Let's Come Together & FOCUS on Children in Need

Summer is almost here—school’s out, pools are open, and family trips are on the calendar. If we’re fortunate, we get a little extra time with our kids and grandkids, creating memories we’ll treasure.

But for many children in San Diego County, summer doesn’t bring carefree days. It brings hunger, unstable housing, and serious mental health struggles.

Feeding San Diego reports that more than 100,000 children in our county live in food‑insecure households. Nearly 1 in 3 families with children struggle to put food on the table, often forced to choose between groceries and other basic needs.

Child homelessness is also at a crisis point. San Diego Unified School District saw a 16% increase in homeless students between the 2023–24 and 2024–25 school years, reaching 7,492 children. In the Chula Vista Elementary School District, the number of homeless students has more than doubled.

Mental health challenges are soaring as well. About one in four teens (ages 12–17) in San Diego County report serious psychological distress. Anxiety, depression, and self-harm are driving more emergency room visits, and suicide is now a leading cause of death for children and teens ages 1–17 in our region.

These statistics are staggering. They leave many of us asking: What can we do?

That’s where FOCUS comes in.

Friends of Children United Society (FOCUS) is a Coronado-based nonprofit that supports local organizations serving vulnerable kids throughout San Diego County. Instead of giving money, FOCUS purchases and delivers exactly what children need, when they need it.

So far this year, FOCUS has provided:

- Sheets, towels, clothing, and furniture  

- Hundreds of pounds of food  

- Thousands of books  

- Hundreds of diapers  

- Dozens of computers and iPads

- Nearly 1,000 backpacks

- Hundreds of shoes

- Equipment for summer camps serving kids with physical and mental health challenges

- And so much more!

Our members volunteer as they’re able, while our dedicated Board and committees work year-round with about 50 partner agencies to distribute roughly $300,000 in aid annually. Much of this is made possible by our signature fundraising event: the FOCUS Gala, now a fun, highly anticipated highlight of Coronado’s social calendar.

Inside this issue, you’ll find details about our upcoming Disco Fever Fundraising Gala on August 1. The entire community is invited. I hope you’ll join us, have a wonderful evening, and help us make the year safer and brighter for children across San Diego County.

To learn more about FOCUS, please visit our website, focus-sdkids.org.

By Juliane Morris, FOCUS Member and Gala Committee Volunteer

The disco ball is spinning again in Coronado — but this time, it is doing far more than reviving platform shoes, shimmering dance floors, and memories of Saturday nights long ago. It is helping vulnerable children across San Diego County.

This summer, Friends of Children United Society (FOCUS) is turning up both the music and the mission with its highly anticipated Disco Fever Fundraising Gala aboard the iconic USS Midway Museum.

The evening will feature dinner beneath the stars on the Midway’s flight deck, followed by a dazzling disco celebration filled with music, dancing, lights, and vintage flair. Yet months before the gala officially begins, the spirit of the event is already sweeping through Coronado through lively Disco Fever dance socials that are bringing the community together one dance step at a time.

Dance Floors With Purpose

FOCUS Vice President of Fundraising Pat Robitaille says the Disco Fever socials

reflect the heart of the organization itself.

"FOCUS has always been about people helping people," Robitaille said. "These socials bring that spirit to life. Everyone comes together, enjoys themselves, and remembers that their support is helping children right here in San Diego County."

The organization plans to continue hosting Disco Fever socials leading up to the

gala, with rotating venues throughout Coronado.

Nearly 50 Years Later… Can We Still Do the Hustle?

Nearly 50 years after disco first filled dance floors across America, FOCUS

organizers realized many guests might appreciate a little refresher before the gala —

inspiring the now-popular Disco Fever socials.

The socials are led by me, FOCUS volunteer Juliane Morris, and through upbeat

instruction and playful enthusiasm, these gatherings have quickly transformed into some of

the season’s most anticipated community events.

We wanted people to feel comfortable, relaxed, and excited before the gala. Nobody

needs to be a professional dancer. The whole point is to laugh, reconnect, move a little, and

enjoy being together again.

A Cause Worth Dancing For

Since 1982, FOCUS has quietly served some of San Diego County’s most

vulnerable children through an entirely volunteer-driven organization built on compassion,

service, and community support.

FOCUS brings hope and help to children facing homelessness, foster care, disability,

military family hardship, trafficking recovery, and other difficult circumstances. Each year,

the organization partners with dozens of nonprofits throughout the region, helping provide

critical essentials including clothing, school supplies, baby items, computers, and other

necessities for children and teens in need.

Remarkably, FOCUS operates without paid staff. Every member donates time and

talents to support the mission. Last year alone, the organization distributed approximately

$300,000 worth of goods to local charities serving children across San Diego County. The

annual gala serves as FOCUS’s primary fundraiser and helps support the growing needs of

children throughout the region.

This year, however, FOCUS is pairing that mission with something equally powerful: joy.

More Than Dance Lessons

The Disco Fever socials have evolved into lively community gatherings filled with

music, laughter, nostalgia, and connection.

Guests arrive in colorful disco-inspired outfits, practice classic dance moves, and

spend the evening socializing with friends old and new. In a time when many nonprofit

events can feel formal or transactional, the socials offer something refreshingly genuine

long before the gala itself even begins.

By the time guests board the USS Midway Museum, many will already feel

connected through a shared desire to help children in need.

The USS Midway Becomes a Floating Disco

When gala night arrives, guests can expect one of San Diego’s most memorable

fundraising environments. The USS Midway Museum’s hangar deck will transform into a

glittering disco celebration — but beneath the sequins and music remains a serious

mission: helping vulnerable children throughout San Diego County.

That blend of celebration and service may be exactly why the Disco Fever Gala is

already generating excitement months ahead of the event.

"This is what I love about FOCUS," says FOCUS President Peggy Duncan. "It brings

together people who share a common passion for helping children. It turns out that such people are wonderful and fun to be around!"

Guests will not simply be attending another fundraiser. They will be joining a

movement built around generosity, joy, and community connection — while perhaps

rediscovering that disco never truly disappeared after all.

To learn more about FOCUS and support the organization’s mission helping

vulnerable children throughout San Diego County, visit us online at focus-sdkids.org.