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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday,
January 17, 2003
Federal, State
and Local Officials and Community Dedicate
Valley Family Technology Project Center In Pacoima
***
Youth Policy Institute (YPI) Valley Family Technology Project helps
families bridge
the digital divide with computer skills thanks to corporate and government
partners
Pacoima,
Calif. -
January 17, 2003 - "We can not say thank you enough to Los Angeles Council
President Alex Padilla (7thy Dist.) and his staff for making this a reality,"
Director Dixon Slingerland, Youth Policy Institute (YPI) told a crowd
of around 200 people including federal, state, local public, nonprofit
and corporate officials, who's partnership lead to the grand opening of
the new Community Technology Center in Pacoima Today (Thursday, Jan. 16,
20023). The center is housed in the Valley Family Technology Project (VFTP)
next to Councilman Padilla's Pacoima office
"This
facility houses a state-of-the-art computer lab, with wireless laptops,
flat screen desktops, as well as a classroom, office space for 10 staff
members, counseling and conference space. It is all part of the Valley
Family project" Dixon also announced at the outdoor ceremony two new grants
for the VFTP. $1.3 million dollar Work Force Grant from the California
Development Department. "This is a community celebration, although were
talking about a technology center in this building, this is a gift to
the community," said Michael Dolphin, administrator assistant, Division
Program manager, California Employment Development Department (EDD) Program,
Los Angeles county Job Service Division.
"I speak not just as a community leader of Los Angeles, but for Governor
Gray Davis and the director of our department Michael Burnick, who were
the people instrumental in the $1.3 million grant to the Valley Family
Technology Project." Additionally, a Community Center Technology Grant
was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education ($300,000). Other major
contributors and sponsors included the Housing Authority of the City of
Los Angeles, Verizon, AT&T, IBM, Los Angeles Unified School District,
Microsoft, SBC, Pacific Bell, Washington Mutual and Timely.
"I want to thank our staff for spending ending hours for putting this
together and our corporate and government friends and many other partners
working with us," said Mario Matute, director, VFTP. "We could not make
this without such community based organizations and agencies such as:
The Pacoima Skills Center instructors and Pacoima Elementary are just
two of our partners, North Valley Occupational Center, Cerritos College,
Olive View Medical Center, Pacific Hospital of the Valley, BUILD Workforce
Center, and numerous others."
The center, which used to be one a 99 Cent Only Store, will be open to
the public more than 70 hours per week and will provide training in computer
and technology skills, which are both necessary for youth and adult education
and indispensable in today's job market. The program will offer day, evening,
and weekend classes, job training, distance learning, virtual college
classes, as well as after school computer time and multimedia activities
for students at the center's state-of-the-art wireless laptop computer
lab.
"The entire community is going to benefit, the entire San Fernando Valley
and the entire city will benefit and will become stronger as a result
of this project," Los Angeles Council President Alex Padilla told the
outdoor crowd of cheering residents and dignitaries. "That was the vision
and the goal of creating the Valley Family Technology Project. It started
just as a dream, just an idea, in my office and it was shared and mirrored
by the initiatives that Mario Matute has been working on for a long time
prior to this event. He spent time with the VEDC, the Housing Authority
of the City of Los Angeles and many others."
Councilman Padilla and Matute were the driving force behind the project.
"What started off as a vision on paper soon became proposals going to
foundations and Corporate America and it evolved into a program being
implemented at Pacoima Elementary, where nearly 100 percent of the students
and families rely on free lunch programs. Hundreds now graduate from that
net of Pacoima Elementary with that knowledge, who have those computer
systems in their homes, who have the high-speed Internet access, who have
their resumes Online, and now were are celebrating the next evolution
of the dream and vision. We're giving the much deserved Pacoima tech project
it's home, right next to my office."
[Editor's note: For digital photos or interviews with Dixon Slingerland
or Mario Matute call George McQuade at 818.340.5300 or 818/618.9229. For
more info: visit www.vftp.org
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