EAST LOS ANGELES : Conservation Project Yields Scholarships

The Mothers of East Los Angeles, Santa Isabel chapter, awarded $17,000 in scholarships to high school and college students Friday at Santa Isabel Catholic Church.

Thirty students received the awards, ranging from $300 to $1,000--money generated from the mothers’ participation in a water conservation project of the Department of Water and Power and the Metropolitan Water District.

The scholarships were awarded based on community service and financial need.

In its second year, the water conservation project trades in old toilets for low-flush toilets and receives $25 for every old toilet turned in for recycling into street asphalt, said board member Beatriz G. Mojarro.

The Mothers used some of the money to hire seven high school students last summer to paint over graffiti on businesses and homes in Boyle Heights. They plan to hire more students this summer for graffiti and street cleanup, Mojarro said.

Most of the scholarship recipients are seniors going into college or community college and most come from Catholic high schools in the area.

Because most of the scholarship recipients were from parochial schools, Mojarro said, the group hopes to recruit students from Garfield and Roosevelt high schools for the summer job program, which pays above minimum wage.