FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 25, 2002

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

Julio Marcial, TCWF
(818) 702-1900

THE CALIFORNIA WELLNESS FOUNDATION APPOINTS TWO COMMUNICATIONS STAFF

David B. Littlefield and Charlie Padow Join the Foundation

Woodland Hills, CA – The California Wellness Foundation (TCWF) announced the hire of two staff members in its communications department. David B. Littlefield joins TCWF as communications officer, and Charlie Padow as communications associate.

“Communications play a crucial role in this organization,” said Gary L. Yates, TCWF president and CEO. “David and Charlie bring a wealth of knowledge about the nonprofit sector and journalism field to the communications team.”

“David and Charlie have impressive communications backgrounds,” said Magdalena Beltrán-del Olmo, the Foundation’s vice president of communications. “They share in the Foundation’s vision to spotlight the important work of our grantees’ efforts to improve the health of Californians.”

Littlefield oversees the production of the Foundation’s award-winning newsletter, Portfolio, media/information kit and news media relations. He comes to TCWF after serving five years at The Los Angeles Free Clinic as a grant writer. He assisted in developing programs and raising funds to support health care, prevention education and human services for the medically indigent of Los Angeles. Littlefield has also worked at the Ramsey Foundation/Regions Medical Center in St. Paul, Minnesota as development associate and the Minnesota Early Learning Design as a resource development assistant. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vassar College.

“Having assisted many organizations in the process of finding resources to sustain their operations, I developed an acute understanding of the kinds of information most useful to both grant-seeker and grantmaker,” Littlefield said. “I plan on putting that knowledge to good use here.”

Padow assumes the responsibilities of coordinating the Foundation’s extensive archives and library as well as overseeing dissemination, reports, event sponsorships, and electronic mail inquiries. Padow joins TCWF with strong media experience. He was a reporter for BeniciaNews.com, an on-line community newspaper, a staff writer for the Montclarion in Oakland, and an intern at the Community Television of Santa Cruz County. Padow has also served as a cartooning and journalism specialist at Camp JCA Shalom in Malibu, a researcher for Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC in London, and a writing tutor for the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree.

“The Foundation’s mission of improving the health of the people of California appeals to me,” Padow said. “I’m honored to join the communications department, and I look forward to the challenges ahead.”

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 2,829 grants totaling more than $377 million since 1992.

# # #