City leaders provide 'wish list' of projects for possible funding
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

NP A group of about 20 community leaders and activists got together with Hugh Ralston, president of the Ventura County Community Foundation, to share their ideas on where philanthropic funds should be spent in Moorpark.

The meeting took place at the Moorpark Chamber of Commerce Wednesday. Ralston is visiting all 10 cities in the county to hear about the needs of each community.

"As the philanthropic engine for the county, we want to make sure we're addressing the right issues in Moorpark," he said.

The foundation has more than $110 million in combined assets and gave $4 million in grants last year.

About 485 trust funds have been established by the foundation to serve various needs throughout the county. Most of the money is directed to causes chosen by donors.

Among the grants it will give, the foundation plans to distribute about $1.1 million in scholarships this year and it has the discretion to give $200,000 in unrestricted funds annually.

"Our mission is to promote and enable philanthropy to improve our community for good and forever through long-term endowments," Ralston said. "We tend to measure our value by what we do with the money."

Individuals representing the city, police and schools as well as youth, senior and family organizations attended the event.

"We need to focus on the younger generation," said Assistant City Manager Hugh Riley. Growing graffiti in Moorpark is scaring people, he said, and shrinking budgets may make it difficult for the city and the school district to alleviate the problem.

Older individuals also need assistance.

"There are an increasing number of seniors who need help and they don't always know how to get it," said a member of the Active Adult Center's advisory board.

Pat Esseff, who represents Catholic Charities Food Pantry, advocated for the needs of lowincome families.

"Moorpark is in the process of redefining itself as a community," Esseff said. "One of my hopes is that as a community we continue to work towards integration. We must work hard to protect various vulnerable populations."

Any discussion of philanthropy in Ventura County should also include housing, said Councilmember Roseann Mikos.

"There's going to be a lot of need to help not only the very poor, but also those who purchased their homes at an inopportune time," she said.

Many people are one paycheck away from being in trouble, and some could even become homeless if they don't receive assistance, Mikos said.

Representatives of First Five, the Boys & Girls Club and the Neighborhood for Learning also participated in the discussion.

"I thought it was a wonderful chance to hear from a wide variety of people about concerns in the Moorpark community," said Ralston, adding he was pleased that a city representative, the police chief and a school board member joined nonprofit group leaders to share their concerns and express their needs.

"We try to engage community leaders across a broad spectrum and have them help us to do a better job in responding to the needs of the community," Ralston said.