Single Father Receives $7,000 Grant for Expenses

This is a regular feature on philanthropic activities by Valley-area business people and companies. Extended Family, a Woodland Hills nonprofit, presented a $7,000 grant to the first member of the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley, Eric Castillo, to help him take care of his son. Castillo joined the Club nearly 20 years ago and has since become a father to son Jaylen. Last year, Jaylen lost his mother in a car accident, leaving Castillo as the sole provider for the four-year-old. To help Castillo with his expenses, including the cost of Jaylen’s preschool education, the Club contacted Extended Family. The nonprofit responded by paying for an entire year of preschool in addition to the $7,000 grant. Mark Carmer, founder and president of Extended Family, said the organization’s primary mission is supporting parents who are employed but are still not completely able to provide for their families. “Single parents who are employed in an effort to improve the lives of their children often fail to qualify for government or charitable assistance because they are earning an income,” Carmer said. “ We believe in helping those who are alone and working hard to help their family.” Princess Supports Susan G. Komen Santa Clarita-based Princess Cruises announced a three-year partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to support research projects at two universities that are researching ways to fight the disease. The money is being used to support research at the University of California, at Los Angeles and Stanford University School of Medicine. UCLA will study the molecular effects of the chemical BPA on breast cancer while Stanford will focus on breast stem cell differentiation. The projects are funded by the Princess Cruises Community Foundation on Deck for the Cure program, a 5K fundraising walk which has been a company tradition since 2007. During each Princess cruise, passengers are invited to participate in the walk, which requires a minimum donation of $15. “Reaching the million dollar donation level and being able to fund this work underscores our commitment to this cause, and we want to acknowledge the support of our passengers for this important milestone,”said Princess CEO Alan Buckelew. 7-year-old Donates to Henry Mayo Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital recently received a donation to fund its new neonatal intensive care unit, courtesy of a 7-year-old Valencia resident. Maxx Merlo spent the past year saving his allowance and money from special occasions, eager to help the young patients that would benefit from the hospital’s Kim and Steven Ullman Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which is scheduled to open early this year. After saving $110, Maxx’s father, John Merlo, matched his son’s donation. “(Maxx) has a giving heart and wanted his gift to make an impact,” Merlo said. “With the NICU, he understands where his money is going.” Local Nonprofit Gets $10,000 The CHIME Institute, a Northridge-based nonprofit specializing in the development and implementation of inclusive education, received a $10,000 grant from the Mara W. Breech Foundation in support of its Growing New Teachers program. The program partners students from the Michael D. Eisner College of Education at California State University, Northridge with CHIME’s Educator Development Center, where they work as student teachers and prepare for careers in education. CSUN students who participate in the program can work at CHIME’s infant/toddler program, a preschool/kindergarten program located at CSUN and an independent public K-8 charter school. All three programs follow an inclusive format, serving children who develop typically, children with special needs and children who are gifted learners. The children learn side-by-side in the same classroom. Annie Cox, executive director of CHIME’s early education programs, said the foundation’s continued support of the program “provide us the opportunity to free up staff time so our teachers can mentor and provide guidance to CSUN students who hope to be teachers themselves some day.”