2014-2015 Grantees

Signature Programs

Engineering for Health Academy 2014-15: $25,075

The USC NAI Saturday Academy, Providing Educational Equity: $68,239

Community Partner: Foshay Learning Center (Yvonne Edwards)
University Partner: USC Educational Partnerships (Kim Thomas-Barrios)
Website: https://communities.usc.edu/college-access/nai/

The Neighborhood Academic Initiative program began as a college access and success program for students from the neighborhoods surrounding USC. NAI will continue the expansion to East Los Angeles by taking on 90 new 6th graders and moving the current cohort of 6th grade students into the 7th grade. NAI Saturday Academy takes place on the USC Campus over 21 Saturdays per academic year. Those who complete the rigorous, seven-year enrichment program, meet USC’s competitive admission requirements and choose to attend USC are rewarded with a 4.5 year full-tuition scholarship.

USC PT Fit Families: $16,940

Community Partner: HSC USC Family of Schools (Vivian Hernandez)
University Partner: USC Physical Therapy (Cheryl Resnik)
Website: http://pt.usc.edu/fit_families/

Fit Families provides pro-bono preventive and wellness physical therapy services to 10-17 year old children and their parents in the local community, either diagnosed with or at high risk for diabetes and conditions associated with physical inactivity. This nine-month program includes initial and discharge evaluations of activity level and cardiovascular fitness completed after participation in the six-week program. Development of a supportive family network is a crucial component of the Fit Families program, as families work together through health and exercise education modules.

USC Troy Camp: $56,194

Community Partner: UPC USC Family of Schools (Shirley Crout)
University Partner: USC Campus Activities (Lily Chowana-Bandhu)
Website: www.troycamp.org

USC Troy Camp is a student-led youth development organization that seeks to enrich the lives of children by broadening their horizons through long-term mentoring relationships with USC undergraduate students. With oversight from a small advisory board, USC students entirely operate this initiative, which begins in May with a weeklong summer camp at Idyllwild Pines in Idyllwild, CA. The 180 children who attend camp are third to fifth grade students from 18 partner schools in South Los Angeles. Counselors facilitate character development through daily programs, such as swimming, horseback riding, hiking, arts, and athletics. The mentoring relationship between counselors and campers continues after camp, with a series of monthly Kids Events. Throughout the school year, Troy Camp also hosts weekly tutoring and enrichment opportunities. To date, Troy Camp has served more than 10,000 children in the South Los Angeles Community.

Arts Programs

After ‘Cool Theatre Program: $28,203

Community Partner: 24th STreet Theatre (Jay McAdams)
University Partner: USC School of Dramatic Arts (Brent Blair)
Website: www.24thstreet.org/arts-education/

24th Street Theatre’s After ‘Cool Theatre Program provides after school, standards-based arts education programming for 75 neighborhood children, and leadership development and mentoring opportunities for up to 20 high school students. The after school program provides much needed arts education for children in grades K-8 and was recently expanded to include a teen mentoring element for older students and a two-week summer program called Summer ‘Cool. The year-long curriculum for the After ‘Cool program is set for maximum arts learning, with daily exercises that support student engagement and creative exploration. Students use improvisation to bring their stories to life and work toward a resolution. Throughout the program year, After ‘Cool participants work towards producing a culminating performance. The students help write the script and work with professional theatre artists on the production. The free performances is fully staged with cued lighting and sound.

TEAM 24 Leadership Academy: $16,188

Community Partner: 24th Street Theatre (Jay McAdams)
University Partner: USC School of Dramatic Arts (Brent Blair)
Website: www.24thstreet.org/arts-education/

TEAM 24 (Teen Enrichment And Mentoring) Leadership Academy is 24th Street Theatre’s teen theatre program serving high school students. The program goal is to increase graduation rates while developing key leadership, workforce and critical-thinking skills of the students served. Students participate in professionally taught Master Classes in drama, conducted on 24th Street Theatre’s stage. Teens participate in 30 weeks of performance workshops, one afternoon per week. They also work one day per week in 24th Street Theatre’s free after-school program as student teachers and mentors, learning to serve as role models for the younger After ‘Cool students.

