The non-profit California Strawberry Festival has awarded $6,000 in scholarships to deserving students throughout Ventura County, Sumiko Kato reported recently. Kato is a board member and scholarship chairman of the Dr. Kato Scholarship Award Committee.
Giving back is a part of the festival’s foundation and this year’s 28th annual celebration that will take place May 21-22, the festival reported. Over the last three decades, nearly $30,000 has been donated through this memoriam scholarship named after the late Dr. Tsujio Kato, Oxnard’s former mayor who was instrumental in the creation of the festival.
Scholarship winners included Irene Dang of Oxnard High School: Jennifer Rodriguez of Pacifica High: Jingwei Zhou of Adolfo Camarillo High; Kenneth Joseph Lee of Rio Mesa High, and Vianney Cossyleon of Hueneme High School.
“Providing ways to assist the community beyond Festival weekend is an integral part of everything we do. By partnering with the California Strawberry Commission, we also help fund annual scholarships to children of strawberry farm works to show appreciation to those whose jobs play such a vital role in our strawberry industry’s success,” Patrick Mullin, festival director, stated in the release.
Awards are based on merit and funding goes to high school seniors and also continuing college students. To date, programs have reached 264 students with awards exceeding $500,000. Additionally, a $25,000 endowment scholarship at California State University Channel Islands is completely festival funded, the festival reported.
For more information the scholarship fund and the festival, visit www.strawberry-fest.org or call the Strawberry Festival Information Line at 1.888.288.9242.