Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month Together

Through Think Together’s social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, we want to make sure our students feel connected to their culture and heritage in addition to learning more about other cultures in our diverse world. Throughout the month, we will be celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in our programs and across the organization. 

What is Hispanic Heritage Month? 

Hispanic Heritage Month is observed nationally from September 15 to October 15 by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of those whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. 

What are students learning about Hispanic heritage in Think Together? 

First, students can stretch their imaginations by following in the footsteps of Mexico City-based artisan, Pedro Linares. Pedro is attributed as the creator of the first alebrijes. These fantastical creatures are built with papier-mâché techniques and painted with intricate patterns of bright neon colors. Before his death in 1992, he trained many of his descendants to continue the alebrijes tradition, making alebrijes part of the great Mexican folk-art tradition.

Our Think Together students in 6th-12th grade will get a behind-the-scenes look at the success of chart-smashing hit song “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. Reggaeton, the genre “Despacito” most easily fits into, is only the most recent in a long string of Caribbean music styles, from Bachata to Merengue to Salsa, whose infectious melodies are considered some of the most popular music styles in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean. Our students will discover the wide variety of Latin American musical styles incorporated in the song and consider where “Despacito” fits with a longer history of American popular music that adopts Latin American elements.  

Learn the Latin Rhythms of “Despacito” with TeachRock

Why is it important to introduce students to different cultures and ideas? 

It’s important to give students opportunities to learn about different cultures. By fostering inclusion and awareness of heritage and cultures, students learn to be more empathetic when differences arise. The world is only going to get more diverse, and by integrating social emotional learning and cultural awareness curriculum in our programs, we better help students be prepared to thrive in an evolving world and embrace those different from themselves.  Alongside celebrations, Think Together team members and students shared their insights and personal experiences of the impact of exploring new ideas.

You can go to different states and different countries to learn about more cultures, and you can impress your friends by telling them what you know. Leland, 4th grade
To learn more about Hispanic Heritage Month, read our blog posts from previous years: 
Why should we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month?
The combined organization impacts more than 200,000 students annually in pursuit of education equity through school improvement and expanded learning and throughout California.

Santa Ana, Calif. (Sept. 12, 2022) – Think Together, one of California’s largest nonprofits serving K-12 schools today announced it has completed the merger with Orenda Education, a top school improvement and professional development consultancy. Upon the close, the combined organization will serve more than 200,000 students across the state with more than $150 million in annual revenue. Moreover, the organization will be better positioned to rapidly scale their impact.

“We’re thrilled to bring our two organizations together in our combined efforts to improve student success and close the achievement gap,” said Think Together Founder and CEO Randy Barth. “This merger is the natural evolution of Orenda’s existing relationship with Think Together and solidifies our joint commitment to ensuring that the more than 2 million California students that are performing far below grade level have the support they need during the school day and beyond to succeed academically.”

“This merger is the natural evolution of Orenda’s existing relationship with Think Together and solidifies our joint commitment to ensuring that the more than 2 million California students that are performing far below grade level have the support they need during the school day and beyond to succeed academically.”

– Randy Barth, Think Together Founder and CEO

Over the past seven years, Think Together and Orenda have had an affiliate agreement in place while the full acquisition builds the long-term financial and operational capacities for Orenda to continue to scale. Orenda’s work focuses on transforming education systems, either across a school district or by cohorts of schools, providing professional development to all levels of district staff, around a specific data-driven but people-centric school improvement model.

Think Together partners with over 60 school districts and charter management organizations to provide more than 900 direct-to-student academic and enrichment programs at more than 450 school sites across California, serving more than 100,000 youth. Orenda Education works behind-the-scenes with school district leaders and educators to identify inequities in schools and then transform their systems to ensure all students have access to a premium education.

“Think Together has always been an incredible partner, infusing the infrastructure needed to provide an efficient model for changing the odds for kids,” said Orenda Education Founder and CEO Dr. Robin Avelar La Salle. “Our two models have always complemented each other but now, we can efficiently scale our vision for all students to receive the premium education they deserve.”

“Our two models have always complemented each other but now, we can efficiently scale our vision for all students to receive the premium education they deserve.”

