Upland, CA – On Friday, April 6th Reach Out was named Nonprofit Agency of the Year by Academy for Grassroots Organizations at the 2018 Inland Empire Academy Awards for Nonprofit Excellence. Founded in 1969, Reach Out has demonstrated for nearly 50 years that focused efforts – informed by solid data and best practices improves, enriches and enhances lives and the health of our communities.
Recently, Reach Out has been deeply involved in the county’s workforce development efforts. Reach Out’s participation has ensured that educational and training opportunities result in income mobility for our county’s residents. This innovative work with the county’s Slingshot initiative has brought the new and unique role of Community Health Workers, and the significant contribution that occupation can make in the management of population and community health, into the collective ken of our county’s healthcare employers. By researching the utility of Community Health Workers, sharing that research with healthcare employers, and assisting in securing training providers for Community Health Workers, Reach Out has achieved a win-win: flexible, affordable labor for healthcare and increased employment opportunities for our county’s residents. Reach Out was also instrumental in similar efforts to bring the county’s very first, and critically needed, Health Information Technology training to fruition.
“Receiving this award is a wonderful surprise, and the result of tireless investment on behalf of every Reach Out team member. Reach Out’s team members and board of directors have a singular focus, which is to bring greater health and quality of life to the Inland Empire. Thank you to Academy for Grassroots Organizations for leading this effort.” – Diana Fox, Executive Director, Reach Out
“Reach Out truly is a star in receiving this ‘Academy Award’. As a non-profit, they are highly organized and impactful, transforming lives daily for our youth as they develop into highly contributory adults and, in turn, benefit the whole of society. I simply cannot think of a more deserving organization or management team.” – Alison Elsner, Executive Director, San Bernardino County Medical Society
Reach Out’s effectiveness in engaging youth and displaced workers in programs that provide much needed and wholly marketable skills is to be commended. The hundreds of youth that have benefitted from Reach Out’s ability to link training providers with eager students would wholeheartedly agree! Yet, Reach Out’s effectiveness is not limited to job training and placement. Reach Out’s participation with community health efforts — from crafting the bylaws of and chairing committees for the county’s Community Vital Signs initiative, to the provision of an annual conference that provides a sterling opportunity for youth to link with local industry leaders, to parenting and substance abuse prevention programs – illustrates Reach Out’s competency in realizing its mission to create safe and healthy communities that maximize educational and economic opportunities.
About Academy for Grassroots Organizations:
Academy for Grassroots Organizations was formed in the year 2000 to meet the needs of a growing San Bernardino County by coalescing and strengthening its nonprofit sector. Their mission is to improve the quality of life in the region by supporting and strengthening the social service sector, “AcademyGO” provides a variety of resources and nonprofit learning opportunities throughout the region and serves a network of more than 1,000 nonprofit professionals and volunteers. CEO, Vici Nagel likes to say, “They improve our quality of life … so we want to make sure that the thousands of amazing people and organizations working to change lives in our region have all the resources and skills they need to be successful. That’s our mission in a nutshell.” Read more www.academygo.com.
