Press Releases 2007

CONTACT:  Mary Planding, Director, Marketing & Communications
(831) 479-6158
mary.planding [at] cabrillo.edu

April 17, 2007

BORINA FOUNDATION ENDOWS $750,000 TO
THE CABRILLO COLLEGE FOUNDATION

Aptos, CA—The Cabrillo College Foundation (CCF) announced this evening that the Borina Foundation has given $750,000 to provide sustainable funding for the Cabrillo Advancement Program (CAP) which is focused on at-risk youth. The $750,000 donation is the largest single endowment ever received by CCF.

“We are so thrilled to be working with the Borina Foundation,” declared Melinda Silverstein, Executive Director of CCF, “their gift means we will now be able to phase in 70 Lakeview Middle School students in Watsonville to CAP.”

“Among the various other Pajaro Valley public schools, Lakeview Middle School appeals to us as it is only one mile away from the Borina Farms and members of the Borina family are buried across the street at the Valley Catholic Cemetery. Lakeview Middle School students will be well served by this worthwhile program and we are proud to make the dream of college real for many Lakeview students in the years to come,” claimed Bill Locke-Paddon, Borina Foundation Trustee.

Lakeview Middle School has students with some of the highest poverty statistics in the Pajaro Valley with 72% of its students qualifying for free or reduced price meals.

Originally established by the Cabrillo College Foundation in 1991, CAP’s mission is to increase the academic success of low-income students in local middle schools and high schools and to support their preparation for college. Unlike other program services offered that go away once public funding is depleted, CAP is a permanent program offered to the at-risk youth of Santa Cruz county. This additional funding will cover tutoring, mentoring and all CAP activities for 70 Lakeview students each year once the program has matured. The first year at Lakeview will include 10 students and will increase by ten each year for seven years.

Beginning with the first year of middle school and continuing through high school, CAP students and their parents are offered comprehensive college preparation information and services. Students receive after-school tutoring; participate in counseling and extra-curricular activities that sustain their commitment to prepare for college. CAP students are awarded a Cabrillo College $1,000 scholarship plus interest, contingent on high school graduation and enrollment at Cabrillo. The CAP program currently serves 343 students in five middle schools and six high schools.

Since 1991, CAP has helped 1,091 students go on to college. This year 50 CAP students are graduating from high school. Approximately 60% of the students will enroll at Cabrillo College while the others have been accepted to four-year colleges including San Jose State University, UC Merced, UC Santa Barbara, CSU Monterey Bay, San Diego State University, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal State Northridge, San Francisco State University and Fresno State University.

For more information on the Cabrillo College Foundation, contact Melinda Silverstein at 831-479-6338.

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