Gahiji Lewis Memorial Scholarship Fund

In honor of the work completed by Gahiji Lewis during his service as a California Climate Action AmeriCorps Fellow in the San Gabriel Valley, where he contributed to the Emerald Necklace project, we are gathering contributions to fund an Urban Ecology Fellowship. This fellowship, inspired by Gahiji, aims to ensure paid training for the next generation of talented ecologists and horticulturalists.

Candidates applying for Amigos de los Rios Fellowships face high living costs in the Los Angeles Basin. Therefore, this fellowship will provide a stipend to help offset transportation and housing expenses.

Our work involves the multi-benefit greening of the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo Urban River Corridors and Title 1 schools throughout the San Gabriel Valley in response to public health, environmental justice, and climate challenges. Fellows actively engage in planning, implementing, and teaching about Urban Ecology. They learn to lead community stewardship events and teach practical environmental science to students.

Amigos de los Rios boasts a 20-year legacy of mentoring the next generation of natural infrastructure professionals, with a focus on women and BIPOC students aspiring to enter the fields of urban forestry, sustainable city planning, and landscape-scale conservation.

In lieu of flowers, Gahiji’s family requests donations to be provided to the scholarship fund in his honor.