Corinne Ho, President, Canoga Park Neighborhood Advisory Council
“Through our association with NPA: Canoga Park, our neighborhood advisory council has benefitted from training in facilitation, conflict resolution, and other essential leadership skills. Our partnership has also enhanced our strategic planning efforts by helping us develop a deeper understanding of our community’s diverse needs. In addition, NPA has led to stronger connections with other community partners so that we can more effectively address these needs together.”
Michelle Miranda, Executive Director, RUTH YouthBuild
“Life-Changing” is how I describe CSUN’s Neighborhood Partner’s in Action’s (NPA) impact on our RUTH YouthBuild program! The first years of business are challenging for any business, especially for nonprofit organizations. RUTH YouthBuild is a leadership development program that supports youth that are ready to re-engage in school, develop job skills and transform their lives. The NPA has made possible a pipeline of community networks and resources from CSUN in order to strengthen our infrastructure and enrich the learning experience for our youth. This support is making it possible for our organization to grow as we prepare a place where youth can come to begin the journey of rebuilding their lives and their community. With the continued support of the NPA, we envision a resilient, unified and empowered Canoga Park. Thank you for believing in the work that we do, investing in our youth and community, and empowering Canoga Park. Now that’s Life-Changing!”
Mark Neudorff, Business owner and President of the Canoga Park • West Hills Chamber of Commerce
“As a business leader in a tight knit community like Canoga Park, I appreciate CSUN being a convener of all community stakeholders. Facilitating relationships among business and community leaders, Canoga Park residents, and the CSUN campus as a whole, will prove to be of great value in the long term development of Canoga Park.”
Kelsy Maruyama, VP, Boys and Girls Club
“NPA: Canoga Park has brought needed resources to the Boys and Girls Club that we could otherwise not afford—student facilitators and supervisors to work with our kids, nutrition education to promote healthy living, Math and Science tutors, and so much more. NPA has helped us view our community service mission from the perspective of community collaboration. Sharing resources and ideas is how we can work together most effectively and achieve the best outcomes for our community.”
Joan Maltese, Ph.D., Executive Director, Childhood Development Institute
“The synergy of the CSUN NPA Canoga Park initiative just catapulted us to a very different level of being able to provide services to the community. Teams of CSUN students and faculty helped CDI on a variety of projects, including developing duel-generation learning programs on such topics as dental health, a family savings plan and making healthy lifestyle and food choices, and developing family savings plans. They have also assisted in grant-writing development. We also had a team of five graduate students from CSUN’s accounting department who just blew us away. They made us their capstone project and set up grant-writing protocols for us. Not only did they develop an analysis flowchart of how it should work, but they made recommendations on how to work together, created forms for us, did extensive research and made sure we made the right choices when selecting software. The work we’re getting from CSUN’s faculty and students isn’t just an academic exercise on the university’s part,” she said. “We in the community are getting professional work, and the students are getting an opportunity to do professional work that can only enhance their careers.”
Curtis Johnson, Principal, Hart Elementary School
“Because of NPA: Canoga Park, our school has been able to enrich our students’ educational experience with programs such as the need for healthy lifestyles based on nutrition and physical activity. These sessions taught by CSUN students have been well received by our students. Our students have also been able to interact with C SUN student athletes who have come to campus, engaged in games with our students and acted as role models and mentors. Public education today is all about creating partnerships, and it is reassuring to know that NPA: Canoga Park is working to bring local resources together to help us create a stronger community for everyone.”
Max Reyes, West Valley Area Representative for the Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti
“NPA: Canoga Park represents a model for how universities can be a valued resource at a local level to address the pressing needs of underserved communities in our city—creating new partnerships, strengthening community organizations, and creating new grassroots leadership to transform our neighborhoods. We commend CSUN and the Canoga Park community for their creative and collaborative approach to building a better Los Angeles.”