Destino Awards $100,000 in Grants Focusing on Health Access to Support the Latino Community
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Destino: The Hispanic Legacy Fund, the only endowed fund in Ventura County supporting Latino organizations, has awarded $100,000 in grants to ten nonprofit organizations with programs in family strengthening or in reduction of obesity in the Latino community. Sponsored by the Ventura County Fair and Ovations/FanFare, a grants reception was held April 13 at the Derby Club at Seaside Park in Ventura to recognize this year’s grantees. The keynote speaker was Frank Quevedo, vice president of Southern California Edison and a well-known philanthropist and community advocate. He is chairman of the board of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and widely respected as a leader and philanthropist in Southern California. “This is one of the largest amounts Destino has ever granted in a single year,” said Henry “Hank” Lacayo, chairman of Destino’s Vision Committee. “It was made possible thanks to the commitment and compassion from many Destino Founders who have renewed their gifts and the dedication and motivation from both the Destino Vision Committee and Destino Business Council who have helped our fund to grow steadily over the past ten years.”
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Destino’s 2006 grantmaking focused on family strengthening and reduction of obesity and chronic diseases related to obesity in the Latino Community, needs that were identified in VCCF’s 2003 Latino Health Needs Assessment – the first ever study on healthcare needs of underserved Latinos in Ventura County.
This was the third consecutive year Destino has focused on health access issues in the Latino community, as a result of a collaborative partnership with The California Endowment, which supports Destino’s grantmaking and capacity building through its innovative and pioneering Focus Funders Program.
Southern California Edison's Mike Montoya (left) and Rudy Gonzales (right) join keynote speaker Frank Quevedo (center), Destino Chair Lacayo and VCCF's Ralston in celebrating a $10,000 contribution.
“We are enormously grateful to The California Endowment for their support of Destino and their $25,000 matching contribution to expand our grants pool this year. We could not have reached our goals and this level of support without the Endowment and the matching contributions from Southern California Edison, Haas Automation and PacifiCare Health Systems Foundation,” Lacayo added.
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Meet the 2006 Grant Recipients
“All of these contributions will make a telling difference in the lives of Latinos throughout Ventura County and in the ability of these ten organizations to sustain their important work,” said VCCF Chair Mary Leavens Schwabauer. “All of us at VCCF are proud of the partnership with these donors and contributors to do this good work and to further the impact of philanthropy in Ventura County.”
City Impact will receive the largest grant, $18,183 for their Healthy Living Program that addresses obesity and related chronic diseases by providing weight and body mass index measurement; nutrition education; healthy cooking classes; and exercise programs for low-income Latino families in Port Hueneme, South Oxnard and El Rio. El Centrito de la Colonia will receive $15,000 to expand the services at the Family Resource Center at Driffill School, which provides family support,
Destino Founders and members from the Vision and Grants Committees join 2006 grantees.
parent education workshops, case management, health insurance enrollment, and youth activities to families in the city of Oxnard. Clinicas del Camino Real will receive $13,000 to perform outreach to migrant and seasonal farmworkers to engage in testing for obesity-related disorders (such as diabetes) and will engage them in a high-contact program for weight loss, weight maintenance and disease management.
The Boys & Girls Club of Oxnard & Port Hueneme, Boys & Girls Club of Ventura and Westminster Free Clinic will each receive $10,000 for their work in reducing obesity in Latino communities. Additional grants to be awarded include: $8,500 to Mixteco/Indígena Community Organizing Project, $7,000 to El Concilio del Condado de Ventura, $5,000 to Camarillo Hospice, $3,317 to Friends of the Blanchard Community Library, and $13,000 to Clinicas del Camino Real.
resource centers and Neighborhood for Learning sites in Oxnard, Port Hueneme and El Rio. Ocean View School District, South Oxnard, was awarded the second grant in the amount of $6,604. 349 students are expected to be served by both programs.
Committee Chair Hank Lacayo. “Reading skills are fundamental to success in our society, and Destino is proud to partner with these two organizations to make a difference and to strengthen the skills for these children to get a start on their reading literacy.” For further information, please call VCCF at 805-988-0196, or visit www.raisingareader.org.
Destino Launches Raising a Reader Program
For the first time ever, the nationally respected Raising a Reader program is offered to Oxnard and Port Hueneme Hispanic preschool children through the Latino Literacy Initiative of the Destino: The Hispanic Legacy Fund, an endowed fund at VCCF. The Latino Literacy Initiative is a complement to Destino’s annual grants program, and is designed to expand annual grant support for programs strengthening
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literacy programs serving the Latino community. This year’s reading literacy program is funded by the generosity from the Santa Barbara Bank & Trust, Montecito Bank & Trust, and Scripps Howard Foundation.
training for the implementation of the Raising a Reader program. These funds are to enhance the early childhood literacy efforts in Ventura County with a focus on serving Latino families with children ages zero to five.
Destino has granted two three-year awards to City Impact and Ocean View Early Education School to assist with books, supplies and staff
City Impact and El Centrito de la Colonia, Oxnard, received the first Destino grant of $15,025 to implement Raising a Reader at seven family
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“Destino is grateful to our three key funders in getting this program launched this year,” noted Vision
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