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 May 10 2010 

2010 AT&T NATIONAL SUPPORTS PHILADELPHIA AREA YOUTH EDUCATION CHARITIES

Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia

The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia is to enable all young people to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia has been providing the children of Philadelphia with hope, inspiration, and a safe place to learn and grow since 1897. Serving over 13,000 youth between the ages of six-weeks and 19 years of age annually, the programs of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia instill a sense of belonging, power, usefulness and competence. For more information about the services and programs offered by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia, visit www.bgcphila.org, or contact the development and marketing office at (215) 735-8818, extension 26.

Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation

Founded in 2006, the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation (formerly the Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation) is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing about positive change and helping the lives of those in need ONE SOUL AT A TIME. The JBJSF transforms lives and neighborhoods through funding and the creation of programs and partnerships that support innovative community efforts to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness. For more information visit www.jbjsoulfoundation.org. The tournament has identified two specific programs within the Soul Foundation’s grant portfolio to support, the Hopeworks Program in Camden, NJ and Project H.O.M.E’s Honickman Learning Center and Comcast Technology Labs.

Hopeworks ‘N Camden empowers youth to identify and develop their dreams and own their future. While Camden’s public high schools have a dropout rate close to 70 percent, Hopeworks motivates youth to learn through technology training in website design. Youth participating in this training have earned over 1,500 college credits. Upon completing this training, over 250 youth have earned jobs in Hopeworks’ two business: web site design and development, and geographic information systems. Beyond training and jobs, Hopeworks enrolls its youth in college, provides residential housing and offers corporate internships. All youth at Hopeworks continuously engage in one-on-one tutoring in reading and math, as well as an intensive leadership development program. Working with over 1,200 youth, Hopeworks enhances the lives of the inner-city Camden youth by expanding the educational and career development opportunities available to them.

The mission of Project H.O.M.E.’s Honickman Learning Center and Comcast Technology Labs is to address the root causes of homelessness and poverty: the lack of adequate educational and employment opportunities. This state-of-the-art, 38,000-square-foot technology center in North Philadelphia provides programming focused on literacy, technology and enterprise for over 1,500 low-income and homeless children and adults each year. For more information, go to www.projecthome.org.

The Tiger Woods Foundation

Since 1996 the Tiger Woods Foundation has reached more than 10 million young people by delivering unique experiences and innovative educational opportunities for youth worldwide. Specific programs of the Foundation include The Tiger Woods Learning Center, a one-of-a-kind, 35,000-square-foot education facility custom-built for the underserved youth of Southern California. Everything at the Learning Center is about active participation and hands-on learning. Students in grades 5-12 build and launch rockets, land planes via flight simulator, operate the DNA sequencer and create their own animated films. Sample classes include forensic science, aerospace, engineering, robotics, biotechnology, video production and graphic design.

Tiger’s Action Plan is a collection of curricula distributed to students nationwide. Each curriculum contains interactive and informative lesson plans that focus on subjects important to young people including, exploring careers, planning for the future, financial responsibility and the importance of making a difference in your community. The Foundation has also helped send 25 bright, young students to college through the Earl Woods Scholarship Program. Scholarships are renewable for up to four years, with students chosen based on demonstrated financial need and a proven commitment to community service. In addition to its original programming, the Foundation also awards grants to youth-based organizations around the world. For more information visit www.tigerwoodsfoundation.org.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation’s fastest 3G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. A leader in mobile broadband, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verseSM and AT&T │DIRECTVSM brands. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising. In 2010, AT&T again ranked among the 50 Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE® magazine.

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 April 23 2010 

Jon Bon Jovi visits Nashville shelter for homeless teens

“The Oasis Center is really a beacon to youth,” Bon Jovi said. “Having service providers at the same place that they can get a hot meal, a nap and a shower, it’s a very welcoming place.”

