Our National Community Partners
Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 15 years, Ross and BGCA have worked together to help build brighter futures for kids near our Stores. Together, we 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 and Associates—have contributed more than $40 million to BGCA.
Ross is invested in BGCA’s mission to enable all young people—especially those facing socioeconomic challenges—to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
To support this mission, Ross is 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 6-18. The program aims to increase academic success 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 500,000 Club kids nationwide who participate in Power Hour.
In addition to our support of Power Hour, we also provide incremental annual support to 39 specially chosen regional Club networks. Through these additional sponsorships, we provide an annual grant and scholarship program for high-achieving college-bound students at more than 100 local Clubhouses nationwide.
We look for additional opportunities to strengthen our connections with local Clubs and expand our support throughout the year.
dd’s DISCOUNTS has been a true blessing for our community as well as the students and families. Your generosity provided a full month of new book giveaways! ALL of our students now have books for their home libraries. Teachers, parents, and other staff members have been so supportive and appreciative.”
— Library Media Specialist
First Book
For 15 years, dd’s DISCOUNTS has partnered with First Book to help turn local kids into readers, learners, and leaders by equipping them with new, high-quality books. Kids need books and resources, and millions of children from low-income areas do not have these critical tools needed to learn. First Book works tirelessly to make books and resources affordable and available to educators and kids who need them most, reaching 5 million children annually.
Since 2009, together with the generous support of our Customers and Associates, we have raised more than $6.1 million for literacy programs in local communities and enabled First Book to distribute more than 2.2 million new books to kids in need across the country. We look for opportunities to support First Book and their local literacy partners throughout the year.
In-Store Fundraising
An important feature of our year-round support of our national partners, BGCA and First Book, is our annual in-Store fundraisers. When checking out at the register during these three-week fundraisers, our Customers are invited to make a donation to support local Boys & Girls Clubs and First Book literacy partners, like schools and libraries. We are endlessly grateful for the dedication of our Associates and the generosity of our Customers, which have allowed us to amplify our support to our national partners over the years.
Ross’ “Help Local Kids Learn” Fundraiser for BGCA
Every year, Associates at our Ross Dress for Less Stores across the country lead a fundraiser to benefit BGCA and support Power Hour at their local Club. Through the campaign and other activities, we aim to establish strong connections between our Stores and the local Clubs. In fact, 80 percent of the funds raised in each Store stay within their community and go to the local Boys & Girls Club. The remaining funds raised go to BGCA to support Power Hour curriculum development and expansion.
To support the fundraiser, our Store teams put together creative displays and information tables, host fun activities, and engage in friendly competition – all to come together and maximize our support of BGCA’s mission.
During the 2022 “Help Local Kids Learn” fundraiser, held in August, we raised more than $3.4 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 helped us achieve this meaningful contribution to BGCA.
dd’s DISCOUNTS “Youth Literacy Fundraiser” for First Book
Every Back-to-School season, Associates at our dd’s DISCOUNTS Stores lead a fundraiser to benefit First Book. Donations made at each Store go to local literacy programs, which then choose the right books from First Book for their students based on age, language, and need. Every Customer donation at a dd’s DISCOUNTS Store means First Book can deliver more great quality and affordable books to children, including diverse titles through their Stories for All Project™.
Our Store teams rally around the cause each year by assembling creative displays featuring popular storybook themes and characters and by encouraging friendly competition. Their efforts ensure that First Book can distribute more books and resources to children in our communities that need them most.
During the 2022 “Youth Literacy Fundraiser,” we raised more than $830,000 to provide books for 364 schools and local literacy programs in communities close to dd’s Stores. More than 50,000 kids were reached through these donations.
Grand Openings
As our Company grows, so do our partnerships with BGCA and First Book. Whenever we open a new Ross Dress for Less or dd’s DISCOUNTS Store, we make a donation to a local Boys & Girls Club or First Book literacy partner. In 2022, we donated to 99 local partners near our newest Stores. These contributions have a positive impact on youth and help create community connections between our Stores and local partners from the day we open our doors.