Future Leaders of America was the proud recipient of a coveted and competitive grant award from the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara this week. Fund representatives Tish Gainey and Parm Williams presented a $65,000 check at the nonprofit organization’s board meeting Monday. Representatives from all area high schools, SBCC, Future Leaders of America executive director Angeles Arroyo and board members were on hand for the ceremony.

The mission of Future Leaders of America is to provide leadership training and educational experiences, and to promote the personal development of high school and college Latino youth, for the purpose of fostering a greater awareness and participation in their community.

The program instills in each participant a desire to attain a positive outlook, a college education, a clear sense of values, a high level of self esteem, the ability to make healthy choices, the ability to communicate effectively, a high level of personal integrity and responsibility, an appreciation of others with different values and ideas, and skills to work effectively with others.

The 400-member strong Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara pools its charitable dollars to assist local nonprofit organizations meeting critical community needs. Since its founding in 2004, the fund has awarded $2.2 million to 28 nonprofit groups in Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria, with 97 percent of the funds going directly to programs helping local people. The fund awarded a record $725,000 at its annual luncheon last month.

The Future Leaders of America grant will be designated for the implementation of empowerment conferences and leadership training for Latino youth and their families, including a family leadership camp, youth summer leadership camp, a university seminar, a women’s conference, and for the purchase of a van to aid transportation needs for low-income participants.

Click here for more information on the Future Leaders of America. Click here for more information on the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara.

— Angeles Arroyo is executive director of the Future Leaders of America.