July 2015 – At a Board meeting held recently in Tampa, Florida, Sky Ranch Foundation℠ (www.skyranchfoundation.org) reviewed Letters of Inquiry from several organizations that help in the rehabilitation of at-risk youth and has awarded $180,000 in grants to nine deserving organizations: Peninsula Outreach Programs, Inc and Pacific Lodge Youth Services of California, Rapid City Club for Boys and Boys & Girls Club of Rosebud of South Dakota, Boys and Girls Haven of Kentucky, Red Hook Initiative and Boys’ and Girls’ Towns of Italy of New York and Urban Initiatives and SOS Children’s Villages of Illinois.

Our first 2015 grant, $10,000, was awarded to Peninsula Outreach Programs Inc. (POPS Kids) of California. Founded in 1993, POPS Kids serves those in the community who are unable to receive aid from traditional sources. The Family Assistance Program and the Referral Service Program provide a valuable safety net for those “falling through the cracks”. However, it is their Conductive Education Program, added to POPS in 1995, that filled the greatest and most immediate need. To learn more, visit www.popskids.org.

George McCarthy, Chairman and Ralph Aguera, President of Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ note, “We are proud to award a renewed grant to POPS Kids. Their continued good work has helped hundreds of at-risk boys and girls”.

Ursula Miller, Founder and CEO of POPS Kids says, “For the third year in a row Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ is generously supporting Life Without Limits, a unique program providing opportunities for motor disabled children to enjoy summer recreation. The generosity of the beverage alcohol industry at large, including Sky Ranch Foundation and Southern Wine & Spirits, has been a lifeline for our program expansion in Northern and Southern California. We could not grow these programs without their ongoing support and we are most grateful.”

Please join the Foundation ℠ at our memorial ceremony in South Dakota on Saturday August 29 as we unveil a distinctive plaque designed to honor the dedicated men and women who worked at Sky Ranch for Boys ® during its 51 years of service.  For information, contact Dori Bryant at 727-947-3522 and doribryant@aol.com.

About Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ and Sky Ranch For Boys ®

Since 2011, the Foundation ℠ has awarded $922,394 in grants to organizations providing support for at-risk youth. Formed in 1961 and building on more than 50 years of tradition, Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ is a tax-exempt charitable organization committed to identifying and offering grants to efficient and effective programs focused on improving the quality of help available to these youth.

Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ is governed by a board of directors comprised mainly of active and retired members of the beverage alcohol industry. The Foundation’s ℠ funds have come largely from individuals and companies associated with the beer, wine and spirits industries and reflects the industry’s great concern and commitment for at-risk youth. www.skyranchfoundation.org ℠