BUSINESSES THAT HAVE SHOWN EXEMPLARY LEADERSHIP

We asked our readers for input on selecting businesses that have gone above and beyond for their employees and the community during this past year.

The three winners were chosen with the help of the Union-Tribune Community Advisory Board.

The winners are two mi nority-owned small businesses or organizations (less than 50 employees) and one large businesses or organization (more than 50 employees).

A special acknowledgment to the Central San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce and the Asian Business Association of San Diego for reaching out to their membership for input.

The Union-Tribune will donate $1,000 on behalf of each winner to the charity of their choice.

Reality Changers helps students from underrepresented backgrounds become firstgeneration college graduates and agents of change in their communities.

MINORITY-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS OR ORGANIZATION HELPING THE COMMUNITY

REALITY CHANGERS

The mission of Reality Changers is to prepare youth to become first-generation college graduates and agents of change in their communities.

Their programming strives to overcome the barriers that prevent students from underrepresented backgrounds from achieving academic success, attending college, and launching high-earning careers. Since 2001, the organization has served more than 3,100 program graduates.

Reality Changers first serves 8th through 12th graders with tutoring, leadership skills development, college/scholarship application assistance, career readiness training, and more.

Once students graduate from high school and attend college, they receive additional support to foster college and career success.

All programming is free for students and families.

Curriculum addresses education inequities and builds self-confidence.

The student support system includes peers, family members, volunteers, mentors, and Reality Changers staff, all working together to uplift youth on their college journeys.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Reality Changers has risen to the challenge to make sure that students were supported. Volunteers and staff responded quickly in 2020 to pivot to virtual learning, distribute school supplies, help connect families with food and housing resources, and bring in mental health experts, ensuring that students could focus on achieving their academic goals.

This fall, Reality Changers’ high school Class of2022 will be attending 28 different colleges and universities across the country, including SDSU, UCSD, Stanford University, Yale University, Morehouse College, San Diego City College and many more.

After attending college, many graduates come back home to work, advocate, and invest in their own neighborhoods, improving broader equity outcomes throughout San Diego.

Reality Changers is a donor and volunteer supported nonprofit organization.

For more information visit: realitychangers.org.

SBCS supports communities throughout San Diego by providing services including nutritional support, housing assistance, mental health counseling and more.

MINORITY-OWNED LARGE BUSINESS OR ORGANIZATION

(more than 50 employees)

HELPING THE COMMUNITY

SBCS

SBCS (formerly South Bay Community Services) transforms communities to support the well-being and prosperity of San Diego children, youth and families. The organization’s services — based in the strengths of local communities — touch the lives of more than 50,000 people each year and help those throughout the region to reach their fullest potential.

SBCS began in 1971 as “Our House” - a drop-in center in the City of Chula Vista. It focused its services on teens struggling with drug abuse by providing counseling and rehabilitation.

Working closely with each youth, SBCS staff learned that many of these teens were coming from homes with domestic violence issues, economic struggles, or other stressors that were impacting every essence of their lives.

The more the team listened, the more they learned that these issues are interrelated and better approached comprehensively through a suite of services.

Out of this need, SBCS slowly expanded its services to provide support for the dynamic issues facing our communities.

Today, SBCS transforms communities throughout San Diego County through programs and services including:

• Housing assistance

• Independent living skills

• Employment readiness

• Financial literacy services

• Mental health counseling

• Domestic violence and child abuse intervention

• Juvenile crimes prevention

• Therapeutic educational programming

• Meals and nutritional support

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, SBCS has prioritized safety while fulfilling our commitment to delivering excellent community services. Additionally, SBCS ensured community access to vaccines and vaccine information, increased weekly food distribution ten-fold, and partnered with the City of Chula Vista to distribute more than $34 million in rental and utility assistance.

Recognizing that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are ongoing, SBCS continues to work diligently with its partners to build stronger, more resilient communities.

For more information, visit sbcssandiego.org or call (619) 420-3620.

Lorrie Porte, DVM, is the owner of Woodside Animal Hospital in Lakeside.

MINORITY-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS OR ORGANIZATION

HELPING ITS EMPLOYEES

DR. LORRIE PORTE, WOODSIDE ANIMAL HOSPITAL

Lorrie Porte, DVM, has been a veterinarian since 1992 when she graduated from Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. She moved to San Diego after graduation with her husband, Ken, also a veterinarian, and her two golden retrievers and two cats.

Porte has studied aquaculture in Thailand and volunteered at a free veterinary clinic in Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. For the past 18 years she has owned Woodside Animal Hospital In Lakeside.

She has two sons, one of which is also a veterinarian working at Woodside. Her motto is “if you can get them through the door, then I will see them.” That philosophy provides Porte with a daily stream of chickens, rabbits, tortoises, cockatoos, goats, pigs and, of course, dogs and cats to treat at Woodside. Each pet comes with someone who loves them, and Porte said it’s her honor to help them all.

Porte and her trained, knowledgeable staff provide quality, compassionate veterinary care, answering question and helping clients develop a care program that is right for them and their animals. Several of Porte’s team members have been at Woodside for many years, demonstrating that having a compassionate, caring environment is not just good for patients but is good for maintaining skilled, professional employees.

Visit woodsideah.com.