USC Thornton JazzReach: $39,905

Community Partner: 32^nd Street/USC Performing Arts Magnet (Ezequiel Gonzalez)
University Partner: USC Thornton School of Music (Susan Helfter)
Website: https://music.usc.edu/departments/scholarly-and-professional-studies/outreach/

JazzReach is a stimulating jazz enrichment program that provides weekly group/individual instruction and in-school concerts for students in the USC community and opportunities to gain teaching and administrative skills for the Thornton students. JazzReach provides high-quality, low-cost jazz programming to approximately 2,300 students and families from USC neighborhood schools, with 70 USC Thornton students serving as teachers. Nearly 160 neighborhood students participate in weekly classes and an additional 2,140 students and/or families experience concerts performed by Thornton jazz ensembles and JazzReach ensembles.

USC Thornton Outreach Program: $33,615

Community Partner: Foshay Learning Center (Lisa Beebe)
University Partner: USC Thornton School of Music (Susan Helfter)
Website:https://music.usc.edu/departments/scholarly-and-professional-studies/outreach/

The mission of the USC Thornton Outreach Program (TOP) is to provide high-quality music training and appreciation to students in the USC Community while developing the teaching, mentoring, and community engagement skills of Thornton students. Student education is enhanced through TOP mentors assisting our local teachers and existing in-school music programs and providing supplemental programming. During the 2014-15 school year, TOP provides music programming for over 6,100 students and families in the USC neighborhood schools, delivered by 100 USC Thornton students. This includes 870 students participating in weekly music instruction and 5,235 constituents attending short-term music opportunities, and field trips to campus.

Education Programs

Adventures Ahead After School Program: $20,605

Community Partner: Redeemer Community Partnership (Lauren Tigrett)
University Partner: Richard Parks
Website: http://www.redeemercp.org/adventures-ahead/

Since 1996, Adventures Ahead has partnered with USC students, alumni, and staff to transform local elementary school students reading several grade levels behind into lifelong readers who can reach their full academic potential. Adventures Ahead offers an individualized reading curriculum to 30 students six hours per week during the academic year. An all-day, academically rigorous summer program also incorporates math, science, and health education. The program provides a 6:1 student to teacher ratio and supplements instruction with one-on-one reading buddies, most of whom are USC undergraduate volunteers.

Boyle Heights Beat Ramona Gardens/Bravo Magnet Project: $29,000

Community Partner: Boyle Heights Technology Youth Center (Laura Cantu)
University Partner: USC Annenberg School of Journalism (Michelle Levander)
Website: https://www.boyleheightsbeat.com/

Boyle Heights Beat builds capacities and leadership for young storytellers by strengthening their research, writing, and analytic skills, as well as motivating and preparing them to pursue higher education. Launched by La Opinión and USC Annenberg, it has been hailed as a news model that could “close the widening inner-city information divide.” La Opinión trucks deliver the newspaper to 22,000 households in Boyle Heights. Another 6,000 copies are distributed in schools, cafes, churches and community centers. Youth reporters produce the print edition and adult contributors report for its sister websites in English and Spanish: boyleheightsbeat.com and pulsodeboyleheights.com. As part of the program’s commitment to serve as a voice for neighbors in the community, residents are also encouraged to share photos, illustrations, memories, poems and other contributions to the print and online edition.

Breed Street Shul History in a Box: $19,827

Community Partner: Breed Street Shul Project, Inc. (Sherry Marks)
University Partner: USC Center for Diversity and Democracy (George Sanchez)
Website: http://breedstreetshul.org/

History in a Box is a multifaceted program that includes educational activities at the site, in the classroom, and at home. It incorporates a wide range of participants including, primary and secondary students, educators, parents, USC students and faculty and community organizers. Led by USC interns, 3rd and 4th grade participants get to touch, examine and interpret historical objects and artifacts from their their community’s past. USC and high school interns lead activities that encourage participating students to consider how buildings and landmarks like the Breed Street Shul connect us to a place and help us feel that we belong.

Community-Based Social Work Interns: $56,500

Community Partner: USC Family of Schools (Bruce Onodera)
University Partner: USC Educational Partnerships (Kim Thomas-Barrios)

In this partnership between USC School of Social Work, USC Civic Engagement, and the USC Family of Schools, MSW interns become integral members of the counseling teams that serve students and families in the community and at the USC Family of Schools. Once the interns are chosen from the USC School of Social Work’s graduate MSW program, they work part-time during the 2014-2015 school year with one of ten University Park Campus Family of School as well as some of our USC programs, like the Neighborhood Academic Initiative and School for Early Childhood Education.

