Newsletter
August, 2025
Letter from Our Board Chair
Ah….summertime… the off-switch is “on” and the name of the game is relaxing, vacations, keeping the kids and the grandkids busy, golf, tennis, pickleball….
But the incoming Board has been hard at work to ensure a very successful 2025-26 Grant Award Cycle. Here’s what we’ve been up to.
We had a retreat in June to jump-start our calendar and planning for the upcoming year.
Once again, Ann Brizolis has generously agreed to host our September Kickoff meeting which will be on Thursday September 18th.
Muffy Walker has secured three great speakers on timely topics identified by the Governing Board and membership survey.
The September meeting will feature Dr. Dimitri Deheynfrom Scripps Institution of Oceanography speaking on Microplastics in the Environment.
For future meetings, Robin Fantin has secured the Lomas Santa Fe Country Club as our venue because the RSF Golf Club will be closed for renovations.
At the first meetings of the Monday and Tuesday grant groups, (September 22nd and 23rd), Candise Holmlund will be holding workshops on the grant process and the work of the grant groups. Candise is our in-house expert and the primary author of many of the documents we rely on, including the Grant Guidelines and FAQs. She has a wealth of experience and can answer your questions on the routine, and not so routine issues that come up during grant review. We are very grateful to Candise for making the time for this critical training. If you have been thinking about joining one of the Grant Groups, now is the time to do it.
Volunteer Co-Chairs Lynn LaRue and Lisa Hwang have lined up volunteer events with three of our past awardees…including one that likely will be popular with our golfing members, so stay tuned.
This week, the Rancho Santa Fe Review published our article featuring our 2025 Gayle Gillies-Mize Awardrecipient, Hahn School of Nursing at USD and its Perinatal Nurse Specialty Training Program. Check it out!
Our annual Impact Report was emailed to membership several weeks ago. If you haven’t had a chance to read it, you can now view the individual reports towards the bottom of Our Impact page on our website. This page also includes a list of our most recent grantees.
The Summer Social is this upcoming week on August 6th. Marilyn Tedesco has graciously agreed to host us for an informal afternoon. Details are below. Its not too late to register! Join us if you can.
We are looking forward to welcoming everyone to the Kick-Off of the 2025-26 Grant Award season on September 18th.
We welcome your participation at any level. If you are interested in working on any of the Committees, please reach out to a Committee Chair.
And, of course, don’t forget to renew your membership. The renewal window is open. Although we are just getting started, we already have $30,000 in the Bill Gillies Matching Fund.
Mary Consalvi
RSF Women’s Fund Board Chair
New Members
This spring/summer, we had three new members join our organization, and we are thrilled a former member rejoined our community. Please be sure to introduce yourselves and give them a warm welcome!
Jane Fletcher — New Member since April 25th
Sue Bell Bien — Returning Member since May 14th
Cynthia Burleson — New Member since July 16th
Jess Swann — New Member since July 28th
Spotlight on a Recent Grantee
The Jacobs & Cusham San Diego Food Bank North County — Food4Kids Backpack Program
$25,000
The Food4Kids Backpack Program (F4KBP) is a $282,000 initiative aimed at fighting weekend hunger among elementary school children in North County San Diego.
The program provides backpacks filled with nutritious, child-friendly food to students who rely on free or reduced-price school meals but face food insecurity over the weekend. With nearly 1 in 3 children in San Diego experiencing hunger, F4KBP fills a critical gap, ensuring kids have access to food even when school is not in session.
In partnership with 96 local schools, the program distributed 133,000 Student Packs and 33,300 Family Packs last year. The effort is volunteer-supported, well-organized, and effective—evident in the high student attendance on Fridays, the day backpacks are distributed.
The program not only addresses immediate nutritional needs but also supports long-term health, academic success, and family well-being.
Summer Social
If you haven’t already registered, its not too late to sign up for our Summer and Social Event!
This Members’ Only event is scheduled for this Wednesday, August 6th from 4:30 to 7:00 PM.
Please join us for games, fellowship and fun as we catch up with friends, old and new
Annual Fall Kick-off Meeting
The Fall Kick-Off Meeting will take place on Thursday September 18, 5:00-7:00.
Dr. Dimitri Deheyn a marine biologist from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD will be speaking about Microplastics in the Environment.
It should be an informative and fun gathering to kick off the beginning of the 2025-26 Grant Season.
Registration will begin on August 18th.
Important Upcoming Events
August 6th
September 18th
September 22nd and 23rd
RSF Women’s Fund Summer Social
Annual Kick-off Meeting
Grant Committee Meetings begin
4:30 – 7:00 PM
5:00 – 7:00 PM
12:30 – 2:00 PM
2025-26 Executive Board of Directors
President and Board Chair — Mary Consalvi
Secretary — Cathy Burch
Treasurer and Finance Committee Co-Chair — Diane Solomon
Grant Committee Co-Chair — Maritia Walper
Grant Committee Co-Chair — Sara Bennett
Sr. Membership Chair — Marilyn Tedesco
Nominations and Governance Chair — Nikki Carmody Ream
Member-at-Large — Sandra Coufal, MD
Member-at-Large/Audit Chair — Cynthia Hudson
Member-at-Large/Programs Chair — Muffy Walker
Member-at-Large/Technology Chair — Mara Buchholz
2025-26 Governing Board of Directors
Incoming Grant Committee Co-Chair — Staci Fournier
Incoming Grant Committee Co-Chair — Laura Froelich
Investment Committee Chair — Candise Holmlund
Jr. Membership Chair — Irene Pimentel
Publicity Chair — Barbara Metzler
Social Chair — Robin Fantin
Social Media Chair — Pilar Meza
Volunteer Co-Chair — Lisa Hwang
Volunteer Co-Chair — Lynn LaRue
Member-at-Large — Donna Vance
plus all Executive Board Members