Golden 1 Credit Union (Golden 1) today announced the 2019 recipients of its Golden 1 Community Grant Program. Twenty-eight nonprofits in the Sacramento and San Joaquin regions received a total of $600,000 to be used to advance literacy initiatives and support foster youth as they transition to adulthood. Improve Your Tomorrow and California Youth Connection are two of this year’s grant recipients.
“Golden 1 is dedicated to giving back to the diverse communities we serve and our Community Grant Program allows us to help organizations that are working hard to develop future leaders,” said Erica Taylor, Vice President of Communications and Community Relations. “We are proud to support nonprofits that equip youth with the tools for success, now and into the future.”
Improve Your Tomorrow focuses on increasing college attendance rates among young men of color. This program partners with schools and local universities to offer programs that assist students with academic and personal development so they can complete high school and college. Improve Your Tomorrow serves more than 1,000 young males within Sacramento County. The grant from Golden 1 will fund the organization’s Academic Mentors program, which enables Improve Your Tomorrow to recruit college students to mentor and build relationships with program participants.
“This is our second year receiving a grant from Golden 1, and we have already seen this investment increase our students’ grades,” said Jade Parker, Development Director of Improve Your Tomorrow. “We are thrilled to again receive funding for the important work we are doing and we look forward to seeing continued positive results.”
California Youth Connection (CYC) is a youth-led advocacy organization that seeks to transform the foster care system by working directly with policymakers and foster children. CYC empowers foster youth ages 14-24 to build leadership skills and forge supportive relationships while participating in advocacy that impacts their lives. CYC members receive one-on-one support and mentoring, specialized training, and frequent opportunities to speak to policymakers, child welfare practitioners, other foster youth, and the general public.
“California Youth Connection has taught me that it's important to never give up. No matter what anybody tells us, we do matter and we do have a future,” said Crystal Ramirez, California Youth Connection member, Fresno County Chapter.
“Golden 1’s generous grant will help the organization spread that message to more people, including youth like Crystal and the community as a whole,” said Haydée Cuza, California Youth Connection Executive Director.
Golden 1’s 2019 Community Grant recipients in the San Joaquin and Sacramento regions include:
- 3 Strands Global Foundation
- 916 Ink
- Aging Up
- Aspiranet
- Assistance League of Greater Placer
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento
- California Youth Connection
- CASA of Kings County
- CASA Sacramento
- Child Abuse Council of Sacramento
- City Year Sacramento
- Compassion Planet
- Every Neighborhood Partnership
- Focus Forward
- Foundation for California Community Colleges
- Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries
- iFoster
- Improve Your Tomorrow, Inc.
- Life Skills Training and Educational Programs, Inc.
- Reading and Beyond
- Reading Partners Sacramento
- Sacramento Chinese Community Service Center
- Sacramento Public Library Foundation
- Sacramento LGBT Community Center
- Sacramento RiteCare Childhood Language Center
- Sierra Forever Families
- Teach for America California Capital Valley
- Yolo Interfaith Immigration Network
Since its inception in 2014, the Golden 1 Community Grant Program has partnered with 64 nonprofits in the Sacramento and Fresno regions, providing more than $3.2 million to support youth literacy and foster youth as they transition to adulthood.