ATTORNEY GENERAL HOLDER ANNOUNCES $37 MILLION IN GRANTS TO SUPPORT YOUTH MENTORING INITIATIVES

    WASHINGTON ? U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder today announced more than $37 million in Recovery Act and Fiscal Year 2009 grants have been awarded to support organizations in developing, implementing and expanding youth mentoring activities.

    "These funds allow us to invest further in the future of today's youth by providing mentoring opportunities to help children reach their full potential," said Attorney General Holder. "These grants will help steer young people away from criminal activities by providing them with healthy life alternatives, positive role models and direct contact with caring adults."

    The Recovery Act, signed into law by President Obama, provides the Office of Justice Programs' Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) with more than $12 million for local mentoring programs to reduce juvenile delinquency, violence, gang participation, school failure and dropout rates. The Recovery Act Local Mentoring grant recipients are:

• El Centro for the Study of Primary and Secondary Education, Tucson, Ariz. ($125,000)
• Turlock, Modesto, Merced Youth for Christ, Modesto, Calif. ($499,989)
• Sacramento County Office of Education, Sacramento, Calif. ($494,534)
• Poudre R-1, Fort Collins, Colo. ($496,483)
• Fighting Back Partnership, Vallejo, Calif. ($500,000)
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado, Inc., Denver, Colo. ($500,000)
• Helping Services For Northeast Iowa, Inc. Decorah, Iowa ($499,829)
• Clinton Community Schools, Clinton, Iowa ($450,214)
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Acadiana, Inc., Lafayette, La. ($482,175)
• The Wellspring Alliance for Families, Inc., Monroe, La. ($500,000)
• Family Services, Inc., Lawrence, Mass. ($499,830)
• Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation, Minneapolis, Minn. ($500,000)
• Great Southwest Council Boy Scouts of America, Albuquerque, N.M. ($499,998)
• Smart Choices for Youth, Inc., Goldsboro, N.C. ($401,272)
• Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C. ($498,203)
• DREAMS of Wilmington, Inc., Wilmington, N.C. ($480,296)
• Big Brothers Big Sisters Association of Central Ohio, Columbus, Ohio ($500,000)
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Columbia Northwest, Portland, Ore. ($500,000)
• South Carolina Department of Education, Columbia, S.C. ($486,169)
• Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, S.D. ($499,908)
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee, Nashville, Tenn. ($500,000)
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas, Inc., Austin, Texas ($489,962)
• Communities in Schools of the Heart of Texas, Waco, Texas ($500,000)
• Volunteers of America Western Washington, Everett, Wash. ($500,000)
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound, Seattle, Wash. ($500,000)
• University of Wisconsin Parkside, Kenosha, Wis. ($497,691)

    The statutes appropriating funds for Fiscal Year 2009 authorize OJJDP's awards of more than $26 million to programs that target mentoring initiatives for foster care children, gang prevention, and programs designed to give a second chance to juvenile offenders who are transitioning back into their communities. The Fiscal Year 2009 grant recipients are:

Luz Academy of Tucson, Tucson, Ariz. ($481,643)
• Let Our Violence End, Inc., Little Rock, Ark. ($499,971)
• Friends for Youth, Inc., Redwood City, Calif. ($500,000)
• Sacramento City Unified School District, Sacramento, Calif. ($500,000)
• San Diego Youth Services, San Diego, Calif. ($500,000)
• San Francisco Unified School District, San Francisco, Calif. ($1million)
• Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Santa Barbara, Calif. ($450,354)
• Forget Me Not Children's Services, Santa Rose, Calif. ($500,000)
• Vista Community Clinic, Vista, Calif. ($500,000)
• Aurora Comprehensive Community Mental Health Center, Aurora, Colo. ($500,000)
• City of Hartford, Hartford, Conn. ($500,000)
• City of Norwalk, Norwalk, Conn. ($500,000)
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Delaware, Wilmington, Del. ($525,435)
• Apel Health Services Center, Jacksonville, Fla. ($226,190)
• Baptist Health System Foundation, Inc., Jacksonville, Fla. ($358,782)
• Cobb County Community Services Board, Smyrna, Ga. ($428,990)
• Berea College, Berea, Ky. ($499,997)
• Metropolitan Family Services, Chicago, Ill. ($500,000)
• Heartland Human Care Services, Chicago, Ill. ($495,929)
• Helping Services For Northeast Iowa, Inc., Decorah, Iowa ($492,651)
• Serve Our Youth, Des Moines, Iowa ($625,000)
• Children's Home Society of Florida, West Palm Beach, Fla. ($166,660)
• Bagley Youth Development, LLC, College Park, Ga. ($500,000)
• Youth Organizations Umbrella, Inc., Evanston, Ill. ($499,998)
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Indiana, Inc., Gary, Ind. ($500,000)
• Covenant House of New Orleans, New Orleans, La. ($124,449)
• Young Men's Christian Association of Greater Indianapolis, Ind. ($557,357)
• The Kennedy Center of Louisiana, Shreveport, La. ($499,935)
• Board of Education St. Mary's County, Leonardtown, Md. ($251,956)
• Old Colony Y, Brockton, Mass. ($329,800)
• Roca, Inc., Chelsea, Mass. ($500,000)
• Dunbar Community Center, Springfield, Mass. ($500,000)
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit, Detroit, Mich. ($500,000)
• Michigan Community Service Commission, Lansing, Mich. ($494,893)
• Sherburne County, Elk River, Minn. ($489,637)
• Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Minneapolis, Minn. ($499,973)
• Red Lake Boys and Girls Club, Red Lake, Minn. ($496,658)
• Center for Survivors of Torture and War Trauma, St. Louis, Mo. ($500,000)
• Sullivan County Commissioners, Newport, N.H. ($205,360)
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Buffalo, Buffalo, N.Y. ($625,000)
• Children of Promise NYC, New York City, N.Y. ($165,000)
• Family Services of Westchester, Port Chester, N.Y. ($473,788)
• The Academy for Career Development, Inc., Rochester, N.Y. ($390,274)
• Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, Cincinnati, Ohio ($500,000)
• Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest, Portland, Ore. ($500,000)
• Metropolitan Family Service, Portland, Ore. ($493,584)
• The Guidance Center, Bradford, Pa. ($499,755)
• School District of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. ($500,000)
• Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley, Knoxville, Tenn. ($498,779)
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of El Paso, El Paso, Texas ($500,000)
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas, San Antonio, Texas ($625,000)
• Northern Virginia Family Services, Oakton, Va. ($247,161)
• Child & Family Services of Eastern Virginia, Inc., Norfolk, Va. ($500,000)
• National Organization of Concerned Black Men, Inc., Washington, D.C. ($500,000)

The Office of Justice Programs, headed by Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary Lou Leary, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP has five component bureaus: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the Office for Victims of Crime. Additionally, OJP has two program offices: the Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed strategy, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART). More information can be found at https://ojp.gov.

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