$2.7-Million Grant Targets Youngsters

The children of Logan Heights and Barrio Logan will be the beneficiaries of a $2.7-million grant awarded Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Labor.

The three-year grant to the San Diego Consortium & Private Industry Council will be used to create a neighborhood program to help youths finish school, find summer jobs and provide alternatives to gang activities, according to Aurelia Koby, chief executive officer of the consortium.

The county group is a joint public and private organization charged by the federal government with training and placing low-income youth, adults and laid-off workers in jobs. The group includes representatives from the San Diego City Council, the County Board of Supervisors and 22 leaders from private industry and education.

“The mayor was delighted with the news,” said Paul Downey, spokesman for Mayor Maureen O’Connor. “This is something she has been working on and lobbying in Washington for over a year and a half.

The grant proposal, begun in 1989 when the mayor declared the Year of the Child, was developed with the advice of 39 public and private organizations who will implement the Youth Opportunities Unlimited program, according to consortium officials.

The proposal was also based on visits by O’Connor, Councilman Wes Pratt and others to model programs in San Francisco, New York City, Cleveland and Denver.

The program will be housed at the William J. Oakes Boys and Girls Club near Memorial Junior High and provide services to as many as 1,000 children in its first year, said Hank Killmar, executive vice president of First Interstate Bank and chairman of the Youth Opportunities task force.