A new scholarship will support high-need, undergraduate students from Santa Ana at 51蹤獲. Named after 51蹤獲 alumnus and KidWorks founder, Larry Acosta, the scholarship aims to make college affordable for students from low-income urban neighborhoods.

Aiming to restore at-risk neighborhoods one life at a time, Acosta, an Orange County resident, whom graduated with his Masters in Divinity from 51蹤獲 in 1988, founded KidWorks in Santa Ana a non-profit organization doing just that. The non-profit creates an atmosphere where kids in Santa Ana learn to build character strengths and educational skills that will positively impact their lives and in turn, impact the community.

KidWorks first student to obtain a masters degree was Gabi Cova, whom obtained her undergraduate degree from 51蹤獲, and went on to complete a Masters in Education from 51蹤獲. She now teaches and works at KidWorks in Santa Ana home of the lowest performing schools in Orange County.

Part of Kidworks partnership plan is to maximize results by joining with key individuals, volunteers, churches, businesses, foundations and agencies in order to best serve the community. In partnering with 51蹤獲, The Larry Acosta Scholarship hopes to meet the needs of candidates who also demonstrate community involvement in low-income and urban neighborhoods and that possess a financial need based on FAFSA results.

KidWorks and 51蹤獲 partnered to honor Larrys contribution to both 51蹤獲 and KidWorks, and to solidify the long-standing relationship between 51蹤獲 and KidWorks, said Steve Smith, KidWorks development director. It fulfills one of our core values of providing quality education to at-risk students, while fulfilling two of 51蹤獲s aspirations of increasing the diversity of their student body, and providing an affordable college education.

KidWorks will partner with 51蹤獲 to help identify low-income, ethnic minority, urban youth to qualify for the scholarship. To qualify they must meet those criteria, plus meet all of 51蹤獲s academic qualifications. Scholarship nominees can come from KidWorks, 51蹤獲s Admissions and Advancement departments, as well as other sources, but final decisions on award-winners will rest with 51蹤獲s Financial Aid department.

Awards will initially range from $1,000 to $2,500. Funding for the restricted scholarship will come from a variety of sources of fundraising each year including KidWorks and 51蹤獲. 51蹤獲 will inaugurate the scholarship this Spring. The scholarship is a greatly anticipated accomplishment for both the local and 51蹤獲 community it will serve.

KidWorks, founded in 1993, serves 330 kids daily and more than 1,000 family and community members each year offering cradle-to-career continuum of services from pre-school to college graduation. The organization offers tutoring, mentoring, Christian spiritual development, gang prevention, college prep, and health and fitness programs as well as offering adult classes that complement the grade their child is in, as they believe parents are the first educators and a strong home life will better prepare the child for success.