University of California, Santa Cruz

Battle Family High Hopes Scholarship

Kaysha will be graduating from AMPS and is a first generation college student. At BHS, Kaysha wrote an opinion column for the school newspaper. Her column helped her develop her voice within the student body and cultivated her interest in journalism. In Kaysha’s spare time she enjoys showcasing her artistic skills through make-up and keeping up with the latest trends. She will pursue journalism in college and hopes to become a writer.

University of Southern California

Marion Marshall High Hopes Scholarship

Ariadna will be graduating from the Academic Choice (AC) pro- gram and will be the first person in her family to attend college. Her involvement with the R.I.S.E. program helped her grow ac- ademically and personally. Ariadna participated in the Summer Math and Science Honors Academy, a stem-intensive college prep program at UC Berkeley. She also visited Nicaragua through Global Glimpse, where she worked in shelters, taught English, and prepared meals for the homeless. Ariadna plans to major in biology with a minor in Chicano/Latino Studies and dreams of becoming a doctor or a veterinarian.

Wellesley College

Ask.com High Hopes Scholarship

Maria Sophia will be graduating from the IB Program at BHS and was involved in the AVID college prep program. She has been a peer educator with SHIFT, a teen-led program to educate students about sexual health. She also interned at Children’s Hospital Oakland, where she studied the occurrence of neutropenia in children with Barth Syndrome. Maria Sophia plans to study science and dreams of developing her own surgery clinic for disadvantaged families and perhaps teaching science at the college level. Maria Sophia will be the first in her family to attend college.

Bowdoin College

Brennan-McKown High Hopes Scholarship

Nia will be graduating from the IB program at BHS. She has a passion for music and plays guitar, ukulele, and played clarinet for the BHS Concert Band. As secretary of the Black Student Union, Nia helped organize several peaceful school protests and was active in the Black Lives Matter movement. Nia also participated in two summer abroad programs. Through the “Amigos de Las Americas program,” she relied on her fluency in Spanish to address Uruguayan employees of the US Embassy. Nia aspires to live abroad and work for the US Embassy.

University of California, Los Angeles

Class of 1951/BCF High Hopes Scholarship

Harlan will be graduating from the Berkeley High Independent Studies program. His interest in molecular biology and physics led him to pursue an internship at the UC Berkeley Science Lab, where he has been honing his research skills since freshmen year. Harlan has volunteered at the San Francisco Exploratorium caring for science exhibits. For the past four years, he has been playing Ultimate Frisbee nationwide with BHS and has served as team captain. Harlan dreams of one day developing medicine or designing rockets.  

University of California, Merced

Berkeley Community Fund High Hopes Scholarship

Tyjah is graduating from the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at BHS. She participated in the AVID college prep program and played on the school’s varsity soccer team. She was also a member of the Integrated Aspiring Scholars, a club providing support and community to students of color in the IB program. As a result of a loved one surviving breast cancer, she and her sisters hosted an annual breast cancer awareness event for her community. She has a passion for science and hopes to help others through a medical career. Tyjah’s dream job is to work as a nurse practitioner in emergency care.

Sacramento State University

Berkeley Community Fund High Hopes Scholarship

Brandon will be graduating from the Academy of Medicine and Public Service program (AMPS) at BHS. He has dedicated the past 12 years to playing football and was chosen as captain his senior year. Brandon is an outspoken individual and received the opportunity to voice his thoughts during an HBO series. Interested in journalism and communications, Brandon’s goal is to host a television or radio show discussing sports. He is proud to be the first in his family to go to college.

University of California, Santa Cruz

Battle Family High Hopes Scholarship

Guadalupe will be graduating from the Academic Choice program (AC) at Berkeley High School (BHS) and is excited to pursue her dream of becoming an emergency room physi- cian. Throughout high school, Guadalupe was involved in the Biotech Academy, where she was able to grow professionally and academically. This experience helped her obtain an internship at the Kaiser Permanente Launch Program, which strengthened her interest in in the medical field. In her spare time, she enjoys biking, reading and playing soccer. Guada- lupe is the first person in her family to go to college.