Education Consortium of Central Los Angeles: $25,000

Community Partner: Education Consortium of Central Los Angeles (Amanda Colligan)
University Partner: USC Rossier School of Education (Lawrence Picus)
Website: www.eccla.org

The Education Consortium of Central Los Angeles (ECCLA) seeks to enrich K-12 education for students and educators by creating a culture of resource sharing between local schools, museums, colleges and community resource providers. ECCLA fosters these connections through its Teacher Liaison Program, scholarship essay contests, and through coordinating field trips and other academic development programs. ECCLA also serves as a critical partner to USC Good Neighbors by serving as fiscal agent for many Good Neighbors programs.

Expanding STARs Program: $26,600

Community Partner: Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School (Maria Torres Flores)
University Partner: USC School of Pharmacy (Roberta Diaz Brinton)
Website: http://pharmweb.usc.edu/USCSTAR/

Celebrating its 25^th year, the USC Science, Technology and Research (STAR) Program is a collaborative science education venture between the University of Southern California and Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School. Students working with USC researchers have the opportunity to collect and analyze data as well as to prepare a research presentation. The program provides mentorship training for college-bound STAR II students in order to mentor incoming STAR II students. Students also participate in seminar presentations, field trips, workshops, receive college admissions counseling, and participate in school health and science fairs.

Family Learning Academy: $9,300

Community Partner: Redeemer Community Partnership (Lauren Tigrett)
University Partner: Richard Parks

The Family Learning Academy is an initiative of Redeemer Community Partnership in response to the desire of parents in our neighborhood to have the tools to better engage with our local schools. Family Learning Academy hosts quarterly parent learning days and quarterly family learning events where children and parents learn practical ways to support academic achievement while engaging in hands-on activities together. For 2014-2015, the program will offer eight sessions of parent education and four family learning events.

HSC Health and Science Expo (Science Fair): $17,295

Community Partner: Griffin Street Elementary School (Ricardo Romero)
University Partner: USC HSC Community Partnerships (Zul Surani)

The USC Health and Science Expo (Science Fair) is an annual, unique, interactive project that introduces local students in the three elementary USC Family of Schools at HSC to science and health related principles, curriculum, and potential careers. The fair, to be held in May of 2015, coordinates HSC resources, including graduate students, to enhance the science and health curriculum of 5th grade students attending the three local elementary schools.

Jumpstart for Young Children: $15,675

Community Partner: Hoover Intergenerational Care, Inc. (Lara Lanoix-Brown)
University Partner: USC Volunteer Center (Thea Quigley)

Jumpstart’s mission is to ensure that every child enters kindergarten prepared to succeed. In addition to Jumpstart’s in-depth, in-classroom program, Jumpstart provides books and resources to parents and caregivers. Jumpstart Corps members also provide families with strategies to incorporate learning and literacy into everyday life. Jumpstart reaches more than 650 children, resulting in higher preschool quality and greater kindergarten readiness among children in the University Park neighborhood.

Med-COR (Medical Counseling, Organizing, and Recruiting): $32,700

Community Partner: Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School (Millicent Dypiangco)
University Partner: Keck School of Medicine of USC (Kerry Franco)
Website: https://medcor.usc.edu/

Med-COR supports, motivates, and prepares students to be competitively eligible for college admission. Med-COR students are empowered to develop their goals, continue their education, and ultimately pursue careers in the healthcare profession. Students are supported with tutoring in science, math, and English, in addition to intensive SAT test preparation and career counseling. Admitted students begin the program in the ninth grade and commit to meet two Saturdays per month annually during the school year until graduation. Bravo Medical Magnet High School students also participate in a six-week summer internship at Keck Hospital of USC on the USC Health Sciences Campus.

Mission Science 2014-15 roots to STEM: $36,072

Community Partner: Foshay Learning Center (Darryl Newhouse)
University Partner: USC Viterbi School of Engineering (Larry Lim)
Website: https://viterbi.usc.edu/students/undergrad/ced/precollege/mission/

USC Mission Science provides five neighborhood elementary and one middle school’s students the opportunity to learn science, engineering, and technology on an informal, inquiry basis by providing hands-on projects, exhibits, simple experiments, machinery to take apart, and a workshop in which to work STEM themed-based projects and activities. Each session is led by a pair of USC undergraduates under the supervision of teachers, staff, and parent volunteers. Mission Scientists are equipped to be scientists, trained to use lab data, and earn Mission Science Merit Buttons.

