April 20, 2006 | Read Time: 1 minute
THE FACE OF PHILANTHROPY
Photograph by James Scott Geras
When one San Francisco charity refers to the ballpark as a field of dreams, it’s talking about a lot more than a love of baseball.
Since its founding in 1993, Juma Ventures has run several businesses that employ young people from the poorest parts of the city and provided training and support to help them navigate the difficult transition from youth to adulthood. And for the past 11 seasons, the organization has been hiring young people to sell ice cream and coffee at the stadiums where San Francisco’s two professional sports teams, the Giants and the 49ers, play.
The fast-paced environment is a great fit for teenagers, says Jim Schorr, the organization’s executive director. “They love being out at the ballpark. It’s a pretty cool first job.”
Roughly 2,000 young people have worked in the charity’s businesses, earning a total of $3-million in wages. In addition to job-skills training, the organization provides financial-literacy education and programs that allow the teenagers to explore educational and career opportunities. Over the past six years, participants have saved nearly $500,000 of their wages in savings accounts in which Juma matches their deposits.
This year, working with two Oakland youth organizations, Juma Ventures is expanding its concession business to the McAfee Coliseum, home of the A’s baseball team. The move is the first step in what Juma hopes will be an expansion to parks across the country.
Here, a participant in the organization’s employment program sells coffee at a San Francisco Giants baseball game.
