by Christine Salinas, Grants Manager, and Marilyn Rogers, Corporate Relations Officer

On March 18, 2020, Pivotal launched an Emergency Assistance Fund to provide immediate financial support to youth who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19. These youth had experienced a drastic loss of income and were worried about paying for essential needs like rent, groceries, and utilities.

We were thrilled with many generous offers of support from individuals, corporations, and foundations who wanted to step up for foster youth during the COVID-19 crisis. One of these companies was Acer America, a new corporate partner who recently worked with us on our Finals Care Packages Project for college youth. We are thrilled to count on their continued support. 

Before the COVID-19 outbreak, the company had committed to sponsoring our first-ever Young Professionals Conference, which we planned for early mid-April. The day-long event is slated to include professional development workshops and informational interview opportunities that ready our college scholars for paid summer internships. With these college youth facing so much financial uncertainty, our friends at Acer responded quickly with a generous donation to the Emergency Assistance Fund! 

Approximately 45% of our distributions from the Emergency Assistance Fund have gone towards rent payments, while another 50% has helped youth buy groceries. 5% has filled the gaps to cover utilities like cell phone bills and internet service. “We’re glad that we can support foster youth scholars at this critical time. At Acer, we want to break down barriers to success, and Pivotal is doing that every day,” said Richard Black, Vice President of Marketing for Acer America.

 

Thank you, Acer! With your help, we are wrapping our youth up in a blanket of love and support during these uncertain times.