Philanthropist Dorothea Laub Pledges $1 Million to Restore the Balboa Park Carousel
Plus, San Diego Humane Society hosts a virtual kitten shower, Feeding San Diego and STEP plan food distributions for veterans, and Cal Coast Credit Union raises money for small businesses
San Diego philanthropist Dorothea Laub donated $1 million to Friends of Balboa Park’s efforts to restore the park’s historic carousel. The landmark donation was the feather in the cap of Friends of Balboa Park’s capital campaign, allowing them to hit their $3 million goal, which includes the $1.5 million purchase price of the carousel.
“For an organization our size to receive such a significant amount from a single benefactor is humbling, especially at this time,” said Friends Executive Director John Bolthouse. “It also demonstrates the generosity of San Diegans and the power of philanthropy to still come together in such uncertain times to support Balboa Park.”
Laub has donated over $2.5 million to various park projects in recent years, including sponsorship of the carousel’s band organ and tiger ride. Friends of Balboa Park notes that several sponsorships related to the carousel project are still available. For more information, visit friendsofbalboapark.org.
San Diego Humane Society is seeking much-needed supplies ahead of kitten season
Every spring, thousands of kittens born to near-feral “community cats” and indoor-outdoor cats that haven’t been spayed end up at San Diego Humane Society. These kittens become wards of the SDHS Kitten Nursery, a first-of-its-kind facility that provides round-the-clock care until they are old enough to be adopted. SDHS is asking the community to donate kitten formula, bottles, and other necessities to assist with this effort.
“During the spring season, we expect thousands of kittens will come through our doors and require 24-hour care,” said San Diego Humane Society Nursery & Foster Manager Jackie Noble. “We rely on the generosity of our community to ensure each one gets the shelter, nourishment, medical care, and love they need to thrive.”
SDHS is hosting a virtual kitten shower that will run through the end of the month. Animal lovers can visit sdhumane.org and choose items from the humane society’s online registries, which will be delivered directly to the facility.
STEP volunteers sort food and prepare food bags for military families
Feeding San Diego and the Support the Enlisted Project have teamed up to help struggling members of the military and veterans. Feeding San Diego is loading up STEP locations in Oceanside and Miramar with healthy food, which will be distributed twice a month. The effort is part of Feeding San Diego’s Feeding Heroes initiative, which ensures that food is distributed to families of active-duty military and veterans in need.
“We’re really excited about this partnership with Feeding San Diego and being able to bring these items to military and veteran families,” said Tracy A. Owens, programs manager at STEP. “We help provide so that they don’t have to make a decision between putting diapers on the baby or paying the electricity bill.”
Representatives of Strategic Alliance San Diego and Cal Coast Credit Union celebrate efforts from the Shop Local campaign
California Coast Credit Union, its members, and the community raised $35,000 to support local minority-owned businesses and nonprofits impacted by the pandemic. During the Shop Local fundraising campaign’s run, each time members used their Cal Coast MasterCard debit or credit card, Cal Coast would donate a portion of the purchase price to Strategic Alliance-San Diego, which represents local minority-owned businesses. The effort raised $20,000, and Cal Coast put in another $10,000. Additionally, San Diegans donated $2,500 to four local nonprofits, which was also matched by the credit union.
“In a year that has created unprecedented challenges for local businesses and nonprofits, this initiative proves that when the community comes together, we can make a difference,” said Cal Coast President & CEO Todd Lane. “And by continuing to shop locally, you can extend that impact and show support for your local community.”
Charitable SD
JUNE 24, 2026
Luma Initiative Creates Community Through Strength & Resilience
Inspired by her own experience, founder Elena Barbour has set out to help struggling women thrive
Divorce, adjusting to single motherhood or coparenting, and the unexpected adjustments that come with it can turn even the most put-together woman’s life upside down. For many, these shifts trigger a profound loss of identity as that chapter of life officially comes to an end.
