The Art of Giving 2004 Awards

Recognizing the dedication and generosity of some of San Diego’s finest in philanthropy

While San Diego Magazine acknowledges the outstanding efforts of all charities, cultural institutions, social service groups and individual philanthropists featured throughout the Registry, it is the magazine’s honor to pay due respect to those organizations and individuals whose outstanding work continues to benefit the San Diego community. Here, we recap our selections in four categories: Community Volunteer of the Year, Nonprofit Organization of the Year, Philanthropic Business of the Year and Philanthropist of the Year. May they inspire one and all in their efforts to give back to San Diego.

Michelle Candland, Community Volunteer of the Year
Before moving to San Diego from Salt Lake City seven years ago, Michelle Candland’s volunteer experience mainly consisted of one-time events for organizations like the Special Olympics. Once she arrived here and heard of the Monarch School for homeless children, however, she heard her new calling.

“Those of us who are fortunate not to be in shelters need to step up and make sure that the people on the street have an opportunity to change their lives,” she says. “That’s the reason everyone is involved in Monarch.”

Candland learned of the Monarch School through the Rotary Club, another organization in which she is actively involved. Seeking an opportunity to work with children, Candland was directed to Monarch, which was, at the time, in need of a new site. Candland helped form the nonprofit Monarch Project to raise funds for a new school. Today, she serves as past president on the Monarch School board of directors and works on committees to spread the word about the Monarch initiative and its efforts to build an even larger facility. After seven years, there’s no end in sight to Candland’s long-term commitment to the Monarch cause.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for me and a blessing in my life,” she says. “Everyone who touches Monarch feels blessed because of all the special kids we get to work with.”

Candland recently left a career in commercial real estate to pursue a personal passion of authoring her first book, a nonfiction story about women with common beginnings achieving excellence against all odds. It’s a story that Candland can relate to, and one she’s been moved to write for many years.

“It’s a positive story to tell all women about other women,” she says. “I think it’s time for all of us to hear some positive things.”

Girl Scouts, San Diego–Imperial Council, Nonprofit Organization of the Year
Today’s Girl Scouts don’t just sell cookies and sing “Kumbaya.” They are making films, rock climbing, learning computer technology and improving our communities. According to Jo Dee Jacob, CEO of Girl Scouts, San Diego–Imperial Council, the organization is building girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.

The San Diego–Imperial Council, one of the largest Girl Scout councils in the country, boasts a membership of 30,000 girls—that’s one of every 10 girls ages 5 to 17 in San Diego and Imperial Counties. The council’s Girls Are GREAT (Gifted, Remarkable, Extraordinary, Ambitious and Talented) program brings scouting to areas where traditional troops are not likely to form because of language or economic barriers. Jacob recalls the excitement of one girl from National City on her first camping trip who exclaimed, “I’ve never heard quiet before!”

Scouting offers many girls their first opportunity to participate in community service. Operation Thin Mint, a program that sends cookies and letters of support to servicemen and servicewomen overseas, originated in San Diego. In the past four years, Jacob estimates that more than 700,000 boxes of cookies have been shipped.

Girl Scouts is funded by individuals, foundations, the United Way and, of course, cookies. “Everybody knows the Girl Scout cookie sales,” explains Jacob, “but I think what they don’t know is that all of that money stays right here in the community.”

The council also holds an annual fund-raiser, called Urban Campout, in September.

Girl Scouts is run by an army of volunteers, which number 10,000 in San Diego and Imperial counties. And still more volunteers are needed, stresses Jacob. “We have a waiting list of girls who want to join, and we need leaders to become the caring adults for these girls.”

Wells Fargo, Philanthropic Business of the Year
With more than 3,000 employees and more than 90 banking locations throughout San Diego, Wells Fargo has established a considerable presence in the county, known for providing services that promote economic self-sufficiency and education to a diverse population. However, the benefits of the Wells Fargo business to San Diegans extend beyond the company’s dedication to the financial well-being of its customers. The Wells Fargo name has also become synonymous with community involvement, thanks to the corporation’s ongoing commitment to improving the quality of life where employees live and work.

“Volunteerism is a core value of Wells Fargo,” says Chuck Lemoine, senior vice president of public relations. “We encourage the volunteer efforts of our team members and support them as they continually create positive changes in San Diego.”

After earning the 2004 Philanthropic Business of the Year award, Wells Fargo followed through on its mission to positively affect the San Diego region through numerous partnerships and charitable events throughout the community. One cause to which Wells Fargo has made a long-term commitment is Mama’s Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that provides hot meals for San Diegans living with AIDS and HIV. An active supporter since 1994, Wells Fargo this year became the title sponsor of the agency’s first-ever Mama’s Pie in the Sky bake sale fund-raiser.

Additionally, Wells Fargo is one of the largest contributors to the annual campaign of the United Way of San Diego, an organization dedicated to the health, safety and productivity of all San Diego communities. The corporation provides year-round support to the San Diego Blood Bank through its sponsorship of a Wells Fargo Bloodmobile; partners with KFMB-TV in a variety of community cleanup efforts; and participates in the Padres Foundation Ticket Program, donating thousands of Padres game tickets to schools in low- and moderate-income areas throughout the region.

Helen Copley, Philanthropist of the Year
Helen Hunt moved to San Diego in 1951 from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to start her life anew and went on to become one of its most influential women. With such a stunning turn in fortune, one writer dubbed Helen Copley “the West Coast Cinderella.” Through her work as head of Copley Press and numerous philanthropic projects, she has made a lasting impact on San Diego.

When James Copley, her husband, died in 1973, Helen Copley surprised everyone by stepping forward to lead what would later become the Copley Press, which today publishes The San Diego Union-Tribune and 19 other newspapers in California, Illinois and Ohio. Under her stewardship, the Union-Tribune won two Pulitzers. She joked about her transformation from housewife to CEO in a 1979 speech. “[F]rom time to time, some fellow publisher will ask if I don’t yearn for the tranquil days I once knew as a housewife. Whenever I’m asked that question, I think of Harry Truman’s famous statement about getting out of the kitchen if you can’t take the heat. And at such times, I remind myself that in my case, if things get too tough, I wouldn’t be leaving the kitchen, I’d only be going back to one.”

Through three decades of philanthropy, Helen Copley donated millions to the San Diego Symphony, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Kroc-Copley Animal Shelter. She cofounded the San Diego Council on Literacy and underwrote a new library at USD. She also made numerous contributions to medical facilities in the area, including Scripps Clinic, where she served as a board member for 11 years, Children’s Hospital and Sharp. Her son David has continued this legacy of giving by donating $5 million to Sharp Healthcare earlier this year.

In August 2004, Helen Copley died at the age of 81.