San Diego's e3 Civic High School Awarded $5,000 Barona Education Grant For Public Transportation

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Barona Band of Mission Indians has awarded students and teachers at e3 Civic High School a $5,000 Barona Education Grant. The public charter school, located in Downtown San Diego, will use the grant to purchase public transportation passes for students experiencing economic hardship.

"The best way to stop the cycle of poverty and homelessness is to give young people the tools they need to build a better future for themselves," said California State Senator Toni Atkins, the grant's sponsor. The transit passes Barona is providing for students facing hardship will help get them where they are going ? both literally and figuratively. I am grateful for this generosity and community spirit."

Barona Tribal Chairman, Edwin "Thorpe" Romero, presented the $5,000 check to Senator Atkins, the school's principal Dr. Helen V. Griffith and students.

"We recognize the growing need for students to have access to safe and reliable transportation so they can get to and from school," said Chairman Romero. "Our Tribe is proud to provide the funds to procure the passes and ensure students don't have to miss one day of learning."

The Barona Education Grant money will provide low income students at e3 Civic High transportation passes, allowing students of all grade levels to get to school and back home on time. These passes will ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to attend school and fulfill the school's mission to ensure students are "future-ready" for success in the field for which they choose to pursue.

Since the Barona Education Grant program was launched in 2006, Barona has awarded over $3.2 million to California schools statewide. The program has equipped 641 schools with hundreds of computers, thousands of books, iPads, computer software programs and various other technologies and school supplies. 

The Barona Education Grant program is the first of its kind in California created and administered by a Tribal Government. The goal of the program is to create strong educational opportunities for the children of California building upon the success of the Barona Indian Charter School, which operates under a continuous improvement model. Schools throughout California can apply for educational grants from Barona to purchase much-needed supplies and materials that promote academic improvement. Each grant awarded by the Barona Education Grant Program is $5,000. Applications can be downloaded at http://barona-nsn.gov/education.

About the Barona Band of Mission Indians
The Barona Band of Mission Indians, recognized by the United States government as a sovereign nation, has lived on the Barona Indian Reservation in rural eastern San Diego County since 1932.  Prior to that, the Tribe lived on the Capitan Grande Reservation, which was established by the federal government in 1875. Long before living on a reservation, the Tribe traveled across Southern California in tune with the seasons and what nature provided. Today, the sovereign nation, governed by an elected Tribal Council, is serving its Tribal members, their families, and sharing with the San Diego region. One of the most successful gaming Tribes in the country, Barona also owns and operates the Barona Resort & Casino, San Diego's leading gaming resort, casino and golf course. For more information, visit www.barona-nsn.gov.  

SOURCE Barona Band of Mission Indians