– Dr. Robin Avelar La Salle, Orenda Education Founder and CEO

The acquisition comes as both organizations experience tremendous growth due in large part to new and renewed state investments in education to accelerate learning recovery efforts and provide educators with needed support amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“Now more than ever, teachers, school leaders and adminstrators need to think outside the box to address the issues impacting students including socio-economic biases, social emotional learning, and more,” added Barth. “Providing these much-needed supports to educators means districts and schools can provide the skills they need to teach, lead and counsel during and following a period of great disruption during the pandemic.

Recently the U.S. Department of Education reported a dramatic decline in scores from the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) known as the nations’s scorecard. Two decades of growth for American students in reading and math were wiped away by just two years of pandemic-disrupted learning, according to national test scores released last week. And, the declines were much larger for students at lower performance levels, widening already-huge learning disparities between the country’s high- and low-achievers. 

Orenda’s approach to school improvement has proven to accelerate student outcomes, such as mastery of grade-level standards (measured by math and English language SBAC scores), improved A-G class completion rates, and improved graduation rates. They also provide administrative coaching, teaching strategies, and leadership clinics.

To expand these services, Orenda was recently awarded a $4 million Education Innovation and Research grant by the U.S. Department of Education to digitize and distribute their school improvement approach through an online platform that is effective and highly scalable to schools and districts in any geography, and to those who require less in-person support.

Think Together adds Orenda to their growing list of services that support student education in and around the school day. Think Together’s flagship afterschool programs support students in underserved communities with homework help, enrichment, social-emotional learning and physical well-being, all to enable students to strive for college or a fulfilling career. To provide high-quality programs, Think Together partners with philanthropic organizations like the Joseph Drown Foundation.

“Breaking down the barriers to opportunity, equity and access in education by keeping students and their success as the centered focus is one of the most meaningful investments for our future generations” said Alyssa Santino, Program Director of the Joseph Drown Foundation. “Ensuring the educators, leaders and structures around students are supported and inspired and effectively trained with research-based, proven and engaging strategies is imperative for thriving students and communities. We are pleased to partner with Think Together and Orenda Education as they excel in this space and continue to transform the trajectory of students and the schools they attend.”

“Breaking down the barriers to opportunity, equity and access in education by keeping students and their success as the centered focus is one of the most meaningful investments for our future generations”

– Alyssa Santino, Program Director of the Joseph Drown Foundation

Barth sees the combination of direct services to students through expanded and early learning, coupled with equity-based professional development, as an effective combination to supporting student achievement alongside their school district and charter partners.

Dr. Paul Gothold, Superintendent of County Office of Education in San Diego agrees. His former district, Lynwood Unified School District, realized astonishing improvements when partnering with both Think Together and Orenda, including increasing graduation rates from 56% to 90.8%, and A-G college eligible rates from 18% to 53%.

“Orenda provides the technical expertise for true district turn-around. The systems approach and professional development modules to build staff capacity ensures all leaders have the tools and resources to provide a premium education for all students,” said Gothold. “With Think Together’s financial and operational support, Orenda is well positioned to continue providing much-needed education innovation to schools throughout the state and beyond.”

“Orenda provides the technical expertise for true district turn-around…with Think Together’s financial and operational support, Orenda is well positioned to continue providing much-needed education innovation to schools throughout the state and beyond.”

– Dr. Paul Gothold, Superintendent of County Office of Education in San Diego
About Think Together

Think Together partners with schools and communities to pursue educational equity and excellence for all kids. As a nonprofit organization, Think Together innovates, implements, and scales academic solutions that change the odds for hundreds of thousands of California students. Think Together’s program areas include early learning, afterschool, school support services and leadership development for teachers and school administrators. For more information, call (888) 485-THINK or visit www.thinktogether.org.

Meet Nona Carter, a Thinker going on four years in the Southeast Los Angeles County region. Nona started as a program leader, then a site coordinator before briefly leaving Think Together to finish her master’s degree in Kinesiology to get closer to her goal of one day becoming a physical therapist. After achieving her master’s, Nona returned to Think Together to serve as a Quality Assurance Coach to Think Together sites in the Compton Unified School District. Nona is known for her deep commitment to the community and is consistently on a mission to bring creative solutions to challenges her team faces on the field. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to share more about Nona with you! 
What inspires you to work at Think Together? 

