Boeing Employees Spend The Day At County’s Urban Farm In Long Beach
Long Beach, CA, July 22, 2017 – For the fifth year in a row, a team of motivated Boeing employees arrived at The Growing Experience Urban Farm (TGE), located at the Carmelitos Public Housing Development in North Long Beach, to volunteer their valuable time. As part of The Boeing Company’s ongoing community engagement, employees and their families dedicated the day to providing much-needed assistance with a wide array of projects on the urban farm.
Working alongside TGE staff, volunteers of all ages contributed to the upkeep of the community food forest, native plant garden, and fruit tree orchard. Because the farm operates using organic methods and is more sustainable than conventional farming, all projects for the day focused on environmental sustainability and expanding the local food ecology.
Boeing and its employees recognize TGEas a community resource that provides services, which support its goals of community education, awareness, and environmental sustainability. In addition to the volunteer service day, Boeing has supported TGE since 2012 with grants to operate programs at the urban farm, community garden, and events for the public, as well as charitable giving through the Employees Community Fund of Boeing California.
Last year, the Boeing Company contributed funds for an array of 24 solar panels which offset electrical usage of the farm’s office building and aquaponics greenhouse. Since the installation was completed in October 2016, the array has generated over 8,800 kilowatt-hours of electricity, which is the equivalent of offsetting 6.2 metric tons of carbon emissions. Boeing’s Employee Community Engagement Lead Maria Passaseo said she is extremely happy to hear how Boeing’s investment has helped to reduce the carbon footprint in the community, and is just as pleased with the ongoing support from employees who have regularly volunteered at the farm.
Sean Rogan, the Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles, which oversees the urban farm, said, “The Growing Experience relies on community support to provide fresh and affordable produce to Carmelitos residents. Over the years, Boeing has been a valuable partner and I appreciate its employees volunteering their time to help this cause.”
TGE, an award-winning seven-acre urban farm, has developed into a resource for environmental sustainability and a source of healthy food options for the 700 low-income public housing families in Carmelitos, and the greater Long Beach community. Available programs and services at TGE include a community-supported agriculture program, weekly farm stand, research/implementation of a vertical tower aquaponics growing system, community garden, skills training for underserved youth and young adults, educational community events, and sustainability features.
Through purposeful investments, employee engagement and thoughtful advocacy efforts, Boeing and its employees support innovative partnerships and programs that align with its strategic objectives, create value and help build better communities worldwide. This includes improving access to globally competitive learning as well as workforce and skills development, and supporting military and veteran communities. In 2016, Boeing and its employees contributed more than $163 million to improve communities across the globe. Visit the Boeing Global Engagement Portfolio for more information.
For additional information on TGE, please contact Holly Carpenter, at (562) 984- 2917, or visit www.growingexperiencelb.org and www.facebook.com/growingexperience.
All media may contact Elisa Vásquez, HACoLA Public Information Officer, at (626) 586-1762
County Public Housing and Section 8 Program Participants Headed Back To School Thanks To Scholarship Program
Los Angeles, July 20, 2017 - The Los Angeles County Community Development Foundation (LACDF) awarded over $35,000 in Housing Authority Resident (HAR) Scholarships to 33 public housing and Section 8 participants attending a four-year university, community college, or vocational program. Awardees were recognized during the 2017 Reality Check Conference held at The California Endowment in Los Angeles.
The one-day conference, exclusively for participants of the Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles (HACoLA) pursuing higher education, focused on life-skills workshops, career panels, educational resources, and more. This year’s scholarship recipients included top high school graduates and first-generation college students aspiring to succeed in their chosen careers. Several of the students are pursuing studies within the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. The returning Master of Ceremonies, Lewis Dix, a local comedian, actor, and host, announced the 2017 scholarships winners, their field of study, and educational institution.
“Each of the HAR scholarship recipients has demonstrated a clear commitment to improving their future,” stated Sean Rogan, HACoLA Executive Director. “We are pleased to partner with the LACDF to help students in their pursuit of education and exploration of career paths.”
The event’s keynote speaker, Curglin Robertson, California State University Long Beach, Educational Opportunity Center Assistant Director, explained in detail the steps to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Attendees were very attentive and appreciated the tips on how to seek financial help for college.
