California Families in Focus (CFF), a Long Beach based education non-profit, runs a program for high school scholars—Visionaries Inspiring Purpose. For Maria Macias, CEO and co-founder of CFF, she hopes to go beyond just using social service programs and innovative events to empower high students and their families. She also has a vision to build a thriving, proactive and healthy community. When the pandemic hit, Macias and her team quickly shifted gears to provide vital support for youth and families, seniors and the disabled, single mothers, the LGBTQ+ community and immigrants. This crisis led Macias to look for more funding for her non-profit because she knew that these vulnerable groups needed more help now, which led her to the LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund. Weathering COVID-19 required the community coming together to help one another and with the financial help from the grant, Macias, her CFF team, and other committed Long Beach volunteers were able to provide “Safer at Home Love Kits”—which will include personal hygiene products, PPE, food, gift cards, and personalized notes—to thousands of people in their community.

“The COVID pandemic may have taken our freedom but it did not take the courageous and generous spirit of our members,” Macia said. “CFF feels honored and proud to be able to meet the needs of thousands of our community members through our combined COVID relief efforts.”

El Arte Barbershop is a family owned establishment that has served the South LA community for over 40 years. Continuing the family business alongside his father, Roberto Sanchez has worked hard to keep El Arte in South LA, something important to Sanchez, as the barbershop has served the Latino community in the neighborhood for decades. Despite the reopening for the restaurant businesses here in Los Angeles, barbershops are among the types of businesses that have only recently been allowed to reopen. The stagnation in business during this time almost put El Arte Barbershop at risk of being evicted. When Roberto got the notice that his barbershop would be a recipient of an LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund grant, he was able to keep his business from getting evicted, upgrade equipment and make repairs to the shop and make sure El Arte Barbershop would be able to reopen safely when the restriction was lifted by putting money towards making his business in compliance with the new COVID-19 safety standards.

“Through most of the 80’s and 90’s we’ve been a staple of the community,” Sanchez said. “I’d like to express my deep appreciation for this help. My livelihood had been at risk and the grant minimized that risk.”

Ellen Shane has endured a hardship that very few others have ever had nor will ever have to experience: the murder of her 13-year old daughter, Emily, in 2010. However, this tragic event eventually led Ellen Shane to found and lead a non-profit charity organization, dedicated towards providing individualized mentorship and academic tutoring to disadvantaged middle school students within Los Angeles and Ventura county—the Emily Shane Foundation. The Foundation’s mission was going well until the pandemic hit, when it forced Shane to cancel the Foundation’s annual fundraiser, leaving them in a critical budgetary situation for finishing the school year and with uncertainties of commencing the next academic term. When Shane applied for the LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund grant, she did so in hopes of being able to keep the Emily Shane Foundation’s flagship program, Successful Educational Achievement (SEA), running. The program, Shane explains, provides academic and personal support to those who may not be able to afford the resources to succeed. The only cost to students is to implement the Foundation’s motto “Pass It Forward”, in which students must perform a good deed for others and share it with the Foundation. And in that same “Pass It Forward” fashion, when Shane became a grant recipient, she immediately dedicated the entire grant to their SEA program to keep serving as many students as they can, during a time when it’s more important than ever to keep students from falling behind.

“It is truly a much needed lifeline to our continuing to serve children here in LA,” said Ellen Shane. “The need for what we do is greatly magnified due to virtual learning.”

iJoy Lash Lounge was forced to close their doors twice due to COVID-19. The small cosmetic beauty enhancement business only had three days of notice before shutting down their first time due to heightened business restrictions, though they were booked through the end of the year. Tiffany Roberts spent her days searching for financial assistance, unsure when they would be allowed to reopen since the business did not fall under similar categories as hair salons or other personal care services. After applying to various financial aid programs like the Paycheck Protection Program and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program, Roberts was able to briefly reopen iJoy Lash Lounge. She had to purchase personal protection equipment as a part of the City and County’s COVID-19 safety protocols,, yet her business was to be closed yet again during the summer. Roberts is currently still waiting to hear from city officials if she can reopen her business, but the LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund grant has allowed her to keep up with rent so far. In adapting to the challenges of the pandemic, Roberts is launching a product line that can transition her business into a pandemic-proof source of income. 

“The grant has given me the opportunity to keep my business during the current shutdown. I was forced to close my doors for a second time in July, and without this grant, I would not have been able to keep up with the rent,” Roberts added. “Now, I will be able to have a business to re-open once given the green light.”