What originally attracted me to working for Think Together, was the middle school program leader position. This role gave me the opportunity to coach basketball, my favorite sport, as well as cheerleading and soccer. As I started to build connections with the students, my capacity expanded beyond just being a coach, but a mentor. I’ve had many conversations with kids about the importance of taking their education seriously and not letting life circumstances determine who they can be in the future. Day after day I’m finding more purpose in the work that I’m doing here.  

What would you say to encourage a student who is struggling at the beginning of the school year? 

I would tell them that it may be hard right now, and it’s okay to acknowledge how hard it is! At the same time, I would also let them know that they are strong enough to make it through whatever challenges life may bring. Each day is a new opportunity and another chance to do better.  

Do you have a student story that has stuck with you all this time? Why? 

During my time as a site coordinator, I had a student who shared with me that she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up. After that conversation, it made it easy for me to hold her accountable for doing her schoolwork and following the agreements.  

One day, I noticed she was sad. When I asked her what was wrong, she told me that some of the other students were making fun of her name and that she didn’t like her name. I reminded her that her name is beautiful, and I asked her, “What are your students going to call you when you become a teacher?” She smiled and laughed, realizing that her name was special and was excited to introduce herself to her students one day. I want to be the adult that students remember for encouraging them to keep going. We can’t control how others behave and treat us, but we can control our responses.  

As a Quality Assurance Coach, what is one of the pieces of advice you give to a Site Coordinator who is just starting on your team? 

To take everything day by day. Each day has its own challenge, but that doesn’t mean we are failing. We are constantly growing and evolving in our positions; you can’t fail if you’re always willing to learn. Lastly, always ask questions. It’s better to be safe than sorry.  

What has been one of the best pieces of professional advice that has helped you in your career here at Think Together? 

To “let it be easy.” I am my worst critic, so when things are hectic or not going right, my initial response is to question what I’m doing wrong. When I hear those words, it encourages me to find a solution instead of magnifying the problem.  

Outside of work, what do you do for fun? 

I enjoy playing/watching basketball, hanging out with my friends, trying new foods, and traveling! 

Thank you, Nona, for changing the odds for kids!

Trubify, a music livestreaming app, and Flowermouthe, an artist collective, will be hosting benefit concerts to raise funds for academic and enrichment programs including Think Together.

The concert benefitting Think Together will be hosted at the Black Marlin in Old Town Tustin on Sept. 1 and will feature an array of family-friendly musicians including performances from Mike Wilson, Shea Givens, The Groovlers and Gabriel Soriano. The event will also be livestreamed on the Trubify app starting at 5 p.m., with a suggested donation of $15 per in-person and livestream attendee. All proceeds raised through the Trubify app will be directly donated to Think Together.

“We’re thrilled to partner with a nonprofit like Think Together to help kids get back to being kids,” said Trevor Zinn, Director of Artist Operations at Trubify. “Music has always been a catalyst for community building and we know programs like this can provide a safe and supportive place for kids.”

Think Together, Trubify, and Flowermouthe share a similar passion in strengthening their communities through music and the arts. The partnership is a first for the trio of organizations looking to make a profound impact on youth in their communities.

Trubify is a rapidly growing music streaming technology platform that will disrupt the legacy industry.  Trubify’s artist-first philosophy means it’s only natural for them to collaborate with like-minded individuals, such as Flowermouthe Collective, a group of independent artists based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota who are the inspiration behind the “100 Backpacks” benefit.

“100 Backpacks is an opportunity to merge cultures, inspire education in and out of the classroom,” shared artist and musician Formerly “CAM” of Flowermouthe Collective.

Learn more about the performers ahead of September 1!

Mike Wilson

Mike Wilson is a singer-songwriter from Orange County, California. He has 3 independent releases: one self-recorded album (2003) and a five-song EP recorded with Sound Playground Records (2013). Prior to embarking on a solo career, Mike experienced early success in music as lead singer of the Indie Rock band Simple Green, sharing the stage with bands such as Blink 182, No Doubt, and Naked Aggression. Over the past 15 years, Mike has compiled a catalog of over 30 original songs and nearly 100 covers.

