This summer we had the opportunity to visit several of our 2014 grant recipients and see their work in action. Part of our objective along with providing financial grants is to form a personal relationship with the organizations and those being served.
At the Covenant House we met with the Associate Executive Director and the Development Officer at their facility near Lake Merritt in Oakland and discussed issues surrounding child homelessness in the Bay Area and the services provided and challenges faced by the non-profit. We were also fortunate to meet with Kamera, a 19 year old who grew up in Vallejo and came to Covenant House in January. Kamera works as a caregiver for the elderly and people with disabilities and started a Certified Nursing Program this year with a scholarship from The Futures Project.
From Left: Darren, Kamera, Michael
In Occidental we met with Justus Dobrin of Quinn's Kids and Paul Raia of CYO Camp, where our donation is being used to provide multi-year camperships for at-risk Bay Area youth. This year The Futures Project sponsored Chuck and Alexio, who spent part of their summer at CYO Camp in the beautiful Sonoma County outdoors with kids from all over, making connections with campers, counselors and staff. Alexio was among the younger campers while Chuck is looking to transition into being a counselor in the years ahead. Justus, who is the cousin of Quinn Boyer, has formed a unique bond with Chuck who suffered a gun shot wound the day after Quinn was killed.
From Left: Michael, Chuck, Justus
From Left: Alexio, Michael, Chuck