VCCF Power of Purpose – August 2025
Summer Greetings from the VCCF Scholarship Program!
We’re thrilled to share that 2025 has been another record-breaking year for the VCCF Scholarship Program. Thanks to the generosity of our community, we awarded 569 scholarships to 412 students, totaling $1,838,986.60 — the highest amount ever granted. More than 30 awardees received the maximum scholarship of $10,000, paving the way for them to fully pursue their dreams.
While Sierra and I manage the program’s behind-the-scenes administration, this incredible impact wouldn’t be possible without our 208 dedicated volunteer reviewers. Each spent about 15 hours reading and scoring applications over five weeks, totaling over 3,120 hours of service. We are deeply grateful for this generous group, whose time and care ensure a thoughtful, equitable process for all applicants.
We also brought on some fantastic new partners this year, including Gold Coast Health Plan, which established a major endowed scholarship to support local students pursuing education in the mental and behavioral health fields at all levels, from certificates to advanced degrees. These GCHP scholars are committed to staying in or returning to Ventura County to serve our community’s behavioral health needs. We’re so excited about this new partnership, as well as the many other generous new donors who joined our program this year.
What’s next? We are establishing the VCCF Community Scholarship Fund, which will provide everyone with an opportunity to contribute any amount to support local students. Please stay tuned — we can’t wait to share more soon!
As we celebrate the bright futures of our scholars, we are also holding close the urgent needs that remain in our community.
Every day, Ventura County families are facing unimaginable challenges. Two weeks ago, we accepted a scholarship on behalf of a student whose family had been directly impacted by the recent immigration raids. To hear her words, please watch our video here.
Another student shared that he is postponing enrollment at a local community college to help provide for his younger siblings after their mother stopped going to work out of fear of being separated from her beloved children. She had been working at a local restaurant for more than 15 years and desperately hopes to return someday when it feels safe to do so.
That is why we want to lift up another vital initiative: the Ventura County Neighbors Support Fund. This fund provides emergency relief through trusted local partners, offering real help and real hope when it is needed most.
We are so grateful for the many partners who have stepped forward to launch this effort with us. Together, we can meet this moment and continue Ventura County’s legacy of resilience, compassion, and collective care. Whether you give to help a student attend college or ensure a neighbor receives urgent support, your generosity is a powerful force for dignity, belonging, and possibility right here in Ventura County. Thank you!!
In partnership and service,
Kirsti & Sierra
Kirsti Vomund, VCCF Scholarship Director
Sierra Kettenburg, VCCF Grant & Scholarship Program Specialist
Our community is hurting. Fear, confusion, and uncertainty have taken root in neighborhoods across Ventura County. Many families are feeling anxious about daily routines – afraid to go to work, bring their children to school, or even step outside their homes. In some cases, families have been torn apart, with parents separated from their children. Local businesses are feeling the strain, and our shared sense of security feels deeply shaken.
This is our answer – and we build it together.
VCCF has launched the Ventura County Neighbors Support Fund, along with a coalition of trusted community partners. Together, in just one week, we’ve raised over $105,000 to support our neighbors. We invite you to join us and continue the momentum. Learn more and donate below.
Grant Opportunity! VibeWell Ventura County Arts & Wellness Grant Program
Open now! This grant program opportunity, funded through Ventura County Behavioral Health’s Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) funds under the Mental Health Services Act, supports nonprofit arts and cultural organizations in delivering and evaluating programs that increase awareness of mental health conditions and treatment resources through artistic, creative, and cultural engagement.
VCCF Scholarship Program: Congratulations & Thank You!
Our students would like to give a big thank you to the donors and volunteers who are helping to make their academic dreams a reality. Hear their words and read their stories in our annual Thank You video.
From Oxnard to the UN: Jose Negrete, VCCF Scholarship Alum
Meet Jose, a former VCCF scholarship student with an incredible life journey from the La Colonia neighborhood in Oxnard to the United Nations, where he works as a project intern at the Beyond Lab. Hear Jose’s words and follow him through his life’s challenges, his support from his community, and living his dream today.
Food Share of Ventura County
A vital nonprofit within our community, Food Share has provided over 16 million meals to more than 250,000 across Ventura County, with the help of our community’s generous donors. They’ve been able to provide services through wildfires, inflation, and supply chain struggles with the help of our community. We invite you to take a look at their annual report, with stories of families they’ve helped, data on where their food comes from and where it goes, and the faces behind their mission—from volunteers to farmworkers to kids in their nutrition programs.