United Way Allocates $30,000 to 11 Groups

For the approximate price of a shiny 1996 BMW 318 convertible, here’s what Sun Valley residents received this week via the United Way:

Free medical services for people who can’t afford health insurance; two new tutoring programs for students; teen parenting and pregnancy counseling programs; a new youth sports league; funds to open a domestic violence shelter, replace a broken library computer and organize a new Girl Scout troop; and money to support a drug rehabilitation facility and a recycling and environmental education project.

In all, 11 agencies or programs servicing Sun Valley residents received a slice of the $30,000 pie set aside by the United Way of Greater Los Angeles. The money was distributed Thursday by a local council composed of residents, merchants, service agency representatives and probation officers. The group, called the Sun Valley Community Venture Council, reviewed about 40 proposals submitted by agencies and nonprofit organizations.

The council, organized in 1991, meets monthly to decide what kinds of community service programs to fund with United Way dollars.

Agencies and programs selected for funding include Keep Youth Doing Something, the Assistance League of Southern California’s Volunteer Center, El Nido Family Services, the Girl Scout Council, Mount Carmel Shelter, People In Progress, the Small Wilderness Area Preservation project at Tujunga ponds, Sol del Valle Community Center, Sun Valley Library, Sun Valley Middle School and the Valley Community Clinic.

For information about United Way-funded programs in Sun Valley, call (818) 374-4026.