EQUIPPING PEOPLe
and ORGANIZATIONS
TO THRIVE
ORGANIZATIONS WE SUPPORT
CLICK TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EACH OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS
BEST PRACTICES VIDEO CHANNEL
PEB JACKSON - FUNDRAISING - OCT 1, 2019
ABOUT SOCO INSTITUTE
HISTORY
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In April of 2007, The SOCO Institute was created as a charitable arm of the SOCO Group, a petroleum distribution company headquartered in Carlsbad, California.
The Vision behind of the SOCO Institute is to positively impact the lives of 10 million people - with a specific emphasis on those living in poverty, those suffering unjustly, and/or those facing disadvantages in a relational, educational, or financial way.
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What We Do
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We work with individuals and organizations, through a variety of means, to help them thrive in their unique work. A few of the ways we do this are by:
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Hosting quarterly “Best Practice” meetings.
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Hosting resources on our website which point to specific educational tools: a)for people working in non-profit organizations to be better equipped and effective; b) for individuals to become economically self sustainable; c) for people working in business to thrive
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Funding special projects
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Providing a “Prime Movers in Residency” program designed to help support individuals who are caring for others in a variety of projects.
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Mentoring women and men in transition from significant life changes such as retirement, career changes, and coming back to work after significant trauma.
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Why We Do What We Do
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Out of gratitude for the lives God has given us, we have committed to connecting people, their passions, and resources in a way that transforms lives and ultimately glorifies the One to whom we owe our lives.
WHO WE ARE
STAFF
Scott McOwen
Co-Founder | Co-Coordinator
Kimberly Yim
Co-Founder | Executive Director
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Scott & Carolyn McOwen
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John & Kimberly
Yim
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Kristin &
Rani
Massamiri
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in memoriam
Peb Jackson
Consultant for Peb Jackson Associates, Past Executive vice-president of Saddleback Church, and former senior vice president of Focus on the Family, Promise Keepers and Young Life International.
Dr. Larry Thomas
Dr. Larry Thomas was SOCO Institute’s original member who inspired much of what we do: serving the most vulnerable with dignity, love, and practical resources. Dr. Larry Thomas was an emergency medicine doctor and in the late 1980’s he decided to take a course on tropical medicine in England as way of taking a break from the stress of working in an emergency room. This course led him to travel to Ethiopia several times where he noticed just how relatively inexpensive it was to make a huge positive impact on people’s health through simple efforts. In 2006 he founded Tropical Health Alliance Foundation to fund basic preventive services and provide procedures such as cataract surgeries at very low costs. Tropical Health Alliance Foundation provides dental care, shoes and treatment for foot diseases, services for women with childbirth complications, and access to clean water. Larry was the ultimate collaborator partnering with the Daughters of Charity and connecting eye teams to help serve and train local Ethiopian eye doctors. Since THAF inception it has performed over 6,000 cataract surgeries and changed the lives of nearly 50,000 for the better. Larry was also a faithful follower of Jesus Christ and committed his life to honoring and serving wherever he was with kindness and whimsy. Kim often said that Larry reminded her of what she thought Jesus would be like with grey hair. The SOCO Institute misses Larry deeply.
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CONTACT US