Sunoco Foundation Donates $1 Million

PHILADELPHIA -- With a pledge of $1 million from the Sunoco Foundation, the $30 million North Philadelphia-based Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center will open its doors in 2010, the Philadelphia Business Journal reported.

Under "The Sunoco Foundation Learning Center" banner, the Salvation Army Kroc Center will provide educational programming including after-school and enrichment programs to children and teens.

"Approximately 35 percent of North Philadelphia residents live below poverty level, and more than 67 percent are single parent homes. The Sunoco Foundation Learning Center will build a better economic future for North Philadelphia families bringing hope to a new generation of at-risk children," Mary Capetola, president of The Sunoco Foundation, told the newspaper.

This past February, Capetola traveled to San Diego to visit the nation’s first Salvation Army Kroc Center, which has transformed the neighborhood, according to the report. "Greater collaboration among all stakeholders -- corporations, private citizens and non-profit organizations will fully leverage the impact of our investment in the community," she told the Philadelphia Business Journal.

The Philadelphia Salvation Army Kroc Center is projected to bring $1.3 million in revenue to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through 2012. Philadelphia is one of 30 cities in the nation and eight on the East Coast to be a selected site for a Salvation Army Kroc Center. The North Philadelphia Center is expected to serve between 750 to 1,000 people per day, doubling the amount it currently services.

"The services provided by The Salvation Army are incredibly important, providing much needed support to some of the most vulnerable people in our community," Philadelphia’s Mayor Michael Nutter told the paper. "We are very grateful to The Sunoco Foundation for their generous gift of $1 million to this campaign that brings the Center closer to its goal of raising $30 million. I hope that other business leaders follow their example and support this important project which will benefit Philadelphians most in need of help and support."
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