The Hero Appreciation Network launched an ambitious plan to fund educational scholarships for at-risk youth in the name of fallen heroes by awarding its first two scholarships Sept. 22 in a Los Angeles downtown ceremony.

"Our children who are trying to find a future cannot find it only on their own," said Sheriff Lee Baca, whose department is collaborating with the project. "There is a need for us in law enforcement along with the general public to step up hand in hand and do our best to assist these young people in acquiring the education that they are capable of acquiring with our help."

The first recipient, Jabril Muhammad, 18, was nominated by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles' Office of Restorative Justice and received a $5,000 scholarship towards his college education.

"Just to be the first recipient --- that's like, wow!" Muhammad told The Tidings. "I'm very proud. I thank everyone who helped me out."

In foster care for several years, Muhammad has battled sickle cell anemia since birth and will be graduating from Inglewood High School next year. A gifted poet, he also participated in the documentary "Peace Process" for which he interviewed gang members, activists and peers. He plans to attend college and major in theater and journalism.

Muhammad received his scholarship in memory of "fallen hero" Sheriff's Deputy Jerry Ortiz, who worked with homicide detectives in solving gang-related murders and was killed at age 35 in June 2005 while searching for an attempted murder suspect.

Deputy Ortiz, said Baca, "understood the difficulties of crime and the perils of the tough streets" where neighborhood children "are subjected to drugs and gangs. He donated his life to ensure that neighborhoods would be safe."

Ortiz' mother Rosa Maria was on hand with her family to present the scholarship to the teen. "My son always did good for the community and he continues doing good even though he is no longer here. This makes all the family very proud," Ortiz told The Tidings.

"Anything that honors him, we'll do it," said Ortiz' widow Chela. "It keeps his legacy alive." Students receiving scholarships in the name of fallen heroes will hopefully "carry that torch for them in the future," she added.

The Fallen Hero Scholarship Program is supported, in part, by the donation of empty ink toner cartridges for recycling. The recycling industry pays for empty ink jet, laser, copier, fax and photocopy machine cartridges, and those funds will be converted into scholarships for at-risk youth to attend college or trade school.

The industry estimates that more than 400 million cartridges are thrown away in the U.S. each year to take up space in landfills. Only 7 percent are reclaimed for recycling. It takes about 2,050 ink jet cartridges to provide for each $5,000 scholarship.

Also present at the ceremony were San Gabriel Region Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala, former L.A. Mayor James Hahn and entertainer Pat Boone.

Boone called the program a "genius Good Samaritan plan" by essentially turning scrap into scholarships.

Joanna Cabrera, a junior at John C. Fremont High School in Los Angeles, received the second scholarship in memory of Detective Robert Carreon, who served with the Los Angeles Police Department for 17 years before being killed in a 1984 car accident.

"Because of the great individuals who fight to protect our rights and secure our freedoms I have the opportunity to pursue my goals," said Cabrera in accepting her scholarship. "I know that I have a responsibility to my family, my school, and Heroes Appreciation Network to succeed."

Carreon's widow Carole said helping to further the education of an at-risk youth was an honor.

"My husband would be extremely happy, because he was always involved in the community," said Carreon, a parishioner of Holy Family Church in Artesia where she serves on the pastoral council and as a Eucharistic minister.

The archdiocesan Office of Restorative Justice is collaborating with the Hero Appreciation Network by assisting in identifying deserving at-risk youth and by encouraging parishes and parishioners to donate their empty printer cartridges. For more information on how to participate in the Fallen Hero Scholarship Program, e-mail Victims' Ministry of the Office of Restorative Justice at rjvictimsministry@la-archdiocese.org.