Ian Leui, Jazmin de Luna, Manual Lopez, Samantha Galindo and Samarea Johnson were honored in December at our 28th annual CDF Beat the Odds® gala. They mingled with celebrities and enjoyed an evening where they were the center of attention, and their hard work – at school, home and in their community – was recognized. Now we are accepting applications for our next cohort of students to be a part of the CDF Beat the Odds family. Our online application portal is open through March 29. The program honors outstanding young people who demonstrate academic commitment, are involved in improving their community while overcoming adversity. Through a competitive review process, we will select five deserving high school freshmen from the greater Los Angeles area to receive academic support geared towards college enrollment and completion. In order to apply students must write a personal statement that describes their hardships and how they have overcome them and get a letter of recommendation from a teacher, counselor, casework or any other unrelated adult. Other requirements can be found online. Application deadline is March 29.
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Governor’s Budget Proposal Fails to Adequately Address the 1 in 4 California Children in Poverty
Alex Johnson, Executive Director of Children's Defense Fund-California, released the following statement in response to Governor Jerry Brown's 2015-16 budget proposal: "The Governor's proposed budget fails to make the significant investments necessary to repair the tattered safety net and provide the critical support services children, particularly those living in poverty, need to survive and thrive. While the Governor's continued investment in K-12 education is a positive step, children also need health care, quality child care and development, and family supports to succeed in school. Recession-era state budget cuts to critical health and human service programs continue to harm the state's most vulnerable children and families. We urge the Governor and the Legislature to do right by our children and protect and invest in essential safety net programs. California cannot afford to continue allowing more than one in four children to grow up [...]