BofA Partners with San Francisco Giants on Life Lessons for Local Youth

In partnership with the San Francisco Giants and the Giants Community Fund, Bank of America has served as the presenting sponsor of Junior Giants baseball for the past eight seasons. Over 18,000 youth ages 5 – 18 in 160 cities throughout northern and central California participate in the free program that encourages youngsters and families to live healthy, productive lives. The program is administered in collaboration with Police Activities Leagues (PAL), Parks and Recreation Departments, and other caring community members including bank employees, all of whom serve as the

commissioners, coaches, umpires and mentors for the boys and girls who participate. Junior Giants provides character training and baseball instruction during the summer in areas where community/youth programs are needed most – in the inner cities and outlying rural communities. The Fund provides each league with the

necessary baseball equipment and uniforms needed for games and practices. Along with the fundamentals of the game, the program stresses the "Four Bases of Character Development": Confidence, Integrity, Teamwork and Leadership. This underscores the unique, character–driven nature of the Junior Giants program.

Working on Bikes to Break the Cycle of Poverty

Homelessness, poverty, incarceration and drug addiction contribute to San Francisco’s 11.6% poverty rate. These crippling social problems impact not only the individuals experiencing them, but also surrounding communities. Most affected are young people who are never given the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty. Luckily, New Door Ventures, founded in 1981, is helping at-risk youth in San Francisco prepare for work and life through job-readiness and job-placement programs, within a supportive community. New Door began as a homeless shelter, but realized that what the poverty-stricken needed were jobs.

Bank of America has played a crucial role in the growth and development of New Door Ventures: business services, grants that help expand programs and both credit and deposit accounts. Bank of America also invests by volunteering, whether on a board or mentoring individually.

“Bank of America has a history of deep involvement in the communities it services. We believe that we can help build vibrant, dynamic neighborhoods,” says Chris Leupold, Managing Director at bank of America and New Door Board Member. “New Door is helping to do that and Bank of America will continue to sustain our support.”

In 1989, New Doors opened Ashbury Images, a screen printing shop operated out of a basement that sold shirts primarily to non-profit organizations. Today, they sell shirts, mugs and hats to organizations and major brands. In 2001, New Door expanded by adding Pedal Revolutions, a bicycle shop that trains at-risk youth how to perform bike maintenance and other job skills. These social enterprises guarantee jobs and show youth what

“We need organizations like Bank of America to help us succeed.” says New Door Ventures CEO Tess Reynolds. “New Door Ventures has a double bottom line and Bank of America helps with both. From a business side they provide financing, merchant services, deposit services and a line-of-credit. From a social perspective they provide volunteers, grants and have invested in our leadership.”

In 2010, New Door Ventures served 208 at-risk youth. All participants who were previously homeless

“When I think about expansion and the future, I often call my Bank of America partners for input and guidance – I know I can count on them,” continued Reynolds.

Join the conversation: Learn how we're working to help strengthen communities — on the Bank of America Facebook page

A Sweet Dream: The Best of Chocolates Under One Roof

America is the land of opportunity, where the entrepreneurial spirit thrives. Each year, an estimated 600,000 businesses are created. For some, it’s about taking a chance on a “big idea.” For others, like Michael Freeman, it’s about carrying out a vision. After losing his job, Freeman decided to fulfill his dream: providing the best of the world of chocolate under one roof in San Francisco. With the money he had saved up, he travelled throughout Europe in search of the best chocolates. Yet, when it came time to open up shop and distribute these delicacies, Michael didn’t know much about how to finance it.

“To guess and leave the business side up to chance would have been dangerous. I had a mortgage and an investment account with Bank of America and asked for a referral to help me with a business.” Michael said. “That’s when I met Rob.”

Michael met with Rob Glenn, a Client Manager at Bank of America, who walked through the steps to start his business. Six months – and one well-thought out business plan – later, Bank of America lent him the capital and provided the banking services he needed to get started.

CocoaBella Chocolates opened in November 2004 in San Francisco's Marina district, featuring the finest chocolates from Belgium, Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain, Canada and the United States. After this first location, Michael saw the potential for another in a new area of Westfield Mall: a prime sidewalk level space. Rob knew how to make it happen again and helped finance CocoaBella’s second location.

“Now after 7 years, Michael knows all the services and we are able to really talk about his future and where he wants to take his business,” said Rob.

At the beginning, CocoaBella had three employees. Today, there are 25 employees in San Francisco, plus operations in Kansas City, MO. Plans for future growth include moving beyond San Francisco into the Bay area, and then perhaps to New York City. Michael hopes to have 10 locations in the near future.

