SOUTH COUNTY — The King City Dance Team and Padres de Ninos Especiales del Sur del Condado of Soledad received grant awards totaling $7,000 from the Community Foundation of Monterey County’s Neighborhood Grant Program.
The King City Dance Team was awarded $3,000 for dance instruction and performances for preschoolers and teens. The team includes The Dream Girls and Dancing Queens. Accepting the award was Paulina Salinas.
Padres de Ninos Especiales del Sur del Condado (PANESC) received $4,000 for monthly meeting expenses, recreational activities and end-of-year convening. PANESC is a parent support group for parents with children who have special needs that meet in Soledad.
“We bring different agencies to show parents what they can offer for the kids or for the parents,” PANESC leader Maria Sanchez said. “We also do a recreational trip during the summer for the kids and the parents.”
PANESC also coordinates an annual one-day conference in November with 14 different workshops throughout the day.
“Right now we have to pay the insurance the school to cover liabilities and without that grant money we can’t do that,” Sanchez said. “We also provide snacks or dinners for meetings because some parents just got off of work.”
Sanchez said a majority of the parents who participate in PANESC are field workers and get off work late and haven’t had time to eat anything yet. PANESC meets at Gabilan Elementary School. The annual conference is held at Soledad High School.
The King City Dance Team and PANESC received their awards on July 26 in Salinas. The Community Foundation of Monterey County gave out approximately $50,000 in grants ranging from $1,500 to $4,000 to 15 grassroots groups.
“The Community Foundation for Monterey County is committed to supporting resident-led groups who are invested in giving back to the community,” CFMC Program Officer Aurelio Salazar said. “Through our Neighborhood Grants Program, we’re able to make grants to local projects that might find it difficult to receive from traditional grant sources.”
The non-profit organization recipients are those that are working toward healthy, safe and vibrant communities.
