News

 

RAP is celebrating its 30th Anniversary, and the Board of Directors is proud of our history and our record of accepting the mandate from the County of Riverside to provide services in eastern Riverside County that deserve a regional focus. Our charge has been to distribute financial and educational resources to support organizations working to fill the “gaps” in Health, Mental Health, and Juvenile Intervention services to residents from the Coachella Valley to the Palo Verde Valley.

I hope you will notice the billboard acknowledging the 30th Anniversary located on I-10 at the Bob Hope exit acknowledging RAP’s role in “Empowering Our Communities to Thrive.”

In line with the attention is the recent coverage of RAP’s NPO Centric program by the Desert Sun in the September 4th and September 23rd editions of the newspaper.

We, of course, will continue efforts to achieve our Vision for our community, “enhancing the quality of life for all residents of eastern Riverside County by investing in nonprofits and empowering them to effectively serve unmet needs.”

2022 Nonprofit Desert Fast Pitch Participants Advance

Without further ado, we announce this year’s organizations selected to advance to the Finals at the 2022 Nonprofit Desert Fast Pitch taking place on October 6, 2022:

  • Palm Springs International Piano Competition
  • Elder Love, USA
  • Food Now
  • ACT For MS
  • Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert
  • NAMI Coachella Valley

In addition to receiving $1,000 to participate in the workshops leading up to the Semi-Final, the contestants will each receive an additional $1,000 for their participation. Each nonprofit has the opportunity to win $20,000 for Top Prize, $15,000 for Most Innovative, and $10,000 for Audience Choice.

Read on later in this Newsletter to learn more about this year’s exciting event.

Recent Grants

Here’s some RAP news of grants awarded to organizations since our last Newsletter:

Small Grants:

  • Variety Children’s Charities of the Desert $5,000
  • ACT for MS $5,000
  • Grassroots Junior Tennis Inc. $5,000
  • Hidden Harvest $5,000
  • Alzheimer’s Coachella Valley$7,000
  • Olive Crest $6,675
  • Angel View $10,000
  • Coachella Valley Youth Golf Foundation $10,000
  • Make a Wish Foundation of Orange County and Inland Empire, Inc. $10,000
  • Jewish Family Service of the Desert $10,000

Performance Grants

  • Colorado River Senior Center $40,000
  • Community Action Partnership $20,000

Sponsorship Grants

  • Palo Verde College Foundation $2,500
  • Create Center for the Arts $2,500

Lastly – Changing Roles

As many of you may already know, Stephanie Minor, until recently our NPO Centric Director, decided to transition to the new role of NPO Centric Marketing and Social Media Consultant. In the three years with NPO Centric, Stephanie focused a great deal of resources on increasing our marketing and media resources. Under Stephanie’s leadership, the business model was strengthened, and membership increased. We look forward to continuing these positive trends, which will be possible as a result of this re-assignment. The addition of Hugo Loyola as our new NPO Centric Director will increase our capacity to better serve our clients.

Be safe, take care; wishing you all an Awesome Autumn.

 

Lety De Lara, CEO

Celebrating the Life and Contributions of Mark Moran

RAP Board Member

Sadly, our long-time board member, Mark Moran, passed away on August 2, 2022.

Mark started as RAP’s Advisory Committee Member of the Mental Health Committee when RAP was created, and he was selected to serve on the Board in 2006. He served as Board Chair from 2016-2019. Mark was a lifelong resident of the Coachella Valley. He was a walking encyclopedia of the region, taking leadership roles in community issues that were most meaningful to him: public safety, social services, and economic development. Mark was committed to helping young people and is credited with leading the effort to persuade Safe House of the Desert to expand services to the Coachella Valley. Mark’s charismatic personality and enthusiasm for serving others will be missed.

2022 Desert Fast Pitch

Six Valley Nonprofits Advance to the 2022 Desert Fast Pitch Finals!

A Chance to Win More than $65,000 in Cash Grants from the RAP Foundation!

The 2022 Nonprofit Desert Fast Pitch is a friendly ‘Shark Tank’ type of event where six nonprofit professionals showcase important presentation skills learned over six-weeks to build organizational sustainability. Who will deliver the most compelling and powerful 3-minute presentation?

 

You get the chance to experience the impact of nonprofits serving our community at this memorable event . . . AND your vote will help to decide the Audience Choice Award.

The nonprofit Desert Fast Pitch will be held on Thursday, October 6, 2022, at the UCR Campus in Palm Desert, CA, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Business leaders, nonprofit professionals, government officials, members of the media, community leaders, foundations, and consultants will be in attendance. We hope to see you, too!

Seating is very limited! This event will sell out.

Purchase Tickets For The Event Now!

