DRAFT

For Immediate Release

Doreen Schonbrun Joins Board of Center for Children

Contacts: Vince Heald ( [email protected] ) – 858-453-9600

------

San Diego, CA -- As a long-time supporter of the San Diego Center for Children, and as a regular on-site volunteer, Doreen Schonbrun is well-acquainted with the valuable services provided by the 127-year-old nonprofit. So she was thrilled to take a more advanced role in shaping children’s lives by recently accepting an invitation to join the Center’s Board of Trustees.

“I adore these kids,” said Schonbrun, “and I want to see every single one of them make it.”

The Center is equally thrilled. “Doreen is an amazing asset to us,” said Alison Beck, Director of Development and Communications. “She really sees the value in what we do.”

It’s not the first time a local organization has benefited from the time and enthusiasm put forth by the veteran fundraiser and philanthropist. Prior to joining the Center’s Board, Schonbrun sat on the development committee and chaired its annual dinner gala, the nonprofit’s biggest fundraiser. She also serves on the advisory board for the Fishman Fund Awards given by Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute; has served more than a decade on the steering committee for “Art Alive,” the signature fundraiser for the ; and was recently appointed to the Commission for Arts and Culture of San Diego where she serves on the Advocacy Committee and is vice-chair of the Arts and Education Committee. These are but a few of her many volunteer activities. But the busy grandmother finds the time. The resident, who grew up in Los Angeles, has always had an eye for helping others. She worked in a nursery school as early as age 15 and, later, continued volunteering in the school classrooms of her two young sons. She also helped raise funds for several local charities.

After moving to San Diego in 1998, Schonbrun pursued a personal love of art by earning her bachelor’s degree in Art History and Criticism from the University of California, San Diego. She continued to nurture that passion with additional charitable work for Patrons of the Prado, the philanthropic organization supporting the collection of arts and cultural institutions in .

But working on behalf of at-risk children remains a priority. From the first moment she set foot on the campus of the San Diego Center for Children a number of years ago, Schonbrun knew she’d found a place worthy of her time. “I saw kids from the worst possible scenarios come to this beautiful, loving environment where they were getting the best education and the best therapy and I thought, ‘These kids have a chance here, and I want to be part of that miracle.’ I have been here ever since.”

# # #

About the San Diego Center for Children

Founded in 1887, the San Diego Center for Children is the oldest children's non-profit in San Diego. Today, in eight locations and hundreds of homes across the county, the Center provides therapeutic care, specialized education and critical life skills to over 1,000 children and their families. From prevention and assessment, outpatient counseling, specialized education, foster care, residential treatment and transitional services back into the community, the Center is a flagship organization for children and teens struggling with behavioral and emotional health challenges.