A learning center offering tutoring, academic enrichment and other educational resources to young people has opened at the Mar Vista Gardens public housing community in Del Rey, officials announced Monday.
The Panda Cares Center of Hope was opened Friday by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica in partnership with the Panda Cares Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Panda Express, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, according to the organizations.
The center, at 4901 Marionwood Drive, includes new furniture, books, educational materials and other resources intended to provide an after-school learning space for children and teens.
The center supports Project Learn, a Boys & Girls Clubs of America program that provides homework assistance, tutoring, enrichment activities and hands-on learning opportunities, officials said.
“We are very grateful for this space,” Brynja Seagren, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica, said. “It serves as a hub for curiosity, literacy, and innovation, which are all foundational to academic success.”
Seagren said participants will have access to STEM kits, books, art supplies, digital learning platforms, mentoring and workshops intended to connect education with practical skills and careers.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica operates the club at Mar Vista Gardens in partnership with HACLA.
“HACLA is proud to join our partners in opening the new Panda Cares Center of Hope — a space where young people can feel safe, supported, and inspired to discover their full potential,” HACLA President and CEO Lourdes Castro Ramirez said. “When we come together to put kids first, we strengthen families, uplift communities, and build a brighter future for all of us.”
Panda Cares and Boys & Girls Clubs of America began their partnership in 2020. Panda Cares has committed more than $62 million to academic programs, Project Learn, Centers of Hope and scholarships for young people pursuing higher education, according to the organizations.
The initiative is expected to reach 200 Panda Cares Centers of Hope at Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide this year.
Panda Cares is funded in part through donations made by customers at Panda Express restaurants.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica has operated for more than 80 years and offers programs focused on education, workforce readiness, healthy lifestyles and leadership.
HACLA, established in 1938, provides affordable housing, rental assistance and supportive services to more than 200,000 Los Angeles residents, according to the agency.