PressFriends/USC Kids News: $6,000

Community Partner: Foshay Learning Center (Yvonne Edwards)
University Partner: Debora Chan-Southwell
Website: www.pressfriends.org

The goal of PressFriends’ USC Kids News program at Foshay Learning Center School is to make writing fun for elementary students, while building their writing skills and self-esteem. In addition, many of Foshay’s high school journalism students are PressFriends mentors, making this project both a service-learning and mentoring program. PressFriends is an all-volunteer, student-driven organization, founded by kids for kids in 2008. PressFriends’ student volunteers currently mentor 500 elementary students each year in 12 programs in LA County.

Reading Makes A Difference: $23,750

Community Partner: The Jester & Pharley Phund (Barbara Saltzman)
University Partner: USC Dornsife/Joint Educational Project (Tina Koneazny)
Website: www.thejester.org

The Reading Makes A Difference program ignites an interest in reading and bolsters community engagement, aiming to raise test scores through a personal impact on elementary students. Their reading generates donations of “The Jester” book & doll to local hospitals in the name of the school and sponsor. A Recognition Assembly caps the five-week program when all reading logs have been tallied. Top readers are recognized with a special Jester Jingle certificate, special Jester & Pharley bookmark and Jester & Pharley button. In addition, the teacher of each top-reading classroom at every grade level is recognized with a special Jester Jingle certificate, bookmark and button.

Science Outreach: $3,500

Community Partner: Weemes Elementary (Lynn Brown)
University Partner: USC Science Outreach (Susumu Takahashi)
Website: http://www-scf.usc.edu/~scout/

Science Outreach (Scout) is a USC Student Organization with the goal of giving USC undergraduate and graduate volunteers the opportunity to present fun, entertaining, and safe science lessons to elementary school students. Scout is organized around weekly in-classroom volunteer sessions, in which volunteers are organized into groups of 7 or 8 volunteers per classroom. Sessions usually begin with a pop quiz on the concepts covered the previous week, followed by students conducting guided experiments such as making slime, launching bottle rockets, freezing objects with liquid nitrogen and extracting DNA from strawberries.

Student Success Program: $27,170

Community Partner: Legacy LA Youth Development Corporation (Maria Lou Calanche)
University Partner: USC School of Social Work (Rosemary Alamo)
Website: http://legacyla.org/dream-big-programs/

Legacy LA’s Student Success Program addresses the over 60% high school drop out rate in the Ramona Gardens Community. In partnership with the USC School of Social Work, Legacy connects 150 high school students to academic support services and provide educational advocacy training to their parents. USC School of Social Work MSW student interns placed at Legacy LA are integral to the success of the program. The USC student interns provide direct practice and comprehensive therapeutic services to youth participating in the program. USC MSW interns meet weekly with students, provide group and individual therapeutic support, link students to USC HSC health services as needed, conduct home visits in the community, and develop and implement life skills workshops for participating students.

troybots: $8,000

Community Partner: Alexander Science Center School (Norma Spencer)
University Partner: Zahid Rafique

An after-school robotics education program for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students at Alexander Science Center School. The program is designed to inspire the students to explore and invent their own robotics solutions. The program provides coaching, robotics kits, software, programming tools, progressive curriculum and activity packs. The 5th graders participate in the First Lego League (FFL) Season and attend various tournaments throughout the season. Each year, the program ends with a Robotics Showcase which is open to the local community. The students show their work and robots in action. Parents also get a chance to build Lego models with the students.

USC Department of Public Safety Cadets: $20,167

Community Partner: 32^nd Street/USC Performing Arts Magnet (Ezequiel Gonzalez)
University Partner: USC Department of Public Safety (Chief John Thomas)
Website: http://capsnet.usc.edu/department/department-public-safety/dps-cadets

The cadet program is designed to offer youth (13-20) an opportunity to develop professional and academic skills that will help them throughout their lives while working with the Department of Public Safety officers and the surrounding community. The Cadets and Recruits perform under the supervision of full-time Department of Public Safety officers that serve as Post Advisers/mentors. By exposing the Cadets to a career path in law enforcement and/or becoming a USC (or college) student, the interaction offered to a Cadet has the potential to broaden employment and academic options within the University community.

