Two East Palo Alto Children’s Health Organizations Win Awards

PALO ALTO – The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health has awarded $163,000 to two nonprofit organizations that serve children and youth in East Palo Alto.

The San Francisco 49ers Academy will receive $75,000 for a youth development program that will provide mentoring, anger management and male role-modeling activities to teens at risk of social, emotional or academic problems.

The Family Support Center of the Mid-Peninsula will receive $88,000, over two years, for its Brighter Futures program. The program provides education and assistance to parents at risk of child abuse and neglect, and child abuse detection training for Ravenswood School District personnel.

The grants were two of 11 awards recently announced by Stephen Peeps, foundation president and CEO. The foundation makes grants in two areas: protecting children, ages 0 to 5, from injury, with an emphasis on preventing child abuse and neglect; and promoting behavioral, mental and emotional health in pre-teens.

The other San Mateo County grantees and their awards are: The Coastside Collaborative for Children, Youth, and Families, $20,000 over two years; Peninsula Family YMCA, $75,000 over two years; Redwood City Healthy Start Network, $150,000 over two years; and San Carlos Healthy Cities Project, $25,000.

Santa Clara County grantees and their awards are: Catholic Charities of San Jose, $250,000 over two years; Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose, $150,000 over two years; Mexican American Community Services Agency, $125,000 over two years; and Social Advocates for Youth, $175,000 over two years. Today’s Youth Matter, an organization that works to build the self-esteem of troubled youth from both counties, will receive $121,405, over three years, to add year-round mentoring to its current summer camp program.

The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health was established as a public charity in 1996, when the previously independent Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital became part of Stanford University Medical Center. The foundation’s mission is to “promote, protect, and sustain the physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral health of children.”

Funding for the community grantmaking program comes from the foundation’s endowment. Grants are awarded twice a year, in June and December.

The foundation also is the fundraiser for Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and the pediatric programs at Stanford Medical School. A program of public information and education regarding children’s health issues is under development at the foundation.

For more information about the foundation’s community grantmaking program, call (650) 736-0676, or visit the Web site, www.lpfch.org.