This Weekend's Upcoming Event

Thanks to HomeReach.com's "Your Home. Our Community." campaign, 62 of our residents will be treated to a San Diego Padres game this Sunday. The residents will be driven down to Petco park in Limo Buses, receive t-shirts, food and a few other surprises. A local Vista Company, Global Plastic Sheeting is also a big part of the event as they are one of the corporate sponsors that enabled this event to happen. Here is the article that was published through the Union Tribune earlier this morning. Have a great weekend and feel free to join us at the Game.... Padres vs. Rockies, Sunday, September 13th at 1:05pm. See you all there!

Homeless kids, parents going to Padres game

By Joe Tash

September 11, 2009

Several dozen North County homeless children and their parents will be treated to a Padres game with all the trimmings Sunday, thanks to the efforts of a San Diego real estate agency and other donors who pitched in to support the outing.

Two limo buses will pick up the group of 62 children and parents Sunday morning at North County Solutions for Change, a Vista-based homeless shelter that works with families in an effort to provide them with the skills and resources needed to get off the streets permanently.

“I don't know if they're more excited about the limo bus or the baseball game. They're just fired up; it's great,” said Chris Megison, president and executive director of North County Solutions for Change.

When the outing was announced at a meeting, “the look on (the children's) faces was just priceless,” Megison said. “They couldn't believe it.”

The excursion was organized by HomeReach.com, a real estate agency based in San Diego's Little Italy neighborhood. David Tal, the company's principal agent and founder, said the event is part of an overall campaign to assist worthy organizations throughout the county.

Each month, volunteers organized by HomeReach.com are planning to participate in a charitable event that's connected to housing in some way, Tal said. In July, the first month of the campaign, volunteers helped build a house with Habitat for Humanity in Oceanside.

Tal said his company chose Solutions for Change after reading about the nonprofit's work on its Web site.

“Chris (Megison) was so excited when I told him what we wanted to do,” Tal said. “Charities are suffering right now."

The group will sit near the third-base line at Petco Park to watch the Padres play the Colorado Rockies. The trip will include food, drinks and T-shirts for participants. All of the services have been donated, Tal said.

A Vista-based company, Global Plastic Sheeting, also is a major sponsor of the event. Several individual donors have contributed as well.

Solutions for Change is always looking for ways to bring homeless children and their parents into the mainstream of society, Megison said.

“When a kid can go to a ballgame, and sit back and have a hot dog and popcorn and in the seventh inning sing 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game,' I don't know anything more American, more mainstream than that,” he said. “It puts our families out in the community in a way that says, 'We're part of this community just like anyone else.' ”

The Padres event isn't the only significant contribution received recently by North County Solutions for Change. Last month, employees of Watkins Manufacturing, a spa builder in Vista, brought 20 boxes of supplies and a check for $15,000 to the homeless shelter. The donation came from Watkins' parent company, Masco Corp.

“In this day and age right now, with the recession knocking a lot of nonprofits in the kneecaps, the word 'grateful' just doesn't seem to reflect how I personally feel,” Megison said about the donations. “Without these companies coming through, we can't solve homelessness for these kids and families.”

Joe Tash is a freelance writer from Oceanside.

One Family's Story...

We have decided to switch it up a little and provide you with a different way to get in touch with the stories of past and present residents here at the Solutions University. Please take a few minutes to click HERE and listen to this week's story.

We cannot thank you enough for your on going support. Please help be part of the change and spread the word!

Remember, you can also connect with us here:

Follow Us on Twitter

Become a Fan on Facebook

Thank You!

Companies like Watkins Manufacturing are part of the change!

We cannot express our gratitude enough towards one of the amazing local companies here in Vista that have helped made an impact and who are part of the change for the Solutions University - Watkins Manufacturing.

September 8, 2009 -- During this past August, the employees of Vista-based Watkins Manufacturing filled the company's hallways with bedding, cleaning supplies, personal hygiene items, clothing, food and school supplies. On Friday, August 28, Watkins representatives delivered over 20 boxes to North County Solutions for Change, along with a check for $15,000. The check was a grant from Watkins Manufacturing's parent company, Masco Corporation, according to Sandra Shuda, Vice President of Human Resources for Watkins, maker of Hot Spring Spas and Caldera Spas.

"Our company has been an active supporter of Solutions for Change for several years. We appreciate the proactive way they're creating a solution for homeless families in Vista. When the Masco Corporation Foundation invited its subsidiaries to apply for grants to help local organizations devoted to ending homelessness and hunger during these tough economic times, we knew immediately who our candidate would be," said Shuda.

To read the FULL Press Release, click here.

THANK YOU!

Three more amazing community members from The "We Are Winning" Documentary.

We Are Winning is a documentary about one community in America and the people in it who are solving family homelessness. Recent reports state that 1 in 50 children living in the United States will experience homelessness in 2009. Is family homelessness in America a condition that can be solved? Over the next several weeks you will meet people from the community of North San Diego County California who believe that solving family homelessness for kids and communities is achievable and who are doing something about it.

If you’ve already watched the documentary introduction just select one of the Docu-Clips below or click here to watch the Documentary Introduction by Chris Megison.

Mark Henschen - from the business sector

Mark Henschen, Circulation Director of the North County Times Newspaper describes how Solutions for Change is like a miracle for the hundreds of children and families being helped. “This place is nothing short of a miracle. The interesting thing is that they have tapped into the burning desire of the people within this community who desperately want and need real solutions to this vexing problem. Working together with the community, people helping people, a new model called the Solutions University was built that literally transforms the lives of whole families and entire communities. I watched as Chris and Tammy Megison built the North County Hawker program from the ground up into one of the most successful newspaper hawking operations in the country. They took that same passion and drive and have since built a national model for solving family homelessness. If any community in the nation wants to really end this thing, you need to come here and see this.”

Otto Schneider – from the faith sector

Otto Schneider, a retired United States Navy Chaplain still very active in community service, talks about how the church community struggles with addressing the problems around family homelessness. Says Mr. Schneider, “the church plays a vital role in any community when dealing with these social issues, but the problem is that they are not equipped to handle the myriad of problems related to a family losing their home, their car, their job, their health and who are now homeless with children. Often times they try to help but what ends up happening is that the best the church can do is contain the problem. And containment can be a disaster. Families get the much needed spiritual guidance, which is great, but they also desperately need real practical help with health related disabilities, addiction recovery, employment related training, parenting skills, and affordable housing, to name a few. Solutions for Change is the answer because the church can be involved in a purposeful and meaningful way while working within the Solutions University structure towards achieving the goals needed to solve homelessness for kids and for our community.”

Catherine Trout-Lichterman – from the government sector

Catherine Trout-Lichterman, Housing Director of the County of San Diego shared (just before retiring after over 20 years of public service) about how the government sector makes a difference in the lives of homeless families and children. Says Ms. Lichterman, “Anytime you see a group of citizens come together around solving a problem it becomes a very powerful thing and it becomes a win for the region as a whole. It’s very gratifying to know that the funding that we administer is used for those purposes and with those results and with those positive outcomes.” The County of San Diego continues to invest public funds into the housing programs and services provided by Solutions for Change.