The San Diego Seniors Community Foundation (SDSCF) awards $350,000 in grants and funding allocations to 11 local senior centers and nonprofit organizations as part of their Empower San Diego Senior Centers grant program.
The grants were supported through donors, including The Sahm Family Foundation ,which supports the welfare of seniors through SDSCF’s effort to enhance and empower senior centers in San Diego County.
“Equitable and healthy aging is what every San Diegan wants to achieve,” said Bob Kelly, founder of the San Diego Seniors Community Foundation. “It is crucial that we foster innovation and embrace new ideas to effectively address the challenges presented by a rapidly expanding senior population. Through strategic investments in these senior centers, we seize the opportunity to establish them as pivotal hubs for promoting physical, mental, social, and financial well-being.
The U.S. Census data predicts that by the year 2030, there will be nearly 1 million people over the age of 60 living in San Diego, which is equivalent to the current population of Atlanta, Georgia.
“Our aim is to provide exceptional support, not only for today’s seniors, but also for the generations to come,” Kelly said. “Just as San Diego accomplished with our innovative library system, we aspire to create a network of senior centers that enriches the lives of our seniors and their families.”
Presently, San Diego County has 28 senior centers in communities from San Ysidro and Coronado up to Oceanside and as far east as Borrego Springs. However, existing senior centers serve only about eight percent of the region’s total senior population – and many of these centers are underfunded, understaffed, and lack sufficient programming, according to the organization.
In response to The California Master Plan for Aging and The County of San Diego Aging Roadmap, SDSCF wants to change the current model and the brand to increase philanthropy and government dollars towards senior centers. To date, SDSCF is approaching $1 million in grants and charitable expenditures, benefitting dozens of nonprofit organizations in San Diego and beyond.
For more information on the campaign, visit www.sdscf.org.
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