News Releases

Fresno Regional Foundation Grants $120,000 To Local Youth Programs-$60,000 in anti-gang strategies

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 27, 2011

Media Contacts:
Dan DeSantis, Chief Executive Officer; [email protected] and
Natalie Garcia, Program Officer; [email protected] 559-226-5600

Fresno Regional Foundation Grants $120,000 To Local Youth Programs--$60,000 in anti-gang strategies

Fresno, CA – Ten local organizations have been granted a total of $120,000 for youth development programs in the Central Valley. Checks will be presented this Thursday at 4:30-5:30 p.m. at Fresno’s Chaffee Zoo’s Giraffe Vista Suite. Representatives from the Fresno Regional Foundation (FRF) and each organization will be available for interviews before and after the check presentation ceremony.

Grantees and projects are:

• Boys and Girls Club of Fresno County to provide a prevention and intervention program for 134 middle school youth in an anti-gang strategy; a pilot project to reach14 rural and urban Boys & Girls Clubs.

• City of Selma, partnering with the Selma Unified School District, to continue to provide the Gang Resistance Education and Training Program (GREAT) to students.

• Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District to provide the Targeted Intervention and Prevention Program (TIPP) to identify students ages 5-12 who are at risk for gang involvement and provide them with case management, mentoring, and access to other services to avoid gang involvement.

• Creekside Charter School (CCS) to submit to a Merced school district a charter petition for the opening of the CCS, a K-8 public charter inspired by a proven successful alternative educational option.

• BEN-E-LECT Foundation to provide six- to 12-month paid internship opportunities to young adults, aged 18-25, with the majority of participants coming from foster care.

• Every Neighborhood Partnership to provide the Heroes Program to work with students from Martin Luther King and Susan B. Anthony Schools on in-depth lessons on character development and community service.

• Hispanic College Fund to provide a program to inspire 100 under-served high school students to achieve a college education, pursue a career in business, science, technology, engineering and math, and become community leaders.

• Innocent Justice Foundation to work with the Madera County Sheriff and Porterville Police to support the investigation of possessors of child pornography to track down child predators to stop child sexual abuse.

• Life Skills Training and Educational Programs, Inc. will provide constructive opportunities for youth during the critical after school hours of 4 to 6 p.m. Older youth (ages 13-19) will also participate in monthly teen clubs to develop volunteer and leadership skills.

• Valley Teen Ranch: The "Cognitive Change Program" will give 32 male youth residents a greater understanding of their thoughts and feelings that led to their addictions, gang affiliation and other behavioral problems.

FRF’s youth funding focuses on programs that empower youth, promote civic engagement and encourage service.

About the Fresno Regional Foundation

Founded in 1966, FRF is a community foundation whose mission is to improve the quality of life in the Central San Joaquin Valley through philanthropy. It serves Fresno, Madera, Merced, Mariposa, Tulare and Kings counties.

FRF is the trusted link between donors and organizations investing in permanent, high-impact solutions for the Central Valley.
Foundation assets exceed $45 million, and FRF awarded $4.5 million in grants in 2010.

For more information about the Fresno Regional Foundation, please visit www.fresnoregfoundation.org or call 559-226-5600.

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