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.
More Featured Updates
Gearing up for CDF Freedom Schools
t’s that time again. Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools® sites in California will begin enrolling this month.
Raising Confident, Successful Adults
Denise knows that it takes a village and that is why she participates in the Children’s Defense Fund Parent Engagement Institute, a pilot program spearheaded by CDF-CA in partnership with Success In Challenges in Long Beach. The skills and tools she gains through the Institute she shares with her daughter and son-in-law.
Celebrating Mothers: Timothy Walker
The word mother is a word that seems to always go with so many other words - powerful, leader, compassion, and so many more.
Celebrating Mothers: Florencia Valenuela
My older sister, Marcy, has been my mother figure since the age of 12.
Celebrating Mothers: Cierra Gunderson
Speaking from a point of view of being “motherless,” surrounding myself with different women has really helped mold and shape me into the woman I’m becoming today.
Statement from Children’s Defense Fund–California on the American Health Care Act Vote
In response to the passage of the American Health Care Act, Alison Buist, National Child Health Director for Children's Defense Fund–California, issued this statement: "Today, House Republican leaders bullied their way to a vote on a bill that will reverse half a century of progress in covering children and families while giving a massive tax cut to America's wealthiest individuals and corporations. By passing the American Health Care Act that destroys Medicaid's guarantee of health coverage for poor and disabled children, including more than half of all children in California, we will turn the clock back to the bad old days of insurance discrimination, debt, and even death. The American Health Care Act is a bad deal for kids and a bad deal for California." Media Contact Cadonna Dory cdory@childrensdefense.org o: (213) 355-8790 // c: (323) 385-6342 [...]