Shea Givens

Shea Givens was born and raised in Missouri where she grew up singing, songwriting, playing piano, and performing at a very young age. Her broad musical tastes growing up allowed her to have a very open mind to songwriting in different genres and unafraid to try new sounds. Her debut album “Moonlight” is a unique blend of poetic influence, R&B-Soul, and Electronic Dance Music. The production of “Moonlight” is predominantly accredited to Evan Palmer of Southern California. Her track “I.N.U.I.M” from this album is a combined production effort between Evan Palmer and Karats, also of Southern California.

The Groovlers

The Groovlers are a new Orange County cover band celebrating music from the 60s to the present, with influences from The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and Tom Petty.  This dynamic trio has decades of music under their belt but brings a fresh sound to familiar tunes.

Gabriel Soriano

Gabriel Soriano is a phenomenal talent based out of Orange County, CA that seamlessly blends rock, funk, and latin influences into his own sound.  This multi-instrumentalist can literally do it all, from guitar and piano, to drums and bass, this one man band is truly unique.  

Trubify, in partnership with presenting sponsor Flowermouthe, will host the local benefit concert at the Black Marlin in Old Town Tustin on Sept. 1

Santa Ana, Calif. (August 25, 2022) Think Together, a leading nonprofit provider of expanded learning, afterschool, and early learning programs, today announced that it has partnered with Trubify, a music livestreaming app, and Flowermouthe, an artist collective, to raise funds for its academic and enrichment programs.

The live-music event will be hosted at the Black Marlin in Old Town Tustin on Sept. 1 and will feature an array of family-friendly musicians including performances from Mike Wilson, Shea Givens, The Groovlers and Gabriel Soriano. The event will also be livestreamed on the Trubify app starting at 5 p.m., with a suggested donation of $15 per in-person and livestream attendee. All proceeds raised through the Trubify app will be directly donated to Think Together.

“Think Together is proud to partner with Trubify for giving us the platform to share the importance of afterschool and expanded learning programs in our community,” said Think Together Executive Director Katie Roth. “As families head back to school this fall, it’s an important reminder of the power programs like Think Together can offer traditionally under-resourced students who are eager to learn more about arts, STEM and physical activities.”

Think Together was founded 25 years ago as a single afterschool learning center in Costa Mesa. It has since grown to serve more than 150,000 students from Orange County to Palm Springs, Los Angeles to the Bay Area. The nonprofit partners with schools and charters to provide low or no-cost programs in the areas of early learning, music, art, science and sports.

In the wake of COVID-19, programs like Think Together have become a lifeline for parents and caregivers seeking to help their children reacclimate to school after two volatile years of disruptions. Now more than ever, these programs have proven vital to student’s mental and emotional health while in school.

“We’re thrilled to partner with a nonprofit like Think Together to help kids get back to being kids,” said Trevor Zinn, Director of Artist Operations at Trubify. “Music has always been a catalyst for community building and we know programs like this can provide a safe and supportive place for kids.”

Trubify is a rapidly growing music streaming technology platform that will disrupt the legacy industry.  Trubify’s artist-first philosophy means it’s only natural for them to collaborate with like-minded individuals, such as Flowermouthe Collective, a group of independent artists based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota who are the inspiration behind the “100 Backpacks” benefit.

“100 Backpacks is an opportunity to merge cultures, inspire education in and out of the classroom,” shared artist and musician Formerly “CAM” of Flowermouthe Collective.

Think Together, Trubify, and Flowermouthe share a similar passion in strengthening their communities through music and the arts. The partnership is a first for the trio of organizations looking to make a profound impact on youth in their communities.

About Think Together

Think Together partners with schools and communities to pursue educational equity and excellence for all kids. As a nonprofit organization, Think Together innovates, implements, and scales academic solutions that change the odds for hundreds of thousands of California students. Think Together’s program areas include early learning, afterschool, school support services and leadership development for teachers and school administrators. For more information, call (888) 485-THINK or visit www.thinktogether.org.

