FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:  Gildardo Duran, Program Coordinator — (619) 641-7510 ext 260 — Lalo.duran@theIRC.org

International Rescue Committee

Crawford High School students and the International Rescue Committee kickoff the first ever, student-led, Colina FEST 09 summer festival and benefit concert at Colina del Sol Park (5319 Orange Ave., San Diego, CA 92115) on September 26, 2009 from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Admission – $6. Proceeds support Crawford High School scholarships and the DREAM Act.

This summer festival and benefit concert congeals the visions of three teens and a slew of teenage volunteers.  Dedicated to raising money for Crawford scholarships and the Dream Act, these students pooled resources, talents, and energy to pull it off.  This group of teens come from Crawford High’s After School Program managed by the International Rescue Committee and in partnership with Colina Del Sol Park and Recreation Center, PowerMentor, Neighborhoods First, and of course, Crawford High.  Expect music, family activities, cultural dances, a computer give-away, and games for children. Expected attendance is 500 people. Admittance to Colina Fest’ 09 will be $6, and we hope to raise $3,000 for two important causes.

The three concert organizers are available to speak to the press.  Photo releases have been signed by each.

In the students’ words:

One of our goals is to raise money for college scholarships for students at the Crawford Educational Complex in City Heights. Crawford students are at a significant disadvantage when applying to colleges and universities. Although the high school was opened in 1957, it underwent multiple restructurings and in 2004 became a small schools campus. Ninety-one percent (91%) of the students are low-income, 32% are English Language Learners, and 34% are refugees. With the scholarship that we will create, students who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford college will have the opportunity to attend the college of their choosing. In many cases, these students will be the first in their families to attend college or a four year university.

Our second goal is to make a contribution to the DREAM Act of 2009. This act will provide a path to citizenship for undocumented children in exchange for 2 years of full-time college education or military service. In order to be eligible, they must be between the ages of 12 and 35, have good moral character, have arrived in the U.S.A. before the age of 16, have lived continuously in the U.S.A. for about 5 years or more, and have graduated from a U.S. high school.

As residents and youth of City Heights, we hope that the first Colina FEST 09 benefit concert will be one of a kind and the first of many youth-organized events at Colina del Sol Park. Our goal is to build community around the great resources that this park offers so that local residents become invested in the park and the opportunities it can provide for all residents of City Heights. We expect to help our community by raising money for such an important piece of legislation like the DREAM Act which will directly impact the lives of many of our friends and families. Looking to the future, we expect that Colina Fest 09 will become a huge and important source of college funds for under served urban youth, as well as a source of community empowerment designed to better the lives of all in City Heights.  This is our vision.

The Colina FEST’ 09 Organizing Committee
Samantha Ramirez
Valeria Garcia
Elvis Rosas
ColinaFEST09@gmail.com