$50,000 Donation Helps Open Milpitas Family Resource Center

A collaboration of local organizations has given Milpitas families something to celebrate. The Sunnyhills Family Resource Center, located at the Sunnyhills United Methodist Church, held its grand opening today thanks to The Health Trust, FIRST 5 Santa Clara County, and SJB Child Development Centers.  The Health Trust and partnering organizations have been remodeling the facility and grounds since the beginning of the year.

The Sunnyhills Family Resource Center is designed to provide young children with a place to learn, play, and interact with their parents in school readiness activities as they prepare to enter kindergarten.  The center will provide free programs where children learn basic literacy and numeracy skills as well as participate in physically active games and art projects that help prepare them for school.  Individualized parent education workshops and parent leadership trainings will also be offered to families.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony, The Health Trust CEO Frederick J. Ferrer honored Trumark Housing for investing $50,000 in renovating the site, presenting them with a recognition award.  “This is an investment in the children you see here today, in the future of Milpitas families, and in the early childhood development model,” said Ferrer.

FIRST 5 Santa Clara County Commissioner and Milpitas City Councilmember Carmen Montano recognized FIRST 5’s investment in the new Family Resource Center.  The new center is one of 13 Family Resource Centers in Santa Clara County funded by FIRST 5’s Learning Together Initiative and is expected to serve roughly 400 families annually.

“Every child, no matter their background or family income, should have a healthy beginning to life and rich learning experiences before entering school,” said Jolene Smith, FIRST 5 Chief Executive Officer.  “The Sunnyhills Family Resource Center will provide families with much-needed early childhood services in their own community.”

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, attendees toured the renovations while a children’s festival celebrated the opening with health screenings, children’s entertainers, dancing, and representatives from other Milpitas service agencies.

The Sunnyhills Family Resource Center is located at the Sunnyhills United Methodist Church at 355 Dixon Road, Milpitas, CA 95035.  The center is funded by FIRST 5 Santa Clara County and is operated by The Health Trust and SJB Child Development Centers.  For more information on specific services and events, please visit first5kids.org/frc or call 408.684.4785.

About The Health Trust

The Health Trust is a nonprofit foundation that provides grants, services and advocacy to support its vision of Silicon Valley as the healthiest region in America for everyone through its three initiatives – Healthy Living, Healthy Eating, and Healthy Aging.  It provides a variety of direct services aimed at improving the health and well-being of vulnerable populations in Santa Clara and northern San Benito counties.  For more information, visit www.healthtrust.org.

About FIRST 5 Santa Clara County

FIRST 5 Santa Clara County is a local public agency that distributes funding from California’s Proposition 10 Tobacco Tax to early childhood programs and services in Santa Clara County. The new center is one of 13 Family Resource Centers in Santa Clara County funded by FIRST 5’s Learning Together Initiative.  For more information on FIRST 5 and the Learning Together Initiative, please visit www.first5kids.org.