Bon Jovi spent about an hour with some of the Oasis kids. He sat in a circle with them, did yoga just as they do to start off a session, then listened to kids talk about what made them homeless and what could help them escape their condition.

“He was so engaged. He wasn’t being a rock star,” said Liz Workman, the center’s educational coordinator. “He was just someone who is really, really passionate about this issue.”

Her kids felt very empowered by being asked for solutions, she said, and talked frankly about the abuse or family tragedies they’d fled, about how simply lacking a birth certificate made it impossible to get a job or aid.

“You could tell he was honestly shocked by some of these situations,” Workman said.

Afterward, Bon Jovi said the Oasis Center’s array of services is innovative.

Almost 2,000 kids in the past year have used the Oasis drop-in center, a small room with a couch, some chairs and a couple of computer terminals. Some days it has four or five kids; some days it’s 15 or 16.

They can get a hot meal, talk to a counselor, make a telephone call or take a shower. “Some just need to sleep because they’ve been out on the streets,” Oasis CEO Hal Cato said.

Others use the overnight shelters, one for emergencies and one for long-term stays. The two bedrooms for emergency overnight stays are full every night, said counselor Jenny Gray.

Nashville has about 300 homeless youths at any time, Cato said. “They fly below the radar screen,” he said.

Bon Jovi said: “The face of homelessness has changed dramatically. It’s a lot of kids, a lot of single moms. It’s a lot of hardworking Americans coast to coast that have been displaced these past couple of years. They don’t need a handout. They need a hand up.”

The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, a Philadelphia-based charity, builds affordable housing, 250 units over the past six years. But affordable housing is the top rung on the ladder, Bon Jovi said, for those who can make it out. He wants to change the culture that causes homelessness.

“It’s going to take money and effort and getting the word out,” he said.

“Over the years, I’ve had the ear of government officials. I hope that by being on the streets, and out of the Beltway, that I can provide information and have an impact, on the HUD secretary and even the President,” Bon Jovi said.

Video of the NewsChannel5.com interview with Jon Bon Jovi at the Oasis Center

OASIS CENTER

WHERE: Youth Opportunity Center, 1704 Charlotte Pike


WHAT: Drop-in shelter for homeless youths up to age 21, with two emergency-stay bedrooms, long-term lofts to help kids transition to jobs and independence


WHO: Kids come from Davidson and surrounding counties. More than half have aged out of foster care.


HOW TO HELP: A fundraising drive through May 1st aims to raise $150,000. Call 615-327-4455 or visit the website by clicking HERE

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 April 15 2010 

JBJSF CELEBRATES THE DEDICATION OF PHOENIX PASS

More than 130 people attended the ceremony, with speakers including Jeff Beech, chairman of Light House Village; Mimi Box, executive director of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation; former Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin, co-chair of the Regional Commission on Homelessness; Dr. Jeff Meyers, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Conyers; Dan O’Dwyer, president of HomeAid Atlanta; Georgia State Senator Ronald Ramsey, Sr.; and Ron Simpson, president of Phoenix Pass, as well as many of the partners that contributed to the project. The ceremony was emceed by John Pruitt, anchorman for WSB-TV.

Construction began on the Conyers complex last October, led by HomeAid Atlanta, a nonprofit organization that helps homeless service providers, like Phoenix Pass, complete transitional housing construction through donations of labor and materials from members of the local homebuilding industry. Conyers-based builders Manor Homes and Horizon Home Builders served as HomeAid’s builder captains for the project, helping to coordinate and manage the construction process, in addition to securing in-kind donations of labor and materials from more than 50 trade partners in partnership with HomeAid Atlanta. During the dedication ceremony, the participating trade partners were honored for their generous contributions to the project.

“The Phoenix Pass complex fills a critical gap in the housing continuum for the Rockdale County community, providing new housing opportunities that have never before been available to local families in need,” said Ann Carey, executive director of HomeAid Atlanta. “The complex will be an asset to the community for many years to come, and we thank everyone who participated in this project to make it a success.”

