The KIDS Network is proud to announce the winners of the Santa Barbara County 2014 Youth Impact Awards. This year’s recipients are Ella Brewer of San Marcos High School, Fatima Cacho of Cabrillo High School, and the Leaders Establishing Great Ideas 4 Tomorrow Club at Ernest Righetti High School.
Every year the KIDS Network – a countywide umbrella organization including members from public agencies, the courts, law enforcement, education, community-based organizations, school-linked programs and parent groups – honors young people for their contributions to the community. The annual Youth Impact Awards celebrate youth who have made a significant positive impact on their communities in Santa Barbara County. Nominations are received from members of the community, and all young people ages ten through eighteen living or attending school in Santa Barbara County qualify.
The nominees’ contributions were assessed based on the positive impact their actions have had on their Santa Barbara County communities. Winners were chosen by a selection committee comprised of KIDS Network members who remain anonymous to ensure that the process is unbiased. The selection process was challenging due to the remarkable achievements of so many young people in the county. In addition to this year’s winners, the selection committee also recommended honoring three distinctive nominees who, while not named award recipients, stood out for their dedicated service and commitment to creating positive change. These three honorable mentions go to Maria Frias of San Marcos High School, Diego Hernandez of Santa Maria High School, and Marcy Montano of the Grizzly Youth Academy Independent Study Program.
This year’s Youth Impact Awards celebration is made possible thanks to collaboration and support from members of the KIDS Network, including the Santa Barbara County Education Office and the Santa Barbara County Probation Department. Light refreshments will be prepared by the Probation Department’s Los Prietos Boys Camp Culinary Arts Program. Through the Culinary Arts Program, wards of Los Prietos Boys Camp are selected to work in the kitchen where they are introduced to all aspects of the culinary experience. Through hands-on training they learn about food preparation, presentation, cooking, cleanup, food safety and storage.
Winners will be honored with an award at the annual KIDS Network Youth Impact Awards on Wednesday, April 2, 2014 at the Santa Barbara County Education Office Auditorium (4400 Cathedral Oaks Rd., Santa Barbara) from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. All nominees will receive a certificate and acknowledgement at the Awards celebration, where winners will present brief highlights of their work in the community. The Awards celebration is free; all who would like to attend in support of youth making a difference should RSVP to e.drake@sbcsocialserv.org or 805.346.7105 by March 19th.
For more information on the event, please contact KIDS Network at 805.346.7105. For more information on this year’s winners, and contact information for their respective nominators, please see the following page.