Community Foundation, thank you for being part of this remarkable family. May your holidays be filled with warmth, peace, and joy.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Vanessa
Vanessa Bechtel, Presidente e Diretora Executiva da VCCF
A Heartfelt Holiday Thank You from the VCCF Community
As we enter the holiday season and near the end of 2025, VCCF would like to say thank you for all your support and generosity over the last year, along with voices from our grant recipients, scholarship program, and more in our holiday video.
Thank You, City of Santa Paula! Newest Member of Neighbors Support Coalition and Contributor to Fund
We are so grateful to the City of Santa Paula not only for their support of the Fundo de Apoio aos Vizinhos do Condado de Ventura through joining the coalition of partners, but also for their generous contribution of $50,000, supporting residents of Santa Paula through the work of trusted local nonprofits.
“The Santa Paula City Council demonstrated its values of compassion and empathy by committing $50,000 in humanitarian aid to support our immigrant community through the Ventura County Neighbors Support Fund. These funds will directly assist the most disadvantaged residents in Santa Paula, including support for Lucha Inc. and its Poder Popular program, 805 UndocuFund, Community Action Ventura County, and Food Share. These dedicated community partners provide vital services that form a safety net for immigrants who are increasingly being targeted. Our city was built on the labor and contributions of immigrants, who continue to strengthen our local economy and community. The Council’s unanimous approval of this investment at such a pivotal moment in history underscores our steadfast commitment to equity and social justice.” Pedro Chavez, Mayor of Santa Paula
Meet Leah Lacayo, VCCF’s New Board Chair in Video Interview
Meet our new board chair Leah Lacayo in this brief video interview! Get to know her and her history a bit better as she details what inspired her to pursue community activism and support, her history with VCCF, and her vision for VCCF’s impact and for the county in the years to come!
VCCF Website Homepage Update
Our website homepage will soon be returning to its rebranded look however all Ventura County Neighbors Support Fund information and resources remain readily accessible, and our commitment continues unchanged as we strive to ensure our neighbors feel seen, supported, and safe.
VCCF in State of Philanthropy Roundtable
VCCF President & CEO Vanessa Bechtel joined the Pacific Coast Business Times for their 2025 State of Philanthropy Roundtable, alongside the Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County’s Christine Dawson and the Santa Barbara Foundation’s Jackie Carrera. Hear their insights on philanthropy supporting communities through federal funding disruptions, advice for nonprofit leaders facing budget stress, hope for the future, and more.
A Home for the Holidays
Two Clients Move Into New Apartments Through 211-CalAIM Collaboration
This holiday season, a few more of our neighbors will have a home thanks to the tireless work of 211 Ventura County in partnership with CalAIM Enhanced Care Management. Two of their formerly unhoused clients moved into newly constructed apartments in Ventura County last month, and through an integrated approach of connecting the clients to the right support for their complex needs, they were able to navigate their path to permanent housing. This partnership between 211 and CalAIM makes outcomes such as this possible, where the two organizations can work hand in hand to follow clients through every step of the process, all the way to them reaching a home of their own.
You can learn more about these services and more by visiting 211’s site below.