Donation supports families seeking to end the cycle of poverty
SACRAMENTO, CA — The Kelly Foundation awarded $100,000 to Saint John’s Program for Real Change, an organization that operates the largest shelter for women and children experiencing homelessness in the Sacramento region. The donation will go towards building strong family support structures leading to generational independence and less homelessness.
“Saint John’s directly impacts the lives of women and children desperate for change, and we are excited to partner with an organization that helps the community thrive one life at a time,” said Shawn Kelly Devlin, Chairman of the Board of the Kelly Foundation and of River City Bank. “We’re confident this donation will support families in need to become self-sufficient after experiencing such challenging circumstances.”
“We are proud to support the women and children of the Saint John’s Program for Real Change and respect their ambition to better their lives after undergoing detrimental situations,” said Steve Fleming, President and CEO of River City Bank.
After an expansion in 2017, Saint John’s added 11 modular homes in 2021, which house up to 55 individuals. Saint John’s now serves up to 320 women and children daily with an on-going waitlist. Members receive extensive education, counseling and training to help lead them to a future of success both personally and professionally. In addition, the finest chefs from the Sacramento area partner with Plates Café each month to provide a one-of-a-kind gourmet meal in support of the women and children served at Saint John’s Program for Real Change.
“The Kelly Foundation’s grant is an investment that will heal lives for generations,” said Julie Hirota, CEO of Saint John’s Program for Real Change. “We appreciate the Kelly Foundation and River City Bank for believing in women and children who work so hard and choose to permanently escape the cycle of poverty and dependence.”
The Kelly Foundation supports health and human services, education, culture, environment, and civic improvement through its funding. During the Foundation’s 2022 fiscal year, approximately $850,000 in grants were provided to organizations that support the Sacramento region. Since merging with the RCB Foundation in 2009, the Kelly Foundation, of which River City Bank remains a major contributor, focuses on giving back to the greater Sacramento region through charitable donations.
For more information about the Kelly Foundation, please visit KellyFoundationSacramento.org. For more information about Saint John’s Program for Real Change, visit SaintJohnsProgram.org.
About the Kelly Foundation
The Kelly Broadcasting Company’s KCRA-TV (Sacramento-Stockton-Modest, CA) went on the air on Sept. 5, 1955, and the owners of the Kelly Broadcasting Company established the Kelly Foundation in December 1988 as a formal vehicle for structuring charitable contributions. The Kelly family sold KCRA-TV in 1999 and have continued the Kelly Foundation ever since. In 2009, the River City Bank Foundation merged with the Kelly Foundation, and some executives of the Bank currently serve on the Foundation’s Board. Jon S. Kelly founded River City Bank in 1973 and his daughter, Shawn Kelly Devlin, currently serves as President and Chairman of the Board. The Kelly Foundation is an expression of the importance the Kelly family places on being a good neighbor and citizen in regions where they do business. For more information on the Kelly Foundation, please visit KellyFoundationSacramento.org or call (916) 978-4892.
About Saint John’s Program for Real Change
Since 1985 Saint John’s Program for Real Change has provided more than 30,000 homeless women and children with the essential tools to rise above their circumstances and make REAL, transformative change in their lives. Operating the largest shelter in the Sacramento Region, Saint John’s Program is the one focused exclusively on women and children–the most vulnerable and rapidly growing segment of the homeless population in our region and nationwide. Dedicated to the eradication of homelessness, this 18-month comprehensive program includes mental health therapy, alcohol and drug counseling, parenting education, high school diploma preparation and attainment, budgeting classes, healthy relationship training and a proprietary Employment Training Program. Accommodating over 700 clients and their children each year with three levels of increasingly independent housing, 96% of Saint John’s Employment Training Program graduates secure unsubsidized employment, a crucial step in their journeys to self-sustainability.
