Building Hope with Taller San Jose

Their name says it all: The Taller San Jose Hope Builders seek to develop underserved Orange County communities through empowerment in the form of job training. They quite literally build hope for populations who, due to poverty or other circumstances, may have never received the support they need to thrive in the 21st century workplace.

As a local non-profit business, Taller San Jose focuses on who they understand as “disconnected young people,” those who face the heartbreaking danger of not reaching their full professional and personal potentials. By providing coaching, training, and skills-building education, Taller San Jose doesn’t just build hope—they build the future.

Insight Investments supports the hard work this organization performs by acting as a sponsor for their annual Light Up A Life Gala. The event, which takes place at the end of every summer, celebrates the successes of the year and highlights goals and hopes for the upcoming year. The first ever Gala, in 1996, brought together supporters from both the business world and wider Orange County community to celebrate the empowerment and continued successes of the youth Taller San Jose assisted that year. The tradition continues in 2017.

In this year’s Gala, the Hope Builders bring together over 550 influential community and business leaders to celebrate the 2017 Best of Friends Honoree, the Brookfield Residential, as well as the continued growth and impact of the job training programs they provide. With every year, the mission stays the same but the outreach crucially expands to offer more support and more opportunities.

This year’s event features an auction, the Amigo Scholarship drive, a raffle, and a gourmet dinner. The program also features trainee speakers, who will use their speaking time to highlight the enduring professional and personal successes the Hope Builder youth have made possible.

The keynote address from Shawna Smith—the Executive Director of Hope Builders—will provide important updates about the organization’s continued work to bridge the skills gap between local employers and Orange County’s youth.

The Light Up A Life Gala promises to be one for the books. We’re proud to support the cause as a sponsor and foster continued connections between local business and our community.  Want to support the continued work of Taller San Jose Hope Builders? Become a Hope Builder sponsor today.