About Boys Hope Girls Hope of Southern California
One of 18 affiliates across the United States and Latin America, Boys Hope Girls Hope of Southern California helps academically motivated middle and high school students rise above disadvantaged backgrounds and become successful in college and beyond.
Our goal is to graduate young people who are physically, emotionally and academically prepared for post-secondary education and a productive life, breaking the cycle of poverty. BHGH of Southern California utlizes the following elements to achieve our mission:
- Academic excellence
- Service and community engagement
- Family-like settings to cultivate youth empowerment
- Long-term and comprehensive programming
- Faith-based values
- Voluntary participant commitment
"Boys Hope Girls Hope motivated me to always do my best and trust myself because of that I know I can accomplish anything.”
Adrian, Boys Hope Girls Hope of Southern California Collegian
Our Mission
To nurture and guide motivated young people in need to become well-educated, career-ready men and women for others.
Our Vision
Our vision is that our scholars reach their full potential and become healthy, productive life-long learners who:
Adapt to an ever-changing world | Thrive in the face of obstacles | Generate a positive ripple effect in their families, work places, and communities
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ACADEMIC FOCUS
We believe in the transformative power of education to develop lifelong learners using:
• Strengths-based, positive youth development approaches
• Practical preparation for careers to sustain one’s self and family
• Exposure to diverse opportunities that enrich one’s life and enhance learning
• Scholarship incentives encouraging and maximizing self-motivated learning -
SERVICE AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
We believe in the Jesuit-inspired, values-centered hallmark of building “persons for others” by:
• Developing character through service learning activities related to social justice and civic responsibility
• Educating those at every level of our organization in cultural competence
• Seeking collaborative partnerships to enhance our mission -
FAMILY-LIKE SETTINGS TO CREATE A SENSE OF BELONGING
We believe youth derive their energy and sustenance from exposure to nurturing environments that provide:
• Inclusion in a loving community that meets youth where they are but sets high expectations
• A feeling of “being home,” with residential care as needed
• Strong and supportive developmental relationships with adult mentors and peers
• Stability, structure, and individualized guidance in small settings
• Modeling of positive values -
LONG-TERM AND COMPREHENSIVE COMMITMENT
We believe an enduring relationship with youth holds the most promise for attaining positive outcomes by:
• Intervening early to support scholars from adolescence through college graduation and beyond
• Offering a holistic spectrum of programming that evolves with the age and needs of youth
• Providing ample opportunities for youth to develop social and emotional learning skills -
FAITH-BASED VALUES
We believe that a loving God cares about the life of every individual and we manifest this belief by:
• Focusing on those most in need of our services
• Respecting, serving and engaging people from all faith traditions
• Fostering spirituality and an active faith life as essential elements of healthy personal development
• Helping youth develop a moral compass based on universal principles -
VOLUNTARY PARTICIPANT COMMITMENT
We believe in the motivational power of selfselection into the BHGH program because:
• Parents and Scholars share a vision for a better future
• Scholars elect to invest in themselves and are empowered to join
• Families value and trust in a working partnership with BHGH
• BHGH serves bright, capable young people who are motivated to overcome obstacles to reach their potential
Our Local Impact
BHGH of Southern California History
1977
BHGH Founded
Fr. Paul Sheridan started Boys Hope Girls Hope in St. Louis, Missouri.
1991
Opened First Home
Opened first boys’ home in Rancho Santa Margarita.
1996
Began Serving Girls
The first girls’ home opens in Fullerton and we became Boys Hope Girls Hope.
2017
Today
BHGH of Southern California has 12 pre-collegian scholars and 10 collegian scholars. We are one of 15 affiliates in the United States. Our Alumni have become productive and contributing members of our community and give back to our scholars as men and women “for others”.
2017
BHGH Celebrates 40th Anniversary
Happy 40th Boys Hope Girls Hope!
LEADERSHIP
The Boys Hope Girls Hope of Southern California Board of Directors and staff leadership collaborate to ensure mission fidelity, financial stewardship and transparency. This team of professionals is committed to continuous learning, effective programming and improvement through impact evaluation and innovation.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Joshua Aven
CEO / Founder
Aven Financial Group
Jesse Bagley
Founder / CEO
PeopleSpace
Damon Bennett
President
Vertical Speed LLC
Rick Carpenter
Senior Vice President
Royal Business Bank
Garth Flint
Founder/Partner
Beacon Pointe Advisors
Mark Foster
Attorney
Snell & Wilmer L.L.P
Stephanie Gonzalez
Sr. Talent Sourcer
Nike
Ryan Huntsman
Vice President
Chicago Title
Mark C. Johnson
Chairman & CEO
Mark Chapin Johnson Foundation
David S. Kim
Managing Partner
The Bascom Group
Roger T. Kirwan
Chairman
Woodside Credit
Tracy Kirwan
Community Volunteer
Diane Lannon
Community Volunteer
Cameran Lindee
Vice President
CBRE
Doug McCaulley
Partner
Deloitte Tax LLP
Sandra L. Mitchell
Community Volunteer
Theresa C. Morrison
President
William J. Cagney Trust
Chris Pribus
President
Providence Enterprises
Rachel Pupiromrat
Associate, Membership
National Council of State Boards of Nu (NCSBN)
Paul Reisz
Executive Vice President
PIMCO
Mark Schechter
Owner
Ideal Luxury
Mitch Shatzen
President & COO
Woodside Credit
Cliff Shepherdson
Vice President
FPA
Katherine Vu
1st VP / Deputy CRA Officer
Pacific Premier Bank
Laura Weber
Area Vice President
World Wide Technology
Keith Webster
Managing Director
First Republic Private Wealth Management
Robin Yoshimura
Director
First Republic Private Wealth Management
The Need We Address
Prior to joining our program, our scholars’ circumstances include environmental barriers that make it difficult to concentrate on achieving their goals. The relationship between educational failure and poverty creates a vicious cycle that affects too many children in our communities and negatively impacts our entire society.
- Twenty-one percent of children in the US live in poverty (Census Bureau, 2014)
- Children born into poverty are six times more likely to drop out of school (Cities in Crisis, 2008).
- The longer a child lives in poverty, the lower their overall level of academic achievement (Guo and Harris, 2000).
- Children from families in the highest income quartile are 8 times as likely to earn a college degree that those from the lowest income quartile (Pell Institute and Penn Ahead, 2015).
- In 1980, college graduates earned 29% more than those without. By 2007, that gap grew to 66% (Baum & Ma, 2007).
- The costs to United States society are significant in terms of economic productivity, tax revenue, health care over-utilization, parental attention to children’s educational development, civic engagement, and volunteerism (Baum & Ma, 2007).
- According to CEOs for Cities, every one percentage point increase in adult four-year college degree attainment adds an additional $763 to per capita income per year (One Student at a Time, 2013).
- Cohen and Piquero (2009) monetized the cost to society over the course of a “negative outcome” child’s lifetime as follows: High School Dropout = $390,000 - $580,000, Plus Heavy Drug User = $846,000 – $1.1 Million, Plus Career Criminal = $3.2 - $5.8 Million.