Spreading Holiday Cheer: Foundation for Developmental Disabilities’ Season of Sharing
The demand for support is skyrocketing. In the past year alone, SDRC welcomed more than 4,000 new clients, adding to the thousands of families already navigating financial strain while caring for loved ones with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DDs). The holiday season is meant to be a time of family, joy, and togetherness. Yet for […]
The demand for support is skyrocketing. In the past year alone, SDRC welcomed more than 4,000 new clients, adding to the thousands of families already navigating financial strain while caring for loved ones with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DDs).
The holiday season is meant to be a time of family, joy, and togetherness. Yet for many families served by the San Diego Regional Center (SDRC), this season brings more worry than wonder. Rising costs of rent, utilities, and necessities often force heartbreaking choices; keeping the lights on or having a holiday celebration with family, leaving little room for traditions that should bring comfort and joy.
The Foundation for Developmental Disabilities (FDD) created the Season of Sharing program to change that reality. Each year, FDD raises funds to provide holiday gift cards to SDRC families in San Diego and Imperial Counties who are experiencing financial hardship. For many, these gift cards mean a holiday meal, warm clothing for a child, or the chance to exchange gifts that make the season memorable.
Meeting a Growing Need
The demand for support is skyrocketing. In the past year alone, SDRC welcomed more than 4,000 new clients, adding to the thousands of families already navigating financial strain while caring for loved ones with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DDs).
For these families, Season of Sharing is more than financial aid; it is a lifeline of stability and hope. One parent shared: “Because of the Foundation’s gift cards, I was able to buy my son a warm coat and a small toy. It may seem simple, but for us, it meant everything. We celebrated without worry, and he felt the magic of the holiday.”
Moments like these remind us why Season of Sharing matters: it allows families to replace stress with joy, and hardship with connection.
A Celebration with Purpose
Season of Sharing returns on Sunday, November 16, 2025, at Stone Brewing in Liberty Station, where giving back meets holiday cheer. This family-friendly gathering invites the community to enjoy crafts, games, and plenty of festive fun, as well as the opportunity to connect with others who share a passion for making the holidays brighter for SDRC families.
Most importantly, proceeds from the event go directly toward purchasing holiday gift cards for local families, ensuring they can celebrate the season with dignity, warmth, and joy. Attending Season of Sharing means more than enjoying a festive afternoon; it means standing with families who too often must choose between paying bills and creating holiday memories.
How Local Businesses Can Make an Impact
Sponsorship is at the heart of Season of Sharing’s success. By sponsoring, businesses and organizations provide critical holiday relief while demonstrating their commitment to inclusion, compassion, and strengthening the I/DD community in San Diego and Imperial Counties.
To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, contact Jill Weber at [email protected].
Celebrating 40 Years of Impact
As FDD prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2026, Season of Sharing serves as a powerful reminder of its enduring commitment to the I/DD community. Over the past five years, FDD has generated more than $1.9 million to fund over 100 innovative programs that enhance the quality of life for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DDs) across San Diego and Imperial Counties. Additionally, the Foundation has invested over $800,000 in affordable housing initiatives and provided more than $1.2 million in emergency assistance to SDRC families.
Guided by its vision of equitable access and opportunity, FDD continues to create lasting impact through programs like Season of Sharing—building a community where inclusion and potential thrive.
A Call to Action
This holiday season, you can help transform difficult choices into moments of joy—bringing hope to local families. Your support ensures no family is left behind during the holidays.
Inspired by the effortless charm of French cafés, this taste of France on Orange Avenue invites guests to embrace the simple pleasure of taking their time.
Strolling down Orange Avenue on a sunny afternoon, you’ll hear the hum of beach cruisers rolling by and visitors making their way toward the Hotel del Coronado. Dogs pause to greet one another on the sidewalk, palm trees sway overhead, and for a moment, you’re convinced you’re living inside the postcard from the gift shop you just passed.
Then the scene shifts. Towering white columns, black café awnings and gold-trimmed windows frame Little Frenchie, where woven bistro chairs spill onto the sidewalk and servers deliver bubbling crocks of French onion soup. The scent of caramelized onions and melted Gruyère is practically an invitation to ask, “How long for a table for two?”
That feeling of pulling up a chair and staying awhile is exactly what inspired Little Frenchie. French cuisine has a reputation for feeling a little intimidating, but the restaurant is rewriting that narrative with food and wine that feels approachable.
“Sometimes when you read a French menu, you come across words you can’t even pronounce,” David Spatafore, the owner of Little Frenchie, says. “We wanted to create a restaurant where people felt comfortable.”