While Elena Barbour was navigating a divorce and raising two young children, other women in her circle shared similar experiences—one, a high-powered attorney, said divorce was the hardest thing she’d ever gone through. Barbour realized that women like them who’d gone through divorce, separation, or trauma needed support, but unless they qualified for low-income assistance or could pay top dollar for private services, there weren’t a lot of options. That led to the creation of the Luma Initiative, a nonprofit organization that aims to connect women with the practical resources needed to rebuild after a major life transition. The organization is currently developing its programming and plans to open to its first (already full) three-month cohort of women this fall.
“I consider myself a very strong, competent woman, but what I went through shook me,” Barbour says. “[There were] all these things that I did not expect, and that a lot of people looking from the outside couldn’t see necessarily. It was hard to relate. And I found that after coming out of this divorce, I needed to reshift my community a little bit because the challenges and the life stage of where I was compared to where they were now was just so different—even though I was surrounded by people, I felt very alone.
Courtesy of Luma Initiative
“So [we’re] trying to create that sense of community in this place for women to be like, ‘All these women are going through something similar and when I talk with them, I don’t feel so alone and I can let go of some of the negative feelings I’m feeling, and I can […] start to rebuild.’”
Luma Initiative’s program will include licensed therapist-guided support groups, and support via financial literacy advisors, life coaches who specialize in career building, and family law attorneys, plus therapeutic yoga at sister business Luma Yoga. They’ll also work with other nonprofit organizations as needed to create a “one-stop, well-rounded, holistic approach to supporting women who are going through this really big transition of life,” Barbour explains.
Barbour says Luma Yoga Studio in Little Italy will serve as Luma Initiative’s physical base, transforming into a familiar community-centered home away from home where women can feel safe. She leaned into yoga and the breathwork, meditation, and mindfulness that often come with the practice to get through tough times, and carries those tools with her “off the mat.” She hopes that other women will find that same sense of nervous system regulation. She emphasizes that Luma Initiative and Luma Yoga work as an ecosystem that provides both wellness and tangible support.
“The goal with Luma Initiative will be to help these women come back to themselves and their identity through community, and use community as a platform to rebuild,” she says.
Sarah Sapeda is San Diego Magazine’s Custom Content Editor. In her 15 years in San Diego journalism, she has covered charitable events, health care, education, crime, current events, and more.
How the Junior League of San Diego Is Helping Local Families in Need
Volunteer Meredith Wood shares how the organization distributes diapers, period products, and other essentials while building community across San Diego
Just shy of 100 years ago, a group of determined women came together to improve the community and help their fellow San Diegans. They formed the Junior League of San Diego, a local chapter of the nationwide cohort of women with a mission to create meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training.
Today, the Junior League of San Diego is one of 291 Junior Leagues in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Great Britain. Locally, the league works to collect essential items, such as period products, diapers, clothing, food, and school supplies to distribute to underserved communities, and pitching in to help other nonprofits fighting food insecurity.
Volunteer Meredith Wood has spent the last two years on the donations committee. Here, she details her experience.
How did you first get involved with the Junior League of San Diego?
I first joined the Junior League in 2024, after I moved to San Diego from the East Coast. I wanted to meet people, specifically more women, and get involved in the community. In my first year in the Junior League, I was placed on the donations committee. That was my first glimpse into the work, specifically with donations. After a year of doing that, I applied to be the chair, so I did that this past year. It was an awesome experience.
What do your volunteer duties entail?
So last year as the chair, I led a team that organized our donation drives, so that includes marketing the drives, managing the inventory, and then coordinating with community partners to distribute the donations.
What do you like best about volunteering at the Junior League of San Diego?
I love working with other women in the league. Everyone is so enthusiastic and brings such bright ideas to the table. Everyone I’ve worked with is so passionate and committed to bettering the community and doing what they can, and they have fun while doing it, which I think is so important because it makes it sustainable.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced?
