Borrego Valley Endowment Fund

My name is Vanessa Rodarte, and I've spent my life wondering how I can lend a helping hand to an athletic program. In Borrego Springs, sports are a must and student-athletes here carry that pressure with pride. However, did you know there is not a single CIF Championship banner displayed on the gym wall?

As a BSHS alumni who would have loved to bring this outstanding achievement to Borrego Springs and as the former head coach for the Girls' Varsity Basketball Team, I have decided that enough is enough. The basketball program at BSHS needs state-of-the-art equipment to become more competitive and a bigger threat throughout the season.

Therefore, I have partnered with the BVEF (Borrego Valley Endowment Fund) to raise $5,000 to match their grant to help support the BSHS Girls' and Boys' Varsity Basketball Teams' purchase of much-needed equipment. The funding requested would cover the cost of two basketball shooting machines, a camcorder bundle, a grip mat, and a subscription to Hudl. This company allows coaches to upload a recorded game version so coaches and players can rewatch films to strengthen their weaknesses.

Having this additional set of resources to add to our program will boost our team skills, motivate student-athletes to look forward to being part of the basketball program, and carry on the ram pride. No one has spent a dime on these programs since way before the pandemic, and our only fundraisers have been through the help of pancake breakfasts hosted at our local American Legion Post 853.

Please let these student-athletes know you care about them. I and the BVEF know this is a daring ask from the community, but we know you will all support us. Also, please note that these donations are not coming to me directly; they are going to the BVEF, where they will take care of it. Any amount is greatly appreciated, and it will only get us closer to our goal. Thank you for your time and consideration. Go Rams!

Thanks to the generosity of Borrego Springs community members, the SVP Task Force has exceeded its fundraising goal! In the past month, the community donated $34,475! THANK YOU to an anonymous donor for $10,000; to Rams Hill for $5,000, and to each and every donor who joined in this campaign with donations from $20 to $2,000. You are appreciated more than you can know.

Sarah Rogers, head of the SVP Task Force, has submitted a detailed update on SVP status to the Borrego Sun. Please take the time to read this informative article.

County Supervisor Jim Desmond just reported that the State of California plans to place 5 more SVPs in San Diego County before the end of the year. The battle to save Borrego Springs from SVPs is far from over. The Task Force will continue to oppose placement of any SVP here, and to advocate for the removal of SVP Martinez who was recently moved into Running M Rd.

The Borrego Valley Endowment Fund (BVEF) provided $25,000 in seed funding to help this citizen-led, grassroots effort to safeguard our community. The goal of the gofundme campaign was to match the BVEF funds by raising an additional $25,000 in matching funds to help the Task Force. Funds go directly to the BVEF and will be used to develop a consistent, professional, enduring and effective "lobbying" strategy to block placement of SVPs in Borrego Springs.

Specifically, your support will help the Task Force cover the costs to:

Example of your donations at work 8/5/2022: We had County Supervisor Jim Desmond, Congressman Darrell Issa, and State Senator Brian Jones speak in opposition to the placement of SVP Badger at the hearing today. We had many more people at the Badger hearing and big, attention-grabbing opposition signs for the media to see. Due to improved communications, we had more people on Zoom for the hearing. In addition to this broader community support, we had the SVP Task Force’s attorney Dan Fuller working and speaking on our behalf at the hearing.