When a community comes together to help the less fortunate, a few well-intentioned individuals can make a big difference. John S. Hawkins, Point Loma resident and president of Cloud 9 Shuttle, is one such individual.
Hawkins recently volunteered as the cabinet chair for the United Way of San Diego County and Combined Health Agencies Drive (CHAD) fund-raising campaign.
United Way is a nonprofit organization that raises funds distributed to more than 100 agencies serving the community, including Alzheimer’s Family Centers and Southern Caregiver Resource Center.
Hawkins, a Southern California native, has more than 20 years’ experience in the travel and tourism industry and holds an MBA from Santa Clara University. In 1991, he came to San Diego to be part of a ground transportation shuttle service. He eventually helped transform that business into Cloud 9 Shuttle, whose more than 100 vehicles now travel a collective 12 million miles annually, or the equivalent of 54 round trips to the moon.
Hawkins, dedicated to community service, has served as chairman of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Corporate Finance Council and San Diego’s first two Fleet Weeks. He has also served on the boards of the San Diego International Sports Council, the Port Tenants Association and the Downtown Rotary Club. He currently serves on the board of directors of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Better Business Bureau, the Holiday Bowl and the USS MIDWAY Aircraft Carrier Museum.
Hawkins said his involvement with the business community will help the United Way/CHAD fund-raising efforts, which, according to Hawkins, will operate differently than last year.
This year, the United Way/CHAD campaign has decided to focus on three critical issues that will make the biggest impact on improving the quality of life for all San Diegans, Hawkins said. The campaign aims to raise money for homeless outreach and prevention, to stop child abuse and to equip people with essential life skills.
In previous years, funds were distributed among a variety of organizations, with each one serving different community needs. The result was a little money for a lot of causes, which often wasn’t enough to make much of a difference, Hawkins said. So rather than trying to solve many problems with limited funds, the current campaign will direct larger sums to fewer groups emphasizing specific issues. This new way will allow a “higher impact of greater significance in fewer areas,” Hawkins said.
As cabinet chair, Hawkins will work with dedicated volunteers on each of the three focus areas. Dene Oliver “” considered one of the foremost experts on housing development and preventing homelessness “” will help secure housing for the chronically homeless. Former CEO of Rady Children’s Hospital Blair Sadler will lead the charge against child abuse and neglect. Ron Kendrick, former executive vice president of Union Bank of California, will focus on providing essential life skills such as financial literacy and education.
“We’re really lucky to have these world-class guys working on these issues “” issues they feel passionate about,” Hawkins said.
The goal, according to Hawkins, is to gain long term and measurable results. The United Way/CHAD campaign cabinet members will use their years of experience heading large organizations to more efficiently distribute funds to agencies that will do the best job, he said. As the programs move forward, standards of measurable results and feedback from the various agencies will help keep track of the most successful programs.
Specific services falling under the umbrella of the three areas of focus include consumer credit counseling, financial literacy programs and tax credits for individuals living below the poverty line, Kendrick said.
Combined Health Agencies is a federation of 26 nonprofit health related charities. For nearly 40 years, the agencies associated with CHAD have provided health-related services to San Diego, including educational programs for health issues and research grants for local pharmaceutical and medical labs, said Combined Health Agencies President Susan Day. The agencies help more than 1.3 million people throughout San Diego County.
The United Way/CHAD receives funding through workplace donation programs using payroll deductions.
“[Donations] can go so far. I think that it’s really an easy way for people to give back to a community that’s really here to benefit them,” Day said.
For information on how to start a campaign at your workplace or contribute to the United Way/CHAD campaign, call (858) 492-2000 or visit www.uwsd.org.
A full list of CHAD agencies can be found on the United Way of San Diego County Web site, www.uwsd.org.