Center for Human Services will receive a $25,000 grant to make a difference in Modesto community
Modesto, CA (May 23, 2012) - After three weeks and more than 1.2 million votes, State Farm® is proud to announce that Center for Human Services will receive a $25,000 grant to improve the Modesto community. The Center's Harvesting Futures project was one of 3,000 Cause submissions State Farm received through Cause An Effect, a crowd-sourced philanthropic initiative that relies on non-profit organizations to create solutions to community issues identified by Facebook users.
"This was an opportunity we (CHS) couldn't pass up. Harvesting Futures has had a fantastic response from the community already and the potential to be awarded this $25,000 grant from State Farm was going to allow us to continue harvesting fruit, training youth and giving back to people in our community," said Center for Human Services' Executive Director, Cindy Duenas. "This has all been very exciting for us."
The State Farm Youth Advisory Board, a diverse group of 30 students, reviewed the 3,000 Cause submissions and helped State Farm select the top 100 finalists. State Farm then identified and paired nonprofits with each Cause; the affiliated nonprofits of the top 40 Causes will each receive a $25,000 grant to create and execute a plan to address the Cause.
From April 27 through May 17, the Facebook community was encouraged to visit the Cause An Effect app and vote for their favorite Cause. More than 38,000 people took to Facebook during the three week period; the Harvesting Futures program received 18,629 votes.
“The considerable amount of votes the Center for Human Services received, shows the level of commitment and engagement within our community to solve local issues,” said local State Farm Agent Pam Shelton. “We look forward to watching the Center for Human Services and the Modesto community come together to make their neighborhood safer, stronger, and better educated with the help of Cause An Effect.”
For a complete list of the top 40 Causes or for more information about Cause An Effect, visit the State Farm Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/statefarm).
Where: Center for Human Services
1700 McHenry Village Way Ste 14
Modesto, CA 95350
Light refreshments will be provided
Sevag Sarkissian, Media Relations (510) 596-1639
Kate Trompetter, (209) 526-1476
The Youth Advisory Board is comprised of 30 students, ages 17-20, from across the United States and Canada who serve a two-year term. Their directive is to implement a $5 million-a-year signature service-learning initiative to address issues important to youth and communities. The Board is completely autonomous and youth-driven, and funds projects focused on issues selected by the board that impact youth. It consists of a diverse group of full-time students at high schools and universities. Each member commits about 15 hours a month to the Board and participates in three face-to-face meetings per calendar year. The Board will fund the 40 grants awarded through the Cause An Effect program with a portion of its $5 million funding in 2012. For more information on the Youth Advisory Board, visit www.statefarmYouth Advisory Board.com.
CHS is a local non-profit and has served Stanislaus County children and families since 1970. CHS provides a wide variety of services in the area of prevention, early intervention and treatment, with a focus on youth and family issues. These services include shelters for runaway teens and young adults, substance abuse treatment and prevention, Family Resource Centers and counseling on school sites and in community clinics. CHS have a strong presence throughout the county and often partner with public agencies including Behavioral Health & Recovery Services, Probation, etc.
Harvesting Futures was developed last year as a gleaning project focusing on youth development & Entrepreneurship. The project embraces the concept of Community Youth Development — youth and adults working together to create social change. The purpose is two-fold:
1) to engage youth in their community by developing life skills, job skills & self-sufficiency
2) to increase use of & access to fresh produce for low income populations in our community.
For more information visit our website at www.centerforhumanservices.org.
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