The Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (CVHC) awarded $68,000 in scholarship funds to 73 deserving students at the recently held John F. Mealey College Scholarship Fund Awards Ceremony and luncheon. Attendees included CVHC board members, local dignitaries, scholarship recipients and family members. 2

Included was the Father Edward J. Donovan Memorial Scholarship award, which awards $2,000 in scholarship funds and the opportunity to undertake a paid internship with CVHC. Mecca resident and student Maria Guadalupe Lemus received this prestigious award which is named after Father Donovan, a pioneer in creating improved housing for farm workers and their families.

Also awarded was the Sandy Rosenblith Memorial Scholarship for Graduate Studies to Evelyn Monserath Trejo, a Palm Springs resident. She is completing a graduate degree in Counseling and Guidance at California State University, San Bernardino.

“Two essential elements to improving the quality of life for young people are stable housing and a good education,” said Julie Bornstein, executive director of Coachella Valley Housing Coalition. “CVHC is thrilled to support hardworking and successful students to acquire both as they make their way into the world.”

Of the recipients, 80% are the first in their family to attend college; 9 are enrolled in a 2-year institution and 64 will attend a 4-year school. The students represent a variety of fields of study including arts, sciences, engineering, law, education and business, and will be attending schools such as UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Riverside, UC Davis, University of San Diego, CSU San Bernardino, ITT Technical Institute, and College of the Desert, among others.

The John F. Mealey College Scholarship Fund is named for CVHC’s founding executive director, and to date, has awarded more than $600,000 in scholarship funds to 700 students. This year, Edison International contributed $15,000 towards the scholarship fund.