Grants Go to Groups for Women and Girls

Support organizations for women and girls have received $26,000 in grants from a local foundation to start up new programs.

The Women’s Endowment Fund of the nonprofit Ventura County Community Foundation has given four grants to a variety of causes, including a sexual and physical abuse outreach program for young women and a mentoring program for Latinas.

The money is generally considered seed money, said foundation program manager Gail Weller Brown.

“This is to get things started,” she said, adding that many of last year’s recipients have continued their program without the foundation’s help.

The Ventura-based Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence received a $7,973 grant to teach Port Hueneme girls ages 12 to 18 about abuse, healthy relationships and sexual boundaries.

The coalition, which operates a battered women’s shelter, runs similar programs in other cities.

“I think it’s important to have a place where young women can go and feel supported,” said Susan Becker, program director of the coalition. “We’re hoping this will be preventive work so these people won’t need our services later on.”

The foundation grant is vital to the new program’s success, she said.

The other grants included:

* $4,015 to El Centrito De La Colonia to develop a Latinas Leadership Group for young women.

* $7,500 to the the Harrington Family Center for a Mentoring Moms and Daughters project.

* $6,612 to Interface Children Family Services to set up a mentoring program for battered women.