As we awaited the Trump Administration's announcement on the fate of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), we thought about every student in our program, and the hundreds of thousands of other young people, that would be impacted. For many of them, DACA provided them a chance to breathe, to adopt "lawful status” in the country they call home. It allowed them to work, get funding for school, obtain a driver’s license, and remain in the U.S. without fear of deportation.

Since the inception of the High Hopes Scholarship Program, BCF has supported undocumented students. Every Dreamer that has gone through our program is either in school or working. Each one of them embodies the purpose and values of our program: helping talented students with limited resources achieve their college and career goals.

This year, one of the High Hopes Scholars working in our office as a program assistant is a DACA recipient. He is a junior majoring in engineering at San Francisco State. His parents brought him to the U.S. at the age of nine. He attended Thousand Oaks Elementary School, King Middle School, and Berkeley High. During his first year at SF State, he would come back to Berkeley every day to work at the R.IS.E. college prep program that helped him get into college. He has volunteered to help at many BCF events. He continues to help his family with chores and childcare, before returning to SF State every evening to do his homework. He currently has three jobs; working with us, as a tutor for Y Scholars, and as a referee for youth soccer. We don’t know how he does it all. He is one of the most positive people we know and is always willing to help out fellow students.

He is a core member of our scholar community and, like many other Dreamers, a core member of the Berkeley community.

Without legislative action, his future and the future of his fellow Dreamers' will be in jeopardy.

We urge you to help. We are part of a large community and collectively, we can have great impact. Here are some things you can do now:

- Learn more about DACA and the impact of the administration's announcement.
- Declare your support through social media channels, so DACA recipients know you are an ally. #DefendDACA #WithDreamers

If you are mentoring a Dreamer or know a student who is impacted, reach out to them, let them know they are not alone.

- Listen and learn about their challenges. Encourage them to reach out for support and help.
- Help them research additional scholarships to fund their education at http://www.maldef.org/leadership/scholarships/
- Let them know that USF Law school will be offering free all-day clinics on Friday Sept.15th and Saturday Sept.16th to help DACA recipients complete their renewal paperwork (which must be submitted by October 5th). They will also be meeting with individuals to explore viable pathways to achieve legal status.
- Send a clear message to the President and Congress that you support giving Dreamers the security of legal status and a path to citizenship.
- Encourage your friends and family to do the same, especially those who live in other states.

BCF stands with Dreamers and their families as we explore additional ways to support them. Please feel free to contact any one of us with your questions and concerns.

Best,

The Berkeley Community Fund Staff

With the stock market at an all-time high, BCF donors have increasingly been choosing to magnify the impact of their giving by donating appreciated stock in lieu of cash.  Here’s how a stock donation might work for you:

If you’ve owned shares in the S&P 500 for the last five years, those shares have doubled in value (assuming reinvested dividends).  If you donate a portion of those shares now valued at $20,000, you would deduct that full amount from your taxes and you would not pay capital gains tax on the $10,000 of appreciation.  If you’re in the upper income tax bracket, the deduction could save you $10,000 on your taxes and you’d save another $3,500 in capital gains tax.  Bottom line:  BCF would get $20,000 to support our amazing students at an effective cost to you of $6,500!  (Similarly, a donation of stock valued at $2,000 would cost only $650.)

Everyone’s tax situation will be slightly different, of course; for example, the tax benefit would increase if you sell shares owned for more than five years but decrease for those in lower tax brackets.  Regardless, the strong stock market performance of the past several years makes a stock donation worth considering.*

HOW TO MAKE A GIFT OF STOCK To make a stock gift, notify your broker that you wish to transfer securities into Berkeley Community Fund’s brokerage account at LPL Financial Services. You will need to give your broker the following information:

Bank Information:
Account Transfers Department
LPL Financial Services
9785 Towne Centre Dr.
San Diego, CA 92121
Account Name: Berkeley Community Fund

Account Number: 1221-9231 
DTC #: 0075 (first two digits are zeroes)

Please notify Berkeley Community Fund about the gift transaction at the same time you instruct your broker to transfer securities into our LPL Financial Services account.We kindly ask that you please alert us in advance about the stock and number and type of shares you plan to donate so we may properly acknowledge you.

