SUN VALLEY : Coalition Gets $67,000 For Glenwood Center

A coalition of schools and community agencies in the East Valley has received $67,000 in planning funds to expand a care center to meet the needs of about 5,000 students and their families, officials announced Monday.

The funding marks the first phase of what officials from the East Valley Partnership Community Council hope will be up to $450,000 in state funding to expand the Glenwood Family Care Center at Glenwood School in Sun Valley.

Under the plan, the center will change its name to the East Valley Family Care Center and expand its medical services to the other schools in the coalition, Roscoe elementary in Sun Valley and Arminta Street elementary and Camellia Avenue elementary, both in North Hollywood.

The center, which opened in October, now provides medical screenings and immunizations for students. Under the proposal, it will be expanded to two on-campus bungalows and provide recreational activities, social service programs, and tobacco, alcohol and AIDS education.

Paul Palato, a member of the council, said the idea is to bring services to underserved neighborhoods.

“We’re really excited,” said Palato. “The community doesn’t have to go to Pacoima anymore. The community doesn’t have to go to North Hollywood anymore.”

A total of $50,000 of the planning funds come from the state board of education, $12,000 from the Los Angeles Unified School District and $5,000 from the Sun Valley Community Venture Council.

About half the funds will be used to hire a part-time director for the health center. The director will help develop a mission statement, coordinate resources and write the proposal next year for a $400,000 grant to operate the center for three years.

Ruth Bunyan, principal at Roscoe elementary, called the collaborative effort the “wave of the future.” The East Valley Partnership Community Council includes about a dozen agencies throughout the Valley.

“When your school is overcrowded and you have no space for special services, when you collaborate, it’s likely that one of your collaborators will have some space,” Bunyan said.