A $48,000 grant put 96 girls through a safety and self-defense program at the La Colonia Boys & Girls Club in Solana Beach and three other North County locations.
The Rancho Santa Fe Women's Fund awarded the grant in its 2024-25 cycle to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest San Diego. The program, called SMART and Savvy, ran during the 2025-26 school year. An impact report provided to the fund showed that 89% of participants felt emotionally safe, 84% felt physically safe and 86% reported strong connections with caring adults, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The results stood out.
Beyond the 96 girls in the structured program, an additional 609 girls took part in broader SMART programming focused on wellness, leadership, safety and healthy relationships.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest San Diego operates the La Colonia clubhouse at 533 Lomas Santa Fe Dr. Three other clubs also ran the program: the Polster Clubhouse in Carmel Valley, Griset in Encinitas and the Oceanside Clubhouse.
What the program covers
SMART Girls is a Boys & Girls Clubs of America program that guides girls ages 8 to 18 through fitness, self-esteem and mental well-being in small groups. The "Savvy" component added practical safety skills: situational awareness, online safety, dating safety and self-defense workshops.
Marineke Vandervort, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest San Diego, said the organization saw a gap in personal safety education.
"We identified a need to add a practical, skills-based component to the SMART program that would bolster our girls' confidence and sense of safety as they navigate their way in an increasingly challenging world," Vandervort said in a statement.
Volunteer instructors and Play It Safe Defense, an organization founded by Tracie Arlington, a mother and black belt in Taekwondo, delivered age-appropriate self-defense workshops at the clubhouses. Vista Community Clinic, another fund grant recipient, led conversations through its Resourceful Adolescent Program, which covers healthy relationships, peer conflict and communication skills for teens.
Art workshops gave participants space for self-expression. Girls created "Courage and Hero" posters exploring justice, peace and standing up against prejudice.
What's next
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest San Diego plans to build on the program with "Journeys: Paths to Adulthood," new programming that helps youth of all genders reflect on their identities and navigate adolescence. The organization also aims to deepen mental health partnerships with Eli Health and expand social work and occupational therapy internships.
The Rancho Santa Fe Women's Fund, led by President and Chair Mary Consalvi, has awarded more than $6.8 million in grants to 188 nonprofits since 2004. The fund's 2026-27 grant cycle received 179 letters of intent, with grants set to be awarded in May 2027.