Little Frenchie was designed to capture the spirit of the French sidewalk cafés that inspired it. Dating back to 1917, the space already carried the charm of a Parisian bistro, with architectural details that felt more at home on a European street corner than in Coronado. The team saw an opportunity to create a restaurant that matched the character of the space while filling a gap in the neighborhood.
The result is a French restaurant that honors tradition without taking itself too seriously.
At Little Frenchie, classic French techniques are at the heart of the menu, but there is always room for creativity. A cassoulet featuring Toulouse sausage and duck confit pays homage to the recipes and regions that inspired it, while a rich hot chocolate made with ingredients imported from France brings a taste of French café culture to Coronado.
The team loves finding unexpected ways to make familiar dishes feel new. A burger becomes a showstopper when it is finished tableside with melted raclette, while a French Dip gets elevated with prime beef and Wagyu makes its way into the burgers. Even Eggs Benedict gets a French twist, swapping the traditional English muffin for a buttery croissant. The GB&J, Little Frenchie’s take on a grilled cheese, brings that same playful approach with seasonal jam and French Brie layered into a comforting classic.
Nearly everything at Little Frenchie is made from scratch, with ingredients carefully chosen to match the restaurant’s standards. Even the bread receives special attention. Each morning, the team sends a car to Prager Brothers Artisan Bread to pick up freshly baked loaves, ensuring every element of the meal reflects the restaurant’s commitment to quality.
Wine is woven into the experience just as naturally as the food. Inspired by the effortless pairings found in French cafés and bistros, Little Frenchie’s by-the-glass selection invites guests to sip their way through different regions and discover new favorites without the pressure of knowing all the rules.
Growing up, Laika Nur, MD, Scripps Clinic sports medicine specialist, loved watching beach volleyball when the Association of Volleyball Professionals tour came to her hometown of Chicago. A talented volleyball player herself, she remembers sitting in the stands all day, and once, even got a couple autographs. Years later, Dr. Nur was attending a professional event focused on women’s sports, and the discussion turned to a new professional women’s volleyball league. The general manager and coaching staff for San Diego’s team, the Mojo, happened to be in attendance, and Dr. Nur took the opportunity to ask them if they needed a team doctor. Flash forward to the Mojo’s inaugural 2024 season, when Dr. Nur officially became the team physician. Click here to read more about Dr. Nur and how she incorporates lessons she learned on the court into her practice.
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Your feet and ankles probably aren’t something you give much thought to—until something goes wrong. Orthopedic surgeons at Scripps Clinic are on the leading edge of foot and ankle reconstruction, treating patients with sports injuries, deformities, traumatic injuries and other conditions. That includes repairing torn Achilles tendons with a minimally invasive procedure that shrinks the incision site to less than a centimeter, and performing advanced ankle replacement on some patients with ankle arthritis. Read more about Scripps’ innovations in foot and ankle care here.
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Mai Vue was just 34 weeks pregnant when she delivered her baby. Her pregnancy had been complicated, and she’d had a recent second trimester pregnancy loss, which led to her receiving specialized care from Sean Daneshmand, MD, a Scripps Clinic perinatologist who oversees high-risk pregnancies. Dr. Daneshmand and his team took care of Mai during her pregnancy, through the birth of her healthy baby girl and beyond. Mai was part of a program Scripps launched to provide support to new moms in the weeks and months after delivery. The postpartum program, known as Scripps Health’s Fourth Trimester Continuum of Care, provides care for women with high-risk pregnancies to optimize their health after childbirth and reduce the risk of complications in future pregnancies. Click here to learn more.
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It’s estimated that one in five people in the U.S. will develop skin cancer at some point in their lives. When you factor in living in a sun-soaked city like San Diego and the outdoorsy lifestyle that comes with it, that figure can jump to as high as one in three, which makes early detection and intervention all the more important. Dermatologists at Bighorn Mohs and Dermatology Center are using innovative imaging methods and advanced surgical techniques to diagnose and treat skin cancer. For certain cancers in sensitive spots, like the face, dermatologists perform Mohs surgery, removing skin tissue layer by layer until reaching healthy, cancer-free tissue. They also use a process called immunohistochemistry to view tissue samples taken during Mohs surgery in far greater detail than previous methods. Read more about how Scripps is advancing skin cancer care here.
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When endurance athlete Isaac Sanchez learned he had cancer, he felt blindsided. He was healthy, surfed often and was training for an Ironman triathlon. But he had to put that on hold to undergo treatment. His physicians at Scripps Cancer Center developed a plan to treat the cancer in his tonsil and lymph nodes that included six-and-a-half weeks of near-daily radiation and weekly chemotherapy. He also worked with a Scripps Cancer Center dietitian to enhance his nutrition to promote strength and healing. Today, Isaac’s back to doing what he loves. Read more of his story here.
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