In addition to support from members of the homebuilding industry, the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation provided HomeAid Atlanta with a generous grant for the Phoenix Pass project, which provided critical gap funding needed for construction. Founded in 2006, The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing about positive change and helping the lives of those in need One Soul at a Time. Through the funding and creation of programs and partnerships, the Foundation supports innovative community efforts to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness.

“In today’s economy, strategic partnerships are critical to maximizing available resources in a community. It was HomeAid’s unique model of building partnerships that originally captured our attention,” said Mimi Box, executive director of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation. “HomeAid builds partnerships to create cost-effective solutions to a community’s housing needs. This story has even greater potency when you consider today’s economy. Still, we have home builders stepping up to give back to those in greater need in their community.”

The apartment building at Phoenix Pass is EarthCraft-certified, meeting the guidelines of the EarthCraft House green building program. Each single-family apartment unit features a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms and a private bathroom. The lighthouse community center, designed as a resource and opportunity development center for program participants, includes an activity room, meeting room, laundry room, storage area, four restrooms, two kitchenettes and a staff office. A second apartment building, which is also planned to be EarthCraft-certified, is scheduled to be constructed in a future phase.

SECOND BEDROOM INSIDE PHOENIX PASS APARTMENTS FIRST BEDROOM INSIDE PHOENIX PASS APARTMENTS INSIDE A KITCHEN OF THE PHOENIX PASS APARTMENTS

The Phoenix Pass program is designed to serve the needs of families experiencing temporary homelessness by giving them an opportunity to reestablish self-sufficiency in a residential setting. The focus of the program is to empower these families with supportive services and the resources to recover and rebuild a productive, stable lifestyle for themselves and their family. The complex will provide families with housing for up to two years along with curriculum/community-based education in career advancement, financial planning and budgeting, and guidance in family care and management, to help these families get back on their feet. The complex will eventually accommodate up to 90 program participants at any given time.

HomeAid Atlanta thanks the following partners that contributed products and/or services to the Phoenix Pass project, in partnership with Manor Homes and Horizon Home Builders: 1800Mattress.com, Advantage Fire Sprinkler Co. Inc., Amtico, Atlanta Insulation, Atlanta Kitchen, Atlanta Tile Supply, Best Septic Tank Services Inc., Boral Bricks, Cottage House Interiors, Custom Countertops, Diversified Cabinet Distributors, Doors by Mike, EarthCraft House, Ernst Enterprises of Georgia, Ferguson Enterprises, GE Appliances & Lighting, Georgia Power, Gomez Nazario, Gregg Cowan Heating & Air Inc., Hall’s Trenching, Hays & Hays Electric Inc., Homer Lewis & Associates Inc., James Costley Jr., Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, Jose Leyva, Kasey Mitchell, K.W. Concrete Inc., Lithonia Lighting, Mercy Heart Clinic, Murphy & Murphy Enterprises Inc., Northwest Exterminating, Parksite Inc., Pedro Alvarado, ProBuild, ProCraft Windows, Regional Waste Management Inc., Robert Harvill, Sherwin-Williams, Solve, Sonny Hall Construction, Southland Trim, Still Lumber Company Inc., Stock Building Supply, Total Building Services, Truss Specialties Inc., Universal Ornamental Iron Inc., Walker & Son Construction Co. Inc., White Rock Drywall, William Mascari, and X-Stream Plumbing Inc.

In addition, Phoenix Pass thanks the following partners: First Baptist Church of Conyers, John Wieland Homes Second Mile, Light House Village Inc., North Georgia United Methodist Council on Housing and Homelessness, Rockdale Emergency Relief, The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, The Woodruff Foundation, United Way of Metro Atlanta, United Way in Rockdale, as well as various community-based groups and individuals in Rockdale County that contributed to the project.

