Grants Awarded to Boys & Girls Clubs

Three federal grants worth $60,000 will help local Boys & Girls Clubs, including a $25,000 federal grant that will enable the Santa Paula branch to open a second facility Nov. 4 on the western side of the city.

Club officials hope the Glen City School location will enable them to serve children that have difficulty reaching the primary club site in eastern Santa Paula.

“It’s a good central location for the west side of town,” said Diane Koranda, executive director. “One of the problems has been lack of available transportation for kids to get to the [main] club.”

The club will operate from 2:30 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Cost is $7 a week. Initial enrollment will be limited to 50 children ages 5 to 12.

For membership information, call 525-7910.

The grant that made the additional club possible is part of a $15-million federal allocation to expand Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide. Clubs in Oxnard and Ventura have also received grants.

The Boys & Girls Club of Oxnard is receiving $25,000 that will help pay for a fourth after-school site at Sierra Linda Elementary School, said Executive Director Abe Oliveras. The city and school PTA is also contributing money for the site, which is expected to open Nov. 13.

More than 100 children are expected to take part in a four-hour program that will include homework assistance, a sports program and arts and crafts.

The Boys & Girls Club of Ventura has received $10,000 for a pilot violence prevention and conflict resolution program.

One of 20 clubs nationwide to take part in the project, the program targets elementary school-age children in an effort to reduce both gang violence and family conflicts, said Executive Director Jane Goldschmidt.