BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF GREATER LOS ANGELES HOSTS "BIG LAUNCH" GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION OF NEW HEADQUARTERS AT GOODWILL COMMUNITY ENRICHMENT CENTER

Los Angeles – (March 30, 2015) Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles (BBBSLA) celebrated the grand opening of its new offices at the Goodwill Southern California (GSC) Community Enrichment Center at Fletcher Square with a “Big Launch” opening party, March 28, 2015. Over 300 guests and community leaders shared in the family-friendly festivities, all free to the public, which included a host of fun activities including games, face painting and a Kids Fun Zone along with Clippers and Dodgers ticket giveaways. KIIS FM with Manny on the Streets kept the crowd on its feet, along with a live performance by teen singing sensation, AJ Lehrman.

A Farmers Market, Kona Ice Truck and Cousins Maine Lobster Food Truck whetted everyone’s collective appetites. Coincidentally, Cousins’ co-owner, Sabin Lomac, who was in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program as a child, is now a Big Brother himself and gives back financially through a portion of the food truck proceeds earmarked for BBBSLA. Sabin and his cousin Jim, currently in the process of becoming a Big Brother, were showcased on ABC’s Shark Tank and recently completed filming an episode of Beyond the Tank which features a follow-up of the most successful entrepreneurs on the show.

Highlighting the afternoon, a program featuring dignitaries and BBBSLA supporters including: Tiffany Siart (President and CEO, BBBSLA); Steve Soboroff (Los Angeles Police Commissioner); Los Angeles Superior Court Judge and BBBSLA Board of Directors member, Michael Carter; Laura Lizer (BBBSLA Board of Directors Chair); Goodwill Southern California President and CEO, Craig Smith and Adam Bass (Field Deputy to Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell) who presented a proclamation.

Marking their 60th anniversary, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles provides children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships that have proven to change their lives for better, forever. “Partnering with Goodwill,” said Big Brothers Big Sisters President and CEO, Tiffany Siart, “will afford us an opportunity to grow sustainably, expand our reach and transform more lives. It is our vision to significantly increase our capacity to reach more children in high need areas while making a deeper investment in our community.”

“We are proud to welcome Big Brothers Big Sisters to our Community Enrichment Center,” said GSC President and CEO, Craig Smith. “Their 60-year history of service and success is remarkable and they are an ideal partner. Together, Goodwill and Big Brothers Big Sisters will extend essential, complementary services that shape brighter futures for our youth and all members of the community.”

Co-locating with Goodwill affords Big Brothers Big Sisters and their families a host of benefits including workforce development, career training and placement programming. Co-locating will also provide partners with priority access to the Community Enrichment Center’s state-of-the-art facilities, allowing Big Brothers Big Sisters to offer trainings, orientations, workshops and events, as well as hold staff and board meetings onsite. None of this would have been possible without their funding partners – The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, The Rose Hills Foundation, Weingart Foundation and Union Bank – who saw the vision for how this move is leading BBBSLA to build a stronger and more sustainable future for both organizations.

The Community Enrichment Center at Fletcher Square was designed to empower the surrounding community by directly addressing the gaps in education and employment that many struggle with. A Community Needs Assessment determined 46% of residents in the surrounding area have only a high school diploma or less. To better address the region’s poverty rate of 17%, occupational skill training and workforce development are also a priority. Given the high number of young, low-income families residing in its service area, co-location allows Big Brothers Big Sisters to offer a unique brand of outcomes-based mentoring as another resource to support Goodwill’s community-needs based model.

About Big Brother Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles

In 1955, Walt Disney and Meredith Willson founded Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles. One of the largest youth mentoring organizations in the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters has served children and families facing adversity. They provide one-to-one youth mentoring services, carefully screening volunteer mentors and matching them with youth, and provide ongoing support for the volunteers, mentees, families, schools, businesses and community partners. Children in the program improve their school performance, avoid risky behaviors and build higher self-esteem and aspirations. These outcomes are substantiated by rigorous independent evaluation methodology. Philanthropedia, a GuideStar company, recently named BBBS as the #1 high impact national nonprofit organization serving at-risk youth. To learn more, visit www.BBBSLA.org, follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bbbsla, Facebook at www.facebook.com/bbbsla and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/bbbsla.

About Goodwill Southern California

Transforming lives through the power of work, Goodwill Southern California (GSC) serves people with disabilities or other vocational challenges, as well as businesses, by providing education, training, work experience and job placement services. Each year, GSC prepares and places thousands of individuals into sustainable employment through programs and services offered at three campuses, Career Resource and AJCC WorkSource Centers, Deaf, Youth and Veteran Employment Programs throughout Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. GSC supports its mission with proceeds generated from 80 retail stores and 44 attended donation centers. Charity Navigator, an independent charity evaluator, has awarded GSC its highest four-star ranking for 13 consecutive years; largely due to the fact GSC spends 93 percent of its budget on programs and services. Committed to caring for the earth, in 2014 GSC diverted more than 100 million pounds of reusable or recyclable goods from landfills. Goodwill is Good For Everyone! 888-4-GOODWILL www.GoodwillSoCal.org.

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Contact:

Pam Giangregorio

Katy Sweet & Associates Public Relations

(310) 479-2333 / pam@katysweetpr.com

(Photo credit: Vince Bucci)

01 – Laura Lizer, BBBSLA Board Chair; Steve Soboroff, LA Police Commissioner and former Big Brother; Tiffany Siart, BBBSLA President and CEO and Craig Smith, Goodwill Southern California President & CEO