Our National Community Partners
For more than 15 years, we have been honored to partner with Boys & Girls Clubs of America and First Book. Both organizations align with our philanthropic mission and are helping to build brighter futures for kids in the communities where Ross and dd’s DISCOUNTS Stores are located and where our Associates and Customers work and live.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Ross is invested in Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s (BGCA’s) mission to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Together, we work to help children achieve academic success, build confidence, and lead healthy lives. Over the lifetime of our partnership, our Foundation and Company—together with our generous Customers, Associates, and other partners—have contributed more than $46 million to BGCA.
Ross is proud to serve as the national sponsor of Power Hour, BGCA’s most utilized program. Power Hour is an after-school homework help and learning program for youth ages 6 to 18. The program aims to increase academic success and to better prepare Club youth to enter the workforce and higher education institutions with the skills needed to compete globally. We are proud of Power Hour’s success and the important role it plays in the lives of approximately 625,000 Club kids nationwide who participate in the program.
In addition, we provide incremental annual support to 39 specially chosen regional Club networks. Through these sponsorships, we provide an annual grant and scholarship program for high-achieving college-bound students at more than 100 local Clubhouses nationwide.
Throughout the year, we also expand our support and strengthen our connections with local Clubs when we open new Stores and through Associate engagements.
“One of my main missions as librarian is to help my students build their home libraries, and there is absolutely NO way I could do it without dd’s and First Book!”
— Donia C., South Shaver Elementary School
First Book
Millions of children from low-income areas do not have access to books and other critical tools necessary to learn. First Book works tirelessly to make these resources affordable and available to educators and kids who need them most, reaching five million children annually. dd’s DISCOUNTS proudly partners with First Book in this effort to equip local kids with new, high-quality books in order to turn them into readers, learners, and leaders.
Together with the generous support of our Customers and Associates, since 2009 we have raised more than $7 million for literacy programs in local communities and enabled First Book to distribute more than 2.5 million new books to kids in need across the country. We continue to look for opportunities to support First Book and their local literacy partners throughout the year.
In-Store Fundraising
Ross holds annual in-Store fundraisers at Ross Dress for Less and dd’s DISCOUNTS Stores that are an important element of our year-round support of BGCA and First Book. During these three-week fundraisers, our Customers are invited to join our efforts and make a donation at check-out to support local Boys & Girls Clubs at our Ross Stores and First Book literacy partners, such as schools and libraries, at our dd’s DISCOUNTS Stores. The dedication of our Associates and the generosity of our Customers have allowed us to strengthen our support of our national partners over the years.
Ross’ “Help Local Kids Learn” Fundraiser for BGCA
Associates at our Ross Dress for Less Stores across the country lead a fundraiser every year that benefits BGCA and supports the Power Hour after-school homework help program at their local Club.
During the 2023 “Help Local Kids Learn” fundraiser, held in February, we raised more than $4 million for BGCA’s Power Hour and local Clubs.
We are thankful for the efforts of our Associates, the generosity of our Customers, and the match from the Ross Stores Foundation, all of which made this important contribution to BGCA possible.
Through the campaign and other activities, we aim to establish strong connections between our Stores and the local Clubs. Eighty percent of the funding raised in each Store stays within the community and goes to the local Boys & Girls Club. The remaining funds raised go to the BGCA organization and provide support for the curriculum development and expansion of Power Hour nationwide.
dd’s DISCOUNTS’ “Youth Literacy Fundraiser” for First Book
Every year during the Back-to-School season, Associates at our dd’s DISCOUNTS Stores lead a fundraiser to benefit First Book. Our Store teams rally around the cause each year, assembling creative storybook-themed displays and engaging in friendly competition. Their efforts ensure that First Book can distribute more books and resources to the children in our communities who need them most.
Through the 2023 “Youth Literacy Fundraiser,” we raised more than $930,000 to provide books for 370 schools and local literacy programs in communities close to dd’s DISCOUNTS Stores.
The funds raised at each Store go to local literacy programs. These programs then get to choose the best books from First Book for their students based on age, language, and need, with options that include wide representation of diverse characters and authors. As a result of the 2023 campaign, more than 227,000 books were purchased, with more than 70,000 children benefitting from these donations. In First Book’s 2023 survey of the educators involved in the program, 99 percent of them said that the books they received have increased children’s interest in reading.
Grand Openings
As our Company grows, so do our partnerships with BGCA and First Book. We make a donation to a local Boys & Girls Club or First Book literacy partner whenever we open a new Ross Dress for Less or dd’s DISCOUNTS Store. In 2023, we donated to more than 95 local partners near our newest Stores. From the moment the doors of a new Store open, we are working to have a positive impact on the local community and help support local youth.