Showcasing the Healing Power of Art

Uptown Safe Haven residents and staff celebrate the art show and the healing it represents. October 2025.

La Jolla, CA – Art is healing. It provides a space for people to express and process difficult feelings or experiences in a calm and comforting way. According to Psychology Today, engaging with art challenges the brain, helping to break behavior patterns set by depression, anxiety, and trauma. This allows healing to take place.

At ECS Uptown Safe Haven (UTSH), residents frequently create art. Last Friday, their creativity was displayed at the annual Art Speaks: The Healing Power of Art exhibition. The event showed off the unique artwork of each resident, but it also displayed their incredible healing journeys.

ECS’ CEO and Development team pose with a resident and her art. October 2025.

The event was held at St. James Gallery by-the-Sea in La Jolla. UTSH residents’ original pieces were displayed for guests to peruse. The art was also available for purchase, with all proceeds directly benefiting the artist.

Guests had the chance to meet UTSH residents, staff, and others passionate about breaking barriers for adults experiencing homelessness.

A heartfelt thank-you to the St. James Arts Committee for providing the delicious refreshments and to everyone who joined us for this meaningful celebration of art and community.

To learn more about Uptown Safe Haven, visit www.ecscalifornia.org/uptown-safe-haven-1.

Resident artwork hung up for display. October 2025.

Artwork at the exhibition is made up of a range of different images and mediums. October 2025.

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.