How ECS Lights the Season with Love

When asked how he lights the season with love, Darren Tune, ECS’ Chief Financial Officer, shared, “I can reflect God's love this season by meditating on the humility of Christ, who chose to be born in the humblest of circumstances, and endeavoring to treat others as I would like to be treated.”       

Darren’s reflection embodies the spirit of this year’s holiday theme at Episcopal Community Services: “Light the Season with Love.” As Galatians reminds us, “Serve one another humbly in love,” (5:13). 

The holidays are right around the corner, bringing with them the cheer, generosity, and reflection that define this time of year. At ECS, the season is filled with activity, from the Family-to-Family gift giving program, to the Kendra Gives Back shopping event in partnership with Kendra Scott jewelry and the annual Giving Tuesday event, the holidays are an exciting time for the ECS community.  

Annual Giving Manager Kevin Lare came up with the theme while preparing for end of year giving. “We chose ‘Light the Season with Love’ because it centers on love as a verb; it's active, practical, and transformative,” Lare explained. “The generosity of ECS supporters translates into meals, shelter, and the relationships that help people thrive.” 

The cheerful graphics accompanying this campaign were created by ECS’ Marketing & Multimedia Specialist Zayda Sariñana. “My inspiration came from wanting to capture the warmth and connection that define the holiday season at ECS,” Sariñana said. “Each piece, from event graphics to holiday cards, was created to remind our community that even the smallest act of giving can spark something bigger.” 

ECS invited a few staff members to share how they light the season with love. Brianna Ruiz, Family & Community Engagement Specialist, shared, “I light the season with love by doing my best to act with empathy... Being self-aware of our privileges leads to us acting with true empathy and kindness and is especially important to understand the vulnerable populations we serve.” For Keith Franklin, a Resident Assistant, the message is simple and powerful: “Respect and stay humble to the unhoused.” 

ECS offers essential health and human services to thousands of San Diegans in every season, rain or shine. But during the holidays, there’s an extra dose of kindness and generosity in the air. As Lare put it, “The season is a chance to celebrate community — neighbors helping neighbors. ‘Light the Season with Love’ reflects our belief that generosity brings dignity, opportunity, and a sense of belonging.” 

How will you light the season with love?  

If you feel called to join ECS in bringing light to our neighbors, check out information on Kendra Gives Back, Family-to-Family for the Holidays, Giving Tuesday campaign and event, and the holiday appeal.  

Visit www.ecscalifornia.org/ways-to-give to put God’s love into action by meeting people where they are and helping transform our community.  

The Bishop’s School Book Drive

The Bishop’s School ECS volunteers visit St. John’s Head Start with books, crafts, and friendship. October 2025.

The Bishop’s School ongoing partnership with ECS continues to bring fruitful connection and blessings to ECS’ littlest learners. Last week, students from The Bishop’s School visited St. John’s Head Start with bags and boxes full of books for Head Start students and their families.  

The Bishop’s School students conducted their second annual book drive, collecting books for Head Start from the students and families of The Bishop’s School. This year, they collected 317 books for Head Start.  

The book drive initiative was driven by students. Joy, Grace, and Priyanka are three Bishop’s School students who played key roles in bringing this project to life. Joy ran the book drive both years. She helped set everything up, bringing awareness to the event and, after receiving the books, sorting and packing them. 

Grace created the idea for the book drive last year. She shared her love of reading and how preschool and elementary school book fairs “inspired my love for reading. So, I decided that we should do something similar here and bring a book drive,” she said. “[Reading is] just a great way to get your imagination going.” 

The Bishop’s School students spent with ECS students in their classrooms. October 2025.

When the Bishop’s School students delivered the books, they also spent quality time with the Head Start students, reading their new books and creating bookmarks. This year’s book drive was organized by Priyanka. A past visit to St. John’s Head Start gave her inspiration for change. “About a month ago... we were reading books to the kids, and I saw one little girl who only spoke Spanish... I felt bad because there wasn’t even one Spanish book,” she said. “So, it made me think, ‘oh my gosh, when we have the book drive, I want to be more aware of having at least one Spanish book for the classroom and one Spanish speaker when we go to read to them. So that way, everybody’s included.’”  

