Press Release

Center For Volunteer And Nonprofit Leadership Of Marin Lauds Ambassadors Of Hope And Opportunity
For Its Work With Youth Homelessness

San Rafael, CA (April 9, 2007) -- The Center For Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership of Marin (CVNL), which counts over 100 non-profit organizations among its members, is spotlighting Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity (AHO) in its most recent issue of The Leadership Journal, a compendium of nonprofit news.

"In less than two years, Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity has had extraordinary success in highlighting the issue of homelessness and in identifying ages 18 to 25 as a unique demographic culture," said CVNL.

Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity (AHO) is the only non-profit in Marin County that provides comprehensive services, including stable housing and counseling, for young adults ages 18 to 25 who are at risk of being homeless. Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity is on the forefront of a growing, under-documented trend of homelessness among this age group.

AHO recently completed the first one day homeless count of 18 to 25 year olds within the county, and identified 86 young adults who are homeless. Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity conducted the count within the cities of Mill Valley, Novato, San Anselmo, San Rafael, and Sausalito.

"We are honored to be spotlighted by The Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership of Marin, a long-time recognized leader in the nonprofit world," said Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity Executive Director Zara Babitzke. "We want to continue to spread the word about youth homelessness, because Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity believes that early intervention with this age group can prevent the formation of destructive life-long patterns."

Other accomplishments of Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity that CVNL highlighted include:

• Piloting a program for four homeless youth
• Providing host families for six months for youth to stabilize
• Matching four homeless youth with a life coach to assist in connecting to resources
• Producing five community forums to educate, create awareness and bring the community together around this issue
• Providing 120 youth with crisis support
• Partnering with the California Council on Youth Relations, California Research Bureau and the Pacific News Service regarding youth homelessness, generating Bay Area and statewide attention

Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity has received significant support since its 2005 inception from foundations as well as from the business community. The largest donor to the organization is LRG Capital Group of Larkspur, founded by Lawrence Goldfarb, which has contributed over $60,000. Foundations and other strategic partners that have contributed to AHO's support include the Marin Community Foundation, the REX Foundation, the Donald Collins Foundation, United Way of the Bay Area, Isabel Allende Foundation, San Francisco Foundation (Stupski Family Fund), the Zellerbach Foundation, Wells Fargo Foundation, JoMiJo Foundation, Autodesk, Unity in Marin, and The Mary Kent Schardt Trust.

About Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity

The mission of Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity is to provide a "safety net" of stable housing, guidance and community connections for previously abused, abandoned and/or neglected Marin County young adults, ages 18 to 25, without a caring adult or support system to build a meaningful and healthy life.