FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bellevue, WA – Sheng-Yen Lu Foundation (SYL Foundation) held a grant award ceremony on September 12, 2015 at Lynnwood Convention Center attended by about 3,000 people, including leaders in the Asian American community and local government officials. This year, SYL Foundation will be distributing over $316,000 in grant funds to 12 nonprofit organizations working to improve health and education, 13 Lotus Scholarship students as well as earthquake disaster recovery projects in Nepal.
The eight recipients of education grants are Arts Corps, Bureau of Fearless Ideas (formerly 826 Seattle), College Access Now, Denise Louie Education Center, LifeSpring, Seattle Education Access, Sound Childcare Solutions’ Hoa Mai Bilingual Center and Vietnamese Friendship Association. The grants fund programs focused on early childhood education, dropout prevention, and college readiness and persistence.
The four healthcare grant recipients are International Community Health Services (ICHS), Kin On Community Health Center, Medical Teams International and Smile Partners. SYL Foundation supports programs that assist the uninsured and most vulnerable in our communities by ensuring access to quality medical and dental care. The grant funds cover uncompensated care at community health centers and fund mobile dental and medical programs serving low-income families.
SYL Foundation is committed to creating opportunity and access to higher education. The Lotus Scholarship program supports immigrant and refugee students pursuing post-secondary education, regardless of immigration status. The 13 Lotus Scholars are Abdilahi Mohamud Ainan, Ruman Beyhah, Leoncie Bizimana, Chuqian Feng, Yasmine Fnu Kaur, Hai Quang Le, Biruk Mengesha, Lambert Ngenzi, An T. Nguyen, Sarmila Rai, Surekha Rai, Kyi Kyi Win and Yanyu Wu.
Since its creation seven years ago, SYL Foundation has distributed over $1,700,000 in health and education grants, international disaster relief aid, and scholarships.
About Sheng-Yen Lu Foundation
SYL Foundation is a not-for-profit public charity founded by Living Buddha Lian Sheng in 2008. By combining compassion and philanthropy with strategic grant making, SYL Foundation strives to advance quality health and education for all. Through its grant-making program, the Foundation addresses chronic inequities within our health and education system by seeking and funding innovative programs targeting the most underserved populations. For more information, please visit <www.sylfoundation.org> or call 425.590.9580.
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Contact
Fo-Ching Lu, President
SYL Foundation | 盧勝彥佈施基金會
10655 NE 4th St, Ste 608
Bellevue, WA 98004
425.590.9580
www.sylfoundation.org
