Valleywide : Scholarship Fund Fulfills Lofty Dream

Patricia Franco could have taken the $500 award she got for exemplary community service as a California Youth Authority parole officer and bought a big television or paid some bills.

But she had a higher calling: She started the San Fernando Valley Opportunity Through Education Scholarship Fund.

Nine months later, the $500 has turned into $15,500, and 23 San Fernando Valley seniors make up the first batch of scholarship recipients who will be honored Saturday.

Franco said for years she kicked around the idea of starting a scholarship for teenagers who shared her passion for community work.

“My mother instilled in me the importance of education,” she said. “When I got the money [given as an award for exemplary service], it seemed like the right time to start a scholarship.”

Franco established the fund last June. Since then, her co-workers in the CYA, along with police officers and community groups, have hosted carwashes and solicited private businesses, helping Franco to surpass her initial $15,000 goal.

Miller Brewing Co. is donating $8,000 for the banquet and paying to rent tuxedos for the scholarship recipients, she said.

“Some of [the students] have never been to a formal banquet,” she said. “We wanted them to look good and feel nice.”

Each of 15 students who plan to attend community college will receive a $500 scholarship, and eight others will receive $1,000 each to help pay for four-year university fees, Franco said.

The students were selected based on academic excellence as well as community service such as graffiti removal or helping senior citizens, she said.

Franco hopes the banquet will become an annual event that will inspire young people to help out their communities and pursue higher education.

The banquet will be at the Odyssey Restaurants in Granada Hills, 15600 Odyssey Drive. Dinner will start at 6:30 p.m. and the awards ceremony will follow at 7:30.