Wells Fargo Foundation Gives $250,000 Grant to VEDC

The Wells Fargo Foundation gave a $250,000 grant to the Valley Economic Development Center, which will be used to expand VEDC’s small business lending programs. It will assist with the implementation of the $15 million Citywide Small Business Loan Program, it will help increase SBA 504 lending by the San Fernando Valley Financial Development Corporation and it will increase lending by the Pacoima Development Federal Credit Union. The grant is just one of many ways Wells Fargo has supported the VEDC in various projects over the past decade. “The Wells Fargo Foundation Grant will enable VEDC to continue to find solutions and lending programs for small business owners, even during this difficult economic time,” VEDC Board Chair Don St. Clair said. “Our organizations share a vision to support lending to local small businesses in order to grow jobs and keep our communities strong and vital,” Marla Vasquez, Wells Fargo San Fernando Valley Community bank regional president said. According to Wells Fargo, the company gave $15 million to nonprofits in Los Angeles in 2009. Rocketdyne CSUN Donation Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne donated $63,500 to California State University Northridge to support the engineering, computer science, business and economics programs, and a campaign to build the Valley Performing Arts Center. Of the total, $38,500 of the donation will go to the colleges of Business and Economics and Engineering and Computer Sciences to be used in support of scholarships, faculty development and a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne fellowship in mechanical engineering. The remaining $25,000 will assist in the building campaign for the Valley Performing Arts Center, the first such facility in the San Fernando Valley. The 1,700-seat theatre will include rehearsal space, indoor and outdoor public entertainment areas, a lecture hall and labs. Palmdale Raises Money The City of Palmdale’s employees raised $1,855 in February for the American Cancer Society to do research by participating in the nonprofit’s Daffodil Days. Employees chose to purchase from a variety of arrangements of daffodils from single bouquet, to a stuffed bear with 10 fresh cut daffodils. They also had the option of making donations to Bear of Hope, which provides bears to pediatric cancer patients, or Gift of Hope, which funds cancer patient research, education, local patient services and anonymously delivers daffodils to cancer patients. The participation in the Daffodil Day program promotes healthy living through education, physical activity and community participation. Amgen Donation The Amgen Foundation has donated $100,000 to the Renal Support Network’s HOPEline, and Foundation executives say they will contribute $50,000 more to RSN once the organization raises $250,000 from other donors. RSN’s HOPEline is a toll free hotline for Kidney Disease patients and their loved ones. Callers are connected to a survivor who can answer questions, provide encouragement, support and resources. The Renal Support Network is a nonprofit patient-focused, patient-run organization that helps people with chronic kidney disease become self-sufficient through education, employment and advocacy. Providence Gives to Charities Providence Health and Services Donated $300,000 to Valley charities that serve the homeless in need of medical care and school children in low-income areas. Funding came from the Mother Joseph Fund, which holds a portion of profits from three Providence medical centers. In profitable months, each hospital donates 5 percent of its proceeds to the Providence mission of “outreach to the poor and vulnerable.” An advisory board made up of employees, physicians, board members and community representatives chose 12 programs. These programs are Chrysalis, mental health for the homeless; Compassionate Clinical Care Program at Tarzana Treatment Center; Family Promise of East Valley, aid for the homeless; LA Family Housing Volunteer Service project that works with the homeless; Mobile Clinic that provides low-cost healthcare in the East Valley; Northeast Valley Health Corporation which provides health program for the homeless; Olive View/ UCLA Education and Research Institute which diagnoses chagas disease in immigrants; parochial schools to fund physical education instruction and nutritional guidance at school; Partners in Care, adult day care and family care; Serra Project which provides housing for homeless HIV and AIDS patients; Valley Care Consortium that assesses the needs of the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys; Valley Community Clinic for pediatric patients. Club de Cuba The Boys and Girl Club of the West Valley will host its Club de Cuba event, May 7 at the Warner Center Marriott Hotel in Woodland Hills to support its programs. The event features casino gaming, music, dancing, a silent and live auction and dinner for $100. Live Auction Items include a VIP trip to British Columbia and Newport Beach, a Cher concert in Las Vegas and a chance to walk the red carpet at the Emmys. For more information or to register contact Jan Sobel at the Boys and Girls Club of West Valley at (818) 610-1054. Arthritis Walk Six Flags Magic Mountain Hosts the sixth annual Arthritis Walk May 16, in Santa Clarita. Registration begins at 7 a.m., the walk begins at 9 a.m., while a festival zone, kids zone entertainment and refreshments will go from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Walkers can walk either a one or three-mile route. If you raise $100 or more, runners get a T-Shirt and walkers who raise $250 or more get entry into the park following the walk. For more information and to register call (818) 935-4502 or visit www.magicmountainarthritiswalk.org. – Compiled by Emily Pauker