The legacy youth organization alongside the philanthropic foundation of Panda Express to have 32 Panda Cares Centers of Hope across California Boys & Girls Clubs by year end, serving nearly 12,000 young people collectively.

As conversations around student achievement and chronic absenteeism continue across the country, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Panda Cares Foundation are expanding efforts to bring safe and inspiring learning spaces to kids and teens across California. By the end of the year, 13 Boys & Girls Clubs across the state will be granted a Center of Hope, one of which will be the 100^th Center nationwide – located at Boys & Girls Club of Estrada Courts – marking a major milestone for the partnership. These 13 will add to the 19 spaces that have already opened for California youth.

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Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Ana celebrate the opening of their Panda Cares Center of Hope - an initiative bringing inspiring learning spaces to youth across California and beyond. (Photo: Business Wire)

Intentionally designed to provide young people with the resources and support they need to develop and improve their academic skills while out of school, Panda Cares Centers of Hope are created within Boys & Girls Clubs to foster high yield learning and enrichment that encourages character building, brings more joy to academics and ultimately increases access to opportunities beyond high school. This joint initiative has already supported over 8,000 kids across California and will expand the learning experiences of nearly 4,000 more by the end of the year, totaling 12,000 collectively.

According to 2023 data gathered by EdSource, just 43% of California students were reading at grade level by third grade, with even fewer Black and Latino students meeting that standard. To achieve the Center’s goals to support youth academics, each Center of Hope located inside Boys & Girls Clubs engages in Project Learn - an evidence-informed, holistic strategy Boys & Girls Clubs of America has developed to support youth-centered learning. The strategy reinforces and enhances what young people learn during the school day through things like homework help, intentional learning activities and access to tools necessary to expand capabilities, while creating experiences that invite them to fall in love with their academic journey.

Since 2020, Panda Cares has funded more than $30M to provide nearly 2,000 Boys & Girls Clubs with grants to support academic success programming and the Project Learn strategy.

“Ensuring young people are equipped to succeed academically is one of the key ways Boys & Girls Clubs support youth in realizing their full potential,” said Jim Clark, President & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “Each time one of our Clubs opens a Panda Cares Center of Hope, it creates new opportunities for young people to discover the fun and enjoyment in learning, while also benefiting from a relationship-centered program model that is proving to support strong academic outcomes.”

With a $45,000 grant from Panda Cares, each Center of Hope comes to life through a room refresh, as well as the adoption or enhancement of policies, programs and professional development to ensure the greatest success for young people.

California Club sites with a Panda Cares Center of Hope include:

• Boys & Girls Club of Moorpark – Opened 6/12/2024
• Boys & Girls Club of La Habra – Opened 8/8/2024
• Boys & Girls Club of Southwest County (Lake Elsinore) – Opening 8/21/2024
• Neville & Helen Baker Family Branch – Opening 9/27/2024
• Boys & Girls Club of Estrada Courts – Opening 10/16/2024
• Anna Marie Whalen Branch – Opening late 2024
• Indio Unit – Opening late 2024
• Mackenzie/Scott Unit – Opening late 2024
• Smythe Clubhouse – Opening 10/2/2024
• Boys & Girls Club of San Fernando Valley – Opening late 2024
• Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club (DBA) – Opening late 2024
• Gindick Unit – Opening late 2024
• Woodland Branch – Opening late 2024
• Mary Wilcox Teen Center – Opened 12/21/2023
• E. L. Jack and Monica Armstrong Youth Center – Opened 12/19/2023
• Boys & Girls Club of Vista (Main Site) – Opened 11/30/2023
• Boys & Girls Club of Stanton (Main Site) – Opened 11/28/2023
• Variety Boys & Girls Club (Main Site) – Opened 11/2/2023
• Lodi Boys & Girls Club – Opened 10/25/2023
• Bill LeFevre Center – Opened 10/19/2023
• Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs – Opened 9/21/2023
• Harden Unit – Opened 8/30/2023
• Boys & Girls Club of Santa Ana – Opened 8/8/2023
• Orange Park – Opened 7/20/2023
• Roseland Clubhouse – Opened 6/23/2023
• Lancaster Unit – Opened 2/3/2023
• Zimmerman Boys & Girls Club – Opened 1/30/2023
• Teichert Branch – Opened 12/21/2022
• Watts Willowbrook Clubhouse – Opened 12/1/2022
• Payne Family Boys & Girls Club – Opened 11/30/2022
• Dennis Hansberger Clubhouse – Opened 11/18/2022
• West San Gabriel Valley – Opened 10/12/2022

In honor of each Grand Opening, Boys & Girls Club staff members organize a ribbon cutting ceremony to introduce the academic space to the community. The celebration also includes Panda Express volunteers, food donations and fun giveaways for kids, parents and local community members.

“We are proud to expand our reach across our home state California with Boys & Girls Clubs of America!” said Monte Baier, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Panda Restaurant Group. “We are passionate about the communities we serve, both at our restaurants and the residents living around them. This expansion continues to demonstrate our commitment to providing meaningful academic resources, making tangible impact on the future leaders of our nation. And as a Club alumnus myself, it is my honor to be a part of this effort.”

This year, Panda Cares is also proud to establish the Panda Cares Scholarship Program with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, providing vital annual funding to 200 junior and senior Club members in support of their continued education and pursuit of a great future after they leave high school. The 2024 total commitment from Panda Cares of more than $11.6M is to support the 200 scholarships, 42 Centers of Hope, 700 Project Learn grants, and enhancing academic programming for Boys & Girls Club youth across the country.

To learn more about the partnership between Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Panda Express, visit www.bgca.com.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America

For more than 160 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA.org) has provided a safe place for kids and teens to learn and grow. Clubs offer caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Boys & Girls Clubs programming promotes academic success, good character and leadership, and healthy lifestyles. Over 5,400 Clubs serve more than 3 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. The national headquarters is located in Atlanta. Learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of America on Facebook and X.

About Panda Express®

On a mission to inspire better lives, Panda Express® is the largest Asian dining concept in the US. Family-owned and operated since 1983 by Co-Founders and Co-CEOs Andrew and Peggy Cherng, Panda Express is best known as a trailblazer for creating a wide variety of industry-first recipes, including its best seller the Original Orange Chicken® and award-winning Honey Walnut Shrimp, which have defined the category of authentic American Chinese cuisine. Each dish at Panda Express is thoughtfully crafted with quality ingredients and inspired by bold Chinese flavors and culinary principles. The restaurant brand has more than 2,500 locations and has introduced American Chinese cuisine to 11 international countries. Powered by a global family of associates, Panda Cares®, Panda's philanthropic arm, has raised more than $375 million and has dedicated countless volunteer hours in bettering the health and education for over 16 million youth, as well as supporting communities in need since 1999. In 2021, Panda Express established the Panda Community Fund — a five-year, $10 million community investment and response program that supports immediate and sustainable solutions from national and local organizations to uplift diverse groups, including people of color and other marginalized communities. For more information about Panda, visit pandaexpress.com, or find us on Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok.

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