About Us
About
In 2005, while Ruben Morales was coaching football at Colton High School, he learned about one of his players whose family was facing financial struggles and needed help during the holidays. Ruben shared this with his wife, Laura, and they decided to do something about it. With the collected efforts of the football team, coaches, and parents, Ruben and Laura were able to raise enough money to provide a Thanksgiving meal for the family, as well as other families of students at the school who also needed help. At the time, they had no idea just how many families within the district were struggling financially and had an immense amount of need. The following year, the CHS football team once again adopted several families to provide meals for Thanksgiving and gifts at Christmas. Soon, it became a tradition for the Morales family to adopt families within the Colton Joint Unified School District who they could help during the holidays—and with the help of friends and family, they have raised funds every year since then to help as many families in need.
Ten years later, Ruben and Laura’s twelve-year-old daughter, Isabella, came up with the idea to start a non-profit in order to continue to provide these services. Isabella grew up doing this important work with her family and believed that they could serve more children and families in need by raising more money and awareness through a non-profit. Her dream became a reality in October 2015 when the Living-4-Giving Foundation officially became a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
Working closely with the Colton Joint Unified School District schools in Colton, Grand Terrace, Bloomington, and parts of Fontana and San Bernardino, the Foundation is able to serve hundreds of the 26,000 students in need by providing meals at Thanksgiving in the comfort of their own homes and a special delivery by Santa Claus to their door step on Christmas Morning.
The Foundation reaches out to schools every year for lists of students who have the most need for help and receives referrals from the community.
Vision
Our vision is to put a smile on the faces of children, provide them with holiday cheer, and ease the stress and worry of the holidays for families who are struggling.
Mission
Our mission is to provide food, clothing, shoes, toiletries, school supplies, toys, and other resources to families in need in order to help make the holidays a little easier. The Living-4-Giving Foundation also provides these, and other necessary resources, throughout the year because we believe that a healthy and happy community is one that thrives.