In 2009, the BLU Education Foundation was founded in response to the challenges families with limited income and limited opportunities face in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. BLU now offers several civic engagement and education programs with the goal of building healthy, productive communities in the region.

In its Inland Empire Black Agenda report, a collaborative effort with the Center for Social Innovation at UC Riverside, the organization identified priority needs. In surveying 1,100 Black parents, students and community stakeholders, the organization set five priorities. BLU has since created programs to address academic success, Black history, college and career success, effective teachers and graduation from college.

As a component of its College and Career Access Program to help seniors in high school connect with careers, BLU hosted its first Job Shadow Day on Thursday, Feb. 2. The Career Advising and Purposeful Pathways team coordinates with school districts to look at pathways to careers offered and works to take this a step further. Students connect with experts in the field of their choice and learn more about the process to pursue and achieve success in the field.

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