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Mitre -Ramirez, Norma <br />From: Marytza Rubio <marytza@makaracenterarts.org> <br />Sent: Tuesday, February 7, 2017 3:29 PM <br />To: eComment <br />Subject: Community Enhancement Program Grant <br />Dear Mayor Pulido & City Council, <br />My name is Marytza Rubio and I atn a writer and lifelong Santa Ana resident. I recently founded Makara Center <br />for the Arts, one of the nine nonprofits recommended to receive funding through the Community Enhancement <br />Program Grant. Makara's mission is to provide community access to arts & culture in Santa Ana, and our <br />primary program is a Lending Library & Art Center. <br />We aim to support the City by providing access to free education and literature, and encouraging all residents to <br />explore their imagination and creative potential. We will achieve this by offering a dynamic library collection of <br />global arts & culture books and periodicals, foreign language literature (Spanish, Vietnamese, Khmer), and <br />professional development resources. Additionally, we intend to further expand access to literature by <br />establishing a citywide network of Little Free Libraries. Last November, Makara was thrilled to have partnered <br />with the Illumination Foundation to bring the 50,000th Little Free Library in the world to Santa Ana! This is a <br />significant global milestone and an effective way to encourage reading and share resources: to date, over 500 <br />free books have been distributed to the Willard neighborhood. <br />The nine nonprofits recommended to receive CEPG funding offer vital services to thousands of Santa Ana <br />residents in health, education, gang prevention, arts & culture, and recreation. The $500,000 to be allocated for <br />community organizations represents a fraction of the city's budget surplus, yet will yield a tremendous return on <br />investment for the City. Thousands of Santa Ana families and individuals will be positively impacted by this <br />one-time funding, and this investment will have a positive ripple effect on our community for years to come. <br />Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration. <br />Marytza Rubio <br />Founder & Executive Director <br />Makara Center for the Arts <br />Marytza K. Rubio I Founder & Executive Director <br />Makara Center for the Arts I na Makes Arts <br />