About Trubify

Trubify is an award-winning, disruptive live music streaming technology platform. The app’s features focus on building community through fan engagement to generate revenue across the platform. Á la carte income streams empower artists to make money by making music. For music lovers, Trubify puts a front-row live music experience in the palm of every fan’s hand. For more information, visit trubify.com.

For the last six years, Jasmine Ramirez has worked with Think Together, and has become an expert in providing services to children, school partners, and communities. Today, she uses her knowledge to provide technical assistance to Think Together program staff as the Program Coordinator for Basset High School in the Santa Fe Springs region. When not supporting Bassett, Jasmin offers her expertise across the region and to neighboring regions within Think Together. Jasmin approaches all projects with a can-do attitude and looks for learning opportunities in all she does. We are so excited to share more about Jasmin with you!
What inspires you to work at Think Together?

What inspires me to work with Think Together is our mission. When pursuing a career with Think Together, the statement “we change the odds for kids” really stood out to me. Think Together provides so many opportunities that I, and many others, did not have in school growing up. Making a difference in the lives of youth is my motivation to come to work every day.

​​​​​​What is the moment you felt most connected to Think Together’s mission?

In my second year of being a program leader, one of my 5th grade students had a huge impact on me. He looked forward to attending the afterschool program every day and was always happy and engaged. On the last day of school, the student made it a point to say goodbye to me and thank me for the memories he had made that year. As he was walking away, I noticed him crying. I stopped him and told him that this wasn’t a “goodbye” it was a “see you later!” He smiled so big! This experience motivates me to go above and beyond for every student I meet!

​​​​​​What qualities do you think make a strong team?

Communication, transparency, kindness, and culture. It is so important to have all of these qualities in a team. I am also a strong believer in the saying “work hard, play hard.” A team should strive for success together and celebrate successes together.

​​​​​​What is one of the pieces of advice you give to site coordinators as they lead their teams and programs?

I find that some site coordinators can be afraid of trying new systems and routines that they believe would work best for their team because they are afraid it will not meet their expectations. I tell them that you never know until you try! I remind them it is okay to fail if you do not see it as a failure, but instead as a lesson. The lessons you learn can benefit you when trying again!

​​​​​​Do you have a favorite summer 2022 memory?

This summer, I was fortunate enough to support various districts and regions with Think Together. My favorite summer memory was a field trip to the Los Angeles Zoo with Bursch Elementary School from the San Gabriel Valley region. I explored the zoo with a group of 10 students. Seeing their smiles and watching their horizons expand was amazing!

​​​​​​What are your professional goals for the coming school year?

My professional goal is to continue to progress my knowledge as a Program Coordinator. My hope is to transition into a Quality Assurance Coach or Learning and Development Facilitator at Think Together. I am eager to continue to support my teammates across the organization.

​​​​​​Outside of work, what do you do for fun?

I love to attend concerts! I am a huge music lover. I love all genres, but Alternative Rock is my ultimate favorite! Concerts are my happy place.

Thank you, Jasmin, for your dedication to changing the odds for kids.

Think Together’s Early Learning programs, with support from AmeriCorps members, quickly adapted in the spring of 2020 to create meaningful learning experiences virtually. 25 Families enrolled their newest learners, ages 0-5, into the virtual program. Twice a week for 15 weeks, our instructors met with our early learners and their families offering a blend of child-only and parent-child components.

Samantha Mora started working in early learning as an AmeriCorps member in 2016 and became a Think Together Early Learning site facilitator in 2021. Alongside her team, Samantha developed the early learning program at Paul Revere Elementary in Anaheim online. Not only was no one sure how distance learning was going to work, but early learning instructors, like Samantha were not sure if the young students would have the attention span for distance learning. In a surprising turn of events, the students loved it and stayed engaged throughout the sessions!

Encouraged by successes

Samantha’s team of teachers provided instruction through reading, music, and used break-out rooms for small group activities on topics like shapes, letters, numbers and operations, phonics, nursery rhymes, patterning, and writing.

Parents fully stepped in with their children during the parent-child portions of the class. Parents also received their very own class time! Think Together staff provide a listening ear to parents as they describe their child’s development and provide them with resources and support when challenges are identified.