GIFTS THROUGH VANGUARD

If you have appreciated stock with Vanguard that you would like to donate, please send us a message and we will provide you with our Vanguard brokerage account number to facilitate easy transfer.

Questions? Contact Joleen Ruffin, Executive Director, at joleen@berkfund.org. Be sure to provide your name and address so that we may acknowledge your gift with a receipt.

The Berkeley Community Fund is a charitable organization as described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Gifts to the Berkeley Community Fund are tax-deductible contributions in accordance with Code section 170. Our tax id is 94-3264327.

Thank you for your generosity!

*The Berkeley Community Fund does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.

January is National Mentoring Month (NMM)! The campaign was launched in 2002 by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership to promote and celebrate youth mentoring. During this month, various organizations participate in activities to thank and honor mentors for their dedication and commitment to their mentees. According to the National Mentoring Partnership, research confirms that quality mentoring relationships have powerful positive effects on young people in a variety of personal, academic, and professional situations. &nbsp

We believe in the power of mentoring and want to ensure that our young people are receiving a community-based network of personal support, information and resources to succeed in college and beyond. Here at BCF, we are grateful for all of our mentors that continue to support our scholars. We want to honor our mentors this month and say THANK YOU! We appreciate all that you do! &nbsp

If you would like to make a long-lasting impact and become a mentor, please fill out the Mentor Interest Form.

The Berkeley Community Fund is proud to be partnering with Whole Foods in Berkeley, as a Nickels for Non-Profits recipient for the first two months of 2018.

Right now, through February 28th, bring your reusable bag with you to Whole Foods on Gilman or Telegraph and tell your cashier you want to pass on your .05 reusable bag credit to the Berkeley Community Fund.

Donations to our organization support our students by funding scholarships; mentor training programs; summer orientation for new college students; career planning education; and so much more. This year, the funds raised by Nickels for Non-profits will support our Promise and High Hopes Scholarship Programs.

Giving to the success of Berkeley's youth while shopping at a store that strives to serve and support their local community has never been easier.

Learn more about this amazing program here

Be sure to stop by a Berkeley Whole Foods Market today, and don't forget your bag!

Berkeley Community Fund is currently seeking college-educated professionals who would like to mentor and be part of a community-based network of personal support, information, and resources for our 2018 cohort of students and their families. Mentors will support each student through their college journey.

Please join us to learn more about BCF and our High Hopes Scholarship Program at our next mentor informational meeting. You will hear stories from current mentors and students/alumni about their experiences with mentoring and get your questions answered about what being a mentor entails. Details below:

If you know of anyone that would like to also attend, please feel free to share this information with RSVP link included!

To complete the first step in becoming a mentor, please fill out the Mentor Interest Form here.

If you have submitted a form recently, a member of the BCF Team will contact you soon to schedule an in-person interview. 

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Saturday, May 5, 2018
UC Berkeley Career Center
2440 Bancroft Way, Berkeley (MAP)
9:00 AM to approximately 2:00 PM (includes breakfast, lunch and wrap-up)

Please proceed to the 3rd Floor of the Career Center when you arrive for breakfast and orientation. There are several parking garages in the vicinity of the Career Center which is located between Telegraph and Dana. See parking options below. Interviews will take place on the 2nd Floor of the Career Center. If you arrive after the orientation, you should join us on the 2nd Floor.

You will participate in an interview team with 2-3 other community members. Each interview team will include one of the Berkeley Community Fund board members or a lead interviewer, who will help guide the process. We are interviewing 48 finalists and will choose 25+ scholarship recipients.

