Rancho Santa Fe Foundation awards $16,000 to 4 local nonprofits

The Rancho Santa Fe Foundation’s 2015 Community Grants continue a legacy of giving to local nonprofits that began in 1981. The RSF Foundation and its donors have given nearly $6 million in the last 15 years alone to support organizations in Rancho Santa Fe.

After a competitive grant process in June, the 2015 grants were awarded to Helen Woodward Animal Center, RSF Community Center, RSF Library Guild and RSF School.

“The Rancho Santa Fe community-based nonprofits were invited to participate,” said Debbie Anderson, programs director at the RSF Foundation. “The Grants and Projects Committee selected these four organizations primarily for their emphasis on providing programs and resources that improve the lives of people in our community.”

The Community Grant to Helen Woodward Animal Center benefited the Therapeutic Riding program. This program uses specially trained equine therapists to provide children and adults who have physical or mental challenges with a unique therapeutic experience that improves their daily lives. Students gain balance and muscle control and experience improved memory and cognitive abilities, among other benefits.

The Community Grant to RSF Community Center will provide an enhanced learning environment for students in their programs with the purchase of safe and secure storage cabinets for their facility.

RSF Library Guild raises funds to provide services to RSF Branch Library beyond the budget of the SD County Library. The Community Grant will fully fund the Guild’s 2016 Children’s Summer Reading Program. This program uses a combination of incentives, goals and events to encourage student reading during the summer months.

Students at RSF School will benefit from the Community Grant for the robotics program. The program is available to students in grades 1 through 8. They will master the principles of robotics as they learn to build and program autonomous robots, using curriculum materials developed by the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.