So far, the biggest challenge as the donations chair has been seeing the huge need for specifically diapers and menstrual products in the community (JLSD operates a Diaper Bank & Period Pantry). It seems like no amount of supply we’ve ever had has been able to meet the demand, which can be a little disheartening at times. But to that, I try to remember that any difference that we make is valued and important. That’s what motivates me to keep going.
Courtesy of Junior League of San Diego
Can you describe your favorite or most memorable experience while volunteering?
That’s a tough one because every time I volunteer at the Junior League, it genuinely is such a fun time. I always really enjoy going to PATH and prepping and serving meals there. The staff and residents are all so awesome, and it’s always a really fun experience to cook with Junior League friends and serve that way.
Then another memorable one was when SNAP funding was on pause back in the fall this year. We mobilized pretty quickly within two weeks and got all our donations out the door, and were handing them out alongside a food pantry in San Diego. That was a really special moment to just connect with the community, see directly where donations were going, and ask people what they needed. We learned that some of the supply that we had didn’t align with the demand, so it was a really big learning experience, too.
Any advice for someone considering volunteering as a way to give back?
Sometimes I’ve struggled, wondering if my efforts have been enough, and I’m sure there’s someone else out there, too, who’s wondering the same thing. But there’s no effort that’s too small, and people really just appreciate anything you can do to better the community. So, find something that you care about and then figure out how you can add value to it. Bonus if you can invite a friend to join you and just make it that much more fun.
The Junior League has given so much to me in the two years that I’ve been a part of it. For starters, the learning experience of how do I even manage a committee and raise donations and get them out into the community has just been such a great opportunity. I highly recommend any woman who wants to get involved in San Diego to join the league. And if that’s not your cup of tea, we’re always taking donations, specifically menstrual products and diapers. We take them all year at 210 Maple St. in San Diego and try to get them out every couple weeks. We have Amazon links on our website as well.
Sarah Sapeda is San Diego Magazine’s Custom Content Editor. In her 15 years in San Diego journalism, she has covered charitable events, health care, education, crime, current events, and more.
Enjoy tastings from more than 20 wineries and gourmet bites at the University of San Diego Wine Classic. The all-inclusive annual event benefits USD’s Alumni Endowed Scholarship Fund, and to date has raised more than $1 million.
July 18: The Pride 5K Run & Walk
Around 1,700 runners and walkers will hit the streets of Hillcrest for the The Pride 5K Run & Walk, before the Pride Parade. The long-running community favorite is a highlight of Pride Week and raises money for San Diego Pride and the LGBT Center’s Youth Housing Project.
July 20: Brendan Nordholm Make-a-Wish Golf Classic
The 37th annual Brendan Nordholm Make-A-Wish Golf Classic will tee off at The Crosby National Golf Club at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club. The 18-hole tournament, followed by a reception, will help the organization grant wishes for local families.
July 23: Foundation for Developmental Disabilities Christmas in July
Help the Foundation for Developmental Disabilities celebrate its 40th year at its Christmas in July fundraiser at Koi Zen Cellars. The festive evening marks the start of FDD’s annual Season of Sharing and guests are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate.
Operation For HOPE Foundation’s ninth annual Caring, Sharing & Champagning Fundraiser will kick off with a charity shopping spree for household essentials for survivors of domestic violence and their children. Guests will then be treated to champagne, espresso martinis, and light bites at a private residence in Rancho Santa Fe.
July 25: The Doan Foundation’s Fourth Annual Gala Fundraiser
The Doan Foundation will host a formal fundraising dinner to benefit underserved youth and emerging creatives. The organization’s fourth annual Gala Fundraiser will feature a live performance by R&B artist Amanda Perez, other performances, scholarship awards, and inspiring stories.
Sarah Sapeda is San Diego Magazine’s Custom Content Editor. In her 15 years in San Diego journalism, she has covered charitable events, health care, education, crime, current events, and more.
Finding a gift that feels truly personal can be surprisingly difficult. In a sea of generic options — flowers, gift cards, candles, and the like — Xplosion Box offers something more lasting: a customized keepsake built around the photos, messages, and memories that matter most.
