Charity parcels out $400K in grants to local nonprofits
A dozen San Fernando Valley area nonprofits that serve the homeless, disabled and school children in low-income areas were recently awarded $400,000 in grants from Providence Health & Services, the Catholic nonprofit that operates Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center and Providence High School in Burbank.
The grants are paid for through the charity’s Mother Joseph Fund, named for the nun who founded Providence Health & Services in the Pacific Northwest, to which Providence Tarzana, Providence Holy Cross and Providence Saint Joseph medical centers contribute.
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Recipients were announced on Tuesday last week in Burbank on the anniversary of the founder’s death in 1902.
Among the organizations selected by an advisory committee made up of Providence physicians, employees, board members and community representatives were four Burbank charities: Family Promise of the Verdugos, Boys & Girls Club of Burbank and Greater East Valley, Family Service Agency of Burbank and the Kids Community Dental Clinic of Burbank.
“We are blessed with the resources to partner with community organizations who share our mission — the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health of all those we serve,” said Sister Nancy Jurecki, chief mission integration officer for the Providence Health & Services, Southern California, which includes six hospitals and a network of primary care clinics, urgent care centers, home care, hospice facilities and a high school.
The Mother Joseph Fund’s namesake had directed her order that “whatever concerns the poor is always our affair.” In keeping with that, Providence returns its profits to the community for the benefit of “the poor, immigrants, the elderly, homeless, mentally ill, children in at-risk situations” and others, said Patricia Aidem, a company spokeswoman.
The recipients are organizations that the nonprofit can partner with to expand its efforts to improve the health of the communities, Aidem said.
“These partnerships allow us to avoid duplication because it’s more effective to bolster a program that already exists and is having a positive impact, has expertise and has created a foundation in the community,” she added.
Family Promise of the Verdugos, which partners with 24 area congregations to help homeless families, will use the money to provide shelter, meals and a “sense of home” for first-time homeless families, according to Aidem.
Family Service Agency of Burbank will use its grant for its domestic violence program, which provides shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic abuse for as long as necessary — an average of three years, Aidem said.
The Kids Community Dental Clinic of Burbank provides free dental care to the needy, including 11,000 children in 70 local schools last year, Aidem said.
A grant to the Boys & Girls Club will be used to fund about 80 club memberships for children participating in after-school and summer programs at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Sun Valley and St. Patrick School in North Hollywood, where 98% of the members are on full or partial scholarships, said Shanna Warren, the organization’s chief executive.
“The funds will be used to ensure that no child is turned away,” Warren said.
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Chad Garland, chad.garland@latimes.com
Twitter: @chadgarland
