Announcements
DPR Foundation Announces 2009 Awards
- Saturday, November 7th, 2009
As we launch our second year of the DPR Foundation we are happy to report that we will be continuing to support the four organizations receiving an award in 2008 and are now adding six new organizations. Last year, our total award was $120,000 and this year we are awarding a total of $305,000. Our mission remains to help socio/economic disadvantaged kids in grade school and high school. Most supported organizations are focused on inner city kids.
In addition to financial assistance in the form of grants ranging from $20,000 to $40,000, we select organizations that can really use volunteer help. The best model seems to be organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs, where they have after school programs, tutoring, field trips, and summer camps. We also expect to see measurable results from these efforts. These are high impact programs and we want to thank the DPR folks in Sacramento, Atlanta, Falls Church, and San Jose for their volunteer efforts over the past year. They truly made a difference. In 2009, we are adding to this effort by awarding to organizations from six new offices.
Following are the 10 organizations:
1. Sacramento – The Roberts Family Foundation - The Roberts Family Development Center provides services to the North Sacramento Community. The year-round program provides students in 1st –9th grades a safe place to study, do homework, play and be creative. Their goal is to improve students’ academic performance, nurture personal growth, strengthen families and enhance community development and civic involvement
2. Redwood City – Peninsula Bridge - Peninsula Bridge provides academic enrichment programs to over 250 low income students a year from Peninsula school districts. Their mission is to promote academic and personal success to middle school students from under-resourced communities. The primary Peninsula Bridge event is a Summer Program consisting of a full time 5 week academic enrichment program hosted at 7 local private and independent school campuses. Throughout the year, they provide counseling and a support network to their students.
3. Atlanta – Boys and Girls Club at Brookhaven - Local Boys and Girls Club chapter in an underprivileged neighborhood, not far from the Atlanta office. The specific program we support is called “Power Hour” which provides after school support to kids in terms of tutoring and other organized after school activities.
4. Southern California – Kidspace Children’s Museum - Kidspace School Outreach (KSO) Initiative - The KSO program is part of the Kidspace Children’s Museum which focuses on making science and math fun and interesting at nine low income schools in the Pasadena area. Teachers are taught by museum staff in how to make science and math interesting by tying their lessons to a field trip to the museum, which is then followed up with museum personnel going out to the schools to discuss presentations and exhibits that the kids experienced at the museum.
5. Mid-Atlantic – Maryland Multicultural Youth Center - MMYC in Riverdale has developed after school and summer programs focused on enrichment, tutoring, homework assistance and cultural programs in economically challenged Riverdale. The center is a sanctuary for after school activities which include gardening, bike repair, computer access and nutrition education, and continually offers these unique activities to help kids and their parents improve their daily lives.
6. Austin – Cap City Kids - CapCityKids is wonderful program developed to provide support for at-risk homeless schoolchildren in order for them to participate in the public school system. Tutoring programs 5 nights per week with local teachers coupled with volunteers including our folks in Austin who help transport, feed, coach and mentor kids in homeless shelters and local schools, has made a significant difference. Thanks to CCK these kids have a fighting chance to stay in school even under the most difficult of circumstances.
7. San Diego – Polinski Center – Helping San Diego kids since 1994 the center recently moved into a wonderful new campus. Nationally recognized as a model for helping abused and neglected kids we are anxious to become part of their successful program.
8. San Jose – Turning Wheels for Kids and Families Outside - This a truly innovative program that gives a new bike, helmet, and lock to hundreds of inner city kids – over 4000 so far! This year we are working with a particular organization that uses the bike program but focuses help on kids who have a parent in jail.
9. Phoenix – Teach for America - This is one of America’s shining stars placing highly motivated and trained teaching aids at inner city schools. Read Jim Collins rave about their efforts. Over 40 thousand June college grads applied for the program that selected less than 4 thousand for a summer training program and then a two year stint at an inner city school. Phoenix desperately needs this program and we will be involved at several different schools.
10. San Francisco – 7 Tepees Youth Center - Seven Tepees Youth Center, located in San Francisco’s Mission District, is dedicated to impacting the lives of promising inner-city youth. Working with students from 6th grade through High School they place emphasis on social competency, self-esteem, academics, the natural environment, and preparing for future success. Seven Tepees runs two youth programs: The Learning Center, Seven Tepees’ original youth program which nurtures students from 6th to 12th grade, and the College and Career program dedicated to increasing the number of first-generation college students.
Please drop us a note or call if you have questions or comments. And remember, that an hour of your help is as significant as the financial support we provide.
DPR Foundation
Peter Nosler
Gavin Keith
Jeff Vertucci