Founded by Southern California entrepreneur Jay Vijay, Xplosion Box LLC creates fully customized explosion gift boxes that arrive professionally designed, printed, assembled, and ready to gift. Each box opens layer by layer to reveal personal photos, heartfelt messages, pull-out albums, origami-style photo pockets, and hidden notes, turning a simple gift into an emotional reveal.
The brand was built for people who want to give something meaningful without spending hours printing photos, cutting paper, folding cardstock, or assembling a DIY project. Customers simply choose a box, upload their favorite photos, add personal messages, and the Xplosion Box team transforms those details into a polished keepsake that feels thoughtful, personal, and beautifully made.
Xplosion Box offers personalized gift boxes for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, graduations, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, proposals, bridesmaid gifts, long-distance relationships, and thoughtful “just because” moments.
Customers can choose from flexible customization options starting at $27. The Mini Surprise Box includes 10 photos, three message cards, and one hidden secret note, while the Mega Surprise Box offers a fuller keepsake experience with 40 photos, three message cards, and one hidden secret note.
What sets Xplosion Box apart is its high level of customization combined with convenience. Filled with personal photos, custom text, decorative details, and layered surprises, each box gives customers the freedom to create a gift that feels one-of-a-kind — without having to make it themselves.
At its core, Xplosion Box helps people turn favorite photos, stories, and words into something tangible: a keepsake that can be opened, revisited, and remembered long after the occasion has passed. asion has passed.
International Network of Hearts celebrated 15 years of helping survivors of human trafficking in the U.S. and Mexico recover and reintegrate at its “An Evening of Courage and Change” gala on June 6. During the formal event at the Sunset View Room overlooking Mission Bay, the organization received a proclamation from Mayor Todd Gloria’s office deeming June 6 as International Network of Hearts Day. Proceeds from the gala will support International Network of Hearts’ mission to rescue, restore, and reintegrate survivors via its Casa del Jardín care centers.
Sarah Sapeda is San Diego Magazine’s Custom Content Editor. In her 15 years in San Diego journalism, she has covered charitable events, health care, education, crime, current events, and more.
Prom is a rite of passage for high schoolers, but a flashy new dress can cost hundreds of dollars. The Princess Project helps girls cut costs while promoting fashion sustainability. The nonprofit collects new and gently used formal dresses and accessories throughout the year, then when prom season rolls around, launches pop-up boutiques where girls can shop for their dream dress at no cost. The only criteria is they have to be a high school student who’s going to prom.
The Princess Project started in San Francisco in 2002 with a small dress drive. The movement grew exponentially over the years, and expanded to San Diego in 2008. Today, it’s headquartered at Parkway Plaza in El Cajon and has chapters in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Sonoma.
“We really want to celebrate teens, make them feel good about themselves, and save them some money because it costs a lot to go to prom. This is one way that we can help alleviate the cost,” says Karen Martin-Spellerberg, corporate board chairman and head of the San Diego chapter. “There’s no financial requirement to come get a dress with us because we are all about everybody being equal and having the same opportunity.”
The experience is more than just picking out a dress, says Martin-Spellerberg. The Princess Project works to create a bubble of inclusiveness and confidence, where all shapes and sizes are celebrated, and all comments are positive.
Courtesy of the Princess Project
In the months leading up to prom season, teens can book an hour-long appointment at the Parkway Plaza location to try on dresses and accessories, which they get to keep. Volunteers act as personal shoppers, curating an experience unique to each kid. This year, the Princess Projects also brought dresses to eight library branches throughout San Diego County to reach girls who couldn’t make it to the main event.
Because the Princess Project relies on donations, they often do not receive enough dresses in “fringe sizes” (00-2 and 14 and up), so they hold fundraising events to purchase new dresses in those specific sizes to maintain an inclusive range. Its signature $5 Dress Sale Fundraiser event will take place on May 30-31 at Parkway Plaza, where non-prom dresses (cocktail, casual, business) donated throughout the year are sold for a minimum $5 donation per dress. All proceeds from this fundraiser are used to purchase the understocked sizes.
