Through funding provided from the Coronavirus Relief Fund Spending Plan, L.A. County Library is excited to announce a new service, Park & Connect: free outdoor Wi-Fi in the parking lots of participating libraries, including the libraries at Stevenson Ranch and Castaic.
This pandemic has widened the digital divide across Los Angeles County with constituents left without reliable internet service that is essential to navigate essential services virtually. With libraries closed, those who would be able to use a computer or connect through Wi-Fi are left without the resources needed to do schoolwork, apply for a job, or simply connect with friends and family.
Local nonprofit Fostering Youth Independence (FYI) has already reached its year-end fundraising campaign goal to date receiving $21,946 in donations, surpassing its $20,000 goal.
“We are very grateful to so many members of the community who contributed to FYI’s work supporting Santa Clarita youth who are aging out of the L.A. County foster care system,” said Carolyn Olsen, FYI’s executive director and co-founder. “Foster youth have been particularly challenged this year because of the pandemic, and these funds are vital to provide support to those who, in many cases, have nowhere else to turn.”
Olsen added that FYI is still seeking adult Allies to pair with a local foster youth, and that a virtual training session will be held Wednesday, Jan. 13 for interested volunteers. Volunteer Allies have the unique opportunity to directly impact the lives of Santa Clarita’s transition age foster youth (ages 16 to 25) by providing support and helping them obtain needed resource
SACRAMENTO – State Sen. Scott Wilk, (R-Santa Clarita), recently announced he and his Republican colleagues submitted a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom urging him to take the necessary steps – both short and long-term – to ensure the adoptions of foster youth interrupted by COVID 19 be completed in a timely fashion.
“It’s Christmas and I can think of nothing more meaningful to a child waiting for a permanent, loving home than to know there are ‘grown-ups’ who see their need and stand ready to help,” said Wilk. “COVID 19 has been a cruel turn of events for many of us, but none so much as the foster youth who were on track for adoption prior to the pandemic. Court shutdowns, delays in processing, and a host of other COVID related issues have left these innocent children without the certainty of a home … something every child deserves.”
SACRAMENTO – As Californians prepare for the Christmas holiday during the COVID-19 pandemic, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) reminds everyone the rules of safe driving are just as critical as ever.