Nonprofit Groups Given $5,000 Grants

Ten nonprofit organizations received $5,000 grants Wednesday as winners of Community Partnership Awards from the Los Angeles Times Valley and Ventura County editions.

The recipients were selected by a 10-member panel of community and business leaders from more than 200 entries for the third annual awards program. Categories included social services, health, education, senior citizens, youth or civic services, cultural arts and environmental/ecology services.

The winners are:

* Angels Way Maternity Home in Canoga Park, for giving housing and support to single women experiencing a crisis pregnancy.

* Friends in Service to Humanity of West Valley in Chatsworth (FISH), for providing emergency help to those in need.

* Conejo Free Clinic in Thousand Oaks, for providing medical and legal services to the disadvantaged.

* The Boys & Girls Club of San Fernando Valley’s “Computer Wizard” program in Pacoima, for its computer education programs.

* Meeting Each Need with Dignity in Pacoima (MEND), for its programs aimed at helping the poor economically, educationally and socially.

* Special Awareness Computer Center in Simi Valley, for educating people with disabilities about adaptive computer technology.

* Long Term Care Services of Ventura County Inc.’s Ventura Ombudsman Program, for its advocacy and assistance to senior citizens in long-term care facilities.

* Antelope Valley Youth Services in Lancaster and the group’s parent organization, the Antelope Valley Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency, for their intervention and prevention measures to assist at-risk youths and their families.

* The Boys & Girls Club of Ventura’s “Club Sandwich” program, which provides physical education outreach services to disadvantaged youth.

* The Small Wilderness Area Preservation program in Montrose, for offering nature walks to inner-city school children.

More than 400 representatives of nonprofit organizations attended the awards luncheon at the Warner Center Marriott. The guest speaker was Herbert Carter, president and chief executive officer of United Way of the Greater Los Angeles Area.

The Times established the Community Partnership Awards in 1990 to give recognition and financial support to local nonprofit organizations.