The San Diego College of Continuing Education Foundation (SDCCE Foundation) has been awarded a generous $689,000 grant from the Lucky Duck Foundation to support the Pathways Program for homeless students enrolled at the San Diego College of Continuing Education. The grant, effective from January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2026, will provide critical resources for the Pathways Program, which is a retention model program for homeless students designed to create educational communities that provide intensive and direct student support services. 

“We are incredibly grateful to the Lucky Duck Foundation for this generous grant and their continued support,” said Dr. Tami Foy, CEO/Executive Director of the SDCCE Foundation who played a key role in securing the funding. “This funding will directly impact those who need it most and will allow us to provide ongoing support services, essential training, career services, and mentorship that will help break the cycle of homelessness for many people in our community.”

The Lucky Duck Foundation has long been a valued partner, championing initiatives that enable self-sufficiency and long-term sustainability for individuals suffering from homelessness. Their commitment to addressing the root causes of homelessness aligns closely with the SDCCE Foundation’s mission to provide educational and workforce development opportunities to underserved populations.

We are pleased to extend and expand this very effective program,” said Drew Moser, Chief Executive Officer of the Lucky Duck Foundation. “It serves any level of homelessness and is a powerful resource for all social service providers, enabling individuals working to overcome homelessness to access paid internships, case management, certificate and job training programs, and more, so they can secure a livable wage job and put homelessness behind them.” 

The Pathways Program is poised to have a profound impact over the next two years, having already served 99 participants and 129 affiliates, for a total of 228 students in the 2023-2024 year.

For more information about the Pathways Program or how to get involved, please visit https://sdcce.edu/services/r2s/r2s-pathways or contact Samantha Stanely, Program Coordinator, sstanley@sdccd.edu.

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About San Diego College of Continuing Education 

Established in 1914, San Diego College of Continuing Education is the adult education division of the San Diego Community College District. It was one of the first community college continuing education institutions in California to meet the standards for independent accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. 20,000 students are served per academic year at seven campuses in San Diego. Noncredit classes and career training are available at no cost, including online options. Classes are free because San Diego College of Continuing Education is part of the California system of higher education. Funding also comes through business and industry partnerships.

About the Lucky Duck Foundation 

Since 2005, The Lucky Duck Foundation (LDF) has raised funds and awareness for numerous charitable causes throughout San Diego. In 2017, due to the growing homelessness epidemic, LDF pivoted to focus on providing aid and relief for individuals and families suffering from homelessness. Since then, LDF and its co-founders, Pat & Stephanie Kilkenny, have funded, activated, and led several high-impact programs that alleviate the suffering of homelessness throughout San Diego County, including bridge shelters, employment and job training, research, permanent supportive housing, outreach, and more. Originally called the AGIA Foundation (Arrowhead General Insurance Agency), the name was changed to the Lucky Duck Foundation to honor the Kilkenny family's Irish heritage and as a nod to their love of the University of Oregon. The premise is simple: if you have had some good luck and fortune in your life, share your luck with those less fortunate. And, all donations are matched by Pat & Stephanie, up to $1.5 million per year. For more information, please visit https://www.luckyduckfoundation.org/.