“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” — African proverb
From Vision to Impact: Reflecting on a Year of Growth
Reflecting on last year, our Guidance Center community helped raise critical funds during Long Beach Gives to develop our Family Resource Center further. Much of this funding went to vital basic needs resources (i.e., food pantry items, school uniforms, and hygiene products), educational workshops (i.e., financial planning and nutrition), and other supportive programs. We are so grateful to have made our vision a reality: a community hub that welcomes all families and provides opportunities to connect. With over 900 families served in its first year, we have come so far together! Now we want to expand our reach so more children and caregivers can access the resources and support they need.
Hear Our Impact From Last Year
Building On Our Progress
For Long Beach Gives 2026, we focused on building upon the progress we made last year, while also bringing new programs to the Family Resource Center. These include mobile clinics onsite (vision, dental, health) and hosting an upcoming community resource fair in the spring. Generous corporate sponsorships and matching gifts helped kickstart our campaign. Local business fundraisers with The Breakfast Bar and Handel’s Long Beach brought even more people into the effort, while our supporters created peer fundraising pages, shared our campaign on social media, and made direct donations.
As we wrap up this year’s campaign, we’re excited to celebrate the many people who made it possible and what their generosity means for the families we serve.
Your Generosity in Action
Together, you contributed a little over $50,000 to support our Family Resource Center! Every gift helps sustain essential programs and resources while bringing us closer to reaching more children and caregivers.
Your participation also helped The Guidance Center earn two Long Beach Gives prizes: the 908 Challenge (for donations made at 9:08 AM) and Most Unique Donors in the large nonprofit category. This is our second consecutive year receiving the Unique Donor recognition, which is truly a reflection of the many people who believe in this work.
Whether you gave for the first time or returned to support us again, thank you for being part of this year’s campaign.
Celebrating Our Long Beach Gives Supporters
This year’s corporate sponsors really helped give this year’s Long Beach Gives campaign a strong start! Thank you to First Bank, Frameless Hardware Company, Steel Protections, and Tyler Construction Services, Inc. for investing in the well-being of local children and families. We’d also like to thank F&M Bank and Smart & Final for their additional financial contributions.
Acknowledging Our Top Donors ($500+)
Additionally, we would like to thank the generous donors who contributed over $500 in donations towards our Long Beach Gives campaign.
- The Breakfast Bar
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Kenny Foster
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Nancy Foster
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Paul, Marianne, and Olivia Gleason
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Stacey Heffner
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Barbara Hoenecke
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Kevin Howard
- Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau
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Karen Mazer
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Stephen O’Malley
- Chandra and Greg Prough
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The Rabin Family
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Milagros Saxon, Ph.D.
- Betsy Snare and Ed Walters
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Jim Walsh
- Derek and Marni Wratchford
Peer Fundraisers: The Driving Force in Our Campaign
We are so grateful to the Guidance Center staff, board members, and supporters who rallied their networks to support our nonprofit during Long Beach Gives. Many surpassed their goals while others may have inspired just a few friends to give, but each peer fundraiser played a vital role in expanding our reach and deepening our impact. Your dedication means more families will be able to access critical resources and mental health care through our new Family Resource Center.
What’s Next for the Family Resource Center
Your generosity will help us continue providing food assistance, housing referrals, parenting workshops, and wellness programs through our Family Resource Center.
Looking ahead to 2027, we plan to expand our reach through mobile clinics and community resource fairs, bringing services directly to more children and caregivers and reducing barriers to accessing care.
Thank you for helping us take this next step. Together, we can ensure more families have a place to turn for help, hope, and connection.
