Sanctuary Palm Springs surprised with $10,000 Spotlight Grant
News Channel 3 and the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation are teaming up to surprise valley nonprofits with $10,000 grants.
On Tuesday, Sanctuary Palm Springs was awarded a surprise Spotlight grant to help support their 24-hour staff and expand programming for their residents.
Sanctuary Palm Springs provides transitional housing for youth in the community. Many come from foster care and identify as LGBT or are questioning their gender or sexual preference.
“If somebody identifies as gay one day and the next bisexual and the next day asexual, it’s the same human being,” said Executive Director, Rob Woronoff. “What we are interested in is, do you have a job? Can we help you get a job? Are you doing your homework? Are you going to your therapy appointment?”
The nonprofit currently houses six individuals who are all between the ages of 18 and 21.
One of the residents, Michael Lowery, has been in foster care since he was four years old. He has called the sanctuary home for two weeks.
“Here they’re very open with you and they’re very accepting of you,” Lowery said. “They don’t care if your green or blue they just want you to be you and succeed.”
“They come to us so beat, and they want to give up, but we just keep trying to encourage them not to because we know that they can do it,” said Program Director Tammy Nelson.
Sanctuary Palm Springs is always looking for volunteers and role models in the community to help out. If you are interested, visit sanctuarypalmsprings.org.
