
IECF Appoints John McGuirk as New Regional Charitable Giving Officer for the Coachella Valley
Brie Griset Smith, Sr. VP of Charitable Giving of Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF), has appointed John E. McGuirk to represent IECF in the Coachella Valley as Regional Charitable Giving Officer. “We are delighted to welcome John to the Charitable Giving Team...
IECF Announces New Chair, Officers and Three Members to its Board of Directors
Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) is pleased to announce that Nefertiti Long, MBA, has been selected by the Board as the new Chair of the Board of Directors effective January 1, 2023. The Foundation also appointed three new officers, Jeremy Hobbs as Vice...
Spotlight on Love Riverside: Serving up food assistance to seniors
Lynn Heatley started Love Riverside in 2016 with the goal of creating ways others could give back to the city and find inspiration to serve the community year-round. The organization started with an annual service day that gathered hundreds of volunteers who worked on...
Spotlight on Mama’s House: Walking alongside women who face unplanned pregnancies
The heartbeat is vital. The intrepid souls behind the nonprofit HEARTbeat at 22 understand that fact clearly and as the stewards operating Mama’s House in the Valley, they are steadfast in their purpose: to educate men and women of all ages about the developing life...
Spotlight on Guide Dogs of the Desert: You can volunteer as a puppy raiser!
Volunteer puppy raisers, lift your human paws. Guide Dogs of the Desert is eagerly seeking volunteers as it heads into the new year. “We’re looking for people who can take a puppy into their house for up to 18 months,” said Robert Maher, Executive Director of Guide...
Spotlight on Inspire Life Skills: Mentorship, stable housing and support for emancipated foster youth
Seventeen years ago, Kristi Perez discovered that foster kids were receiving little support once they aged out of the system. She heard that once they turned 18, they were given a trash bag for their belongings, wished good luck and sent out into the world. After...
Spotlight on Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center: Helping pets find loving homes for over 100 years
Founded in 1897 as the Riverside Humane Society, Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center has been caring for the community’s animals and their people for over 100 years. Today, the organization is a limited-entry adoption center and clinic that strives to eliminate the...
Spotlight on Boys & Girls Club San Gorgonio Pass: Creating brighter futures for Banning youth
Boys & Girls Club of San Gorgonio Pass has 15 locations between Cabazon and Yucaipa that serve over 1,200 kids. The organization provides after-school and additional programming at schools in the Banning, Beaumont and Yucaipa Calimesa Unified School Districts....
Spotlight on S & L Foster Family Agency: Supporting and celebrating foster youth
Myra Hernandez and Lakeisha Hohl developed a friendship while working together at a foster family agency. The two women have a background in working with children with disabilities, years of experience as social workers and both have master’s degrees in psychology....
Telling the Story of Philanthropy: You Can Help
This opinion piece by Julie Makinen Palm Springs Desert Sun originally appeared in the Desert Sun, Monday, December 19, 2022. Stories of giving are important. The community foundation wants to help us bring them back The new Desert Community News Fund at the Inland...