For Dene Hurlbert and his late wife, Emily, education has always represented possibility.

Together, they believed that everyone deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and build a brighter future, regardless of financial circumstances. Today, through the Emily & Dene Hurlbert Trust, Dene is carrying that shared belief forward in a deeply meaningful way.

The newly established People’s Self Help Housing Scholarship Fund will support students living in People’s Self Help Housing communities and participating in its education programs as they pursue college, vocational training, or return to the workforce.

But Dene’s vision goes beyond helping a student pay for one year of school. It is about helping them finish.

Supporting Students for the Journey, Not Just the First Step

For students facing financial barriers, getting accepted into college or a training program is only the beginning. Tuition, books, transportation, housing, and everyday expenses can make staying enrolled increasingly difficult.

That is why this scholarship was intentionally designed to provide multi year support.

Instead of asking students to start over each year in search of financial assistance, the fund can provide greater continuity as they progress toward their degree or credential. For first generation college students in particular, that consistency can mean more than financial relief. It can provide the confidence to keep going.

As Itzelt Santos, Senior Education Manager at People’s Self Help Housing, explains:

“For students living in our affordable housing communities, higher education carries significant financial barriers, but thanks to Dene’s support, our students will have the chance to succeed. Scholarships help first generation students stay enrolled, persist toward graduation, and step into their careers with little or no student loan debt. That solid financial foundation opens the door to long term stability and success.”

 

That is the impact Dene hopes to make possible: not simply access to education, but the opportunity to persist, graduate, and begin the next chapter with a stronger financial foundation.

A Scholarship Built Through Partnership

Dene’s vision also reflects an understanding that financial support alone does not remove every barrier a student may encounter.

The People’s Self Help Housing Scholarship Fund brings together three partners, each contributing something different to help students succeed.

Dene, through the Emily & Dene Hurlbert Trust, is providing the generosity and vision that made the scholarship possible. The Community Foundation will administer the scholarship and steward the fund over time. People’s Self Help Housing, with its longstanding relationships with residents and students, will help identify eligible applicants while providing educational navigation and support throughout their journey.

Together, the partnership creates something more powerful than any one organization could accomplish alone.

Students receive financial assistance, but they also remain connected to people who know them, understand the barriers they face, and want to see them reach the finish line.

An Invitation to Build Something Together

For Dene, establishing the fund is only the beginning.

By making the first investment through the Emily & Dene Hurlbert Trust, he hopes to create something others can build upon. The fund is designed to welcome additional contributions from people who share Emily and Dene’s belief in the power of education.

Every additional gift has the potential to help another student stay enrolled for another semester, complete a credential, graduate with less debt, or take an important step toward a career and greater economic stability.

It is a fitting way to carry forward something Emily and Dene believed in together while opening that vision to an entire community of people who believe in it too.

One scholarship can change the trajectory of a student’s life. Multi year support, trusted guidance, and a community invested in that student’s success can help change what is possible for generations.

Support the People’s Self Help Housing Scholarship Fund

For Jeanne Helphenstine, generosity began long before she opened a donor advised fund. It began on her family’s ranch, around a dinner table, and with a simple belief passed from one generation to the next: no one should go hungry.

Jeanne’s grandparents, Allan and Yolanda Righetti, were Swiss Italian immigrants who operated a dairy farm on 143 acres off Orcutt Road in San Luis Obispo. Life on the Righetti Ranch was grounded in hard work, gratitude, and caring for neighbors. Those values became part of the family and eventually shaped the way Jeanne thought about giving back to the community she calls home.

Years later, Jeanne found an opportunity to carry those values forward with her mother, Barbara.

Giving Together

Jeanne encouraged her mother to consider making a charitable gift through The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County. It offered an opportunity to give in a tax advantaged way while creating meaningful impact close to home.

But what began as a practical conversation about charitable giving became something much more personal.

Jeanne and Barbara each established their own donor advised fund at the Foundation. Soon, philanthropy became something they shared.

Each year, mother and daughter would talk about what was happening in the community, learn about local organizations, discover new causes, and decide where they wanted their giving to make a difference. Agriculture and food security were natural priorities given their family history, while the arts also held a special place in their hearts.

For Jeanne, those conversations became as meaningful as the grants themselves.

“Giving became something my mother and I looked forward to each year. We learned from each other, supported what mattered most, and stayed connected to our community in the process.”

Their donor advised funds gave them a vehicle for giving, but the experience gave them something even greater: time spent together around shared values and a deeper connection to the community they loved.

From Family Values to Community Impact

Jeanne’s commitment to service extends well beyond her philanthropy. Throughout her career in real estate and through her volunteer leadership, including her service on the Foundation’s Real Estate Foundation Board, she has remained closely connected to San Luis Obispo County.

That involvement has also changed the way she gives.

The more Jeanne has learned about the challenges facing local families and nonprofits, the more intentional her philanthropy has become. Giving is an opportunity to strengthen organizations doing important work today while investing in the health and vitality of the community for generations to come.

And through it all, the values of the Righetti Ranch remain.

The land that once supported her grandparents’ dairy farm is part of Jeanne’s family history. But their legacy reaches much further than those 143 acres.

It lives in the belief that we care for our neighbors. That we share what we have. That no one in our community should go hungry. And that generosity is something we can teach simply by practicing it together.

For Jeanne and Barbara, philanthropy became a tradition shared between mother and daughter. Today, it is part of a family story that continues to grow, one act of generosity at a time.

Your Giving Can Be a Family Tradition, Too

A donor advised fund can be more than a way to organize charitable giving. It can create an opportunity for families to talk about what they value, learn about their community, and experience the joy of giving together.

At The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County, we help individuals and families make giving personal, meaningful, and connected to the place we call home.

Sometimes the most meaningful thing we pass from one generation to the next is not what we have, but what we believe.

Righetti Family Ranch