Ross Dress for Less® and Boys & Girls Clubs of America Extend and Expand Longstanding Partnership to Give More Kids Great Futures
Press Release
ATLANTA – January 31, 2025 – Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), Ross Stores, Inc., and the Ross Stores Foundation today announced a three-year extension of their longstanding partnership. Ross has increased its support for BGCA programs that promote academic achievement and life skills for hundreds of thousands of young people across the country.
As part of the partnership, Ross Stores will continue to serve as the National Sponsor of BGCA’s Power Hour homework help program. The program addresses kids’ immediate academic needs and fosters long-term skills such as time management, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
The upcoming annual “Help Local Kids Thrive” Ross Dress for Less (“Ross”) in-Store fundraiser will once again benefit Power Hour at Clubs across the nation. From February 8th through March 2nd, Customers can donate during checkout at their local Store. The Ross Stores Foundation is matching Customers’ donations, up to $500,000. Over the past ten years, the in-Store campaigns have raised nearly $32 million, thanks to the generosity of Ross Associates and Customers.
Each year, Ross Stores’ partnership also recognizes Club teens for their achievement and commitment to personal development and education through Ross Stores Foundation Scholarships. Awarded to eligible high school seniors at select Boys & Girls Clubs across the nation, the scholarships are intended to cover education-related expenses for undergraduate studies at accredited two- or four-year college or vocational technical schools.
In addition, as part of the new partnership agreement, the Ross Stores Foundation will strengthen its support of summer academic enrichment programs like Summer Brain Gain, designed to prevent summer learning loss. Ross Stores Foundation’s donation will also enable program improvements in Clubs, ensuring young people are met with the most relevant and updated tools to achieve academic success.
“At Boys & Girls Clubs of America, we believe that all young people deserve the opportunity to reach their full potential,” said Jim Clark, president and CEO. “We are grateful for dedicated partners like Ross that continue to invest in our mission as we bring academic resources to more kids and teens nationwide.”
“Ross Stores has been proud to partner with Boys & Girls Clubs of America for the past 16 years and we are thrilled now to strengthen our work together to help prepare today’s youth for a brighter tomorrow,” said Leslie Oestreicher, Ross Stores, Inc. Group Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability. “Boys & Girls Clubs are at the heart of the communities where our Associates and Customers live and work, and we are grateful for the opportunity to support their programs that enable kids to dream and achieve big goals.”
Over the life of the partnership, Ross Stores and the Ross Stores Foundation, along with their Customers, Associates, and other partners, have donated more than $50 million to BGCA. Beyond the financial contributions to the organization’s mission, Ross Stores’ partnership is instrumental in fostering community engagement to educate local families on the importance of academic support available at local Boys & Girls Clubs.
For more information about the partnership or how to support this work, visit https://www.bgca.org/about-us/our-partners/ross/
About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 160 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA.org) has provided a safe place for kids and teens to learn and grow. Clubs offer caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Boys & Girls Clubs programming promotes academic success, good character and leadership, and healthy lifestyles. Over 5,400 Clubs serve more than 3 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. The national headquarters is located in Atlanta. Learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of America on Facebook and X.
About Ross Stores, Inc.
Ross Stores, Inc. is an S&P 500, Fortune 500, and Nasdaq 100 (ROST) company headquartered in Dublin, California, with fiscal 2023 revenues of $20.4 billion. Currently, the Company operates Ross Dress for Less® (“Ross”), the largest off-price apparel and home fashion chain in the United States with 1,836 locations in 43 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam. Ross offers first-quality, in-season, name brand and designer apparel, accessories, footwear, and home fashions for the entire family at savings of 20% to 60% off department and specialty store regular prices every day. The Company also operates 356 dd’s DISCOUNTS® stores in 22 states that feature a more moderately-priced assortment of first-quality, in-season, name brand apparel, accessories, footwear, and home fashions for the entire family at savings of 20% to 70% off moderate department and discount store regular prices every day. Additional information is available at www.rossstores.com.
Media Contacts
Eliza Lynch
Director of Public Relations
Boys & Girls Clubs of America
203-522-7010
elynch@bgca.org
