For the 2nd year in a row, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has received its largest single-year donation of $10.5 million from the Panda Cares® Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Panda Express®, which will support the nonprofit's mission of enabling and enriching the lives of young people. Through this partnership, Panda Cares and Boys & Girls Clubs of America will empower thousands of kids and teens at Boys & Girls Clubs across the country to excel in school, character, and leadership. With a shared commitment to help more youth reach their full academic potential through learning initiatives that are responsive to the unique needs of each young learner, the generous donation will ensure funding to provide high-quality in-person learning opportunities for more than 500 Boys & Girls Clubs.

This year, the donation will also launch 35 Panda Cares Centers of Hope in Clubs nationwide to deliver more joy, education, and critical social-emotional development to local communities. Project Learn, the platform that unites each Center of Hope, is a holistic strategy intended to reinforce and enhance what youth learn during the school day, while creating experiences that invite them to fall in love with learning. Rooted in social-emotional development, this program is based on research showing that students do better in school when they spend their non-school hours engaged in fun and academically beneficial activities. The first Center of Hope opened earlier this month at CC's Little Village Boys & Girls Club in Chicago. Each Panda Cares Center of Hope will be designed to meet the needs of their individual Club members and may include things like a new library of books, computers, comfortable lounge pods, VR head set ups, and spaces for them to learn, engage, and grow.