PRESS RELEASE: Giving Tuesday 2022
Mon Dec 12FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 8, 2022
Media Contact:
SANDALS CHURCH
Tyler John Bianco
Communications Lead
tylerbianco@sandalschurch.com
951.323.5866
410 Words
Local Organization Raises Nearly $800,000 in Support of Inland Empire Teenagers
San Bernardino, Calif. – The ROGO Foundation, in partnership with Sandals Church, raised over $790,000 on Giving Tuesday, November 29, 2022, from over 830 donors to help fund The Hill Teen Center, a new community center that will provide relief and services to Inland Empire teenagers who are at risk for homelessness, hunger, gang violence, drugs, alcohol, and poverty.
One in ten youth in the City of San Bernardino are “homeless.” In the 2019/20 school year, 30,270 San Bernardino County K-12 students were identified as homeless or lacking secure housing, increasing 6.6 percent from the previous year, according to data provided by the San Bernardino County School Board.
“We are very excited about what this money will mean for our community,” said Scot Camden, Advancement Director for the ROGO Foundation, “our community banded together around The Hill Teen Center project to show our teenagers that they matter to us.”
The Hill Teen Center will be a 10,000 square/foot facility that will deliver clinical counseling, tutoring, skill- and life-coaching, mentorship, laundry facilities, as well as a safe and fun environment for teenagers to spend time with friends, all free of charge. The ROGO Foundation estimated that this project will cost $1.3 million dollars to complete, and the $790,000 already raised will allow for much of the work to begin, as the organization continues to fundraise the remaining need.
“The Hill Teen Center is very much aligned with my own vision for the broader community,” said Ken Ramirez, former Chairman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, who has been an active member of the Inland Empire for many years and mobilized his network to get the word out about The Hill Teen Center and the Giving Tuesday crowdfunding campaign. “It provides a road map to make a difference in the lives of our young adults.”
Ramirez shared that his own childhood motivated him to want to bring hope to teenagers that are struggling with adverse conditions. “This new teen center will serve beacon of hope for our young people,” said Ramirez. “It will show these teenagers that life has a lot to offer, once they are shown what’s possible.”
The ROGO Foundation will be breaking ground on The Hill Teen Center, to be located at 3701 N Sierra Way, in San Bernardino, in January of 2023.
For more information about The Hill Teen Center, go to thehilltc.com, or call The ROGO Foundation at (951) 800-7865.
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