Projects - Santa Maria, Goleta Rotary Clubs Make Scholarship Presentation

The program was initiated more than 10 years ago by the two clubs when it became apparent to the clubs that scholarship stipends provided to the young men detained at the Los Prietos Camp facility could greatly assist their personal development into productive members of society.

 

In 2013, the scholarship program was expanded to include a youthful female offender component to provide educational and vocational assistance to young women in the juvenile court system.

 

Since the program's inception, more than $60,000 in scholarship proceeds have been awarded to more than 100 individual recipients. 

 

The program is structured so that $500 stipends per recipient are placed into a special fund with the Santa Barbara County Probation Department, which then administers payments from the fund to pay education and vocational expenses directly to the vendor of those educational/vocational services to assist the scholarship recipients.

 

The criterion for the expenditure of the funds is intended to assist the recipient and is left to the discretion of the Probation Department. Items funded have included tuition, books, apprentice laborer fees, tools, contractor union card membership, etc. Anything that the Probation Department determines will assist the scholarship recipient to achieve an educational and/or vocational goal is deemed worthy of funding.

 

The program under the leadership of Senior Deputy Probation Officer Jim Clark has flourished since its inception and additional co-sponsors have joined the cause.

 

Clark has said at recent scholarship presentation events that the reputation of the program has grown to the point where Los Prietos campers are well aware of the scholarship program and the opportunity it affords them. The scholarship awards have become an achievement goal for the boys at the camp. The female offender program is also becoming recognized as a potential resource for young women seeking to re-direct their lives.

 

The Los Prietos Boys Camp and Youthful Female Offender Scholarship Program is co-sponsored by the Santa Maria Breakfast Rotary Club and the Goleta Noontime Rotary Club in conjunction with the Santa Barbara County Probation Department.