Video: Boeing Support Helps Homeboy Industries Make a Difference
Solar panel installation training by Boeing supports Southern California gang intervention, rehab and reentry program
Boeing Support Helps Homeboy Industries Make a Difference
Located in downtown Los Angeles, Calif. is Homeboy Industries – the largest gang intervention, rehab and reentry program in the United States. It’s referred to as a “beacon of hope,” offering services such as free tattoo removal, skills training, legal advice, and employment opportunities for those looking to redirect their lives after gang life or doing hard time.
“Homeboy Industries is sort of an exit ramp off this crazy, violent freeway called gang violence,” says Homeboy Industries founder and director Father Gregory Boyle, also known as Father G. “It offers people a way out.”
The most successful program, Father G says, is the Boeing-funded Solar Panel Installation Training Program, made possible through the company’s Global Corporate Citizenship (GCC) organization. It has an incredible success rate, providing a highly desirable skill that translates to good jobs.
The solar panel program directly aligns with Boeing’s goal to improve communities through effective job training. The idea is that by helping underserved individuals, they and their families will have greater income and self-sufficiency, allowing them to become successful contributors in their communities.
“Homeboy Industries is sort of an exit ramp off this crazy, violent freeway called gang violence. It offers people a way out.”
And the impact doesn’t stop there: Boeing’s employees, through the Employees Community Fund (ECF) of Boeing California, also have a strong history of providing donations to Homeboy through support of the Homegirl Café.
“Employees these days, they don’t want to just go to work and earn a paycheck and go home,” says Steve Goo, Boeing vice president of Aircraft Modernization Services and Homeboy board member. “They really want to do something that matters.”
According to Goo, it’s crucial for companies to give back to the communities where they live and work. He believes that Boeing’s support of Homeboy, and other organizations like it, is making a tremendous impact in people’s lives.
Homeboy Industries is just one among many non-profit organizations that Boeing partners with. The company has a long history of helping communities across the globe through its support of arts and culture, civic, education, environment and health and human services needs. Last year, Boeing and its employees contributed more than $147 million to help improve lives worldwide.
