By Santa Cruz Sentinel

The Daisy Auxiliary recently announced its donations to Family Service Agency from its nonprofit Daisy Store exceeded $120,000 this past year.

At the Daisy Auxiliary’s annual luncheon meeting at Congregational Church of Soquel, Family Service Agency Chief Executive Officer Bill McCabe thanked the Daisy organization for its ongoing financial support of FSA programs. McCabe emphasized that the success of FSA programs illustrates the value of having local people helping local people. Sam Pun, FSA secretary and treasurer, spoke about the challenge of providing long-term stability to nonprofits and also reviewed options for FSA endowments and planned giving programs. Jeanette Waters went into detail about WomenCARE and Survivors Healing Center. Go to fsa-cc.org/womencare/ and fsa-cc.org/survivors-healing-center/ for information about the programs.

New Daisy members Kathy Campbell, Honora Robertson, Victoria Major, Janet Bacon, Kathryn Adkins, Brenda Schermann and Madeleine McClellan were welcomed during the meeting. Thirteen long-term members were recognized; 10 years: Norma Crouch, Vickie Rutan, Barbara Doss, Dee Weybright; 20 years: Jeanine Daugherty, Cathy Zimel; 25 years: Edna Sorenson; 30 years: Mary Hamilton; and 50 years: Sue Smith, Betty Bly, and Cloy Codiga. In addition, historian Karen Moore recognized Sue Wilson, one of the four original founding members of the Daisy, which was created in 1967. The 2025-2026 Board of Officers, including new and continuing directors, was introduced and approved by the Daisy membership.

The nonprofit Daisy Store sells donated upscale-resale women’s clothing and accessories in King’s Plaza Shopping Center, 1601 41st Avenue, Capitola. Discount coupons are on the Daisy webpage (fsa-cc.org/daisy/) and can be found bi-monthly in the Santa Cruz Sentinel and the Good Times, and in the annual Visitor Guide and Student Guide. Membership interest forms and gift cards are available at the Daisy Store. King’s Plaza Shopping Center, 1601 41st Ave., Capitola.

Bay Federal distributes home down payment grants

Bay Federal Credit Union helped eight local families achieve their dream of homeownership by distributing $400,000 in down payment assistance grants through the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco’s Middle-Income Downpayment Assistance Program.

In 2024 and 2025, Bay Federal awarded $200,000 annually in grants of up to $50,000 each to four first-time homebuyers, easing the burden of down payment and closing costs for eligible middle-income members in Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties.

“Saving for a down payment remains one of the biggest challenges for many aspiring homeowners,” said Michael Smith, vice president of Mortgage Lending at Bay Federal Credit Union, in a release. “This program gives our members a powerful boost at a critical moment, and it reflects our commitment to helping them achieve long-term financial stability and success.”

The program supports buyers earning just over 80% and up to 140% of area median income and requires participants to complete homebuyer education and contribute at least $10,000 of their own funds. Since 2023, the program has awarded $40 million in grants to more than 800 first-time homebuyers across Arizona, California and Nevada. Bay Federal will continue promoting the program and expanding access to homeownership support as future funds become available.

Education

Alexis Hadinger of Santa Cruz received her bachelor’s degree from Oregon State University where she graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA. She majored in Oceanography with minors in Chemistry and Marine Conservation Management.

Hadinger was the Environmental Sustainability Coordinator for student government at Oregon State, an officer in two marine organizations, as well as a research assistant in a trophic ecology lab. She was honored to be chosen as a NOAA Hollings Scholar and to be one of their interns. She has presented to conferences in Washington, D.C., as well as Hawaii.

Hadinger says she is passionate about protecting the ocean through science and policy. She said she is enjoying learning more about how the government works while working as an intern for Rep. Jimmy Panetta. All of these skills will be put to good use in grad school pursuing a degree in Marine Policy.

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