Casa Youth Shelter is proud to announce it has been selected as a 2021 California Nonprofit of the Year by Senator Tom Umberg representing Senate District 34.
“I am proud to award such an incredible organization with this annual honor. Casa Youth Shelter has helped countless children and families overcome difficult times by providing them with comfort, safety, and a continuously supportive community. The 34th Senate District is lucky to have Casa as a valuable resource,” said Senator Umberg.
Casa Youth Shelter is one of more than one hundred nonprofits that will be honored by their state senators and assemblymembers for their tremendous contributions to the communities they serve.
For over 43 years, Casa Youth Shelter has served and nurtured youth, ages 12-17, with shelter, counseling, and support services, empowering them to come through their crisis with increased confidence, stability, and tools for continued growth. They serve youth and families from over 50 cities in Orange, Los Angeles, and other counties in Southern California. Year over year, our top three referring cities are Anaheim and Santa Ana in Orange County, and Long Beach in Los Angeles County. From safe shelter to counseling, parenting classes to life skills, Casa Youth Shelter’s door have remained open 24/7, even during these unprecedented times.
“We are deeply humbled and grateful to be recognized by Senator Tom Umberg as a 2021 Nonprofit of the Year. I am proud to say that Casa Youth Shelter’s staff works incredibly hard every day, and even more over this past year, to make sure youth in crisis feel respected, safe and secure, and get the tools they need to stabilize and transform their lives. With our phenomenal staff, our caring Board of Directors, and the generous partners who make our work possible, we have been able to support teens in crisis with shelter, counseling, and basic needs every day,” comments Amy Lakin, Executive Director at Casa Youth Shelter.
“The pandemic and shelter-in-place orders of the past year and a half have put nonprofits– usually hidden in plain sight – in the spotlight,” explains Jan Massaoka, CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits). “California Nonprofit of the Year is an opportunity for our elected officials to celebrate the good work they see nonprofits doing in their districts, and for everyone to appreciate the collective impact of nonprofits in our communities.”
California Nonprofits Day, now in its sixth year, was formally recognized by 2021 Assembly Concurrent Resolution 80, authored by Assemblymember Luz Rivas, and co-authored by Senator Monique Limón. Each year legislators from across California have chosen a Nonprofit of the Year in their district.
Traditionally, honorees and legislators are invited by CalNonprofits, Chair of the Senate Select Committee on the Nonprofit Sector Senator Monique Limón (Santa Barbara), and Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on the Nonprofit Sector Assemblymember Luz Rivas to a celebratory luncheon on California Nonprofits Day. This year, like 2020, the luncheon was cancelled in response to pandemic restrictions, but legislators moved forward with honoring nonprofits doing great work in their districts.
According to “Causes Count,” a 2019 report commissioned by CalNonprofits, the nonprofit sector is the 4th largest industry in the state, employing more than 1.2 million people. Each year, California nonprofits generate more than $273 billion in revenue and bring in $40 billion in revenue from outside of California. The unpaid labor contributed by volunteers at nonprofits is equivalent to 330,000 full-time jobs every year.