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e-Newsletter
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Margot Anderson
CEO/Founder
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A new year is upon us and with anything new, it brings hope and rejuvenation. This is the time of year when most of us set our resolutions and create a road map for the year that will lead us to health, happiness, growth and success. This is exactly what The Laurel Foundation team is focused.
This year, The Laurel Foundation has plans to double the size of our LEAF Mentorship Program, increase camper numbers at our resident camps, broaden the geographical area in which we serve, expand our HIV/AIDS community network meetings and introduce a new online support program for the children and youth we serve. Our three-year strategic plan is to become the leading pediatric and youth HIV/AIDS resource for support services in the nation.
With more and more support services folding due to the economic down turn, The Laurel Foundation has become increasingly more important in the community that we serve. Our client numbers have increased over the past several years, even though our budget and staff size has decreased. With the support of our many donors and volunteers, over the past 20 years, The Laurel Foundation has continued to grow, even in this time of economic uncertainty. This shows the commitment of The Laurel Foundation "village". It truly does take a village to raise a child, improve a community and create change.
Thank you to everyone who is a part of The Laurel Foundation village. It is YOU who have brought hope, health, happiness, growth and success to thousands of children, youth and families affected by HIV and AIDS over the years. We look forward to continually serving the many children, youth and families affected by HIV/AIDS who need our services ... until a cure is found.
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Click to view our video!
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Summer & Teen Camp Wrap-Up
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 | | Summer Camp Friends |
One hundred campers traveled from Southern California, Northern California, Arizona and Nevada, to the beautiful San Bernardino mountains for Summer and Teen Camp. They arrived at YMCA Camp Arbolado to find that it had been transformed into "SPACE CAMP! . . . Discovering the outer limits of our potential." While the social stigma of HIV/AIDS is often debilitating, at Camp Laurel there are no limits to our potential.
Younger campers, ages 6-12 blasted off into an amazing camp program with activities such as arts and crafts, low ropes, swimming and archery. With each new day the campers learned how to work as a team, set personal goals and celebrate accomplishements with each other. Together, they helped Tink build space shuttle packs to send Shout Out and Cheerio to Mars, searched high and low for nootie birds, and wrote fantastic stories that were transformed on stage by the Story Pirates. Click here to read the full article. |
Ride for AIDS 10
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This year marks the 10th year of The Laurel Foundation's Ride for AIDS. To celebrate, we are hosting both a one-day fun ride (50 or 25 mile routes) and a two-day anniversary ride (176 mile ride). The two-day ride will start on April 14 in San Diego and travel north 85 miles up the beautiful Pacific Coast to Irvine. The second day of the ride will have two start points. One will start in Irvine (for those who began the ride in San Diego the day before) and the other starting in Santa Monica. Both rides will meet up in Redondo Beach and then travel back to the finish line in Santa Monica. Click here for more information.
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Staff Updates
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 The Board of Directors and CEO of The Laurel Foundation are pleased to announce the promotion of Rachel Russell to the position of Associate Executive Director. Rachel joined The Laurel Foundation in 2003 as Program Director and was promoted in 2007 to Associate Director. In this new position, Rachel will take on additional responsibilities in resource development and finance. She will be responsible for researching and developing new corporate and foundation grants and event sponsorships as well as corporate financial planning. Please join us in congratulating Rachel on her promotion and in wishing her continued success at The Laurel Foundation.
Click here to send a congratulations message to Rachel.
 We are thrilled to announce that Cecilia Melgares, The Laurel Foundation's part time Outreach Coordinator for the past year, has been promoted to our full-time Community Outreach Associate. In this role, Cecilia will support the expansion of The LEAF Mentorship Program, while continuing her important work outreaching to families and HIV/AIDS service providers. This well deserved promotion is a result of Cecilia's varied accomplishments, including the creation of HIV/AIDS service provider network meetings, increased Holiday Party participation and strengthened relationships with our families. Please join us in congratulating Cecilia for her passionate and successful work to empower children, youth and families affected by HIV/AIDS!
