ECS Attends SBCS Ribbon Cutting

ECS staff attends the ribbon cutting for SBCS San Diego’s Center for Impact. November 2025.

Last month, our Family Engagement Team, Home Visitors, and Family Service Technicians joined South Bay Community Services (SBCS San Diego) for the ribbon-cutting of their new Center for Impact in Chula Vista!

We were honored to celebrate this exciting milestone, tour the beautiful new space, and connect with the incredible SBCS staff in person. ECS is proud to partner with organizations that share our commitment to supporting families and strengthening communities.

Congratulations to SBCS on this inspiring new chapter!

Leading the Way Awards

SAN DIEGO – ECS was recognized by Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan at its 3rd annual “Leading the Way” Awards dinner in San Diego. Over 30 individuals and organizations were recognized and awarded for their contributions to a healthier San Diego. 

The awardees’ work spanned across a range of key focus areas for health, including health equity, health access, and high-quality care.  

ECS received an award for Leading the Way for Equitable Health Access. Through behavioral health programs such as Para Las Familias (PLF) and Central East Regional Recovery Center (CERRC), as well as wholistic health-minded services offered through other ECS programs. 

The “Leading the Way” Awards celebrate community efforts to promote and expand health equity and inspire change. Together, San Diego steps closer toward a brighter and healthier future. 

Thank you to Blue Shield Promise for this honor, and congratulations to the other awardees. Together, we are lighting the path forward and strengthening the community. 

(From left to right) Tim Whipple, Development Director; La Monica Everett-Haynes, Board of Directors President; Geri Bannister, Assoc. Director of Behavioral Health; Kevin Lare, Annual Giving Manager; Hazzy Pipo, VP of Administration.November 2025.

ECS and fellow awardees accept their awards from Blue Shield Promise. November 2025.

Celebrating Recovery

SAN DIEGO – ECS' clients are the heart of everything ECS does. Every staff member’s focus, each service offered, and every penny raised goes back to breaking barriers and uplifting neighbors in need. Last Thursday, ECS celebrated its clients with its annual Thanksgiving Recovery Lunch. 

Volunteers serve a Thanksgiving meal. November 2025.

The lunch was hosted at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Volunteers from St. Mark’s, Enterprise Bank, Navy Federal Credit Union, Ciprus Consulting, Christ Church Day School, and individual sign-ups made the day possible, helping to prepare the church, providing appetizers and desserts, and greeting and serving the guests. The students from Christ Church Day School even created a gratitude art project for guests to participate. 

The Recovery Lunch celebrates community. November 2025.

Guests included clients from Central East Regional Recovery Center (CERRC), C-HRT Safe Haven, and Uptown Safe Haven. Some clients also brought family members to join in the celebration.

Renee, a CERRC client, attended the recovery lunch for the first time. “I’m just excited to be here and have new beginnings and second chances to be able to start a new future,” she said. “They [ECS staff] really genuinely care about us and want us to succeed.” Renee is 82 days clean as of the time of the recovery lunch. 

Guests add what they are thankful for to the gratitude art project. November 2025.

Everyone in attendance – from the guests and volunteers to ECS staff and leadership – enjoyed a full Thanksgiving meal together and commemorated the recovery journeys of so many in the room with a chip ceremony. 

Recovery chips were given anyone in the room who had achieved any amount of recovery. Whether someone was celebrating years of sobriety or weeks, the room cheered on their admirable accomplishment. 

Clients, volunteers, staff, and leadership enjoy a Thanksgiving-style feast together. November 2025.

The community aspect of the lunch is what makes the event so special. Sarah, a C-HRT resident shared her view on creating community. “It’s important to show up and contribute and be there to support the community,” she said. Sarah is passionate about helping others and is excited to be an ECS volunteer in the future as a way to give back.   

A huge thank you to St. Mark’s and Fr. Richard for hosting the lunch once again. ECS Recovery Lunch is always a day of celebration, community, and gratitude. It serves as a reminder of the impact ECS’ programs make in the lives of so many and the strength of its clients.   

ECS cannot make this change without support. To help ECS continue to impact the San Diego region and bring real transformation to thousands of individuals and families visit our donate page here: www.ecscalifornia.org/donate.  

Festivities and Resources to Greet the Fall Season

Children add to the festive atmosphere with their Halloween costumes. October 2025.

Chula Vista, CA – The fall season is brimming with beloved traditions and festivities. From pumpkin carvings and jumping in leaf piles to enjoying hot apple cider, there is so much fun to be had. ECS has its own annual fall tradition: the Head Start Fall Festival. 

The Fall Festival was held at ECS Family Engagement Center (FEC), the perfect backdrop for a late afternoon of fun and resources. Each area of the community resource center hosted a different activity for families to enjoy. 

ECS staff display put together a pumpkin patch with donated pumpkins for children to pick. October 2025.

Outside sat an eye-catching pumpkin patch where children could redeem their entry ticket for a pumpkin of their choice. 100 pumpkins were donated for the event by St. John's Episcopal Church, Good Samaritan Episcopal Church, Chase Bank, Neighborhood National Bank, All Saints Episcopal Church, Jen Jow, Jimmy Hansen, and St. David's Episcopal Church and Preschool. 

Students from The Bishop’s School help Head Start students with arts and crafts. October 2025.

Games, included a “stuffy walk” where children could win a stuffed animal and a raffle families could participate in. A craft table – manned by student volunteers from The Bishop’s School – sat inside FEC. Children’s creativity ran wild as they created fall-themed decorations. Kara Crawford, an Educator at The Bishop’s School and member of ECS’ Board of Directors, attended the event with her students and commented on the importance of attending the festival. “This is our [The Bishop School’s] third or fourth year coming. What’s really important for them [The Bishop School’s students] is that it’s a real opportunity for them to see the whole network of organizations that support Head Start,” Crawford said. “It’s much more than preschool; the preschool is sort of the contact point to support a whole family and a whole community.” 

Community partners offer a variety of resources to festival attendees. October 2025.

Community was a central theme of the event. Much more than just fun and games, the Fall Festival boasted a large line-up of community partners offering valuable resources to attendees. Javier Tanayo, a Patient Engagement Specialist at Family Health Services, shared why the presence of community partners at events like the Fall Festival is important. “I think it’s always going to be amazing to share the resources to the community,” Tanayo said. “You never know who doesn’t know about what’s being offered in their community.” 

Joanna and her daughter enjoy the festival. October 2025.

The Fall Festival is an example of community coming together to celebrate and uplift one another. Joanna Garcia, a Head Start parent of a three-year-old, has now attended the festival three times. “[The Fall Festival] is a really fun place to bring your kiddos just because all the resources are really important. What they provide is honestly things that you wouldn’t expect,” she said. She also shared how supportive Head Start has been for daughter. “I think it’s just a great program,” she said. “It’s not daycare, it’s an educational system for your kids. It has genuinely taught my child, especially how to control her emotions. A lot of kids who are very young don’t know how to do that.” Garcia added, “The teachers are really nurturing, it’s a safe environment, you get a lot of great resources.” 

The Fall Festival is fun for the whole family. October 2025.

The Fall Festival was a great kick off to the fall season. 180 people attended the event, enjoying fall-themed activities and engaging with a variety of community resources. To learn more about the wholistic community support offered by Head Start, visit https://www.ecscalifornia.org/head-start-and-early-head-start.