San Bruno Community Foundation Grant

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San Bruno Community Foundation Grant

For the 2020-2021 year, PARCA is privileged to have received San Bruno’s Community Foundation (SBCF) Grant for our REACH (Recreational Experiences for All Children) program, a San Bruno-based, inclusive childcare and after-school program for children with and without developmental disabilities. SBCF is a nonprofit organization created by the City of San Bruno to administer restitution funds from PG&E after the devastating gas pipeline explosion in 2010.

This past year has been challenging for all of us, especially parents and children. We’ve worked to ensure REACH continues to be a space place for fun and learning for students and a safe place that parents can rely on for childcare. Due to the pandemic, REACH significantly reduced the capacity for students in our program. The SBCF grant has helped us continue to operate, under reduced capacity, so we could provide what students and parents needed – quality virtual learning support during the school year and enhanced summer camp programming. During the school year, REACH staff provided a stable environment for children to participate in Zoom classes. During the summer, REACH field trips and activities took on a virtual twist! The students enjoyed their virtual trip to the NASA Goddard Visitor Center in Maryland, where they had an amazing opportunity to speak with astronauts and learn about life in space. One week, the children were awed by magic tricks thanks to John Gardenier’s Magic Show. They also virtually toured the Seattle Aquarium and learned all about sea life. During the Olympics, children got to choose different countries and cheer on athletes in the different events. “Go Kenya!” “Go USA!” “Go Ireland!”  They loved competing and celebrating together.

We’ve very grateful to SBCF for helping REACH remain open and provide a safe, fun, and inclusive learning environment for neurodiverse children to grow and make memories together.

Previously, we’ve also received the Foundation’s support for our Family Support Services (FSS) program, which provides professional assistance for families on topics with education, housing, legal rights, health, respite, and inclusion. We receive no government funding for FSS and the services provided to clients and their families are free, so PARCA relies heavily on grantors to help us fund this program. Our deep gratitude to SBCF for helping us provide a lifeline to San Mateo County families (and beyond) who are struggling with the challenges of raising a child or assisting an adult family member who has one or more developmental disabilities.