Bea Levin might be 85, but she still worries about the kids.

Mostly it's the kids in the middle - the ones with Bs and Cs on their report cards, hazy plans for the future and a tendency to be overshadowed by the academic and athletic superstars.

Not one to be ignored, the Leisure World resident returned twice to Laguna Hills High School before administrators took a serious look at a program she had read about that identifies kids in the middle and puts them on the college track.

That was three years ago and Levin's interest and insistence has since evolved into a scholarship at the high school. She's doled out $10,000 of her own money to 12 students so far who have gone on to Cal State Fullerton, UC Riverside, San Diego State and other schools.

And her enthusiasm has boosted the school's 2-year-old Advancement Via Individual Determination program - which now has 35 kids in the ninth grade and 30 in the 10th grade - the very program Levin learned about from a newspaper article.

"She's a real go-getter," said Gisela Geller, guidance specialist at the high school. "She has the belief that (students) can do it and she helps them get started on the road."

A retired public-health nurse with short-clipped gray hair and a determined air, Levin understands the kids she assists through scholarships and mentoring. And it is obvious how much Levin cherishes the connections she makes with them, Geller said.

"She always says she wants to see the pictures when they go to the prom and get married and have kids," Geller said. "It's a connection to another generation, almost like the feeling of being grandma."

Levin knows how hard it can be for some students.

"They have aspirations they don't dream they have," said Levin, a widow since 1984 who manages her fast-paced life of community service and world travel from her art-filled apartment with a sweeping view of Leisure World.

The middle of seven children of Russian immigrants, Levin - unable to have children herself - was schooled in the importance of education. In high school near Boston, she dreamed of going to Smith College like some of her friends.

Those aspirations were set aside, though, because family finances were concentrated on putting her older brother through Harvard Medical School.

So she went to nursing school in Boston. And married Samuel Levin, a hospital administrator with the U.S. Army who was 20 years her senior.

They moved frequently because of his career, but Levin took courses whenever she could.

Then, at 39, Levin and her husband settled in California and she got her shot at college. In 1958 she graduated from University of California, Los Angeles, with a bachelor of science in nursing - the oldest in her class. "It was such a feeling of accomplishment," she said.

It was during a trip to Paris for an Elderhostel art program about eight years ago that Levin got the inspiration for the scholarship. She befriended a woman - also a widow - who had started a similar program for kids in impoverished areas of Los Angeles.

Levin was moved to tears by the woman's passion and the success stories she shared. "I thought, 'I can do that.'"

J.P. Weaver was one of Levin's kids in the middle. He wasn't thinking much about college when he attended Laguna Hills High. No one in his family had ever gone.

Weaver's attitude changed after he met Levin, who peppered the student with personal questions. He could tell she was truly interested. He went on to study business at Cal State Fullerton, and returns to the high school Tuesdays and Thursdays to tutor AVID students.

"She's great, she's joyful," Weaver said after a recent tutoring session. "She's like a mother you can hug and can always come to for advice - even now."

Those who know Levin are amazed at the depth of her community involvement.

"I applaud her," said Laura Ott, who started the AVID program as an assistant principal at Laguna Hills. "It was just karma, meeting the right person at the right time."

Much of Levin's activism grew from her 35 years with the Los Angeles County Health Department. As a public-health nurse and administrator, she fought to eradicate diseases like tuberculosis, taught pregnant women how to stay healthy and mentored nursing students.

Health is still a passion - she is active in a group pushing for national health care and takes classes in yoga and water exercise. She gives flu shots at local health fairs, and gives her time to help Leisure Worlders prepare for earthquakes and other disasters.

Despite the hectic schedule, Levin can be found every Friday morning grading papers or tutoring third-graders at a local elementary school. "They are my lifeline to love," Levin said.

As are her early beneficiaries, many of whom celebrated Levin's 85th birthday with her in March. She seized the occasion to hit up friends for donations to the AVID scholarship fund she created a year ago with her financial planner.

The 10th-grade AVID students at Laguna Hills High will be the first to benefit from the fund when they graduate in 2005.

"This is my private little thing with the most wonderful people in the world," Levin said. "It makes me feel life is worthwhile."

AT A GLANCE
AVID
• The Advancement Via Individual Determination program started in the 1980s in San Diego. The goal is to provide students who have the potential to go on to college with the motivation and skills to do so.
• Group discussions are a big part of the program. Other important skills are writing, critical thinking and organized note-taking. Students also take tours of college campuses.
• Orange County has 68 schools with the AVID program, mostly in eighth and ninth grades, said Pat Dawdy, program specialist with the Orange County Department of Education.
Where to donate
Bea Levin's scholarship fund for Laguna Hills High School AVID students is run by the Orange County Community Foundation.
Donations can be made to: OCCF/Bea Levin Scholarship Fund, 30 Corporate Park, Suite 410, Irvine, CA 92606.

Find out more about the AVID program and how you can get involved:
www.avidonline.org (858) 623-2843