Event set for Oct. 5 at Derby Club
California Lutheran University, Padres Promotores de la Educación, Many Mansions and Project College Bound from the Moorpark College Unified School District will be receiving grants from Destino: The Hispanic Legacy Fund, during a grantee reception at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5 at the Derby Club at Seaside Park in Ventura.
A total of $57,000 will be awarded to the programs.
“Destino’s focus for the next few years is to prepare students to go into higher education,” said Destino Vision Committee Chair Hank Lacayo. “That supports our work to build the Destino Scholarship Fund and aligns grantmaking with our mission to help Latino youth succeed.”
According to U.S. Department of Education figures, only 26 percent of Hispanics earn their degree within the normal four-year college track, while 39 percent of white and 42 percent of Asian/Pacific Islander students completed their undergraduate work in four years. Latinos make up about 15 percent of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, but only 11 percent of college enrollment.
“With the Latino population in Ventura County expected to grow in coming decades,” Lacayo said, “the success of our future workforce rests on the ability of our students to succeed in this global economy.”
To check seating availability, contact Jerusha Schmalzel at jschmalzel@vccf.org or 805.988-0196, ext. 132.
• California Lutheran University received $18,330 for the new Puente Hacia El Exito (Bridge Toward Success) Program working in seven local high schools. Puente Hacia El Exito will expand upon CLU’s Upward Bound program, which gives students the resources to raise their marks as well as explore college life. Puente Hacia El Exito will increase the amount and quality of after-school tutoring, offer SAT preparation and financial aid workshops and expand Upward Bound’s outreach in the Latino community.
• Destino granted $13,096 to the Padres Promotores de la Educación program of El Centrito Family Learning Centers, a peer parent-to-parent education program. Padres Promotores encourages Spanish-speaking parents to support their children’s education by informing them about college requirements, financial aid and student advocacy skills.
• Many Mansions residents can take advantage of the Sin Limitaciones (Without Limitations) program, which received $6,000 from Destino. Sin Limitaciones will educate Latino youth and parents living in Many Mansions properties on college preparation, admission processes and financial aid as well as provide field-trip opportunities to local colleges. Sin Limitaciones also will help students and parents create individual plans for college acceptance.
• Project College Bound from the Moorpark Unified School District was granted $19,574. The program will identify Latino students who are the first in their family to attend college and provide the assistance they need for success in Advanced Placement and College Preparatory classes. The district will encourage all 125 Latino students in their Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program at Moorpark High School to enroll in college-prep classes each year and 50 percent of the students take at least one AP class by their senior year. The program also will assist with college preparation for students and parents by helping with admissions, scholarship and financial-aid applications.
Destino: The Hispanic Legacy Fund was established in 1996 by 15 local residents as a permanent endowment at VCCF. Its mission is to expand opportunities for Latino youth to succeed, which it supports both through grantmaking and raising funds for the Destino Scholarship Fund. Since its founding, Destino has awarded 114 grants totaling over $838,000 to 46 nonprofit organizations.
ABOUT VCCF: VCCF invests the charitable capital that drives the philanthropic engines of Ventura County. Its portfolio performance ranks in the top 11 of all community foundations in the United States for long-term growth. With total assets of $110 million, its mission is to promote and enable philanthropy to improve our community for good for ever, which it does through grantmaking, scholarships and training at its Center for Nonprofit Leadership. Visit vccf.org or call 805.988.0196.