Beneath the golden lamplight of an early February evening, The Country Friends gathered its patrons and beneficiaries in a moment of quiet triumph, bestowing more than $300,000 in grants upon 34 deserving charities.
The scene unfolded at its storied Consignment Shop on El Tordo in Rancho Santa Fe—a place where whispered promises of philanthropy turned, at last, into tangible grace.
There was a warmth to the affair, a hum of satisfaction among those assembled—charity representatives in well-kept attire, the board of directors with their measured smiles, and loyal supporters, glasses in hand, basking in the glow of generosity well placed. It was, in essence, a celebration not just of giving, but of purpose.
“This was our opportunity to showcase the ‘why’ behind what we do,” declared Janean Stripe, president of The Country Friends, her words like polished pearls in the news release that followed. “The ‘why’ is helping those organizations—our chosen charities—who are shaping our community, lifting the weary, steadying those in need.”
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Marci Cavanaugh, the steward of TCF’s funding endeavors, bore the quiet diligence of one who understands the weight of giving well. Each appeal for aid was scrutinized with unwavering care—through questionnaires, through visits where hope hung in the air like the scent of aged paper, through conversations where necessity and gratitude met in the same breath.
Those who served the most vulnerable—the women, the children, the elderly and the forsaken—were met with earnest deliberation. And each autumn, as the leaves turned amber, the board gathered to decide which among them would receive the means to continue their work.
Stripe turned with gratitude toward Cavanaugh, and to Jolene Davidson, whose steady hand had long guided the human care funding committee. Nearly a decade of service—ten years of listening to the quiet, urgent voices of those who sought not recognition but simply the ability to serve.
“It has been my honor,” Cavanaugh said, the words carrying the weight of sincerity. “To bear witness to such life-changing work, to stand behind those who ask for nothing for themselves, only for the good of others—it has been an honor.”
And so, the mantle passed. Laura MacKinnon Chapman, Christina Macone-Greene, and Amber Yoo would take up the task, continuing the legacy with the same unwavering devotion.
Yet The Country Friends did not only give; it created, it orchestrated, it beckoned the world of fashion to its cause. The Art of Fashion—its luminous annual affair—would once more grace The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe on September 11, its partnership with South Coast Plaza ensuring a spectacle befitting both its cause and its audience.
There, amid the rustling of silk and the glint of champagne flutes, guests would be wooed by the elegance of international designers, their works descending the runway like poetry in motion.
The 2025 selected charities include:
A Step Beyond, Armed Services YMCA San Diego, Assistance League of Rancho San Dieguito, Autism Society San Diego, Autism Tree Project Inc., Be A Friend – Impact A Life, Casa de Amistad, Community Resource Center, Computers 2 Kids, Doors of Change, Emilio Nares Foundation, GenerateHope, Girls Rising, Kitchens for Good, Lucky Duck Foundation, Mitchell Thorp Foundation, Olivewood Gardens & Learning Center, Palomar Family Counseling Services, Inc., Project Next – The San Marcos Promise, Promises2Kids, Reality Changers, Rise Up Industries, RiteCare Childhood Language Center of San Diego, Ronald McDonald House, Shelter to Soldier, Shoreline Community Services, Social Advocates for Youth San Diego, Southern Sudanese Community Center of San Diego, Special Needs Resource Foundation of San Diego, The Rosie Network, Trauma Intervention Programs of San Diego County, Voices of Our City Choir, Walden Family Services, Zero8Hundred, Inc.
For more information on The Country Friends, visit www.thecountryfriends.org.
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