The nation’s largest school based after-school provider, After-School All-Stars (ASAS), launched new chapters this week in Northern California and Washington State. ASAS was able to expand its programing to the San Francisco Bay Area and the Puget Sound region thanks to the generous support from the New York Life Foundation. The New York Life Foundation has helped ASAS open six new chapters in total through a $4 million, multiyear grant; the largest in the organization’s 24-year history.
The mission of After-School All-Stars is to keep children safe and help them succeed in school and in life. ASAS is now the largest school based after-school provider in the United States and provides free, comprehensive programing to over 75,000 students in 350 middle schools across the country. Most the children who attend ASAS’s programs come from socioeconomically disadvantaged households and qualify for federal subsidized lunch programs.
“After-School programs are one of the best investments we can make in our children,” said Arnold Schwarzenegger, founder of ASAS. “It is wonderful to work with partners like the New York Life Foundation who understands the value these programs provide. I am incredibly excited to see After-School All-Stars launch new chapters in the Bay Area and Puget Sound and am grateful to New York Life for making the expansion possible.”
“The New York Life Foundation is proud to support the expansion of After-School All-Stars into the Puget Sound region. High quality after school programs like After-School All-Stars leverage community resources, provide engaging learning opportunities for kids and help working families in under resourced communities,” said Marlyn Torres, Senior Program Officer, New York Life Foundation. “Middle school students are historically under served by after-school programs. There are programs for elementary school students in the form of structured day care. High schools offer clubs, teams and extra-curricular activities. However, middle school students are often left with few safe and enriching opportunities between 3 and 6 pm. ASAS helps to solve this problem by engaging kids in constructive activities during these critical hours.”
“Any time After-School All-Stars opens a new program is cause for celebration,” said Ben Paul, President and CEO of ASAS. “Thanks to our partners at the New York Life Foundation we have been able to expand into the Bay Area and the Puget Sound region. This means that thousands more students in low income communities will have a safe and engaging place to go once the school bell rings.”
Who: After-School All-Stars, with support from the New York Life Foundation, is expanding to Northern California and Washington State
What: After-School All-Stars is opening new chapter in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Puget Sound region and will be hosting launch events in Oakland, CA and Seattle, WA to mark the occasion
When/Where: Wednesday, February 1, 2017 from 6:00pm-8:30pm at the Museum of Pop Culture, 325 5th Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
Thursday, February 2, 2017 from 5:30pm-8:00pm at the Museum of Children’s Arts, 1625 Clay St #100, Oakland, CA 94612
Why: After-school programs keeps kids safe, improve academic performance, promote student well-being, and help communities. High quality after school programs like After-School All-Stars leverage community resources; provide engaging learning opportunities for kids, address the major issues kids face today, and provide practical solutions for working families in under resourced communities.
About After-School All-Stars
Founded in 1992 by Arnold Schwarzenegger, After-School All-Stars (ASAS) is a leading national provider of year-round, school-based, comprehensive afterschool programs. The organization’s mission is to keep children safe and help them succeed in school and in life. Every school day, students in low-income communities have access to free programs that offer academic support, enrichment opportunities, and health and fitness activities. 70,000+ children from 19 U.S. locations benefit: Atlanta, Bay Area, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Newark, New York, North Texas, Orlando, Philadelphia, Puget Sound, San Antonio, South Florida, Tampa Bay, Toledo, and Washington D.C. For more information, visit www.as-as.org.
About the New York Life Foundation
Inspired by New York Life’s tradition of service and humanity, the New York Life Foundation has, since its founding in 1979, provided $240 million in charitable contributions to national and local nonprofit organizations. The Foundation supports programs that benefit young people, particularly in the areas of educational enhancement and childhood bereavement. The Foundation also encourages and facilitates the community involvement of employees and agents of New York Life through its Volunteers for Good program. To learn more, please visit www.newyorklifefoundation.org.