That first-day feeling

Students were excelling, and parents grew their engagement in their child’s learning every day. While encouraged by the success of the remote model, the early learning team and parents at Paul Revere Elementary were ready to be the first of Think Together’s early learning programs to return to in-person programming on April 19th 2022.

As soon as the early learners walked in, they were in awe of the number of toys and materials in the room that they had access to. One student asked, “we can play with anything we want?” Each student got their own seat, a pencil box, and a book to free-draw and practice writing their names in.

On the first day, the class of 10 students broke into small groups to talk about emotions using a paper plate activity. After two years of only exploring at home, Samantha noticed that her young learners were apprehensive to open up in the program. So, to break the ice and get students interacting with each other, the staff set up an obstacle course throughout the classroom!

Crawling under desks, stepping through hula hoops held by parents, and hopping from one spot to another helped each child build confidence in the space and even practice patience and kindness when another student struggled. Activities just like these begin a child’s academic and social-emotional development journey.

Families immediately felt the difference. Parents who had only experienced the remote classes were blown away by the new benefits offered in classroom learning! Some families who were in the program before the class went virtual with their older kids returned to the in-person program with their youngest children. Watching their young learners play like their older siblings had in the program years earlier was a breath of fresh air.

Building to the future

Think Together’s Early Learning programs are taking down barriers like cost and location that many families face when seeking early learning opportunities for their children. That’s why we are excited that starting in 2023, California will begin implementation of Universal Transitional Kindergarten, building to universal preschool in California by 2025. These investments allow Think Together to offer Early Learning Programs in more schools than ever before across the state.

Today, Samantha works to train brand new Think Together teams in our San Bernardino, Riverside, Palm Springs, and Southeast Los Angeles regions to build their skills and expertise in working with early learners. Think Together provides families with a safe space for exploration, scaffolded risk-taking, social skills, and meaningful challenges that prepare them for kindergarten and beyond.

Riverside County Kaiser Permanente physicians and staff are helping 1,568 Think Together students start the new school year strong. Kaiser employees purchased new backpacks and filled them with brand new school supplies like pencils and notebooks to make sure that these students have all the tools for success. The backpack drive was featured on ABC7 and KCAL-TV.

The backpacks will be going to students in Hemet USD, Jurupa USD, Lake Elsinore USD, Moreno Valley USD, Perris Elementary School District, Perris Union High School District, Temecula Valley USD, Val Verde USD and Nuview Union School District. Make sure to follow Think Together to see the students receive their backpacks over the next few weeks!

Think Together is grateful for Riverside County Kaiser Permanente’s generosity and ambition to make students in their local community thrive. Together, we are changing the odds for kids!

Drivers can visit a local Shell station and fill up at the designated fueling pump to support extended learning program, Think Together

SAN FRANCISCO (Aug. 1, 2022) — Au Energy, owner of Loop Neighborhood Marketplace stores, is proud to team up withShell USA (Shell) on The Giving Pump as part of its Force For Good initiative to drive positive change in local communities by giving back. Starting today and running through Oct. 31, a portion of the purchases made by consumers who use the designated pump at its 101 Shell stations across the Bay Area will support extended learning program, Think Together.

The Giving Pump will be specially marked with colorful signage to inspire consumers to fuel up and support this local charity. It’s easy to participate in the program, and it costs customers nothing extra.

“This is something close to the heart of Au Energy shareholders who have wanted to support education in any way we can,” said Pervez Pir, President of Retail at Au Energy. “Even with the vast resources in this state, education still needs help with a very diverse student body with a variety of needs. If we contribute through The Giving Pump and partner with an organization like Think Together that supports improving the lives of low-income and at-risk children by supporting them with education, that’s going to help California overall.”

Think Together offers afterschool, enrichment and early learning programs in partnership with public schools and charters throughout the state. In the Bay Area, Think Together supports 2,292 students across 24 schools in Newark Unified School District, Alum Rock Unified School and San Jose Unified School District. Think Together also offers teacher training and professional development through Orenda Education, a division of Think Together.  

 “Think Together is proud to work with leaders like Au Energy and Shell who understand the importance of providing equitable education opportunities in our under-resourced communities,” said Think Together Founder and CEO Randy Barth. “These partnerships allow organizations like Think Together to provide academic supports like tutoring, college and career training and early childhood development for the students who need us most.”