The agenda for the day is as follows:

9:00 - 9:15 AM Interviewers arrive, check-in, breakfast

9:15 - 9:45 AM Orientation

9:45 - 10:00 AM Settle into interview rooms

10:00 - 11:30 AM Interview students 1-3

11:30-11:45 AM Break

11:45 AM - 1:15 PM Interview students 4-6

1:15 PM Lunch, rank candidates

Parking Options

1. Martin Luther King Jr Student Union Garage (Bancroft Way near Telegraph Avenue, under Zellerbach Hall)
2. City of Berkeley Public Parking, 2450 Durant Ave (Located between Telegraph Ave and Dana Street, entrances on Durant Ave and Channing Way)
3. FPC Parking Garage, Channing Way (behind church, between Telegraph and Dana)
4. Douglas Parking Lot, 2594 Durant Ave

For students invited to participate in the interview process for the 2018 High Hopes Scholarship Program (Berkeley Community Fund and Berkeley Rotary scholarships), details are as follows.

1. On April 25, applicants received a notification by email on the status of their application. If you have not received an email from us, please check your spam and promotions folder. If you cannot find an email from us, send a message to lynn@berkfund.org to find out if you have an interview.

All emails are sent to the email address you provided in your application.

2. If you have been invited for an interview, you must also attend the Finalists Meet & Greet scheduled for Monday, April 30 from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at the UC Berkeley Career Center at 2440 Bancroft Ave, Berkeley -- across from the UC Berkeley campus. You will receive your scheduled interview time at this event.

3. There is additional information that we will need to receive from you by Wednesday, May 2 at 6pm. Please log in to our application portal and complete the pre-interview questions.

4. Interviews WILL NOT be held at the YMCA Teen Center.

5. Interviews WILL be held at the UC Berkeley Career Center at 2440 Bancroft Ave, Berkeley -- across from the UC Berkeley campus on Saturday, May 5 between 9am and 1pm.

6. You will need to arrive at the UCB Career Center at least 20 minutes before your scheduled interview time to fill out paperwork and get your photograph taken. Please allow enough time in your schedule to arrive on time. e.g. if your interview is at 10:00 AM, you should plan on arriving no later than 9:40 AM.

BERKELEY, CA – The Berkeley Community Fund (BCF) is excited to announce the award of $400,000 in scholarships to 25 Berkeley High School students. The group will become part of our High Hopes Scholarship Program receiving financial assistance, one-on-one mentoring and other supports to help them succeed in and graduate from college. You're invited to help us celebrate our new High Hopes Scholars as well as our graduating scholars at an awards ceremony. Details are as follows:

2018 High Hopes Scholarship Awards Ceremony
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Berkeley City Club
2315 Durant Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704
6:00-8:00 PM
Please RSVP by June 8

Join us as we welcome the 2018 High Hopes Scholars:
- Kendra Bowman, Tuskegee University
- Asha Byrd, University of California, Santa Cruz
- Alejandra Carrillo Hernandez, University of California, Santa Cruz
- Maalena Crawford, Cal State East Bay
- Maria Cuautle-Velazquez, University of California, Santa Barbara
- Leandro Gonzales, San Francisco State University
- Amira Harara, University of California, San Diego
- Jaali Henninger Crenshaw, Louisiana State University
- Naeem Hopkins, San Francisco State University
- Francesca Llorente, University of California, Irvive
- Lisette Moreno, University of California, Santa Cruz
- Christopher Ortega-Munoz, Chico State University
- Briana Remsen, University of California, Santa Cruz
- Simelia Rogers, University of California, Santa Cruz
- Jayden Rose, University of California, Santa Cruz
- Muskan Saleem, Mills College
- Yessenia Sanchez, San Francisco State University
- Luis Sanchez Cruz, California State University, Northridge
- Tara Shahandeh, University of California, Berkeley
- Lulani Sudjian-Lampkin, University of California, Santa Cruz
- Jahlil Taylor, Howard
- Kranthiraj Vellanki, University of California, Santa Cruz
- Jason Vilchez Alvarado, University of California, Riverside
- Aryan Webster, California State University, Northridge
- Hanyang Xu, San Francisco State University

The 2018 High Hopes Scholars are planning to study political science, urban planning, business, environmental science, education, criminal justice, and art. The majority will study at the campuses of the University of California and California State Universities. Some will travel out of state to attend Louisiana State, Howard and Tuskegee University. The High Hopes Scholarship Program provides $16,000 need-based scholarships to talented and resilient Berkeley high school students. The financial support helps close the gap between the true cost of attending college and the typical financial aid award. Scholarships are funded through generous donations from the community. The program also helps students successfully navigate the challenges they encounter in college through a critical array of support services including one-to-one mentorship, financial literacy training, transition-to-college workshops, and support from a college success advisor.

