Youth Help Repair Milpitas Homes

The following press release is from YouthBuild San Jose and Walmart Foundation.

Milpitas, CA, June 20, 2012 – Today local officials and community leaders came together to celebrate the completion of a program that helped weatherize 28 low-income apartments in Milpitas and provided jobs skills training for San Jose Conservation Corps Charter School students. This program was a public-private partnership that was supported by a $64,860 grant from the Walmart Foundation to YouthBuild San Jose.

“The partnership between Walmart, YouthBuild, the US Department of Labor and CDBG funding from the City of Milpitas has made a real difference in our city,” said Milpitas Vice Mayor Peter McHugh. “Because of their commitment 28 units of multifamily dwellings have been retrofitted with double-pane windows and weatherization allowing these families to benefit with lower utility cost in the future.”

This is a public-private project that was supported by the Walmart Foundation, the City of Milpitas and YouthBuild USA. It was a six-month project that retrofitted 28 low-income apartments with dual-pane windows and weatherization, helping residents save on the cost to heat or cool their home.  As a part of the program, San Jose Conservation Corps Charter School students who are part of the YouthBuild program learned basic construction trades and gained invaluable job skills training. 

“Through the partnership with the Walmart Foundation, the US Department of Labor, the City of Milpitas, our students have learned valuable skills that can translate into a career while helping families retrofit their homes that will result in energy savings,” said Bob Hennessy, Founder & Executive Director of San Jose Conservation Corps Charter School.

YouthBuild San Jose is an alternative education and workforce-development program through the San Jose Conservation Corps Charter School that helps at-risk teens gain the literacy/numeracy and job-readiness skills needed to make a successful transition into the workforce and/or post-secondary education. While earning a high school diploma, they gain important life skills in the workforce, learn leadership skills, and develop marketable construction skills by working on affordable/low-income housing projects.

“We are a committed partner in Milpitas and look to support programs that are dedicated to improving people’s lives,” said Deborah Herron, Walmart Public Affairs Senior Manager. “Programs like YouthBuild San Jose have proven to make a real difference and we are proud to be their partner.”

In 2011, Walmart stores, Sam's Club locations and the Walmart Foundation gave more than $28.9 million in cash and in-kind donations to local organizations in the communities they serve in the state of California.  Through additional funds donated by customers, and Walmart and Sam’s Club associates throughout the state, the retailer’s contributions in California totaled more than $33.3 million.

About Philanthropy at Walmart

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are proud to support initiatives that are helping people live better around the globe. In May 2010, Walmart and its Foundation made a historic pledge of $2 billion through 2015 to fight hunger in the U.S. The Walmart Foundation also supports education, workforce development, environmental sustainability, and health and wellness initiatives. To learn more, visit www.walmartfoundation.org.