Click here to send a congratulations message to Cecilia.
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| 15th Annual Golf Tournament Update | 
$111,000 raised in 2011! Thank you to the generous sponsors and in-kind donors who supported The Laurel Foundation's 15th Annual Golf Tournament on Monday, November 7, 2011. 128 golfers joined us on a beautiful, Monday morning to golf in support of children, youth and families affected by HIV/AIDS. Golfers continued their generosity by supporting our raffle, on course games, silent and live auction.
While HIV/AIDS is often an isolating illness for children and youth because of negative social stigma and the sickness or loss of a parent, proceeds from The Laurel Foundation's 15th Annual Golf Tournament will help eradicate this isolation through a comprehensive approach, including residential camps, mentorship, life enhancement workshops, and ongoing support.
-- Save the date -- 16th Annual Golf Tournament Monday, November 5, 2012 |
| The LEAF Mentorship Program Update |
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A good laugh between Yolanda, Lara and Reyna, also a mentee, while visiting Cal State Bakersfield.
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The LEAF (Life Enhancement and Fellowship) Mentorship Program is stronger than ever! LEAF empowers children and youth (ages 10-24) affected by HIV/AIDS and participation has increased 52% since 2010.
The LEAF Mentorship Program has become an essential part of the lives of children and youth affected by HIV/AIDS. Yolanda, a former camper, has been able to pursue her dream of pursuing higher education with the support of her mentor, Lara. Matched for over a year, Yolanda has been able to confide in Lara in times of need. Lara helped Yolanda navigate the confusing and lengthy college and scholarship application process, which was unfamiliar territory. Lara's caring support has also eased Yolanda's transition to college life at The California State University, Bakersfield despite the rigorous coursework and the negative social stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. Lara continues to play a crucial role in Yolanda's success, further demonstrating the importance of the LEAF program.
Click here for more information about The LEAF Mentorship Program.
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| Build Your Own Rocket | |
If you attended Summer Camp this year, you had the chance to build your very own rocket and learn about the law of action and reaction. For those of you who did not attend camp-- don't despair! Here are the instructions so you can learn too.
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Blast off video at Summer Camp!
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Materials:
- Paper, regular 8-1/2- by 11-inch paper
- Plastic 35-mm film canister
- Tape
- Scissors
- Effervescing (fizzing) antacid tablet
- Paper towels
- Water
- Eye protection (like eye, sun or safety glasses)
Keep in Mind: Just like real rockets, the less your rocket weighs and the less air resistance (drag) it has, the higher it will go.
You must first decide how to cut your paper. You may cut it the short way or the long way to make the body of the rocket. There is no one right way to make a paper rocket. Try a long, skinny rocket or a short, fat rocket. Try a sharp nosecone or a blunt nosecone. Try it with fins or without fins. Experiment!
Here are the basic steps:
- Cut out all the pieces for your rocket.
- Wrap and tape a tube of paper around the film canister. Hint: Tape the canister to the end of the paper before you start wrapping.
- Important! Place the lid end of the canister down.
- Tape fins to your rocket body, if you want.
- Roll the circle (with a wedge cut out) into a cone and tape it to the rocket's top.
Blasting Off
- Put on your eye protection.
- Turn the rocket upside down and remove the canister's lid.
- Fill the canister one-third full of water.
- Now work quickly on the next steps!
- Drop one-half of an effervescing antacid tablet into the canister.
- Snap the lid on tight.
- Stand your rocket on a launch platform, such as your sidewalk or driveway.
- Stand back and wait. Your rocket will blast off!
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Upcoming Events at The Laurel Foundation
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Thank You Donors
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We would like to say THANK YOU to our donors who have supported our efforts.
With your generosity, we are one step closer to serving over 500 children and youth this year!
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