The City of Chandler is known as a high-tech industrial city and a great place to live. What you might not know is that in the Downtown Chandler area, many families struggle to provide for their children and keep them safe from local gangs. For the last 25 years, ICAN: Positive Programs for Youth, a nonprofit established by Henry Salinas, has helped Chandler youth and their families succeed. Serving approximately 200 youth per day with healthy meals, transportation and a nationally accredited curriculum, ICAN is equipping youth with the critical skills they need to be productive and responsible members of the community, making a difference in Downtown Chandler.
Intel’s second-largest manufacturing facility is in Chandler, just steps from the ICAN community. Since its inception in 1991, we have partnered with ICAN to break the cycle of poverty and empower youth to make positive choices in their lives, and we’ve deepened our support over the years. In addition to traditional volunteer support for episodic events, Intel has provided ICAN with grants to encourage youth to explore computer science and technology careers through critical thinking and collaborative, hands-on projects. Retiring Intel employees have provided additional value to ICAN though the Intel Encore Career Fellowship program, which matches retiring employees with local nonprofit organizations, where they help the organization build capacity, operate more efficiently and, ultimately, have a broader impact on their communities.
At Intel, we recognize that the health of local economies — especially those where our employees live and work — is improved by access to technology and quality education that prepares individuals for the jobs of the future. Our long-time collaboration with ICAN has been successful because we’ve each leveraged our strengths to make a positive impact; we look forward to continuing to build our relationship in the coming years.
Elizabeth Shipley is the public affairs manager at Intel Corporation
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