SANTA ANA, Calif. (Aug. 8, 2023) – In partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Panda Express® presented the ribbon cutting for the newest Panda Cares Center of Hope today at Boys & Girls Club of Santa Ana. Boys & Girls Club staff, Panda representatives, city council members, and over 150 Club kids gathered to celebrate the opening of this renovated and specially designed space for Santa Ana youth.
During the event, Club members utilized the new space with various crafts and games, and each kid who attended was gifted a signed copy of the talented figure skater siblings Alex and Maia Shibutani’s newest book “Amazing: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Inspires Us All”.
“The new Panda Cares Center of Hope will be a dynamic and flexible learning space, offering 21st Century programs, activities, and technology to empower the youth of Santa Ana with the skills and tools they need for success,” said Robert Santana, chief executive officer of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Panda Express are proud to bring a Panda Cares Center of Hope to Boys & Girls Club of Santa Ana. The opening of this Center of Hope aligns directly with Panda Express’ commitment to foster academic success among Boys & Girls Clubs members across the country.
Panda Cares Center of Hope is a newly renovated space within our Club designed 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. Our Panda Cares Center of Hope was designed to meet the needs of our Club members and includes new and improved resources, technology, design features and spaces for them to learn, engage, and grow.
In celebration of Panda Cares Day® today, August 8, Panda Express restaurants nationwide are hosting a one-day virtual fundraiser supporting Boys & Girls Clubs and other charitable partners. Panda will donate 50% of pre-tax event sales equally to Boys & Girls Club of America and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals from online orders made today via the Panda Express® website and the Panda Express® app when using the fundraiser code “PCD2023” at checkout.
Visit here to learn more about the promotion and Panda Cares Day.
*50% of pre-tax event sales will be donated equally to Boys & Girls Club and other charitable partners. Applicable for purchase on Pandaexpress.com or Panda Express Mobile App only on 8/8/23. Visit pandaex.press/PCD2023 more details.
To learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast’s programs, please visit www.boysandgirlsclub.com.
You can see more about the amazing work being done nationwide by Boys & Girls Club of America and Panda Cares at www.bgca.org/about-us/our-partners/panda-cares.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast
Since its founding, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast (the Club) has been a cornerstone of the Costa Mesa, Irvine, Newport Beach, Orange, and Santa Ana communities. Since the first Costa Mesa Club opened in 1941, the organization has provided strategic programming, educational enrichment, and quality mentorship to over 200,000 youth. All of the Club’s programs aim to help children and youth build strong educational and socio-emotional foundations that lead to healthy, productive and successful lives as adults by equipping them with the skills needed to graduate high school, pursue higher education, and join the workforce. This organization has been recognized by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America as one of the most innovative in the nation. The Club is proactive in fostering partnerships with similarly minded nonprofits to best support the youth and families in our community and reach those who fall through the cracks of service. All its activities, whether at the Club, local schools, or out in the community, are designed to empower youth, strengthen families, and enhance community factors that increase the likelihood of positive outcomes. For more information, visit www.boysandgirlsclub.com.
About Panda Express®
On a mission to inspire better lives, Panda Express®, the largest Asian dining concept in the U.S. Family-owned and operated since 1983 by Co-Founders and Co-CEOs Andrew and Peggy Cherng, Panda Express is best known as a trailblazer for creating a wide variety of industry-first recipes, including its best seller The Original Orange Chicken® and award-winning Honey Walnut Shrimp, which have defined the category of authentic American Chinese cuisine. Each dish at Panda Express is thoughtfully crafted with quality ingredients and inspired by bold Chinese flavors and culinary principles. The restaurant brand has more than 2,500 locations and has introduced American Chinese cuisine to 12 international countries. Powered by a global family of associates, Panda Cares®, Panda’s philanthropic arm, has raised more than $329 million and has dedicated countless volunteer hours in bettering the health and education for over 15 million youth, as well as supporting communities in need since 1999. In 2021, Panda Express established the Panda CommUnity Fund — a five-year, $10 million community investment and response program that supports immediate and sustainable solutions from national and local organizations to uplift diverse groups, including people of color and other marginalized communities. For more information about Panda, visit PandaExpress.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.