4 minute read
EDUCATION
Building a Brighter Future
By Kamala Kirk
In support of YouthBuild alumni leaders’ post-secondary education and training, YouthBuild USA recently announced four Los Angelesarea recipients of its 2021 Helene D. Stoneman Scholarship and Civic Leadership Program. In YouthBuild programs, opportunity youth – young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 who are neither in school nor employed – pursue their education, prepare for future careers and grow into community leaders, building brighter futures for themselves and their neighborhoods. YouthBuild partners with opportunity youth to build the skill sets and mindsets that lead to lifelong learning, livelihood and leadership. They primarily serve young people who lack a high school diploma and financial resources. Carmen Cotton, a 2013 graduate of Venice YouthBuild, was among the four recipients of the scholarship. The other scholarship recipients were Bryan Ross, Ely Flores and Nevi Adriani. The Stoneman Scholarship provides awards of $2,000 to outstanding YouthBuild graduates across the U.S. The honorees are pursuing associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees or trade certificates in a variety of fields. Winners were chosen from a pool of applicants who submitted a personal essay, a personal recommendation and college transcripts. Cotton is currently enrolled at the Paul Mitchell Beauty Academy to obtain her esthetician certificate. “When I joined YouthBuild, I had just given birth to my baby,” Cotton said. “I was a young woman without an education, and I knew that my son needed more from me. So, I started to look into programs that would suit me. My YouthBuild experience was amazing – they worked with me on my education, job training, counseling and so much more. It was everything I needed in one place.” Since 2005, the Helene D. Stoneman Scholarship and Civic Leadership Program has awarded 324 gifts to 165 YouthBuild graduates attending post-secondary education or training, providing $640,000 to assist YouthBuild graduates with their post-secondary education. “Everyone was so welcome, energetic and positive,” Cotton added. “It was exactly where I needed to be, with the people I needed to be around. When I found out that I was going to receive this scholarship I cried. It is going to help me pay for school so I can pursue my career and start my own business. It will go towards my tuition for Paul Mitchell Beauty Academy so I can become a licensed esthetician and build my clientele. I hope to eventually start an all-in-one beauty bar where clients can get lashes, facials and more. I’m so excited to be an entrepreneur, and I will forever be thankful to YouthBuild and their partnership.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF CARMEN COTTON
Carmen Cotton is a 2013 graduate of Venice YouthBuild and is currently enrolled at the Paul Mitchell Beauty Academy to obtain her esthetician certificate.
Venice YouthBuild
youthbuild.org
Retirement Announcement
Santa Monica Education Foundation’s executive director steps down after 28 years
By Kamala Kirk
Linda Greenberg, the longtime executive director of Santa Monica Education Foundation (SMEF), announced her plans to retire after 28 years of service. Under Greenberg’s leadership, SMEF has substantially grown in many different areas. She has overseen SMEF’s evolution from a nascent organization raising less than $100,000 per year to a mature nonprofit with an annual operating budget of more than $3.2 million. SMEF now provides vital funding each year for educational and extracurricular personnel and programs to benefit every student in Santa Monica public schools, generated through annual fundraising campaigns and endowment earnings. “It has truly been a gift to have a leader like Linda at the helm for so many years,” said board president Alison Havel. “Her passion and dedication inspire all of us who work to support the Ed Foundation’s mission. Linda’s record of accomplishments with the Ed Foundation is remarkable and we owe her a debt of gratitude for all she has done to support Santa Monica public schools.” Greenberg served as board president when SMEF launched the Bells and Books of Knowledge campaign in 1998 that raised $1 million for the Academic Endowment. That was followed in the early 2000s by the For the Arts campaign, which raised $2 million for SMEF’s Arts Endowment, a fund that now provides more than $150,000 annually in support of visual and performing arts programs. When a state budget crisis resulted in potential cuts to personnel and programs, Greenberg was at the forefront of the Save Our Schools campaign, working with volunteer leaders to mount an emergency effort that raised $1.6 million in 60 days. Most recently, Greenberg has guided SMEF through the challenges of fundraising during a pandemic, helping to ensure that staff and programs would remain in place despite the move to remote instruction. With the support of SMEF staff and the Board, she also raised funds to meet the needs of those most vulnerable during the pandemic, including tutoring services for the district’s economically disadvantaged students and homeless and foster youth. She has also helped set the stage for a future Athletics Endowment campaign. Greenberg’s specific retirement date has yet to be finalized, as she has committed to remain in her role as the Ed Foundation Board launches a search for her eventual successor. “We are so grateful that Linda’s commitment to the Ed Foundation continues even as she plans to retire,” Havel added. “By remaining aboard as we launch our search, she affords us the opportunity to ensure a thoughtful, inclusive and diligent process to identify the next executive director…First and foremost, we cannot thank Linda enough for all she has done for our schools and our community over the years. We know she will remain a vital and passionate advocate for Santa Monica public schools, and we look forward to honoring and celebrating her career and litany of achievements in the near future.”
Linda Greenberg, executive director of the Santa Monica Education Foundation, is retiring after 28 years of service.
PHOTO CREDIT: JULIE STERLING PHOTOGRAPHY