The Keynote Speaker for the 2022 Nonprofit Desert Fast Pitch is Jackie Joyner-Kersee!

Three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee built one of the most illustrious athletic careers in the world of track and field. Her performance in the heptathlon and long jump in the 1984, 1988, and 1992 Summer Olympics made her a legend. Jackie Joyner-Kersee set over 18 athletic records, received over 24 recognition awards, is a successful businesswoman, respected community leader, and a dynamic motivational speaker who inspires audiences to go after their dreams with passion and commitment. She is widely regarded as “The World’s Greatest Female Athlete.”

 

She will speak live on stage at the 2022 Nonprofit Desert Fast Pitch!

Special Thanks to our Desert Fast Pitch Sponsors

Introducing RAP’s Newest Board Member, Sandra Loureiro

Born and raised in Blythe, Sandra Loureiro moved to the Inland Empire to attend CSU San Bernardino and later California Baptist University. About 11 years later, she moved back to Blythe so she and her children could be closer to family.

At CSUSB, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice. At Cal Baptist, she received a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology, and in 2017, she obtained an LMFT Licensure.

“In my professional life, the most important position I have held was Head of Clinical Services at Victor Treatment Centers Inc.,” she says. “The most important duty I had in that role was to help clinicians to develop their therapeutic skills and engagement skills, to provide clients and their families with excellent services.

“I enjoyed seeing the positive changes; It was heartwarming to know that the clinicians played a significant role in the lives of their clients and their families, using strategies they were taught to ameliorate their difficulties. Additionally, it was my task to help the clinicians study topics to pass their LCSW or LMFT licensing exam.”

Sandra counts representing the Palo Verde Valley community as being her primary interest in serving as a RAP board member.

“As a board member, I will bring my knowledge of that community since I am aware of information, resources, and funding opportunities that will help Blythe and the surrounding rural valley.

“Blythe is a small town, and there is a lack of activities for youths, mental health resources for all ages, and access to health resources–all of which fall in line with RAP’s focus. I would like to be able to identify needs and develop activities and opportunities to help Blythe prosper.”

    ‘Peace From Chaos’ Blythe Suicide Awareness Event

By Nora Duffy

On Saturday, September 10, 2022, Peace From Chaos, which provides resources for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Services, held a resource fair in Todd Park in Blythe. The RAP Foundation was honored to be the funding partner for this event, which was open to the public and free of charge, including free food from local vendors.

 

The event had 18 organizations available to answer questions and receive more information about mental health services available in the Blythe area. In all, a total of 10 of these 18 agencies are current or past grantees of the RAP Foundation.

 

In addition to the resources, the event included speeches by Blythe Mayor Dale Reynolds, Blythe City Manager Mallory Crecelius, and Councilman Sam Burton, a short community bike ride put on by a local bike and car club promoting safe cycling, a DJ for dancing (which there was plenty of), and a candlelight vigil recognizing those lost to suicide in the Blythe area.

 

The mayor also issued a proclamation to Peace From Chaos in honor of Suicide Prevention month in the City of Blythe.

NPO Centric Corner

by Hugo Loyola, Director

My name is Hugo Loyola, and I am the new Director of NPO Centric, a program of the RAP Foundation. In my new role, I am responsible for the administration and development of the NPO Centric program, providing capacity-building services to nonprofit organizations through training, education, in-kind services, and consulting.

Prior to joining NPO Centric, I held various executive positions in the areas of marketing, business development, and content development, working for global educational publishing companies, including one of the largest nonprofit academic publishers in the world, Cambridge University Press, where I lead the implementation of market competitive strategies for print and digital publishing models. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I assisted small business owners throughout Southern California apply for relief grants and getting access to other available forms of capital funding to help them get through the crisis, consulting in English and Spanish for the Orange County – Inland Empire SBDC (Small Business Development Center) Network.

I am also involved with important community volunteer activities that include being the Chair of the Palm Springs Human Rights Commission and Vice-chair of Palm Springs Sister Cities, working as a member of the executive board.

I am a native of Mexico City and became a US Citizen through naturalization in 2007. This personal experience led me to create and launch a support group on Facebook that currently has over 12,000 members and continues to grow.

RAP Office Space Available for Lease

As you may know, RAP makes space available for nonprofits at below-market rates. Currently, 25 organizations are taking advantage of not only these reduced rental opportunities but also the ability to be located in the same building with other nonprofits. It makes collaboration so much easier and more effective!

 

Good news: RAP currently has one cubicle space available. If you and your organization find this an attractive possibility—and why not?—contact Mireya Reyes by email at mreyes@rapfoundation.org.

www.RAPFoundation.org
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