THE CEO'S REPORT

Hello all,

Just when we thought it couldn’t get any hotter, it did. The high temperatures cause a great deal of concern for our residents who have difficulty paying the higher cost of electrical usage and may have poor electrical systems which do not support air conditioning. Please share with others that we have Cooling Centers available throughout the Coachella and Palo Verde Valleys at locations listed below.

I want to thank Mike Gialdini for serving on the RAP Board since 2017 and recently serving as Board Chair. Mike decided to step down from the board in May after making many significant contributions and he will be missed.

As a result of Mike’s decision, the Board called on Jan Pye to take over as Chair. Just about everyone knows Jan and we are fortunate to have her take on this responsibility. She knows what the position requires since she recently served in the role--and she still said “yes.” We look forward to Jan’s leadership once again.

Pictured, from left, are: RAP Board members and Rotarians Rudy Gutierrez Maria Meyer, Student Julian Herrera, Rotary member Cecilia De La Torre. Also: Coachella East Rotary President Alejandra Zamora, students Erica Negrete and Giselle Panlino, and RAP Chairperson Jan Pye.

At the June RAP board meeting, the Coachella East Rotary made a presentation to demonstrate the success of the annual Rotary Youth Leadership (RYLA) weekend program held in mid-April. It was great to hear directly from the students Julian Herrera, Erica Negrete and Giselle Panlino of how this experience will shape their future leadership plans.

Congratulations are in order to a couple of nonprofits funded by RAP: ABC Recovery and Coachella Valley Rescue Mission; both celebrated facility expansions during groundbreaking ceremonies this month. Who said people won’t come out in July to watch the official breaking of dirt? Both events were well attended and both nonprofits deserve the kudos received by the elected officials who delivered remarks, including RAP Board members Supervisor V. Manuel Perez and Palm Desert Mayor Karina Quintanilla.

Finally, I want to welcome two more team members to one of our growing programs: John Frank, Project Manager, and Adam Lackey, Accountant, are joining Coachella Valley Healthy Living. RAP welcomes the pair’s help delivering resources designed to improve nutritional education and also toward reducing tobacco use by youth.

Lety De Lara

Chief Executive Officer

Pictured of George Holliday, RAP Controller

Mental Health Initiative Year Two Grants Recently Awarded

In June, RAP awarded a second-year grant to nine organizations. The funded programs will improve the psychological, emotional, physical, and social well-being of residents in the Coachella Valley and Palo Verde Valleys. These programs will continue their work to bring awareness and improve services to remote areas, support cultural competency of service providers, and reduce negative stigma associated with accessing services.



• ABC Recovery - $99,000
• Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine - $32,000
• Jewish Family Services of the Desert - $50,000
• Olive Crest - $50,000
• Shelter From the Storm - $42,000
• Soroptimist House of Hope - $25,000
• The Joslyn Center - $50,000
• Innercare - $70,000
• Voices for Children - $20,000

Pictured above: Taly Fantini -

Director of the NPO Centric Program

Hello everyone,

Hi, I’m John Frank, and I’m a new project manager for the Coachella Valley Healthy Living Project. I received my B.A. in Economics from UC Santa Barbara, and worked in the agricultural industry for many years before joining the RAP Foundation. In the short time I have been here at RAP, the team has made me feel welcome. I’m looking forward to the things we’ll accomplish this coming year.

My assignment with RAP allows me to do something I find really fulfilling: helping people who need help. I’m excited about the opportunities this new role provides, enabling me to contribute meaningfully in improving lives. I hope to be able to expand and improve the current program with the help of the rest of the Coachella Valley Healthy Living Team.

Westside Elementary, located in Thermal, is entering the next phase of their Social and Emotional Wellness Garden project with the help of Coachella Valley Healthy Living. And with funding assistance from the Anderson Children’s Foundation, Westside Elementary will begin executing the plans for the garden in September. The garden, developed in conjunction with the Coachella Valley Unified School District, will be a place for students to learn about and care for plants. It will also serve as a verdant, peaceful area to rest and socialize during the day. The project should be completed during the next school year, at which time we hope to continue our collaboration with Westside Elementary by providing support for nutrition and physical activity education.

Our goal is to provide SNAP-eligible adults in these programs with the knowledge necessary to make healthier choices regarding nutrition in order to improve their health outcomes and those of their children and other dependents. In the coming months we will expand the program’s reach to include more adult centers; we will also begin providing nutrition and physical activity education in local elementary schools at the beginning of the school year.



If you have any questions related to the Coachella Valley Healthy Living Project, feel free to contact us at jfrank@rapfoundation.org.