The year was 2014: people around the world participated in the “Ice Bucket Challenge” to support ALS research; the San Francisco Giants beat the Kansas City Royals to win the MLB World Series; and Juma expanded our award-winning work to support young people in Santa Clara County.
Our launch in the South Bay began with the opening of Levi’s Stadium in July 2014. After recruiting 108 youth, our first-ever Santa Clara cohort put on their Juma visors and their polo t-shirts to work their first shift– a soccer match featuring the San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders FC (home to another Juma site). Levi’s Stadium enjoyed a successful inaugural year of sold-out games, which meant record sales for our first South Bay youth cohort. Collectively, young people learned and demonstrated remarkable customer service skills, working 409 shifts and earning over $65,000 in 2014 alone.
In 2016, the Super Bowl came to town. Super Bowl 50, held at Levi’s Stadium, was an exciting opportunity for Juma youth to participate in a historic event. Over 120 Bay Area youth were given the chance to work the big event and collectively earned $15,000 in wages. Working at an event of this caliber helped youth practice their customer service, interpersonal, and money management skills. Plus, the halftime show featuring Queen Bey herself made the night even more memorable. Former Juma youth Andrea G. exclaims, “I got to see Beyoncé! I was like, I love my job!”
In addition to providing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our young people, Juma was one of five nonprofits awarded the “Game Changer” grant by the 50 Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee, and received $500K to fund our expansion into San Jose.
Now, 10 years later, Juma San Jose has grown its local footprint to include PayPal Park, SAP Center, and Tech CU Arena– in addition to Levi’s Stadium. Since it launched in 2014, Juma San Jose has employed over 750 youth who have collectively earned more than $1 million in wages and stipends.
We look forward to celebrating our 10th anniversary milestone with the community at Pave the Way on May 9, 2024 at Olla Cocina in downtown San Jose. Join us to toast our accomplishments and hear more about what we have in store for the decades ahead. Tickets to Pave the Way are available at juma.org/pavetheway.
