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Media contact: Ruth Ruiz, (714) 765-5060 office, (714) 420-7797 mobile
ANAHEIM STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS PRESENTED YESTERDAY; HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED A CALL TO ACTION FOR BUSINESSES TO GET INVOLVED IN LOCAL YOUTH PROGRAMS
$70,000 was raised to support ACT Anaheim’s commitment to local youth programs
ANAHEIM, Calif. (February 4, 2015) The City of Anaheim held its annual State of the City address and luncheon yesterday, where 750 attendees joined the Anaheim City Council Members, business and community leaders in hearing Mayor Tom Tait share highlights from 2014 as well as a presentation inviting the entire community to get involved with volunteering, mentoring and providing opportunities for Anaheim youth.
Highlights from the address also included: the Anaheim Ducks and Angels Baseball’s successful seasons; Disneyland Resort embarking of the 60thanniversary of Disneyland park; a vibrant downtown Anaheim and opening of the Anaheim Packing House restaurants and craft breweries; a thriving arts community; a safer city; becoming an even more business-friendly city; the revitalization of Beach Blvd. in west Anaheim; the opening of ARTIC – the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center; and the success of addressing homelessness through the Coming Home Anaheim initiative and setting a goal so no veteran lives without shelter in our city by this time next year.
Statistics show a 14% decrease in crime this past year, yet there is more work to be done. “In spite of the good things happening in our city, too many of our Anaheim youth are at risk,” said Mayor Tait. “Too many are driven to drugs, gangs and petty crime. Too many are simply not reaching their potential. We must pull together as one to overcome it.”
In 2012, Disneyland Resort funded a Youth Services Assessment study, conducted by the Olin Group. The study found Anaheim is a youth-centric city, yet more programs are needed to provide opportunities for youth to learn and grow to their full potential. As a result, ACT Anaheim (Accelerate Change Together) was launched in 2013 to fund the programs and services that are needed to give our City’s most vulnerable youth a chance to succeed in life.
At the heart of the State of the City address was a call for the business community to get involved. “Through ACT Anaheim, the business community has created a collective fund that will send resources to our non-profit programs and agencies that are successfully bringing opportunities to our children throughout the City. Every business needs to be a part of this,” said Mayor Tait, who asked businesses to consider giving of their time, talent and treasure.
One meaningful action taken by several local businesses was in response to 5,000 Anaheim High School students asking for help. “We all know what the power of a mentor can do to help a young person. A simple act of kindness has the potential to turn a life around or give it direction. Knowing this, we initiated the Mayor’s Mentoring program in partnership with the Anaheim Union High School District,” said Mayor Tait. Kaiser Permanente was among the first to respond, and recently invited students to visit their Anaheim facility.
“We’ve looked deeply into our community,” Mayor Tait continued. “We understand what it needs to be successful. It’s time to bring business partners together not just from Anaheim, but also from all over Orange County to meet these needs. Just imagine what we’ll do together – our Anaheim deliberately and effectively bringing real opportunities to every one of our children.”
Net proceeds from the State of the City address totaled $70,000, all of which will serve Anaheim youth through ACT Anaheim.
The 2015 State of the City transcript can be seen by clicking here.
A video of the State of the City address can be seen by clicking here.
For more information on the City of Anaheim, please visit www.anaheim.net.
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ABOUT ANAHEIM –The City of Anaheim, founded in 1857, is one of the nation’s premier municipalities and is one of California’s most populous cities. Anaheim covers 50 square miles with more than 348,000 residents and more than 2,900 City employees. The municipal corporation’s annual budget is $1.6 billion. Anaheim supports a thriving business community with companies such as: Carl Karcher Enterprises, Inc.; L-3 Communications; Pacific Sunwear; and Disneyland Resort. Successful sports franchises call Anaheim home, including: Angels Baseball; Anaheim Ducks; the U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team, and the 2012 Olympic Games Silver Medal winning U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team. Anaheim also boasts world-class meeting and entertainment venues with: The Anaheim Convention Center, LEED-certified and the largest on the west coast; Honda Center; City National Grove of Anaheim; Anaheim GardenWalk; Angel Stadium of Anaheim; and ARTIC (Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center). In addition, Anaheim embraces its vibrant cultural arts community, including the world-renowned Anaheim Ballet. Annually, Anaheim welcomes more than 20 million visitors to the City, truly making it where the world comes to live, work and play. For more information, please visit www.anaheim.net.