“We’ve got dress drop off sites throughout San Diego County and people sometimes will donate dresses that are non-prom—sometimes they’re cocktail, casual, summer, business. So, what happens is when we are done with the season, we flip our dress store and we put out all of the non-prom dresses,” says Martin-Spellerberg. “People can come shop and get as many dresses as they want and 100 percent of the proceeds go toward us purchasing dresses in the sizes we don’t have enough of.”
The Princess Project also relies heavily on volunteers, including teen ambassadors, the latter who meet monthly, help organize the store, work outreach tables, and host a fashion show to help spread the word to their fellow students that the dresses are premium-quality and “ready to wear, beautiful and amazing.”
“It’s all about kindness and making kids feel good about themselves,” says Martin-Spellerberg.
Sarah Sapeda is San Diego Magazine’s Custom Content Editor. In her 15 years in San Diego journalism, she has covered charitable events, health care, education, crime, current events, and more.
If you’re anything like us, it can be easy to get so caught up in taking care of everyone else, that your own needs get lost in the ether. But while this may be a cliché, that doesn’t make it any less true: You can’t give your best self to other people unless you’re taking care of yourself.
Sometimes, that looks like stopping in for your regular acupuncture or chiropractic appointment. Other days, it means giving your body the fresh, organic fuel it needs to truly feel and function at its best. And some other times still, it involves leaving your responsibilities behind for a weekend to pamper yourself at an incredible resort and spa.
Only you can decide what your truly need. We’re just here to help you find the best ways to get it.
Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa
Island living meets desert luxury at the Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa in Indian Wells. When you step onto the 11-acre property, you’ll be surrounded by sweeping view of the Santa Rosa Mountains with olive trees and fragrant citrus groves decorating the grounds. In other words, everything about this relaxed but refined resort is primed to help you let go of the stress from home and enjoy easy sun-soaked days and gorgeous starry nights.
The rooms blend calming, woven textures with Tommy Bahama’s signature tropical prints and feature private lanais, making it easy unwind the moment you walk in the door. If you book one of the four Villa Suites, you’ll be treated to exclusive Tommy Bahama furniture and unique personal touches to further that feeling of instant ease.
At the award-winning Spa Rosa, the expert team will help reset and recharge your body and mind using methods and rituals inspired by the desert. The 12,000-square-foot retreat includes outdoor soaking pools, eucalyptus steam rooms, and outdoor cabanas, as well as massages, facials, and body masks—all aimed at creating a day dedicated to you. We’re particularly partial to the Day Long Escape, an indulgent all-day affair of CDBs soaks, renewing scrubs, life changing massages, and transformative facials.
Following your treatment, continue the experience with a meal on the patio at Grapefruit Basil. We love the Hamachi Crudo, a light, citrus-forward dish featuring premium yellowtail, house-made ponzu, creamy avocado, and fresh seasonal garnishes.
Whether you’re strolling the gardens, relaxing beside its saltwater pools, or indulging in a restorative treatment, you’ll be able to escape in style and relax in luxury at the Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa.
Healcove Chiropractic
There’s no shortage of ways to stay active in San Diego—but if you really want to enjoy everything the city has to offer, you’ve got to make sure you’re giving your body its tune-ups. Enter: Healcove Chiropractic. The board-certified chiropractors and wellness professionals at Healcove are experts at addressing that stage where you’re not injured, exactly, but you’re not at 100%, either. Maybe you’re feeling a bit tense or stressed out. Or it could be that you’re not quite moving the way you want to. Sometimes, it’s just that the accumulation of days, weeks, or even years of daily strain is starting to take a toll. No matter what stage you find yourself at, the Healcove Chiropractic team can provide integrated, preventative care centered on long-term, science-backed approaches that ensure you can always stay active and live the life you want to live pain-free.