“Small business drives our economy and, at Bank of America, we have established a division that is dedicated to their needs,” said Rob. “We have the resources of a large bank, but it’s managed and staffed

Knowing that Bank of America can meet his needs anywhere in the United States or internationally provides Michael peace of mind and allows him to focus on his business.

Join the conversation: Learn how we're working to help strengthen communities — on the Bank of America Facebook page

Community giving outdoors

Courtney Lee is like a sponge, absorbing insights and skills from whatever she is doing – gardening in her community, working as a soundboard technician with Youth For Asian Theater, restoring parks through the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

Though her interests are varied, one area Lee feels a particular connection with is community gardening. She served as a volunteer with Garden For the Environment, then became a community outreach advocate for the organization.

Looking around her, Lee saw classmates who could benefit from getting outside and participating in

As part of encouraging her fellow students to get outside and get involved in the community, Lee began the Lowell High School Gardening Club. “I really wanted to give students the opportunity to do something they’ve never done before,” she said.

Because of the commitment Lee has shown to serving the community, she was honored with a Student Leader

Lee completed her award’s internship at the Boys & Girls Club of San Francisco at Hunters Point, an area she described as “socio-economically disadvantaged,” and “isolated.” While there, Lee became aware that many of the kids were using the club as a source of strength to help deal with difficulties at home. “A lot of these kids come in every day. [They want to] get away from the home, just sort of socialize with a bunch of their local friends and the staff, who are there to support them.”

It was through her internship that Lee realized for the

Lee then had the opportunity to share her experiences with other award winners at the NEI Student Leadership Summit. She was inspired by the participants and the speakers who discussed the important intersection of non-profits, business and government that fosters good in the community.

“It made me feel like I wasn’t the only one out there in the community doing some work that is pretty radical for people my age,” Lee said. “It definitely feels like you

Her takeaway from both activities is clear: Lee feels certain that building partnerships and joining together are the keys to strong community initiatives. “It’s going to be very taxing if you do it alone,” she said. “So if you do it in partnership with a bunch of other people, then you can distribute the work and you can reach a wider audience at the same time.”

See more about Bank of America's Neighborhood Excellence Initiative.

A grant to the California Academy of Sciences helps create “the greenest museum in the world”

Just two years ago, the doors of the new California Academy of Sciences, located in the heart of Golden Gate Park, opened to the public. Following a decade of planning and fund-raising, the Renzo Piano-designed museum—which houses an aquarium, planetarium, rainforest, and natural history museum—opened on September 27, 2008. A week and a half later, the U.S. Green Building Council issued its formal rating, awarding the facility its highest possible certification: LEED Platinum.

Founded in 1853 as the first scientific institution in the west, the academy opened its first public museum in 1874 and began exhibiting its animal and plant specimens and rare artifacts to visitors.

A major earthquake and ensuing fire in 1906 destroyed the Academy’s building and fifty years of research collections. By 1916, the academy had relocated to Golden Gate Park, where it grew over the decades to house twelve different buildings built over 80 years, including an aquarium, planetarium, and more. Then in 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake left the institution with major structural damage.

Over the next several years, the academy took advantage of the opportunity to rethink its approach for the 21st century—and create a destination that would bring the latest in scientific research to the public in the most engaging and entertaining ways possible. During the early phase of the campaign to fund and design

the new Academy, Bank of America got actively involved, providing a $500,000 grant to the organization.

The period of transition gave the academy the opportunity to become a major scientific and cultural institution internationally, expanding its educational outreach programs to reach a wider, more diverse audience and exploring new, technologically advanced ways to communicate ideas about science to the public. Today, 1.6 million people, including more than 300,000 school-aged children, visit the museum each year. The first draw is the combination of planetarium, aquarium, rainforest and natural history museum under one roof.

The planetarium has the world’s largest all-digital dome, the aquarium houses 38,000 live animals, including 1600 in the four-story rainforest, and the natural history museum exhibits some of the institution’s 26 million scientific specimens.

But the roof itself is also notable. Also designed by Renzo Piano, the 197,000-square-foot rooftop undulates above the building, providing a dense concentration of native plants and wildflowers and a visitors’ observation terrace. The green rooftop keeps the building’s interior an average of 10 degrees cooler than a standard roof and the plants transform carbon dioxide into oxygen, capture rainwater and reduce energy needs.

With its help in funding the new museum, Bank ofAmerica sought to do its part to increase innovative science education for students and adults, creating a destination that has a positive impact on the community. The bank’s support helps the museum inspire in its visitors a sense of wonder, understanding and stewardship of the natural world.