RIBBON CUTTING AT THE DEDICATION OF PHOENIX PASS

About HomeAid Atlanta:
HomeAid Atlanta is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working in partnership with the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, and is a local chapter of HomeAid America, a leading national provider of transitional housing for the temporarily homeless. The HomeAid mission is to build and maintain dignified housing where homeless families and individuals can rebuild their lives. This is accomplished through the donation of construction services and materials from members of the homebuilding industry. HomeAid Atlanta partners with existing homeless service providers and expands their capacity to serve the homeless by building a new transitional housing facility or renovating an existing facility. For more information about HomeAid Atlanta, visit www.homeaidatlanta.org.

About Phoenix Pass:
Phoenix Pass, Inc. is a nonprofit organization designed as a partnership between First Baptist Church of Conyers and Rockdale Emergency Relief. The mission of Phoenix Pass is to serve the needs of families experiencing temporary homelessness by giving them an opportunity to reestablish self-sufficiency in a residential setting. The focus of the program is to empower homeless families with supportive services and the resources to recover and rebuild a productive, stable lifestyle for themselves and their family. Phoenix Pass operates under the vision that those who have successfully completed the program will remain in the Conyers-Rockdale County area to live, work and contribute back to the community the education, life skills and job skills acquired during their tenure in the program. It is expected that residents will transition from Phoenix Pass back into the community as productive and self-sufficient citizens. For more information about Phoenix Pass, visit www.phoenixpass.org.

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 April 8 2010 

Between concerts, Bon Jovi visits Minneapolis shelter (Star Tribune)

In his jeans pocket was a rock painted like an alligator head — a gift from a 4-year-old girl whose mother also shared the family’s story about a recent job loss and eviction with the New Jersey rocker.

The visit with Bon Jovi occurred away from the cameras at People Serving People, 614 S. 3rd St. But speaking with reporters afterward, he referred to Larissa Thelmon, 28, a personal care assistant laid off just before Christmas, as an example of how “the face of the homeless has changed.”

Of the shelter, he said, the scope of services “blows my mind” and offers a model “that can and should be duplicated.”

Bon Jovi, who was between Xcel Center concerts on Wednesday and Thursday night, was on a fact-finding mission for the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, which has worked to tackle homelessness by building affordable housing, establishing community kitchens and cleaning up vacant lots in blighted neighborhoods.

Touring in support of his band’s latest release, “The Circle,” the singer also recently visited a shelter for alcoholics in Seattle and toured Skid Row in Los Angeles. He identified People Serving People as a possible stop after driving by it during a previous concert date in the Twin Cities.

Mimi Box, executive director of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, who accompanied the rock star during Thursday’s visit, said the foundation uses such stops to find out what has worked in some cities and can, in turn, be promoted elsewhere when awarding its grants.

At People Serving People, Box said, she was impressed by the large number of service providers under one roof.

Jim Minor, president of People Serving People, said Bon Jovi asked “a lot of good questions … and knew what he was talking about.” Asked whether the shelter might someday benefit from a grant, Minor added: “They haven’t said a word. And we haven’t said a word.”

But taking a cue from the band’s latest album, Minor said he thanked the rock star for “really increasing the size of our ‘circle,’ the people who know our story.”

During the 10-minute visit in Thelmon’s room, Bon Jovi asked about her layoff and the services she’s received, she said. Child care and clothing vouchers were among them.

Before leaving, he pulled out his freshly painted gift, waved it at Thelmon’s daughter, Kaileigh, and said, “Thanks for the rock,” the mother said. Left behind was an autograph on the back page of the book “Scooby Doo Dinosaur Dig.”

Staff Writer Paul Walsh contributed to this report. Anthony Lonetree • 612-673-4109

Between concerts, Bon Jovi visits Minneapolis shelter

Photo By Jim Gehrz, Star Tribune

Jon Bon Jovi signed the sleeve of Demar McClellan,
3, near the entrance of the People Serving People
shelter in Minneapolis. Bon Jovi toured the building
and met some of the guests and staff during his
visit.