This starts by providing truly individualized care. Every patient can expect a thorough 60-minute consultation session that includes a posture and movement screening. This allows the team to develop a completely personalized plan. That plan might include chiropractic care, acupuncture, or massage therapy, as well as functional fitness training, vibration and sound therapy, and Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization, a clinical rehabilitation method that retrains the body’s stabilization systems. Whatever the team recommends, you can be sure that it’s tailored to meeting your body’s needs today and the future.
There’s a reason that San Diego Magazine named Healcove the “Best Chiropractor in San Diego”—don’t wait until you’re struggling with an injury to find out why. Book an appointment today for holistic, integrated care that helps ground and heal your body before it reaches a crisis point.
Juice Holler
West Coast wellness culture meets the community feel of Southern Appalachia at Juice Holler. Juice Holler’s menu consists of made-to-order smoothies and smoothie bowls, as well as grab-and-go cold-pressed juices, wellness shots, salads, and more. It operates from the blissfully simple premise that fueling up with food and drink that’s guilt-free and good your body should be simple, accessible, and, above all else, delicious. And if you haven’t yet made it out to the Encinitas café, which opened just this year, let us be the first to tell you: Juice Holler delivers on each and every of these fronts.
We love the Supercharger smoothie, a mood-lifting and body-fueling option made with banana, almond butter, blue spirulina, maca, grass-fed whey protein, raw cacao nibs, medjool dates, and coconut milk. We’re also partial to the Thrive Alive smoothie bowl, where avocado, mango, sea moss, spirulina, mint, coconut milk, and agave are mixed and topped with coconut, chia seeds, strawberry, mango, and chocolate drizzle. The wellness shots include the Detoxifier, a cleansing blend of kale, cucumber, lemon and spirulina, plus a shot specially designed to fight inflammation (named, fittingly, Anti-Inflammation). Probiotic overnight oats, lemon turmeric bars, and strawberry shortcake chia pudding are other standouts on the grab-and-go menu.
Much of the vibe feels beachy North County chic—think green tile with orange and pink accents, grounded with greenery and natural wood—but Juice Holler founder Kelly Sergott, a longtime Encinitas local, has also enfused the space with her Kentucky roots. In Appalachia, a holler is small valley between hills and mountains, where nature reigns, community is king, and nourishment comes right from the land. At Juice Holler, Sergott has created a holler for the busy modern times, using local ingredients to create a spot for people to come together and enjoy fresh, fast, feel-good fuel for their day.
Everwell Acupuncture
We’ve all had that experience with a medical professional where we’ve felt rushed, ignored, or misunderstood—and ultimately, like we didn’t get the answers that we needed. But at Everwell, the holistic acupuncture practice located in Solana Beach, the care team wants to transform your understanding of what healthcare can look like.
Patients at Everwell experience care rooted in intentional listening and radical empathy—and trust us, those aren’t just corporate buzzwords. This place actually puts those ideas into practice. You will always be given the time you need to tell your story— initial in-take appointments are two hours long—and you can rest assured that your story will be believed. Every single question and concern will be addressed by a dedicated practitioner who wants to find the specific solutions that work best for you, and you’ll receive care that’s aimed at healing the body, mind, and spirit.
Everwell’s highly trained, doctorate-level practitioners blend evidence-based acupuncture with the practice of classical Chinese medicine. (If you’ve never tried acupuncture before or aren’t sure if the team will be a fit, we’d highly recommended Everwell’s complimentary 20-minute consultations.) Research shows that by stimulating specific points on the body, acupuncture activates a natural healing response in the body, helping to restore balance, regulate the nervous system, and improve overall wellbeing. This allows the practice to address an incredibly wide range of conditions from chronic pain and autoimmune disorders to digestive issues, from stress and burnout to headaches migraines, fertility and postpartum struggles, hormonal imbalances, sleep concerns and more.
At Everwell, you can expect to feel heard, trusted, respected, and cared for. This is a space that doesn’t want to be just another healthcare provider you visit; it wants to provide patients with dedicated partner who will be there for their entire health journey.