Kara Crawford, ECS Board of Directors member and an educator at The Bishop’s School helps coordinate volunteer and donation projects between The Bishop’s School and ECS. October 2025.

Donations and partnerships, such as ECS’ collaboration with The Bishop’s School, play an essential role in strengthening the impact of both organizations across the community. It helps ensure that any student – no matter their financial situation or background – is given the same opportunity to learn and grow. Petra Ortega, the St. John’s Site Supervisor stated, “I feel blessed and grateful to be here at St. John's and witness The Bishop’s School generously donate books to our Head Start children. This act of kindness will help foster a love of reading in our children and provide them with valuable resources to support their early literacy development. It truly warms my heart to see our community come together, spend time, and invest in our children's future.” 

A huge “thank you” to The Bishop’s School for continuing to offer their generosity and care to ECS Head Start. To learn more about Head Start visit www.ecscalifornia.org/headstart.   

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. 

Exploring ECS’ Future at the 2025 Board of Directors Retreat

National City, CA – Tuesday’s gray skies couldn’t dampen the optimistic energy inside St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, where ECS’ Board of Directors gathered for their annual retreat alongside committee members, ECS leadership, and staff.  

The 2025-2026 ECS Board of Directors and ECS staff and leadership. October 2025.

The retreat provided time to strengthen connections, celebrate the past year’s successes, and chart the course ahead.  

The retreat began with reflection on ECS’ core values — belonging, respect, exploration, empowerment, and stewardship — as attendees shared which values resonated with them the most and why.  

New board member Chris Connolly attended his first retreat and met many of his fellow directors and ECS leadership in-person. He expressed his excitement to build relationships and learn more about ECS. He joined the board with hopes of making a difference in the community. “Bishop Susan, in her opening prayer today, talked about transforming communities, and Elizabeth talked about how the new El Cajon facility is going to help transform that community,” Connolly said. “I'm really excited about this notion of transforming communities, which would give me a lot of purpose, if I could come to ECS board meetings to do that. Both this year, and years ahead, that'd be really exciting.” 

Presentations from CEO Elizabeth Wilberg, Board President La Monica Everett-Haynes, Board Chair Bishop Susan B. Snook, and CFO Darren Tune offered an overview of the 2024-2025 fiscal year and reviewed organizational goals for 2025-2026. Later in the afternoon, attendees separated into groups and constructed ideas for continued growth and impact. 

Attendees discuss strategies for the new fiscal year. October 2025.

Board President La Monica Everett-Haynes welcomes attendees to the retreat. October 2025.

Idara Ogunsaju, a member of the newly formed People & Culture Committee, shared how inspired she felt to meet other individuals driven to support ECS’ work. “It's very easy to get behind the work that's being done, from Head Start children to helping with the issues of homelessness in San Diego,” Ogunsaju said. “You see the work that's happening, you see how they care, and how they're delivering on the mission, vision, and values of the organization.” 

Ogunsaju cited Elizabeth Wilberg’s leadership and ECS’ value of exploration as the things that inspired her to support the organization. “That exploration, the willingness, the openness to change, is very powerful and positions ECS well for today and for the future,” she said. 

Head Start staff takes attendees on a tour of the school site. October 2025.

St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church is also the site for one of ECS’ Head Start centers. Attendees toured the facility, visited active classrooms, and learned about the wide variety of wraparound services Head Start offers, including Home Visits. ECS Head Start not only supports academic growth, but the whole family unit, prioritizing the health and development of their students.   

The annual board retreat reflects ECS’ culture of stewardship and care. Through the dedicated work of its directors, committee members, and leadership, ECS continues to grow stronger each year, laying the foundation for the next century of service. Thank you to our board of directors and committee members for offering your time and talents to ECS. 

To learn more about the leadership that guides ECS visit https://www.ecscalifornia.org/leadership.