Ripken Partners Doing Great Work in Kern County

During our 20^th anniversary year, we would like to highlight some of the partner organizations that help us reach over 1.2 million at-risk youth each year. The Boys and Girls Club of Kern County has been a partner of the Ripken Foundation since 2015. They currently run all of our youth development programs which includes, Badges for Baseball, I’m GREAT, Healthy Lifestyles and Ripken Foundation Instructional Leagues. Additionally, they have a Ripken STEM Center and Youth Development Park. And, during one of our most challenging years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kern County continue to participate in our programs and have a positive impact on the kids we serve. In 2020, a total of 480 youth participated in either, Badges for Baseball, At-Home STEM, Virtual Fitness or the Ripken STEM Program. Maggie Cushine, director of grants management and program facilitation notes, “A big highlight was three of the teens that have participated in STEM programming at the Armstrong Youth Center, for several years and recently as STEM Mentoring peer mentors were selected to participate in our Summer Jobs Program and earn their first paychecks.”