Kendra In The News
Posted by James A Dunny
Around the Ranch: Catching up with Kendra Jeffcoat
By Eileen Haag March 4, 2009 RB News Journal
There were lots of reasons I was looking forward to a recent lunch with Kendra Jeffcoat. She's the Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary president; she and her husband are among those families who are still "not home" after losing their house to the Witch Creek fire in 2007; and she and I have a history of working together for community projects ... just to name three interesting topics of conversation.
By Eileen Haag March 4, 2009 RB News Journal
There were lots of reasons I was looking forward to a recent lunch with Kendra Jeffcoat. She's the Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary president; she and her husband are among those families who are still "not home" after losing their house to the Witch Creek fire in 2007; and she and I have a history of working together for community projects ... just to name three interesting topics of conversation.
?"Weird!" That's the word Kendra used to describe her current lifestyle of living in Point Loma, working in Mission Valley and maintaining relationships in Rancho Bernardo.
It was after the fire, if not because of it, that Kendra came out of retirement and went back to full-time work in education. She is an assistant professor at San Diego State in its community college doctoral program, teaching students who aspire to hold top posts in community colleges ... just the kind of jobs Kendra has had since she finished her doctorate.
She was a dean at Mesa Community College, an interim assistant chancellor at San Diego Community College and vice president for academic services at Imperial Valley Community College. Along the way, she's compiled many anecdotes and learned much, which she enjoys sharing with her students.
Sharing is something the Jeffcoats learned a lot about in 2007.
"We were so touched by the generosity of friends, acquaintances and even strangers," Kendra said. "RB United was a critical part of our community's recovery and continues to be a great resource with its continuing outreach to all of our families."
Kendra served on the original RB United coalition that came together to assess the community's after-the-fire needs and create strategies to meet those needs. Now, the Jeffcoats are among the 100 or so families still in transition.
In their case, Kendra said, the delay is because there is disagreement with the insurance company. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon situation with our neighbors.
Not being "home" doesn't keep Kendra from engaging in Rancho Bernardo. She proudly told me about the accomplishments of her Rotary Club, which has 60 to 70 members at any given time. There is a lot of energy in the group, she said, with at least a half-dozen members younger than 30. Welcome, to our next generation of community leaders.
Raising as much as $50,000 through at least two annual fundraisers, Sunrise Rotary has sponsored projects at Abraxas High School, provided dictionaries to local elementary schools and scholarships to local high school graduates. Other projects help people throughout the world.
Kendra participated in the RB Senior Collaborative Symposium sponsored by the Rancho Bernardo Community Foundation. The invitation to community leaders reminded them that RB has always been a community of healthy engaged seniors who have contributed much to our quality of life. The discussion focused on the responsibility in 2009 to maintain an active senior community ... more on that in the future.
Hopefully, it won't be too long before the Jeffcoats are on their way to rebuilding and planning a return to their Montelena neighborhood. Most of all, Kendra says she's looking forward to running into her neighbors around town, especially in the grocery store. Kendra and Jay, your friends look forward to welcoming you home full time!
(The photo was not published in the RB News Journal article.)
It was after the fire, if not because of it, that Kendra came out of retirement and went back to full-time work in education. She is an assistant professor at San Diego State in its community college doctoral program, teaching students who aspire to hold top posts in community colleges ... just the kind of jobs Kendra has had since she finished her doctorate.
She was a dean at Mesa Community College, an interim assistant chancellor at San Diego Community College and vice president for academic services at Imperial Valley Community College. Along the way, she's compiled many anecdotes and learned much, which she enjoys sharing with her students.
Sharing is something the Jeffcoats learned a lot about in 2007.
"We were so touched by the generosity of friends, acquaintances and even strangers," Kendra said. "RB United was a critical part of our community's recovery and continues to be a great resource with its continuing outreach to all of our families."
Kendra served on the original RB United coalition that came together to assess the community's after-the-fire needs and create strategies to meet those needs. Now, the Jeffcoats are among the 100 or so families still in transition.
In their case, Kendra said, the delay is because there is disagreement with the insurance company. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon situation with our neighbors.
Not being "home" doesn't keep Kendra from engaging in Rancho Bernardo. She proudly told me about the accomplishments of her Rotary Club, which has 60 to 70 members at any given time. There is a lot of energy in the group, she said, with at least a half-dozen members younger than 30. Welcome, to our next generation of community leaders.
Raising as much as $50,000 through at least two annual fundraisers, Sunrise Rotary has sponsored projects at Abraxas High School, provided dictionaries to local elementary schools and scholarships to local high school graduates. Other projects help people throughout the world.
Kendra participated in the RB Senior Collaborative Symposium sponsored by the Rancho Bernardo Community Foundation. The invitation to community leaders reminded them that RB has always been a community of healthy engaged seniors who have contributed much to our quality of life. The discussion focused on the responsibility in 2009 to maintain an active senior community ... more on that in the future.
Hopefully, it won't be too long before the Jeffcoats are on their way to rebuilding and planning a return to their Montelena neighborhood. Most of all, Kendra says she's looking forward to running into her neighbors around town, especially in the grocery store. Kendra and Jay, your friends look forward to welcoming you home full time!
(The photo was not published in the RB News Journal article.)