Red Lobster’s General Manager Edward Woodruff presents a check to Pedro A. Chavez of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County. Courtesy photo.
Big Brother Big Sister has received a $3,000 grant as part of the inaugural Restaurant Community Grant Program from the Darden Foundation, the charitable arm of Darden Restaurants Inc., the organization reported recently in a media release.
The Restaurant Community Grant Program is a local grants program intended to help support nonprofit organizations in the hundreds of communities Darden and its restaurant brands (including Red Lobster and Olive Garden) serve. The donation will support the Big Brother Big Sisters of Ventura County and its community-based mentoring programs and services, which currently serve 1,500 children and teens facing adversity throughout Ventura County and neighboring communities.
Each grant is not just a check — it is an opportunity to make an impact,” Drew Madsen, president and chief operating officer of Darden Restaurants Inc., stated in the release. “Our service philosophy extends far beyond the walls of our restaurants. These grants bring that philosophy to life by helping to develop a better future for those we serve, one community at a time.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters has evidence-based outcomes that demonstrate the value of mentoring. Our mentors help lower crime rates, reduce violence and gang involvement, discourage alcohol, drug abuse, lower the incidence of teen pregnancies and help youth learn how to assume their positive place in the world. This effective mentoring model is why Guidestar’s Philanthropedia, an industry watchdog, ranks Big Brothers Big Sisters the #1 non-profit for working with the at- risk youth population. Studies repeatedly prove that children who have mentors are more likely to stay in school, enjoy better relationships with family and peers, and are less likely to engage in violence and abuse drugs or alcohol.
“We are honored to be one of the inaugural recipients of Darden’s commitment to helping improve the lives of youth in our community,” Lynne West, chief executive officer and a 25-year veteran of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County, stated in the release. “Through the investment of Darden’s corporate citizenship we will be able to provide the quality mentoring programs that transform the lives of children and teens for the better, forever.”
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County:
For more than 100 years nationally and 43 locally, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, professionally supported matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 6 through 18, in communities across the country. We develop positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people. Learn how you can positively impact a child’s life, donate, or volunteer at www.bbsvc.org or call 805-484-2282.
About The Darden Foundation:
The Darden Restaurants, Inc. Foundation is the charitable arm of Darden Restaurants, Inc. The Foundation’s mission is to maintain a spirit of volunteerism and philanthropy as defining characteristics of Darden Restaurants. Since 1995, the Darden Foundation has awarded more than $60 million in grants. Total giving in fiscal year 2012 amounted to $7.8 million, 20 percent of which is represented by the Restaurant Community Grants Program. The Darden Foundation carries out its mission by focusing philanthropic efforts and resources on the following program areas: Access to Postsecondary Education, Preservation of Natural Resources and Good Neighbor Grants.