The afternoon speaker, Dr. Helen Williams, Dean of Pepperdine University, and life- long educator, shared her story of college success and upbringing in a low-income household. Her words were both timely and inspiring for the college-bound students.
Throughout the day, attendees participated in workshops held by the University of California, Los Angeles, Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center, Citibank, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, East Los Angeles Community Corporation, and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
The LACDF is celebrating its 20th year, offering HAR Scholarships as it fulfills its mission to end generational poverty in public housing and Section 8 by providing positive life-changing opportunities. Since 1997, nearly $271,000 in scholarships have been awarded by LACDF.
Scholarship funds are made possible through the generous donations of the California Community Foundation, Edison International, and the employees of the Community Development Commission/HACoLA. To learn more about the LACDF, please contact Executive Director, Shelly Thompson, at (626) 586-1899, or visit www.lacdf.org.
All media may contact Elisa Vásquez, HACoLA Public Information Officer, at (626) 586-1762.
Los Angeles Community Development Foundation Received
$25,000 Knight Foundation Donor Advised Fund Grant
Long Beach, May 23, 2017 – The Los Angeles County Community Development Foundation (CDF) received a $25,000 grant from the Knight Foundation Donor Advised Fund, a fund held at the Long Beach Community Foundation (LBCF). The grant will be used to support community engagement and environmental sustainability efforts at The Growing Experience Environmental Resource Center (TGE-ERC).
TGE-ERC is managed by CDF’s strategic partner, the Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles (HACoLA), at the Carmelitos Public Housing site. It provides access to affordable fresh produce and features cutting edge technology, demonstration space, and educational opportunities.
The LBCF’s award will help CDF launch “TGE Community Urban Agriculture Micro-Enterprise,” which will give disadvantaged youth and young adults the opportunity to create a small enterprise that will have citywide impact, as well as develop technical knowledge pertaining to sustainable urban agriculture and local food systems, and team and leadership skills. Micro-Enterprise business ideas include increased community-supported agriculture (CSA) share drop off points in strategic parts of the city, mobile produce stand, and value-added products featuring local produce such as kale chips, dried herbs, pesto, and fruit jams.
The project will also enable CDF to create a sustainable enterprise that will generate an ongoing revenue stream, with the potential to fund future youth programs, resident scholarships for postsecondary education, and TGE-ERC community events for the public.
According to Shelly Thompson, Executive Director of CDF, "This grant opportunity from Knight Foundation and LBCF allows us to leverage resources and develop exciting micro-enterprises serving community residents, while giving our underserved youth valuable life skills and an entrepreneurial spirit.” As a result, residents throughout underserved areas of the City of Long Beach will enjoy increased access to locally grown produce while supporting youth participants in the enterprise’s development and operations.
Sean Rogan, the Executive Director of HACoLA, said, “We are excited to work with the CDF to implement this new program at The Growing Experience and give youth and young adults at Carmelitos an opportunity to develop new skills that will help them succeed in the future.”
CDF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created to inspire, provide positive opportunities to Public Housing residents and Section 8 tenants, and end generational poverty. CDF operates programs for underserved youth and young adults including afterschool STEM education, college and persistence programming, postsecondary education scholarships, and fiscal sponsorship of TGE-ERC.
The Knight Foundation Donor Advised Fund supports the success of communities through investments that attract, retain and harness talent; expand opportunity by increasing entrepreneurship and economic mobility; and support civic infrastructure to accelerate the growth of ideas and bring people from diverse social and economic backgrounds together.
The Long Beach Community Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, public organization with $30 million in assets and 137 charitable funds. It was established in 1996 to make strategic grants to nonprofits, and assist individual donors with their philanthropic goals today and through planned giving. LBCF’s mission is to initiate positive change for Long Beach through charitable giving, stewardship, and strategic grantmaking with a vision of being the preeminent steward of endowments serving the needs of Long Beach in perpetuity.
For more information about CDF, visit www.lacdf.org. All media may contact Jimmy Ng, Program Development Director of CDF, at (562) 756-0988 or Colleen Bragalone, Vice President of the Long Beach Community Foundation, at (562) 435-9033.