When our executive management team here at PAN approached me to brainstorm ideas for group volunteer activities, I was excited and honored. Philanthropy has always been a passion of mine. The team expected me to come back with a few volunteer activities like working in soup kitchens, building a house or volunteering at a local animal shelter. But as I got to thinking about it, I knew we were capable of much more as an entire organization. I knew that PAN had the passion, the people and the kindness to make a bigger impact.

So when I came back to my colleagues with the idea and plan for a bigger initiative, there wasn’t a moment’s hesitation from our CEO Phil Nardone. He and the executive management team were eager to commit the resources and start the journey of launching our first official corporate philanthropy program – what I am proud to announce to you today as PANcares.

This marks an important milestone in PAN’s philanthropic achievements. For 22 years, we have made it a priority to give back to the community – through pro-bono projects, donations to local and national causes, group volunteer activities, fundraisers and offering paid time off to employees who volunteer. PANcares is taking these efforts even further to more powerfully impact our four communities – in Boston, San Francisco, Orlando and New York City. We are excited to announce that PAN is partnering with the MA Coalition for the Homeless, Covenant House Florida in Orlando and Covenant House California to fight back against youth homelessness in our communities. In partnering with these local organizations, we will provide pro-bono PR services, as well as opportunities for PAN staff to participate in volunteer activities with the organizations. PAN continues to evaluate potential partners for its New York City office, and will kick off an additional NYC partnership in early 2018.

As we evaluated each community where we have a PAN office, we were compelled to launch PANcares united around support for a cause that is deeply relevant and important to all of our communities. Across the nation there are an estimated 2.5 million children without homes who are not getting the proper education, health and family support they need. With these partnerships, we are doing our part to stand up in our communities and fight against the tragedy of youth homelessness.

Everyone deserves a home and a warm, safe bed to sleep in year round, but that is far from the reality. Youths who experience homelessness are in their situations for many different reasons – from victims of domestic abuse, to human trafficking, to substance abuse, to family issues around LGBT youths – and many more. Some temporarily experience homelessness while, for others, the cycle continues on and on. Though the reasons and timelines for homelessness vary, each youth experiencing homelessness is at a disadvantage and at risk.  PANcares will work with each partner organization to help raise awareness for this important issue, while also raising awareness for how the community can get involved and help to end the cycle of homelessness.

We have worked with a number of organizations and causes over the past 22 years, including volunteering at soup kitchens around the holidays, donating to disaster relief efforts, conducting office fundraisers, and supporting PR efforts for a prom event for teens with cancer. We are narrowing our focus on youth homelessness for the coming year as an organization. We’ll continue to evaluate additional philanthropic efforts and donations as opportunities arise, and our staff leverages PAN to explore their philanthropic passions. As we unify our cross-office initiatives to support one important cause, we believe we can have a stronger, direct impact on our communities, working together to improve the lives of youths experiencing homelessness.

The impact of homelessness is profound and devastating. We are proud to put our integrated marketing expertise to good work, partnering with admirable, local organizations and helping young adults, teens and children who are so often unable to help themselves. Join us as we start this journey – follow along on our social channels to see updates and posts about our staff volunteering!

For more information about PAN’s corporate philanthropy program, read the press release here.