April 1, 2008

A local foundation has announced the winners of eight grants totaling $60,000 for programs serving Latinos in Ventura County.

The grants, to be awarded during a reception April 17 at the Derby Club in Ventura, are financed by Destino: The Hispanic Legacy Fund, an endowment fund set up with the Ventura County Community Foundation.

Rudolph I. Estrada, director of the Small Business Institute at CSU Channel Islands, will be the keynote speaker at the 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. reception at the Derby Club, 10 W. Harbor Blvd. All proceeds will go to the Destino Scholarship Fund, which provides college scholarships to first-generation Latino students from Ventura County.

The 2008 grant recipients are:

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County Inc.: $10,000 for the Fillmore/Piru Mentor Program Health Career Initiative, which provides middle and high school students with information on healthcare careers.

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme: $5,000 for the Money Matters program, which teaches financial skills to middle and high school students.

• CSU Channel Islands Foundation: $10,000 for scholarships for Latino students seeking nursing careers.

• El Centrito Family Learning Centers: $9,255 for literacy programs.

• Friends of Blanchard Community Library: $3,745 for a program providing financial information for Santa Paula's immigrant population.

• Mixteco/Indígena Community Organizing Project: $10,000 for its Next Generation project, which will train six Mixtec high school students to provide health and wellness information in their community.

• Ventura County Medical Center's Family Medicine Residency Program: $3,000 for its Summer Student Scholars Program.

• Westminster Free Clinic: $9,000 for its program exposing Latino high school students to healthcare career opportunities.

VenturaCountyStar.com