Neighborhood Healthcare (NH) relies on philanthropic efforts to reach its goals. Phyllis Colter, EdD is one of those contributors.

She arranges and attends field trips for the organization’s Senior Peer Group. She teaches English to older adults.

The doctor of education also serves on the nonprofit’s planning committee for their annual fundraiser and manages, in conjunction with staff, NH’s Reach Out and Read program for five different health centers, including the one in Temecula.

For this program she acquires book donations from Barnes and Noble and other organizations.

On Tuesday, May 12, Dr. Colter was at the Temecula clinic dropping off 125 books.

"The doctor tells the parents how important it is to read to their children," she said. "We give the mothers a Wellness Child Clinic Check-Up book called ‘Growing Up and Up and Up and Up.’

"From ages 0 to 5 they receive 10 books, because the children are seen 10 times. It has the date, how big they are getting, their favorite toys and other things to watch the little readers thrive."

Some of the books Dr. Colter dropped off included Dr. Suess’ "Are you My Mother?" in English.

Bilingual books included "Fiesta Ginger!" a counting and vocabulary book that teaches English and Spanish in a south-of-the-border party setting for ages 5 and up.

Dr. Colter will be honored at NH’s 40th anniversary for her contributions that have benefited the organization as well as many other local nonprofits.

The 11th annual award ceremony and fundraising gala will be held Saturday, June 6, at Orfila Vineyards in Escondido.

"We are delighted to honor Phyllis at our annual awards event and gala," stated Tracy Ream, CEO of NH in a press release. "The Pace Setter Committee overwhelmingly selected her as the person who they want to honor this year. We count on Phyllis and appreciate her dedication and passion for Neighborhood Healthcare."

Since 2003, Dr. Colter’s communitywide contributions include serving as board member and past president of Escondido Friends of Literacy Services, tutoring students at the library or at their homes and volunteering at the Valley Center Library Bookstore.

She also has served on an advisory committee for Literacy Language Link, volunteered to train "readers" and teaching them techniques to learn how to effectively read a story to a group of children.

Dr. Colter has helped seniors with their taxes, tutored retired physicians to help them regain language skills after a stroke, taught teenagers about propositions and the importance of being politically involved and informed and served as a past president of Federated Republican Women’s Club as well as past parliamentarian for the San Diego County Republican Women.

NH presents the Pace Setter award to an individual, couple or family with a proven record of exceptional generosity who, through direct financial support and volunteer time, has demonstrated outstanding civic and charitable responsibility not only to NH but to the community-at-large.

Their generosity encourages others to take philanthropic leadership roles on a community level.

To learn more about NH, visit www.nhcare.org.