In addition to celebrating our newest scholars, we will celebrate the college graduations of over 20 High Hopes Scholars.

We hope that you will join us for this celebration.

For Immediate Release

BCF Contact: Colleen Sparks / 510.486.8413 / colleen@berkfund.org

CJC Contact: Paul S. Fingerote?/ 510.845.5373 / paul@cjc.edu &nbsp &nbsp

August 24, 2018; Berkeley, California; The Berkeley Community Fund (BCF) has announced its 2018 Benjamin Ide Wheeler Award, honoring Susan Muscarella, a longtime champion of music and jazz in Berkeley and beyond.

Muscarella—Founder, President and Dean of Instruction at the California Jazz Conservatory—will be recognized as "Berkeley's Most Useful Citizen" during BCF’s annual gala and benefit dinner, scheduled for October 6th at U. C. Berkeley's Pauley Ballroom.

The evening's theme of "Connections" is an appropriate reflection of Muscarella's longtime connection with the Berkeley arts community, and her commitment to "a lifetime of connecting people to music," as noted in the Wheeler Award announcement.

“Susan Muscarella reflects the best of our community,” commented Joleen Ruffin, BCF’s Executive Director. “Her success in establishing the Jazzschool and the California Jazz Conservatory from nothing shows what passion, vision, commitment, and persistence can achieve."

Muscarella's many connections across Berkeley are well ensconced and long established. Susan graduated from UC Berkeley where she also taught in and directed their Jazz Ensembles Program. In 1997, after a stint as a touring professional musician, Muscarella opened the Jazzschool on Shattuck Avenue, offering classes to students of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. The school has grown from 150 students per quarter at its inception to 500 students per quarter today.

The institution added a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies in 2009. Earning accreditation for the institution in 2013, the Jazzschool was brought under the umbrella of the newly named parent institution, The California Jazz Conservatory (CJC).

The award comes at a significant time in the Conservatory's history: 2017–2018 saw the opening of CJC's new Fiddler Annex located at 2040 Addison. The year also witnessed the addition of an Associate of Arts degree, a new degree concentration in North American Roots Music, and a celebration of the Jazzschool's 20th anniversary.

The Benjamin Ide Wheeler Medal was established in 1929 by the Service Club Council of Berkeley to recognize an outstanding member of the community who has provided years of distinguished service, in any field of activity, which has benefitted the quality of life for a significant number of people in Berkeley. It is named after the University of California president who was best known for transforming the school from a small land grant college into a world-renowned university. No matter what issue he tackled, Dr. Wheeler always thought in terms of value to human life and human relationships. He followed politics at all levels and recognized that the fundamental basis for democracy is drawn from healthy local communities.

Like Dr. Wheeler, Susan Muscarella transformed a small school into a renowned educational institution. In receiving the award, she joins the many notable Wheeler medalists who have had a positive impact on the Berkeley community, including August Vollmer (1931), E.O Lawrence (1945), Sylvia McLaughlin (1977), David Brower (1998), the Honorable Thelton Henderson (2000), and Vicki Alexander, MD (2017). Dr. Alexander will present the 2018 award.

The Berkeley Community Fund (BCF) is a charitable nonprofit organization founded in 1991 to narrow inequities in the Berkeley community. It works toward that same goal today by providing motivated Berkeley youth with needs-based scholarships, mentoring, and other supports instrumental to success in college and beyond. For more information about the BCF and the October 6th event, visit www.berkfund.org.

The California Jazz Conservatory is the only independent, accredited music school in the country completely devoted to the study and performance of jazz. CJC offers a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies and an Associate of Arts degree in Jazz Studies; the non degree-granting Jazzschool offers over 100 classes and workshops on a quarterly basis; CJC Concert Series presents concerts in two intimate venues featuring visiting artists, students and faculty. For more information about CJC, visit www.cjc.edu.