4 Area Students Receive Awards

Four high school seniors from the San Fernando Valley, including three from San Fernando High School, were honored for resisting the lure of alcohol and drugs through involvement in a drug-abuse prevention club for teen-agers.

The students were among 17 who received the second annual Seth Bloomberg Memorial Youth Awards. The event was sponsored by the Los Angeles County office of education and Friday Night Live, which runs anti-drug clubs in 125 junior high and high schools countywide, organizers said.

“It showed me how to do things in a fun way without drinking or being with the homeboys,” said Leon Garrett II, 17, who joined San Fernando High’s Friday Night Live club in the 10th grade. “I felt proud of myself for accepting this.”

The memorial award, which includes a $100 savings bond for each winner, was created last year by Barbara Bloomberg, a founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Bloomberg, a community resource coordinator with Friday Night Live, named the award after her 16-year-old son, who was killed by a drunk driver in 1980.

The Friday Night Live clubs sponsor field trips and events such as dances and picnics for students at least once a month. “I’m thankful for Friday Night Live. They’re the only club that really gets teen-agers involved in anything,” said Milo Padilla, 18, an award winner and a three-year member of the San Fernando High club.

The other award winners are Juana Hernandez, 17, of San Fernando High and Jose Lanz, 18, of Van Nuys High School.