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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 3, 2002

Contact:
Diana Ip, i.e. communications, LLC
 (415) 616-3930

Roni Hooper, TCWF
(818) 702-1900

THE CALIFORNIA WELLNESS FOUNDATION APPOINTS TWO NEW COMMUNICATIONS OFFICERS

Julio Marcial and Cecilia Laiché Assume New Duties

Los Angeles, CA – The California Wellness Foundation (TCWF) announced the appointment of two staff members to the positions of communications officers. Cecilia Laiché and Julio Marcial both previously served as communications associates for TCWF.

“Communications officers play a crucial role in our organization,” said Gary L. Yates, TCWF president and CEO. “Cecilia and Julio contribute significantly to the Foundation’s communication efforts in disseminating valuable information on our grantees’ efforts to improve the health of the people of California.”

"Both Julio and Cecilia bring strong strategic communications skills to their respective areas," said Magdalena Beltrán-del Olmo, the Foundation's director of communications. "I believe they will continue the tradition of producing high-quality electronic and published information that effectively spotlights the fine work of the Foundation's grantees in promoting health and wellness among Californians."

Marcial joined TCWF in July 1998 as a communications clerk and was appointed to communications assistant in 1999 and to communications associate in 2000. Prior to joining the Foundation, Marcial was a junior market research analyst as part of a fellowship to the H.H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies at the University of Michigan and worked as a community relations representative at Montecito Bank & Trust. Marcial is a member of several professional associations including the Hispanic Public Relations Association, Hispanics in Philanthropy, The Communications Network and the California Chicano News Media Association.

“What TCWF attempts to achieve through its grantmaking is to be of service to the community,” Marcial said. “I'm honored to be a part of an organization that's making a difference in communities all across California."

Laiché joined TCWF in July 2000 as a communications associate. Prior to joining the Foundation, she worked 11 years in health-related, community-based organizations such as the Los Angeles Free Clinic, where she currently serves as a member of the President’s Council. Laiché is also a member of the Communications Network and Women in Philanthropy, both affinity groups of the Council on Foundations.

“I appreciate that The California Wellness Foundation’s communications efforts focus on the work of the grantees and I am happy to be a part of those efforts,” Laiché said.

About the Foundation
The California Wellness Foundation is an independent, private foundation created in 1992, with a mission to improve the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education and disease prevention. The Foundation provides funding in eight priority areas: Diversity in the Health Professions, Environmental Health, Healthy Aging, Mental Health, Teenage Pregnancy Prevention, Violence Prevention, Women’s Health, and Work and Health. It also provides health-related funding through its Special Projects Fund. The Foundation has awarded 2,551 grants totaling more than $345 million since 1992.

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