San Gabriel Foundation awards two $5,000 grants

Friends of the San Gabriel Library celebrate receipt of Healthy Living Grant from the San Gabriel Community Foundation. Pictured from left to right: Julie Sorensen, Community Library Manager, San Gabriel Library; Pam Petievich, Friends of the San Gabriel Library co-president; and Shirley Gudal, Friends of the San Gabriel Library grant writer – Courtesy photo

By SHEL SEGAL

Two programs were each recently awarded with $5,000 grants by the San Gabriel Community Foundation through its 2014 Healthy Community Grants, officials of the organization announced.
The groups “Promoting Adult Wellness Through Multilingual Library Services” and “FOODPLAY Healthy Living Education for Kids” were both selected to receive funding.
The grant to “Promoting Adult Wellness Through Multilingual Library Services” through the
Friends of the San Gabriel Library will purchase books, videos, and DVDs to bolster the health and wellness needs of Spanish and Chinese readers who use the San Gabriel Library, officials said.
These multi-lingual materials will also align with and support the communication outreach of local health agencies working with these members of our community, officials said.
The grant to “FOODPLAY Healthy Living Education for Kids” through the San Gabriel Educational Foundation will encourage healthy eating and active lifestyles for students at five San Gabriel elementary schools by funding live theater and the distribution of take-away snack cards and activity kits.
This program will align with and support the effective student nutrition and physical activity programs of the San Gabriel Unified School District, officials added.
Harry Baldwin, chairman of the foundation, said he is pleased his group was able to award these grants.
“We are committed to supporting nonprofit organizations that work to improve the quality of life for area residents,” Baldwin said. “These two wonderful and transformative non-profit organizations have shown great commitment to supporting healthy living in our community through powerful communications and education programs. We are proud to support them in these new, vital initiatives.”
The Foundation was formed more than a decade ago through an alliance between the City of San Gabriel, San Gabriel Unified School District, San Gabriel Valley Medical Center and Church of Our Saviour.
The San Gabriel Community Foundation is a collaborative effort with the California Community Foundation to increase quality of life resources for the community.
Its active partnership with the award-winning California Community Foundation ensures that administrative costs are kept to a minimum. The California Community Foundation, founded in 1915, supports more than $500 million in charitable endowment funds and provides significant administrative economies of scale to local community partners.
For more information about the San Gabriel Community Foundation and how you can help create a legacy that will serve community needs well into the future, log onto http://sangabrielcf.com.
(Shel Segal can be reached at ssegal@beaconmedianews.com. He can be followed via Twitter @segallanded.)

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