El Concilio of San Mateo County Wins $65,000 for After-school Program

PALO ALTO – El Concilio of San Mateo County has received a $65,000 grant for its Kids Klub program from Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, foundation President and CEO Stephen Peeps announced today.

Kids Klub, an after-school program for young children, ages 9-11, was established in 1997 and serves youth in North Fair Oaks, East Palo Alto, Redwood City and East San Mateo. The program helps deter young people from participating in unhealthy, high risk activities and works with them to develop life-long skills such as conflict resolution, goal setting, good study habits, and healthy living skills. Monthly parent forums are offered to encourage family involvement.

The grant will be used to hire a coordinator for a new site in San Mateo at Garfield School and fund the cost of existing Kids Klub programs at Turnbull Learning Center and Horral Elementary School. The foundation has promised an additional $65,000 for Kids Klub at the end of 2001.

Kids Klub is among 32 child and youth nonprofit organizations in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties to receive $2.1 million in the first-ever round of grants from the 4-year-old foundation. The foundation’s two funding areas are protecting children (ages 0-5) from injury with emphasis on preventing child abuse and promoting emotional, mental and behavioral health in pre-teens (ages 9-13).

"18개월 동안 지역 사회 지도자들과 계획하고 협의하는 동안 샌머테오와 산타클라라 카운티 아동들의 건강 상태에 대해 많은 것을 알게 되었고, 엄청난 도움이 필요하다는 것을 알게 되었습니다."라고 핍스는 말했습니다. "이 지역 아동들은 대부분 건강하게 태어나는데, 건강을 해치거나 위협하는 요인들은 주로 행동과 관련이 있어 예방이 가능합니다. 그래서 저희는 두 가지 관심 분야에서 예방 활동에 집중하기로 했습니다."

In 1998, for example, San Mateo reported 5,006 cases of child abuse and neglect, with the majority of cases being neglect. In Santa Clara County, 19, 565 cases of child abuse and neglect were reported in 1999. Substance abuse, sexual risk taking, and suicidal thoughts among pre-teens are challenges each county continues to address.

지원받은 32개 프로그램 중 신규 프로그램은 6개에 불과합니다. 핍스는 "가장 필요한 것은 기존 프로그램을 강화하는 것이라는 것을 알게 되었습니다."라고 말했습니다.

Other organizations funded include countywide projects such as the Cornerstone Project of Santa Clara County, which focuses on youth development, as well as smaller rural-based programs. Individual grants range from $36,000 to $300,000 over the course of one, two and three years.

“In a relatively short time, the foundation’s community grantmaking program has gone from a concept to a reality,” said Sharon Keating Beauregard, the foundation’s director of programs and grants. “It is rewarding to see resources getting out to the communities to strengthen the health and well-being of children. We are also excited about reaching more isolated communities that are traditionally underserved such as Pescadero, La Honda and San Gregorio.”

재단의 커뮤니티 지원 프로그램에 대한 자세한 내용과 수혜자 전체 목록을 보려면 재단 웹사이트를 방문하세요. www.lpfch.org또는 (650) 736-0676으로 전화하세요.