A Direct Way to Impact Education

Thanks to the generous support of our donors, 27 Berkeley students from low-income families are headed off to four-year colleges, many of them are the first in their families to pursue a higher education. This would not be possible without the Berkeley Community Fund, which each year awards tens of thousands in scholarships to promising Berkeley highschoolers. The organization also offers mentoring as a way to guide students in their educational journey.

On Saturday, October 28, this wonderful and vital community organization will hold its annual fundraiser, where much of the money for scholarships is raised. The dinner will also honor Dr. Vicki Alexander with the 2017 Benjamin Ide Wheeler Award for “Berkeley’s Most Useful Citizen.” 

Dr. Alexander is the founder of the Black Infant Health Program and was instrumental to the creation of the Alameda County Coalition to fight infant mortality to address disparities in infant mortality rates. She has also been involved with the Center for Constitutional Rights, Reproductive Rights National Network, Planned Parenthood, City Maternal and Child Health, and other national organizations. She retired in 2006 from the City of Berkeley as the Maternal Child Health Director and Health Officer. In 2014, she led the successful “Yes on Measure D” Campaign to establish the first soda tax in the nation.

 And, like many of BCF’s scholars, she was the first in her family to go to college.

The event, which will be held at the Pauley Ballroom on Cal’s campus, from 6-10 PM, promises to be inspiring and fun. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.bcfannualdinner.org or email fatima@berkfund.org