ECS Featured In Giving Back Magazine

Elizabeth Fitzsimons, Edgar Sierra, and other community leaders are featured in the September edition of Giving Back Magazine highlighting ECS’ annual meeting. ECS facilitated the panel discussion, which focused on the pandemic, its impact on San Diego’s children, and various solutions, including affordable early childhood education through our HS programs and the benefits of behavioral health services through our Para Las Familias program. Additionally, the panel shared concerns about children overcoming the impact of the last two years encountering shutdowns of primary care providers and longstanding inequalities for disenfranchised communities.

Visit Para Las Familias to learn more about our outpatient behavioral and mental health clinic.

Giving Back Magazine is a monthly bilingual, binational publication featuring events, businesses, and individuals making a difference in the San Diego and Tijuana community. Read the full article.

ECS CEO Elizabeth Fitzsimons, ECS HCS Associate Director Edgar Sierra, First 5 San Diego Alethea Arguilez, M.A, Rady Children’s Hospital Willough Jenkins, M.D., and San Diego for Every Child Erin Hogeboom photographed at ECS’ annual meeting. September 2022.

TDK Donates School Supplies for Head Start Students

TDK collected and donated glue sticks, pencils, pencil boxes, crayons, markers, notebooks, backpacks, and scissors to our Head Start program. ECS is committed to working with our partners to strengthen our community efforts, and we appreciate TDK’s annual contribution, which helps us to make a difference. We’re grateful for their partnership and continued support.

Head Start staff show their appreciation for the donation with Lucy Khuu, TDK HR coordinator. September 2022.

Head Start Leadership Advocates for Change in Washington D.C.

Mid-September several ECS Head Start (HS) professionals ventured to Washington D.C. to attend the Head Start Association Leadership Institute for training and advocacy. HS leaders had the opportunity to speak with members of congress to include Sara Jacobs and Emily Latimar, the Legislative Correspondent for Congressman Juan Vargas. Our staff advocated for congress to earmark the appropriate level of funding needed for HS to properly serve San Diego children and families. After this immersive experience, HS leaders returned to ECS motivated and inspired with several key takeaways on how they can better serve our families.

Visit Head Start & Early Head Start — Episcopal Community Services (ecscalifornia.org) to learn more about our program.

ECS Head Start leaders (photographed with Congresswoman Sara Jacobs) attend the National Head Start Association Leadership Institute in Washington D.C. September 2022.

Donor Spotlight: Bombas Donates Socks, Underwear, and T-Shirts to ECS

CERRC staff members showcasing Bombas donation items. September 2022.

Bombas donated 27 boxes of socks, underwear and t-shirts to Uptown Safe Haven and the Episcopal Community Services (ECS) Central East Regional Recovery Center (CERRC), furthering ECS’ commitment of working collaboratively with our partners to have a greater impact on those we serve.

ESC is extremely grateful for the generous donation and continued partnership with Bombas, a comfort-focused sock and apparel brand with a mission to help those in need. It’s partnerships like this, that ECS champions to fuel change within our community and collectivity uplift our clients.

“It is great that we can now provide our clients new and clean socks! It will help remind them that someone cares for them every time they feel warm and clean.”

— Veronica Simmons, CERRC Staff member

Socks are the No. 1 most requested clothing item at homeless shelters with underwear and t-shirts being No. 2 and No. 3 respectively. As part of the brand’s mission to provide elevated basics to help those in need, for every item purchased, a specially designed item is donated to the homeless community. To date, Bombas has donated more than 75 million items to those at-risk, in need, and experiencing homelessness.

About Episcopal Community Services  

For more than 97 years, ECS has been taking action to end generational cycles of hardship, advancing equity and opportunity across our region. The organization is focused on breaking barriers and empowering individuals to create a community where all can pursue an abundant life. Serving more than 6,000 individuals a year, ECS’ programs increase access to early childhood education and development services and strengthen the mental and behavioral health of individuals and families in our communities. For more information on ECS, visit https://www.ecscalifornia.org/.