Month: December 2025

Cynthia White

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Dozens of volunteers, including Palm Springs Police, joined together for the Kids in Conflict (KIC) Foundation Christmas Wrap Party event Tuesday night.

The event was held at the Indio Juvenile Hall, where everyone wrapped stacks of gifts and packed gift bags for the youth housed there to make sure they have some holiday cheer.

Indio Juvenile Hall Probation Specialist Monika Ortega has been involved with the event for 23 years, and has been an Advisor at the KIC Foundation for 15 of those years. Ortega says it’s important to give gifts and celebrate the holidays with the kids because, “We do have some kids that have come from troubled homes. Maybe parents aren’t involved or grandparents aren’t involved, so they’ve never experienced, you know, Christmas. So we do try to decorate, try to give them the homey feeling.”

“When we contact the juveniles, usually it’s in a in a bad connotation, generally speaking. This is our way of kind of giving back to them, letting them know that we still care and we still believe in them. We’re not having given up hope and we’re hoping that they find hope in us being here supporting them” said Palm Springs Police Department Lieutenant Michael Torres. “The hope is today that we give them a little bit of hope and let them know that we’re still here. We haven’t given up that that hope.”

KIC Foundation President Tom Ward says it’s important for the kids at Juvenile Hall have an opportunity to open some kind of present on Christmas morning. Included in the gift bags are things like notebooks, puzzles, and candy for the kids, who aren’t allowed outside presents, even from parents, due to security policies.

Ward adds, “Some of these kids, you know, yeah, they got in trouble. But, you know, they probably – the one thing they think about is that 30 seconds of that bad decision and so now they’re making better decisions, a lot of them, and just to see that community cares.”

Each year, the KIC Foundation provides more than $6,500 in gifts for over 190 youth at Indio Juvenile Hall and the Youth Treatment and Education Center. The Palm Springs Police Officers Association contributed $2,500 toward this year’s effort.

The KIC Foundation is a nonprofit organization supporting youth in Riverside County Probation detention facilities, including Indio Juvenile Hall.

The Foundation focuses on at-risk youth in juvenile detention who face significant challenges and are working to move forward. This includes youth on probation or in custody who benefit from mentorship, education, structure, and rehabilitative services.

For more information on KIC Foundation, visit kicfoundation.org.

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Cynthia White

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – Eisenhower Health is being recognized among the nation’s best for maternity care.

U.S. News & World Report named Eisenhower a High Performing facility in its 2026 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care annual study. The High Performing designation is the highest award a hospital can earn as part of the study.

Eisenhower Health earned the High Performing designation in recognition of maternity care, measured by factors such as C-section rates in lower-risk pregnancies, severe unexpected newborn complication rates, exclusive breast milk feeding rates, and birthing-friendly practices, among other measures.

Hospital leaders say the award highlights their commitment to exceptional care for mothers and newborns. Eisenhower Health’s Chief Medical Officer and Chief Quality Officer Eric Leroux, MD, says, “This recognition is a testament to the skill, compassion, and dedication of our entire maternity team, who place patient safety and quality at the forefront of every decision. We are honored to serve families in our community during such a meaningful moment in their lives.”

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Cynthia White

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – California is officially the most generous state in America according to GoFundMe’s 2025 Year in Help report.

GoFundMe released the report celebrating the generosity of individuals and nonprofits worldwide who helped each other throughout the year.

This is the first time California has topped the list for the most generous state in the U.S. In addition, California is home to 5 of the top 10 most generous communities in the U.S. this year, with Los Angeles, Marin, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara and Ventura all making the list.

Locally, Coachella Valley communities came together in 2025 on GoFundMe. Notable fundraisers in valley were Restoring The Velvet Rope, a business that sustained heavy damages when a powerful explosion rocked downtown Palm Springs, and Save Oscar’s Palm Springs, a downtown restaurant that needed support to keep its doors open.

California had more repeat donors than any other state across the country. The outpouring of support was evident after wildfires swept through Altadena and Pacific Palisades at the beginning of the year – resulting in the most generous day of the year globally on Jan. 10, 2025, amid those wildfires.

An average of one in every five California households donated to a GoFundMe this year.

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