CPH is proud to share a deeper look at two of the Foundation’s grantee partners, Peninsula Family Services and Performing Arts Workshop. Each organization offers very different services, but each play important roles in the community’s they serve.
Peninsula Family Services
San Mateo, CA
“Peninsula Family Service’s mission is to strengthen the community by providing children, families and older adults the support and tools to realize their full potential and lead healthy, stable lives. We have been fortunate to partner with 
Crescent Porter Hale Foundation since their first grant for family support services in 1991. Over the years, their unrestricted funding has helped us grow from serving 6,000 people through three programs, to serving over 10,000 children, families and older adults through a diverse roster of programs spread across four Bay Area counties. Their latest grant will support the goals of our most recent strategic plan, helping to increase wellness services for older adults, build parental engagement among low-income families, and expand financial products to help individuals and families meet the challenges of living in Silicon Valley.”
– Amy Croce, Executive Director, Peninsula Family Services
The Crescent Porter Hale Foundation believes in equal opportunity for health and well-being for everyone in the Bay Area community. 
For over two decades the Foundation has been providing support for an organization with a similar mission: Peninsula Family Service. Peninsula Family Service helps children reach their dreams, older adults age with dignity, and hard-working families lead better lives. For 65 years, Peninsula Family Service has grown alongside the community, adapting over time to meet different needs, while expanding its reach across multiple San Francisco Bay Area counties.
From a six-week-old infant to an elderly man isolated at home, Peninsula Family Service offers assistance to people of all ages and backgrounds. With a broad range of services, including early learning and financial empowerment programs, the nonprofit is headquartered in San Mateo and operates various programs in San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties. Peninsula Family Service is comprised of a vast network of staff, board members, advisors, donors, volunteers, and partners who support 10,000 individuals each year in realizing their full potential. With programs that improve access to opportunity, increase financial stability, and promote wellness at every age, the organization has become a beacon of health and well being for the region. Demonstrating their adaptive nature by recognizing the county’s changing demographics and an increasing number of seniors living into older years, Peninsula Family Service has recently developed numerous programs to assist at-risk adults. One of the organization’s many success stories: On her 58th birthday, Judy was unexpectedly let go from her longtime job. She searched for new work, living off of money from her 401(k). Five years later, still unemployed, without health insurance, and struggling with medical bills, Judy went on disability. However, the small income wasn’t enough. Judy moved out of her apartment and into county-subsidized housing in Santa Clara. “The expenses just kept going up,” Judy explained. “I had all these doctors and hospitals coming at me from every direction. I said, ‘I can make payments every month,’ but it wasn’t enough. They wanted to be paid and I just didn’t have the money.” With her medical bills piling up, Judy faced the possibility of homelessness at age 67.
For many older adults, gaps in their resume leave employers questioning their work readiness. “It’s always easier to find a job if you have a job. The Second Career Program gave me current references and experience. Without those it’s really challenging, and as you get older it’s even more difficult,” Judy explained. “Thankfully there are still people who realize older adults have a great work ethic. Peninsula Family Service knows it, and they’re really working to help the rest of the community know it too.”
To learn more about Peninsula Family Services, visit their website at: www.peninsulafamilyservice.org
Performing Arts Workshop
San Francisco, CA
“As we enter our 50th year, we’re making a big commitment to deeper partnerships with more
intensive presence and programming at schools. Building relationships with partners and making thoughtful program shifts requires an intensive effort on the part of program and artistic staff alike. We are so grateful to the Crescent Porter Hale Foundation for recognizing this. Because of their grant, we were able to hire a professional oboist this year to teach in our preschool program – helping us bring excellent programming to our students, and also enabling us to build our commitment to a staff of salaried Core Artists.”
– Jessica Mele, Former Executive Director, Performing Arts Workshop
Crescent Porter Hale is proud to support Performing Arts Workshop’s Artists-in-Schools programs across San Francisco. The organization, one of the oldest performing arts in education programs in San Francisco, helps young people develop critical thinking, creative expression, and learning skills through exploration of the arts.
The Workshop’s Artists-in-Schools program brings long-term performing arts experiences to youth in schools and child development centers. Artists-in-Schools prioritizes programming to schools with high populations of youth often referred to as at-risk. It is an effective and tested program that builds confidence, leadership, and respect in addition to other skills. Artists visit schools once a week for between 15-30 weeks, providing standards-aligned programming.
To learn more about Performing Arts Workshop’s programs, visit their website at: www.performingartsworkshop.org