Victor Botello

Victor died suddenly on April 1, 2023 surrounded by family. He loved adventure, traveled the world and made friends everywhere he went.
Victor dedicated his professional life to building communities in San Diego County through his work with North County Health Services (now TrueCare), the YMCA, and United Way. He is survived by his wife, Judy; his son, Victor, Jr.; his stepchildren, Jacob and Kt; and six grandchildren.

Victor attended college at the Autonomous National University of Mexico in Mexico City and graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He came to the United States for graduate studies in 1966. In 1968 he settled in Escondido, and from 1968 to 1972 he worked with the U.S. Foreign Service as a Peace Corps training officer, preparing volunteers for service in Latin America, and overseeing Peace Corps programs throughout South America.

In 1972, with a small grant from the Federal Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Victor and a small group of community activists in North San Diego County started a network of health-care clinics in rural underserved areas. With the support of the Department of Community Medicine at UCSD's School of Medicine, these clinics, from their humble beginnings, grew to become North County Health Services, Inc., now one of the largest providers of health care in North County with eleven clinics serving more than 60,000 patients each year. (Recently, NCHS changed its name to TruCare.)

After almost a decade in the administration of NCHS, Victor accepted a position with the YMCA of San Diego County. His first assignment was in Otay Mesa, a neighborhood then devoid of constructive activities for young people. With the help of the community, Victor created a center that would become the newest branch of the YMCA, reaching out to the local youth with a boxing program, opportunities for break dancing, and a fitness center, thus laying the foundation for community giving in the border area. After establishing the Border View YMCA and serving as its executive director, Victor moved on to become the executive director of the Peninsula YMCA in Point Loma, where he engaged in board and program development. During his twelve years with the YMCA, Victor served as Chairman of the Hispanic Program Development Committee of the YMCA-of-the-USA.

In 1993, Victor was hired to serve as Vice President of United Way of San Diego County. There, he led the United Way of San Diego Emerging Markets Initiative, a project that brought in many new donors from San Diego's communities of color. During that time, he also served as Vice President of the Board of the San Diego Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

From 2001 to 2003, Victor worked as Vice President of Development at the Parent Institute for Quality Education, an organization dedicated to improving the academic experience of underserved children through outreach to parents, helping families encourage good study habits, regular school attendance, and academic goal-setting. Then, more than thirty years after he had helped to start North County Health Services, Victor returned to that organization as Development Director, working toward the creation of their newest clinics: a state-of-the-art health center in Oceanside, and a Women's Clinic in Encinitas, both of which opened in 2007.

In 2006, Victor was honored with the Spirit of Carol Sigelman award from the North County Philanthropy Counsel for his ongoing role in fostering community giving. In October 2010, The Chicano Federation of San Diego County awarded Victor the Lifetime Achievement Award for Community Service.

After retiring in 2009, Victor served on several boards, including the Anza-Borrego Foundation, where he was the Development Committee chair; the Cal State San Marcos University Community Advisory Council; and the board of Amigos de los Californios, a bi-national organization providing dental and medical care to remote, underserved communities in the mountains of central Baja California Sur. Victor was the president of the local Marston Chapter, one of seventeen national chapters of retired YMCA professionals. The organization is actively engaged in a housing project in cooperation with the YMCA on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation (known as the YMCA of the Seven Council Fires) in Dupree, South Dakota. He was also chairman of the Board of the San Diego Global Knowledge University.

Victor traveled frequently with his wife Judy to visit children and grandchildren and to hike in countries around the world.