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At AppLovin, we are fortunate to have leadership that supports giving back to our communities and employees are provided with an opportunity to make a real impact — thanks to the AppLovin Cares program. Further to that, our culture is defined by the drive to continually push for more and aspire to greatness, and bringing on talent that is self-motivated, intellectually curious and those that will go above and beyond what’s typical. This belief in giving highly motivated people opportunities is one of the reasons AppLovin Cares supports Minds Matter San Francisco (MMSF).
I became personally involved with MMSF two years ago as education is a cause I am passionate about, and eventually joined the MMSF Associate Board to further support the organization. MMSF is a volunteer-run, nonprofit that transforms the lives of low-income, highly motivated high school students by broadening their dreams and preparing them for college success. This involves putting them through summer programs, weekly tutoring sessions, and mentoring. Since 2010 MMSF has mentored more than 120 high school students, and has yielded 100% acceptance rate of students to top universities.
I hosted a Lunch and Learn where Irene Shih, CEO of Minds Matter San Francisco, came to AppLovin San Francisco. It was through this initial event that employee engagement with MMSF deepened into a corporate sponsorship from the team.
“Minds Matter San Francisco is a really personal investment for me,” said Irene Shih, CEO of Minds Matter San Francisco. “I grew up in the Bay Area, and my family struggled financially when I was a child. I’ve been the product of great parents, but I also saw the limits of a village confined just to the knowledge and resources that my parents had. My mother, in her tremendous wisdom, always encouraged me to seek mentorship and guidance – to remain curious about the stores of knowledge that other people have, simply by living a life with access to experiences different from mine. Minds Matter San Francisco, at its core, is really about investing in the network of people who will expand the boundaries of a child’s imagination for what their life can look like.”
On October 9, Minds Matter SF hosted their 10th Annual Soiree where AppLovin was a corporate sponsor, which was an evening to honor the organization’s tenth anniversary and celebrate the work of the students. This was a first-hand opportunity for people to learn about the work MMSF does to ensure college success for low-income, high-achieving students.
“It was an absolute pleasure to attend Minds Matter San Francisco’s soiree this year. The image that sticks out most for me, and what has me continuing to think about the organization, was the look of pride and happiness that the mentors had while they watched their mentees give their testimony on their experience in the program,”said Tyler Kent, Growth at Lion Studios. “It’s inspiring, and contagious, to witness the empowerment these kids gained from the support they received.”
The event raised $239K from sponsorships, auctions, and pledges, and broke all records from previous years. This support allows MMSF to cover tuition logistics for student summer programs, provide a safe space for classroom sessions every weekend, subsidized ACT/SAT testing fees, and applications waivers, and a full, nourishing meal for students every Saturday during class.
“Minds Matter San Francisco is growing its capacity to serve every low-income, high-achieving student in San Francisco who is in need of our services. This ramp-up requires significant investment – both financial and strategic,” said Irene Shih. “AppLovin Cares has been a key donor for MMSF for the last two years. The team has taken an active part in helping to shape the future of our impact as an organization. It’s hard to quantify how much that means to a non-profit like ours, one that has always relied and thrived upon the deep dedication of our supporters. AppLovin Cares is modeling a way of being for how companies can meaningfully partner with nonprofits to support their shared community.”
We are glad to support MMSF and grateful to have the opportunity to give back to our communities through AppLovin Cares. As I start my sixth year at AppLovin and reflect on the experience, the DNA of continually improving and evolving, the opportunity to work with those that aspire for greatness, and the empowerment from those before me are what make AppLovin a great place to work and AppLovin Cares an incredible organization to be involved in to make a tangible impact in our communities.