USC Family of Schools Concurrent Enrollment Initiative: $58,000

Community Partners: Los Angeles Trade Technical College (Rita Weingourt)
University Partner: USC Government Partnerships and Programs (Theda Douglas)

The USC Family of Schools Concurrent enrollment Initiative is a health-career-path program designed to provide short-term certificates to high school students in the 12th grade interested in Certified Nursing Aid (CNA) and Home Health Aide (HHA) occupations for college and career readiness. The students in this cohort are from Foshay High School, Manual Arts Senior High School, Bravo Medical Magnet High School, and Lincoln High School. Students receive training for CNA examination, as well as paid internships and supervision for six weeks at Keck Hospital of USC and California Hospital Medical Center.

USC Family of School Facilitators 2013-14: $75,768

Community Partners: Foshay Learning Center (Lisa Beebe)
University Partner: USC Educational Partnerships (Kim Thomas-Barrios)

The USC Family of Schools Facilitator grant aims to streamline the delivery of grant funded program activities at USC Family of Schools. The program supports 13 part-time facilitators for schools located at the Health Sciences and University Park campuses who ensure that programs reach the maximum number of students. Facilitators play a key role in meeting program goals by ensuring proper and timely information; availability of proper facilities; proper management of USC students while on campus, and communication between all programs and those that take advantage of programs including teachers, parents, and students.

USC Kinder2College Program: $49,690

Community Partner: USC Family of Schools – UPC (Brenda Grady)
University Partner: USC Educational Partnerships (Kim Thomas-Barrios)
Website: https://communities.usc.edu/kinder-2-college/

The overarching goal of the Kinder2College program is to assist our Family of Schools Kindergarten teachers with male struggling readers. Kinder2College work to achieve this goal by creating an environment in which 100 young K-2 grade boys learn to read, creating a community of practice amongst K-2 teachers, engaging the parents of students in family-specific training, and engaging USC students and USC NAI scholars in training that allows for the strategic tutoring needed for this project.

USC Penny Harvest Project: $47,500

Community Partner: Murchison Elementary School (Margarita Gutierrez)
University Partner: USC HSC Community Partnerships (Zul Surani)

The primary goal of the USC Penny Harvest project is to develop a sense of civic capacity and neighborhood participation by engaging teachers and students in philanthropic fundraising and discussions. Each of the schools organize a student Leadership Roundtable that will plan for and implement Penny Harvest sessions to gather pennies, discuss philanthropy, make allocation recommendations, and carry out a service project. 70 USC students will serve as Assistant Coaches and help organize and facilitate the process, as well as engaging students in the project and raising pennies.

USC ReadersPLUS: $85,509

Community Partner: USC Family of Schools UPC and HSC (Bruce Onodera)
University Partner: USC Joint Educational Project (Tina Koneazny)
Website: https://dornsife.usc.edu/readersplus

USC ReadersPLUS has placed 80-100 USC students in neighborhood schools as academic tutors during the school day and in after school programming since 1997 beginning with the original five Family of Schools. Elementary literacy tutors engage in one-on-one tutoring in reading, writing and language development. Math mentors focus on helping students develop fundamental problem-solving skills, mastery of basic math facts, and deeper conceptual understanding. The after school curriculum is designed to provide homework help and enrichment activities in STEM through the WonderKids program alongside lessons in focus and self-control through Little Yoginis lessons.

USC Street Law: $8,000

Community Partner: New Designs Charter School (Sean Martin)
University Partner: USC Gould School of Law, Office of Public Service (Malissa Barnwell Scott)
Website: http://weblaw.usc.edu/why/students/orgs/streetLaw.cfm

Street Law is a student-led program that teaches students about different aspects of the law, developing an ethic of service that connects law students with middle and high school students to improve understanding of how the law relates to their lives, working with the Law and Diplomacy Academy at New Designs. Volunteer law students teach Street Law 2.0, during weekly or bi-weekly visits to conduct collaborative lessons. Program participants become knowledgeable about law school, legal careers, be able to articulate general legal concepts, and explain their legal analysis orally.

