SDG_Logo_NoTage_White
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

Corpsmember Connection
Featuring: Manhal Jajju

Corpsmember Connection
Featuring: Manhal Jajju

Meet Manhal.

His favorite food? Dolma.

Favorite school subject? Math.

Favorite activity? Being outside, specifically amongst trees.

Manhal Jajju will be graduating from the Urban Corps of San Diego County this December and could not contain his excitement when asked about this achievement.

“I’m very excited and so is my family. I’m excited to follow my dreams,” he said with a wide smile.

Here’s a little bit of his story.

Manhal was born in Iraq and after spending time as a refugee in the country of Jordan, left to come to the United States. “I came with zero experience, no dreams, no nothing.”

Through Urban Corps, Manhal received the opportunity to earn his education as well as paid job training; along the way discovering a deep passion for serving people and the environment through planting trees.

“I love planting trees. It’s my favorite. Trees give oxygen and energy to people and it’s not just for me – it’s for my kids. It’s for the future.”

Currently, Manhal serves as a crew leader at Urban Corps, where not only has he been tasked with training and developing current Corpsmembers (students) and future leaders, he’s also responsible for planting trees across our county.

Manhal is responsible for planting hundreds of trees across San Diego County over the last few years.

“Manhal is a great leader,” said Nallely Lopez, Urban Corps’ Urban Forestry manager. “He’s willing to train Corpsmembers and takes on a variety of tasks. He’s always looking to expand his experience.”

Hope for the future

Dreaming about the future was once a luxury for Manhal, but as graduation approaches, he finds himself full of plans, ideas and hopes.

“Now I have plans for 20 years,” he says excitedly, but in all seriousness.

“I need to help other people, so first I need to graduate. Then I’d like to become a supervisor to gain more skills and to teach others what I know. In the future, I want to open my own environmental business where I can work alongside others and treat them with dignity.”

Wrapping up our time with Manhal, we asked about Urban Corps’ impact on his life. He responded saying, “I became better. When you’re done with Urban Corps, you’ll have received a better life.”

“Thank you everyone in Urban Corps.”

SDG_Logo_NoTage_White
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

Urban Corps of San Diego County Receives $100,000
Donation From Guild Giving Foundation

Money will be useds to help young adults with education and job training

Urban Corps of San Diego County received a $100,000 donation from the Guild Giving Foundation, a nonprofit organization created by Guild Mortgage to deliver on its commitment to building relationships and strengthening communities. The money will be used to help Urban Corps continue its mission to provide young adults ages 18-26 a second chance for a high school diploma while giving them the tools to expand their career opportunities through paid job training.

“The Guild Giving Foundation and Guild Mortgage are long-time supporters of Urban Corps and we can’t thank them enough for their support,” said Kyle Kennedy, CEO of Urban Corps of San Diego County. “This donation will help us continue to give our Corpsmembers the opportunity to earn a high school diploma and receive life skills and paid job training that will put them on the road to success. In our 2022 fiscal year, 66 Corpsmembers graduated with their high school diplomas, 20 percent are headed to college and 80 percent are employed.”

The donation was raised from Guild Giving Foundation’s annual Charity Golf Tournament and Dinner Social that included golf, dinner and a silent auction with items such as vacation packages, sports memorabilia and one-of-a-kind experiences.

“The Guild Giving Foundation is committed to giving back to communities where Guild Mortgage employees and customers live,” said Mary Ann McGarry, president and CEO of Guild Mortgage. “We encourage our employees to volunteer, support financial literacy and deliver on our commitment to provide shelter and inspire positive change. Urban Corps is an organization that provides a positive change in San Diego County and we are proud to donate and help them with their mission of education and paid job training.”

About the Urban Corps of San Diego County

Founded in 1989, Urban Corps of San Diego County is a certified local conservation corps and charter school whose mission is to provide young adults ages 18-26 the tools to expand their career opportunities through paid job training, support services and a second chance to earn a high school diploma.

For more information or to join Urban Corps, visit https://urbancorpssd.org/ and follow us on Twitter (@SDUrbanCorps), Facebook & Instagram (@sandiegourbancorps), TikTok (@urbancorps) and LinkedIn.

# # #