County Launches Five Garden Education Centers
Centers Offer Free Gardening Classes as Part of the Healthy Works Initiative
Want to learn how to plant and maintain a garden? County officials and community partners announced five Regional Garden Education Center locations today at Olivewood Gardens in National City. Olivewood is one of five sites where residents can take free classes to help them to start or maintain school gardens as well as teach residents how to convert lawns, yards and small spaces into fruit and vegetable gardens.
In addition to Olivewood Gardens, centers are located at: Solana Center in Enci-nitas, San Diego Youth Services at Spring Valley East Community Center, the International Rescue Committee locations in City Heights and Wild Willow Farm, and Education Center in south San Diego.
Regional Garden Education Centers are community-based hubs for garden education. The centers will offer classes and hands-on experience in basic, community, and school gardening. By offering classes for current and future gardeners of all skill levels, these centers will help San Diego County thrive as a place where fresh produce is grown in our schools and communities.
Many people have lost their connection to gardening as a source of food. The garden education sites provide residents with step-by-step gardening instructions. The free classes are ongoing and registration is handled by the individual centers.
The Regional Garden Education Centers are a project of Healthy Works, a countywide initiative making systems and environmental changes promoting wellness and addressing the nationwide obesity epidemic. The Healthy Works project is administered by the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, through a federal grant funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The project is part of the County’s “Live Well, San Diego!” initiative, a 10-year vision for healthy communities. For more information, please visit www.HealthyWorks.org.
Centro Cultural de la Raza at Balboa Park and Jamie’s Joy a local non-profit through the San Diego Foundation have teamed up this year to bring hope to poverty stricken teens in Tijuana
Despite poverty and violence, some Tijuana teens have hope for a better future. Students in the Augustinian Scholarship Fund (ASF) are creating a promising future for themselves and their communities by staying in school and becoming professionals. Many of these students would drop out of school in 9th or 10th grade, were it not for the financial help and mentoring they receive through ASF. In its 25 years, ASF has graduated accountants, lawyers, business people, and even doctors. Some students continue as volunteers after graduating from college, to mentor other students, as they know they would not have graduated without ASF’s support.
Hope is also being kept alive for a local City Heights family that is honoring the legacy and life of Jamie, their 5 year old boy who passed away in a car accident in 2002. This family decided that the only avenue to finding hope again was to turn their tragedy in to good for the community through service and philanthropic giving.
Now in its ninth year, Jamie’s Joy is hosting its 3rd annual Gala benefit that will feature Tijuana musicians Grupo Relax and a delicious Mexican meal provided by Ranchos Cocina, as well as family activities such as crafts, face painting, button machine and a photo booth. The event is on Sunday, May 29th from 2 to 6 pm. at Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park. Funds raised at the event will be donated to ASF, to give hope to Tijuana youth who want to continue their education.
For more information on the event call 619-282-2553 or go online to www.jamiesjoy.org
To find out more about this year’s beneficiaries. ASF, go to www.asfscholars.org
Scholarships Available for Children of Military Heroes
Freedom Alliance is now accepting college scholarship applications from the children of military heroes for the academic year which begins in September 2011. Freedom Alliance sponsors this program to honor the service of Americans in our Armed Forces who have been killed or permanently disabled by helping their children achieve the dream of a college education.
Students are eligible if they are the dependent son or daughter of a U.S. Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine or Guardsman who has been killed or permanently disabled (100% VA disability rating) as a result of an operational mission or training accident, or who is currently classified as a Prisoner of War (POW) or Missing in Action (MIA). Students must be a high school senior or graduate, or registered as a full time undergraduate and under the age of 26.
In 2010, Freedom Alliance awarded more than $1 million in scholarships to college students who have had a parent sacrifice life or limb for our country. In total, more than $4 million has been awarded over the years by Freedom Alliance, and the organization is currently providing scholarships to 225 students at schools throughout the United States.
Scholarships may be used at colleges or universities; community colleges; vocational or technical schools.
To learn more about the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund and/or to apply please visit http://www.fascholarship.com/ or call 800-475-6620. The application deadline is July 31, 2011, but applicants are encouraged to apply early.