Young Researchers Program: $9,420

Community Partner: New Designs Charter School (Said Dibinga)
University Partner: USC Young Researchers Program (Brad Gasser)
Website: http://youngresearchers.usc.edu/

The Young Researchers Program is student-led and pairs local high school students with USC science and engineering graduate students for a six-week summer research experience. Students learn research presentation skills and receive tips on applying to and attending college. Students work with their graduate student mentor on individual research projects and at the end of the program, they present their projects to USC faculty, graduate students, and their high school teachers, peers, and families in a symposium. Research projects involve either laboratory or computer-based work, often including cutting-edge research techniques that address societally relevant problems.

Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative: $13,655

Community Partner: NFTE Greater Los Angeles (Estelle Reyes)
University Partner: The Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies (Patrick Henry)
Website: www.nfte.com

The Greif Center has partnered with The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship to provide entrepreneurship education at the Foshay Learning Center. The Greif Center engages USC students in community service efforts to educate youth in entrepreneurship. There are 50 high school students enrolled in the entrepreneurship course at Foshay. Greif students coach high school students on the development of their business plan, and faculty will provide guidance and expertise.

Health and Sports Programs

An Audio-Visual Novela on Dementia: $36,243

Community Partner: T.H.E. Clinic, Inc. (Tracy Robinson)
University Partner: USC School of Pharmacy (Mel Baron)

This project seeks to develop an audio-visual novela to increase knowledge of dementia in the neighborhoods surrounding the University Park and Health Sciences campuses. The audio-visual novela format incorporates photos, narration, sound effects, and music to create an informative, but entertaining bilingual movie for viewers. The audio-visual novela can be shown in waiting rooms of health clinics, pharmacies, health education classes, health fairs, libraries and other community locations.

Elder Abuse Care Manager: $15,400

Community Partner: Violence Intervention Program (Allyson Young)
University Partner: Keck School of Medicine of USC (Diana Homeier)
Website: http://www.violenceinterventionprogram.org/

The Elder Abuse Care Manager connects victims of elder abuse to services in the community, making referrals on their behalf at the geriatric clinic of LAC+USC Medical Center. This will enhance the ability of the Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center to serve as a mechanism for better addressing often unreported abuse in local neighborhoods. By increasing reporting and providing support during the often long process of elder abuse investigation, elder abuse victims will have improved justice outcomes and improved connections with community resources.

Elder Abuse Detective Training: $3,150

Community Partner: Violence Intervention Program (Allyson Young)
University Partner: Keck School of Medicine of USC (Diane Homeier)
Website: http://www.violenceinterventionprogram.org/

This training provides 180 Detectives in various Los Angeles law enforcement agencies with a better understanding of the complicated problems that can be encountered when investigating elder abuse cases. By providing training through the Elder Abuse Forensic Center, Detectives will leave with improved knowledge and awareness, and will also be more likely to refer cases to the Forensic Center for additional case follow up.

Good Neighbors Service Collaborative: $40,000

Community Partner: Community Resident (Abi Ingleton)
University Partner: USC Civic Engagement (Zul Surani)

The Good Neighbors Service Collaborative hosts 3-5 community resource fairs in collaboration with local community legal and health agencies to connect low-income community residents to legal and health services. A series of community resource events provide residents around HSC and UPC with access to resources linking them with health and legal services serving their neighborhoods. Through the outreach events, community members can enroll in critical programs such as My Health L.A, free Health Debt Clinics, Housing Legal Clinics, CalFresh, MediCal, Every Woman Counts and many other beneficial programs.

Expo Sharks Water Polo Club: $15,000

Community Partner: Expo Sharks Water Polo (Miguel Minera)
University Partner: USC Recreational Sports (Ben Creighton)
Website: http://exposharks.org

The Expo Sharks Water Polo Club is the only U.S. water polo club team in Los Angeles. This program is based out of Exposition Park’s John C. Argue Swim Stadium, for children 8 to 18 years of age. The Expo Sharks Water Polo Club offers intense training year round, five days a week from 6-8 pm as well as frequent competitive hosted tournaments throughout Southern California. The Expo Sharks are now over fifty members strong, providing an important first exposure to the sport.

