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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Extended Family Helps a Van Nuys Preschool Teacher

This is a regular feature on philanthropic activities by Valley-area business people and companies. Yesenia Quintanilla, Van Nuys preschool teacher and single mother of two, received help this month from Woodland Hills-based nonprofit Extended Family. Quintanilla has been raising her children on her own since 2004, said officials from the nonprofit. One of her student’s parents encouraged her to contact Extended Family, which specializes in assisting single parents and their children. In her application, Quintanilla explained the challenges faced in keeping up with the rising cost of food and other monthly bills. She requested shoes and clothing or education materials for her girls. The organization took Quintanilla and her daughters on a shopping spree and donated gift cards from Vallarta Supermarket and Target to help in clothing and feeding the family. Extended Family also agreed to pay $3,500 in legal fees associated with Quintanilla’s efforts to gain full custody of her children. “We believe in helping those who are alone and working hard to help their family,” said Mark Carmer, founder of Extended Family. “Being a good single parent is tough enough, but being a good single parent with limited financial resources and little or no support from family or friends is almost impossible.” Nestlé’s Delivers Fruit Nestlé USA brand Nestlé Juicy Juice announced its partnership with nonprofit organization Feeding America and television personality Samantha Harris on a campaign that aims to alleviate childhood hunger this summer. The Glendale-based company is taking part in the Fruit for All project which aims to deliver up to 35 million pieces of fresh fruit to children and families nationwide. Through Aug. 31, one piece of fruit will be provided to children and families in need each time a Juicy Juice product is sold. “This partnership will drive a significant increase in the fresh fruit distributed through our National Produce Program while at the same time engaging families to join in the fight against hunger within their own communities,” said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America. Ryland Volunteers for Habitat Westlake Village-based Ryland Homes has partnered with Habitat for Humanity on a new home in Savage, Minn. The homebuilder is volunteering as part of Habitat’s Home Builders Blitz, a nationwide effort that aims to construct or restore more than 200 homes in 100 communities nationwide. Ryland is contributing an estimated $145,000 worth of materials and labor and has waived fees on the Savage project, which is currently underway, Habitat officials said. “Both Habitat and Ryland are dedicated to providing homeowners with quality homes that not only provide a fantastic place to live, but that keep maintenance and energy costs down, too,” said Mike DeVoe, division president of Ryland’s Twin Cities Division. The program has been active since 2002 and has constructed more than 860 homes with the help of its building partners across the country. Homeowners repay a zero interest mortgage from Habitat and complete extensive homeownership training courses and hundreds of hours of “sweat equity” as volunteers for Habitat for Humanity. CSUN Receives Grant California State University, Northridge, received a $2.38 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The grant is part of NSF Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) program, which aims to enhance diversity in scientific research and education. Through the program, CSUN is collaborating with Princeton University to provide undergraduate students an opportunity to learn about research in materials science from Northridge and Princeton professors. This marks the second PREM grant given to CSUN. “The undergraduate students are totally immersed in their studies and research and really get a chance to think seriously about continuing in the science fields,” said CSUN physics professor Gang Lu, in a prepared statement. “The students with research training could have a significant advantage of being admitted to top graduate schools such as Princeton.” In addition to funding research, the grant also provides CSUN students stipends, allowing them to focus on their studies, and covers travel expenses to Princeton during the summer. Northrop Awards Scholarships Northrop Grumman Corp. awarded two Valley graduating high school students $10,000 scholarships to pursue careers in engineering. The two recipients of Northrop’s fifth annual Engineering Scholars program are Jessica Pfeffer from Quartz Hills High School in Antelope Valley and Neil Borja from North Hollywood High School. They were selected for their academic excellence and community involvement. Pfeffer will study aerospace engineering. Borja is planning to major in mechanical engineering. “These students represent the future of our industry and we congratulate them for their impressive accomplishments,” said Liz Iverson, sector vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman’s Navigation Systems Division.

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