Data from Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s 2023 National Youth Outcomes Initiative survey shows 77% of Club members have a high enjoyment of learning and that Club members who highly enjoy learning are more likely to be on track to graduate on time.
In partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Panda Cares, Visalia Panda Express will present the Grand Opening for the newest Panda Cares Center of Hope, taking place at Visalia Gindick Boys & Girls Club, 215 W. Tulare Ave., Visalia, CA 93277 on December 10, 2024 at 5 pm featuring a ribbon cutting ceremony, Panda Express food and give away items for youth. The Panda Cares Center of Hope is a newly renovated space within our Club designed to deliver more joy and academic success impact to our local community. There will be a craft station where youth will learn to make paper fortune cookies that will also include a personalized fortune they will write. Youth will also have an opportunity to relax, and a small reading corner will be provided for them. For youth who want to be active, there will be a fun relay race where they can participate in groups or alone with some challenging tasks. Anyone at the event can receive a tour of the rest of the Boys & Girls Club facility.
Each Center of Hope located inside Boys & Girls Clubs across the country practices Project Learn, Boys Girls Clubs of America, and Panda Cares evidence-based, holistic strategy to supporting youth-centered learning in Clubs. The strategy reinforces and enhances what young people learn during the school day through things like homework help and high-yield learning activities while creating experiences that invite them to fall in love with their academic journey.
Our Panda Cares Center of Hope is designed to meet the needs of our Club members and includes a learning space where youth can work independently or with peers and staff to engage in learning a variety of topics and work on STEM projects. There will also be a kitchen where youth can learn some cooking skills and then enjoy in family-style dining table area. This space will provide a place for youth to relax, socialize with their peers, and for them to learn, engage, and grow together.
“We are proud to join Panda Cares in celebration of the 25th anniversary of their Foundation and to assist our local Panda Express team in bringing a Center of Hope to this community. The opening of this location aligns directly with Panda Cares’ commitment to further enhance academic success resources for Boys & Girls Clubs members across the country”, says Galen Quenzer, CEO.
To learn more about Visalia Gindick Boys & Girls Club events, programs, and academic success support for youth please visit www.bgcsequoias.org.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sequoias
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sequoias is focused on helping all young people, especially those who need us most, become responsible, caring, and productive members of society. Boys & Girls Clubs were established in Tulare County in the 1990s when Exeter and Visalia community leaders responded to the need for a positive place for local youth to spend free time after school. Today, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sequoias provides services at 8 Clubs throughout Tulare County. Clubs provide a wide span of activities for local youth, varying from STEM to sports. www.bgcsequoias.org
About Panda Express®
On a mission to inspire better lives, Panda Express®, the largest Asian dining concept in the US. Family-owned and operated since 1983 by Co-Founders and Co-CEOs Andrew and Peggy Cherng, Panda Express is best known as a trailblazer for creating a wide variety of industry-first recipes, including its best seller The Original Orange Chicken® and award-winning Honey Walnut Shrimp, which have defined the category of authentic American Chinese cuisine. Each dish at Panda Express is thoughtfully crafted with quality ingredients and inspired by bold Chinese flavors and culinary principles. The restaurant brand has more than 2,500 locations and has introduced American Chinese cuisine to 12 international countries. Powered by a global family of associates, Panda Cares®, Panda’s philanthropic arm, has raised more than $329 million and has dedicated countless volunteer hours in bettering the health and education for over 15 million youth, as well as supporting communities in need since 1999. In 2021, Panda Express established the Panda Community Fund — a five-year, $10 million community investment and response program that supports immediate and sustainable solutions from national and local organizations to uplift diverse groups, including people of color and other marginalized communities. For more information about Panda, visit PandaExpress.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 160 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA.org) has provided a safe place for kids and teens to learn and grow. Clubs offer caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Boys & Girls Clubs programming promotes academic success, good character and leadership, and healthy lifestyles. Over 5,200 Clubs serve 3.3 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. The national headquarters is located in Atlanta. Learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of America on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).