FUENTE Initiative: $7,725

Community Partner: HSC USC Family of Schools (Margarita Gutierrez)
University Partner: USC School of Pharmacy (Michael Wincor)
Website: www.usc.edu/pharmacy

This project uses the educational resources of the University’s School of Pharmacy to coordinate pharmacists and student pharmacists to provide poison prevention education, appropriate drug use and self-management education and health screenings. The focus of the FUENTE Initiative is: 1) poison prevention and medication education for children and adults, 2) screening and health education information to improve adult awareness of diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, and 3) health awareness and preventive health behavior education for both adolescents and adults through health information fairs. The program is delivered at the East Los Angeles Occupational Center, the East Los Angeles Skills Center, at least 3 elementary schools (Murchison, Sheridan and Vermont Avenue Elementary) and a pharmacy where students operate screenings weekly.

Garden Gateway Nutrition Education Project: $27,785

Community Partner: Community Services Unlimited (Neelam Sharma)
University Partner: USC School of Cinematic Arts (Kara Keeling)
Website: www.csuinc.org

The Garden Gateway Nutrition Education Project improves the health of children and adults by teaching gardening and healthy cooking skills that increase their opportunity to access and consume fresh fruits and vegetables. Through a series of gardening and healthy cooking workshops, one for community residents of all ages, and the other for pre-school age children– the goal is to increase consumption of fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods, and reduce obesity and diabetes among community residents.

Good Neighbors Domestic Violence Healing Project: $28,500

Community Partner: 1736 Family Crisis Center (Ryan Macy-Hurley)
University Partner: Keck School of Medicine of USC (Mellissa Withers)
Website: www.1736familycrisiscenter.org

The project provides a unique opportunity for women and children to heal from the trauma of domestic violence in a residential environment through the therapeutic experience of gardening and food cultivation, while increasing their knowledge of eating habits and food choices that have been shown to positively influence health. Residents participate in all project phases, from planning and construction of garden beds to selection of fruit and vegetables for which they cultivate and prepare for consumption. A USC student is compiling the photos and drawings to produce a cookbook to be used as another tool to empower women and children to take pride in the project.

KIS South LA Sports Club: $37,050

Community Partner: Kids In Sports (Tony Giarla)
University Partner: USC TRiO Programs (Parker Jenkins)
Website: www.kidsinsportsla.org

Now in its 20th year of operation, KIS South LA Sports Club utilizes sport as a tool for positive youth and community development. It does so by organizing evening and weekend programs that maximize community impact while improving community safety, health and the overall quality of life for neighborhood children and their families. Programs include a mix from among basketball, baseball, softball, T-ball, swimming, soccer and volleyball. In 2014, the club is excited to announce a new partnership with the USC Women’s Lacrosse program, providing a series of introductory lacrosse clinics and equipment at the club for girls.

Lincoln Heights Certified Farmers Market: $51,377

Community Partner: Lincoln Heights Chamber (John Menchaca) and Proyecto Jardin (Irene Peña)
University Partner: Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC (Pauline Martinez)

This grant established the Lincoln Heights Certified Farmers Market to supply healthy food choices, and positively impact health outcomes and quality of life in the community. Programming will be offered to promote arts and cultural events and community engagement. The farmer’s market is also supported by the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council, Friends of Lincoln Heights, developmental disability non-profit EL ARCA, clothing retailer Forever 21, the City of Los Angeles, and the USC Institute of Global Health, which will offer on-site health screenings and health education.

Promotoras Contra la Violencia: $12,000

Community Partner: East Los Angeles Women’s Center (Barbara Kappos)
University Partner: USC Department of Emergency Medicine and USC Center for Trauma, Violence and Injury Prevention (Deidre Anglin)
Website: https://www.usc.edu/programs/ctvip

Housed in the new Wellness Center at the Historic General Hospital, this program is a project of the East Los Angeles Women’s Center that mobilizes, trains, and empowers women from the community to reach out to other women who are at risk or living with intimate partner violence (IPV). The Promotora model of community peers sharing similar experiences, culture and language as their service population has a proven track record of success. The Promotoras help to break the silence and isolation of survivors and helps to pave a way to find safety and healing for even the most isolated women in the community who have no other support systems or linkages to services.

