First Bank and Amer-I-Can Foundation for Social Change announce Grand Opening of Life Skills Center

GARDENA, Calif. - Oct. 20, 2021 - PRLog -- LOS ANGELES, CA – The Amer-I-Can Foundation for Social Change today announced it will open a Life Skills Center in Gardena on Thursday, October 21, 2021. This Center is made possible in part through an ongoing partnership with First Bank, and will be housed at its 1644 West Redondo Beach Boulevard location. The Amer-I-Can Center will serve as a hub for life skills training, workforce development and community building.

"Amer-I-Can is pleased that our partnership with First Bank has grown to include a physical location," said Monique Brown, President of Amer-I-Can. "It is critical that community members have places they can go to learn critical life skill skills, and then use those skills as building blocks for obtaining employment, and building a secure financial future for themselves and their families."

As citizens of Los Angeles continue to experience the lingering impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the opening of the Center is opportune, according to Nelson Arevalo, Manager of First Bank's Gardena Branch. "Now more than ever, individuals need open access to the opportunities a banking relationship can provide," Arevalo said. "This includes everything from immediate benefits such as avoiding expensive check-cashing fees, to intermediate benefits like improving one's credit score, to long-term benefits such as property ownership."

In addition to providing Life Skills Training and Financial Empowerment Seminars, Amer-I-Can will use its Gardena Community Center to serve as a hub for helping community members progress in their life plans, secure employment or progress in their careers, and gain access to any social service resources they may need. Amer-I-Can Team members will also use the Center for meetings with city, corporate and community partners.

"If the pandemic has taught us anything, it's that none of us can fulfill our goals in isolation," Brown said. "We must all come together and combine our resources to achieve those common goals that build thriving communities."

As the Center's work progresses, Amer-I-Can will use a grant from the NFL Foundation to help staff the Center with the physical and human resources it requires for optimal impact. This includes hosting monthly life skills classes for area residents, and individual life plan monitoring sessions for those who have graduated from the program in LACOE schools or other locations. However, there continues to be a significant gap between needs and resources.

Those wishing to contribute to or partner with the Amer-I-Can Foundation to build workforce capacity for our city, sponsor monthly life skills classes for those trying to better themselves, or simply make a financial contribution, may contact its leadership by writing to info@Amer-I-Can.org. Those wishing to sign-up for life skills classes can learn more at https://Amer-I-CanCommunity.partners .