Canyon City Foundation – November 18, 2013 Council Meeting
Grant Recipient Summary
To date, the Canyon City Foundation has granted over $800,000 to various nonprofit organizations in Azusa. This year, the Foundation has awarded approximately $120,000.
- Azusa City Library
Grassroots ESL and Literacy Council Development
Last year, the Azusa library was granted support by the Canyon City Foundation to implement an ESL Health Literacy program. As a result of that experience, as well as the growing need of ESL services, the Azusa Library will implement a Grassroots ESL program. This community wide endeavor will collaborate with the Neighborhood Wellness Center and APU, to name a few. It will provide a variety of methods for adults to learn English. In addition to the Grassroots ESL program, the Library is receiving support from Canyon City Foundation to develop a Literacy Council. Development of the Azusa Literacy Council will establish a firm foundation for the Azusa Library and will bring new support to the library. The Council will be able to leverage its ability to apply for larger community wide grants and raise funds that will directly benefit residents of Azusa. - Azusa Unified School District
Summer Reading Lists Program
Reading is critical to student success. Through reading students develop comprehension skills and expand their vocabulary while learning about the world and developing a love of reading. The City of Azusa Library currently provides an annual summer reading program that primarily serves elementary students. The AUSD Azusa Reads Program will provide summer reading lists for all students grades K-12 and the library will be a critical partner to ensure that the students have access to the books. The program is designed to increase students’ motivation to reading by linking this program with the summer celebratory events already created at the City Library. - Citrus Community College Foundation
Expansion of Café con Leche and the Student Ambassador Program
The Canyon City Foundation is honored to support the Citrus College Foundation. With this grant, the Café con Leche Program will be reviewed and further developed for greater impact and a new program, Student Ambassadors will be developed Café con Leche currently is a program that is focused on Hispanic young women and their mothers or champions and serves as a motivational seminar for these students who would be first generation college students. The newly designed Student Ambassador Mentoring Program will be created to directly target Azusa students. The Student Ambassador Program will provide prospective Azusa students, who are first generation students attending college, to be matched up with current students or alumni at Citrus College who will help assist with providing navigational skills that enhance college enrollment and success. - Neighborhood Homework House
Pre-K School Readiness Program and Parent Leadership Development Expansion
The mission of the Homework House is to help Azusa’s economically and educationally at-risk Pre K-12 students to advance academically in a supportive setting through parent involvement, mentoring relationships, community partnerships, and spiritual support. The Canyon City Foundation is honored to help further this mission by granting them support to expand their Parent Leadership Development program and well as implement a Pre-Kindergarten Readiness program. The Parent Leadership Program will expand to serve additional parents to maximize the positive impact of community building in our low-income neighborhoods. The Pre-K Readiness Program will provide children with the skills necessary to prepare them to transition into grade school.
Lets take a moment to give all of our recipients a round of applause. In closing, the Canyon City Foundation is proud to be serving the Community of Azusa and is looking forward to another successful grant cycle in 2014.