Ramona Gardens Women’s Health Initiative: $31,350

Community Partner: Clinica Msr. Oscar A. Romero (Ingrid Estrada)
University Partner: USC HSC Community Partnerships (Zul Surani)

The Ramona Gardens Women’s Health Initiative applies a “promotora” community health education model to improve health outcomes of women ages 18 to 60 living in Ramona Gardens. The program employs USC public health graduate students to recruit and train 20 local residents to apply the promotora educational model in order to provide health education and case management services to approximately 350 women living in Ramona Gardens.

Trojan Kids Camp: $33,250

Community Partners: Kids in Sports Los Angeles (Tony Giarla)
University Partner: USC Recreational Sports (Cynthia Brass)
Website: www.usc.edu/recsports

The mission of Trojan Kids Camp is to provide a healthy and safe lifestyle using quality sports and educational instruction to local youth between the ages of 9-15. The program also includes providing information about good nutrition to educate youth about obesity. Educational sessions in subjects such as robotics, math, science and English are also provided to support learning in various subjects.

USC Neighborhood Mobile Dental Van Prevention Program: $30,875

Community Partner: Vermont Elementary School (Paul Davidson)
University Partner: Community Oral Health Programs of the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC (Carlos Sanchez and Linda Brookman)
Website: https://dentistry.usc.edu/community-programs/mobile-clinics/

The USC Neighborhood Mobile Dental Van Prevention Program is the only school-based mobile dental sealant and cavity prevention program in the City of Los Angeles, focusing on providing preventive dental care and education to the local community. The USC NMDVPP’s long-term goal is to reduce dental caries through preventive care among elementary school-aged children in local communities of Los Angeles. The program objective is to improve oral hygiene behaviors and raise awareness in the community regarding the importance of oral health care as it relates to an individual’s systemic health and quality of life.

Public Safety Programs

Peer Mediation USC University Park: $50,000

Community Partner: Institute for Nonviolence in Los Angeles (Avis Ridley-Thomas)
University Partner: USC Educational Partnerships (Kim Thomas-Barrios)
Website: www.invla.org

Building on previous peer mediation involvement with five schools within the University Park area, the Institute for Nonviolence in Los Angeles has integrated comprehensive peer mediation services at each of the schools. Comprehensive peer mediation services consist of deploying a team with a minimum of ten peer mediators on each campus; ensuring adult supervision of peer mediator activities; conducting outreach at each school to ensure maximum utilization of peer mediation in student disputes; conducting orientation, outreach, and training sessions for parents, staff and, administrators at each school; and evaluating the outcome of program implementation to determine progress and appropriate action going forward. Peer mediation efforts fully integrate Social Emotional Learning and Restorative Justice practices.

Safe Streets-CHLA Injury Prevention Program: $43,718

Community Partner: Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (Helen Arbogast)
University Partner: Keck School of Medicine of USC Pediatrics (Jeff Upperman)
Website: http://www.chla.org

In order to help decrease pediatric pedestrian injury in the community surrounding the University Park and Health Sciences campuses, an educational campaign has been implemented, targeting elementary, junior high and high school students to learn about pedestrian and motor-vehicle related safety. USC students are trained and then dispatched to the schools to provide age and culturally appropriate educational material. The culmination of the program will culminate in a  “Safe Streets” community fair hosted at both the University Park and Health Sciences campuses that will engage students, parents, teachers and other community members about pediatric pedestrian safety.

USC Kid Watch: $70,271

Community Partner: USC Family of Schools – UPC (Brenda Cortez)
University Partner: USC Educational Partnerships (Kim Thomas-Barrios)
Website: https://communities.usc.edu/health-and-safety/kid-watch/

Since 1996, more than 1,200 USC Kid Watch community members have watched over approximately 9,000 children from the USC Family of Schools as they walk to and from school. The members are committed to our University Park neighborhood and community empowerment. Kid Watch is a partnership between the Los Angeles Police Department-Southwest Division, the Los Angeles Unified School District Police Department, L.A. County Metro, USC Department of Public Safety, USC Civic Engagement and the USC Family of Schools at UPC. In 2013-14, USC Kid Watch added emergency preparedness as a focus, sending members to Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) and developed partnerships with USC Fire Safety and Emergency Planning, City of Los Angeles Emergency Management Department, and the City of Los Angeles Fire Department.