Tipping Point Announces 2017 Annual Awards Breakfast Honorees
Genesys Works Bay Area, New Teacher Center, On the Move, SHELTER, Inc., and Box recognized for outstanding work in the community; $1 million giving match announced
SAN FRANCISCO (December 1, 2017) — Today, Tipping Point Community hosted its 11th Annual Awards Breakfast in honor of standout partners and individuals committed to breaking the cycle of poverty in the Bay Area. The event showcases the extraordinary work that community leaders and organizations are doing, day in and day out to support those most in need.
The event recognized Tipping Point grantees, Genesys Works Bay Area, New Teacher Center, On the Move, and SHELTER, Inc. for their commitment to improving the lives of the 1.3 million Bay Area residents too poor to meet their basic needs. Cloud-content management company, Box, was honored with Tipping Point’s Partner Award for their corporate philanthropic efforts. Tipping Point Board Chair, Chris James, Board member, Amy Banse, and Leadership Council members, Tomiquia Moss and Gabe Santos, presented the awards. Daniel Lurie, CEO and Founder of Tipping Point Community, rounded out the morning reflecting on the power of community.
“Together, with our grantees, we can galvanize action and affect a whole region. Our 44 grantees run programs that work, programs that have impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of people,” said Daniel Lurie, CEO and Founder of Tipping Point Community. “It’s a privilege to work together as partners in support of today’s visionary honorees who are working to change our community for the better.”
Lurie also announced a $1 million match for all donations to Tipping Point through the end of 2017.
The 2017 Tipping Point Honorees:
Genesys Works Bay Area targets low-income students as they transition into their senior year of high school, and provides them with job training and year-long internship opportunities. “Tipping Point continues to be a catalyst for us. They’re constantly echoing the questions we ask ourselves –‘Are we moving the needle? Are we changing the perceptions of our young professionals? How can we scale?’” said CEO and Founder Rafael Alvarez. “It’s so encouraging to have that kind of partner on our side.”
New Teacher Center (NTC) exists to improve learning in low-income school districts. Founded in 1998 at UC Santa Cruz, NTC spun out in 2006 to become a standalone non-profit. “9 in 10 teachers who receive NTC services remain in their district beyond their first three years. And students taught by NTC-supported teachers show up to 5 months of additional gains in both reading and math,” said Ellen Moir, Founder and CEO of the New Teacher Center, who was honored for her visionary work ahead of her retirement.
On the Move was one of the first to receive dollars from the Tipping Point Emergency Relief Fund for North Bay fire recovery. On The Move supports foster youth in their transition to independence. The model was developed in Napa in 2005 and was replicated in Sonoma, where there is higher per capita youth homelessness than San Francisco. “As we turn toward recovery in Napa and Sonoma, it will be an opportunity for young people: a chance for them to rise up and be at the forefront of positive change,” said Amber Twitchell, Associate Director of On the Move. “Thank you for showing up in the middle of the emergency, and for your continued support as we fight for the rights of those most vulnerable.”
SHELTER, Inc., a Tipping Point grantee since 2012, is the largest provider of services to homeless families in Contra Costa County. Laronette Perry, SHELTER, Inc.’s Transition Services Program Manager, spoke of her own struggles with homelessness and the women’s group at SHELTER, Inc. that helped her find her role in service. “As an agency, we treat families with the compassion, integrity and accountability they deserve,” said Perry, “With SHELTER, Inc.,’s support, 317 families moved from homelessness to permanent housing last year alone.”
Box was recognized with the Tipping Point Partner Award for the company’s philanthropy as well as workplace diversity and inclusion. In 2014, Box founded their philanthropic arm and became a Tipping Point corporate partner, with a gift of private stock, and the company has been a dedicated partner ever since. “Box believes in mutual impact –that the social sector and tech worlds should lift one another up,” said Aaron Levie, CEO and Co-Founder of Box. “Thanks to Tipping Point, there is huge potential for companies to tie philanthropic efforts to core operations and market-based success. Without this partnership, we would not be scaling our positive social impact in the Bay Area at the same rate and scale.”
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ABOUT TIPPING POINT COMMUNITY
Tipping Point Community fights poverty in the Bay Area. They screen non-profits rigorously to identify and invest in the most effective education, employment, housing, and early childhood development organizations. In addition, Tipping Point looks for opportunities to partner with the public sector to leverage its impact for the common good. Since 2005, Tipping Point has raised more than $150 million and helped put 23,000 people on the path out of poverty in the last year alone. Its board covers 100% of operating costs, so every dollar donated goes where it’s needed most.