Au Energy and Loop Neighborhood Marketplace stores have a long tradition of actively supporting several non-profits in the Bay Area. In addition to educational causes, those that benefit from fundraising efforts include San Francisco Pride, the California Fire Foundation, Bay Area Deputy Sheriff’s Association and its Annual Christmas Shopping event, Bay Area food banks, and RotoCare Bay Area. Over the last three years, over $400,000 went back to organizations making a positive impact in Bay Area communities.

This year, more than 6,500 Shell stations across the US are participating in this three-month Giving Pump initiative to support 527 local charities. Those looking to find a participating station can visit shell.us/givingpump. In 2021, Shell wholesalers and retailers donated over $1.5 million and supported over 400 children’s charities through The Giving Pump.

Visit shell.us/givingpump to find additional program details, participating sites and content on local charity partners. Follow @ShellStationsUS to keep up with the latest news. 

ABOUT SHELL

Shell USA, Inc is an affiliate of Shell plc, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with operations in more than 70 countries. In the U.S., Shell operates in 50 states and employs more than 12,000 people working to help tackle the challenges of the new energy future. 

Think Together has had a packed summer full of learning, friendship, fun, and some cool experiences thanks to corporate and foundation partners. This year has been our largest year providing summer programs to students, totaling over 25,000 students participating across the state. Students have been able to go on their first field trips in years, catch up on their learning, and get ready for an equally exciting 2022-23 school year.

Bank of America funds WREP programs in the Inland Empire

Bank of America has been funding Think Together’s Workforce Readiness Education Program (WREP) for the last two decades. Recently, Bank of America has contributed $10,000 to fund WREP for Inland Empire high school students. WREP connects students to internship and career opportunities as they prepare for college and beyond. 

Bank of America’s longtime support of Think Together’s WREP programs goes beyond financial contributions. Earlier this year in 2022, Bank of America was a lead sponsor and keynote speaker at our Inland Empire Education and Workforce Summit. The summit had brought together nearly 200 leaders in the public, education, and nonprofit sectors including superintendents, school principals and community leaders.

The event aimed to create cross-collaboration and constructive solutions to ensure students impacted by COVID-19 are equipped with the necessary academic, technical, and soft skills needed to succeed in today’s economy. 

Robotics Challenge with PIMCO and Child Creativity Lab

Shalimar students tested their innovation and creativity when they were challenged to make a robot using up-cycled materials. Each student partnered with a PIMCO volunteer, and the teams worked together to use materials to make their unique robot. PIMCO also donated $1000 at the event which was part of their global month of volunteering. 

This has been the fifth year that PIMCO and Child Creativity Lab have done this activity with our Shalimar Students. A fun takeaway for the volunteers this year was seeing how students received similar supplies and ended up with very different looking robots. A component of STEM is thinking outside of the box and approaching problems with creative solutions, and these robots were no exception!

Think Together Students are Sporting New Looks Thanks to Adidas

Eleven deserving high school students from our Southeast Los Angeles region were invited to compete in a 5×5 soccer tournament hosted by Adidas. Think Together students received new Adidas soccer jerseys, cleats and gear while participating in skills challenges, drills and more.

The event concluded with athlete appearances, including Eddie Segura of the LA football club, on hand to help deliver a $2,500 donation from Adidas to Think Together. The funds will help Think Together continue its Soccer for Success programs across the LA County area with new equipment.

A Home Run Field Trip with the 66ers

Students in Think Together’s San Bernardino summer program were treated to a field trip to see the Inland Empire 66ers play. Think Together students arrived at the stadium ahead of game time for field practice with the Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Angels. To keep with tradition, hot dogs were served for lunch while students cheered on the home team.

College and Career Readiness with the Dodgers

And finally, more than 80 high school students attended the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation’s College and Career Accelerator.

The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation partnered with the USC College Advising Corps for college workshops. Students heard from college advisors who shared their diverse educational experiences as first-generation students. The panel included a Q&A and breakout space for students to ask specific questions to the advisers. After the panel, students rooted for the Dodgers from the homestands.

If you are interested in hosting an event or opportunity for students, contact Lawrence Gustafson at [email protected].

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