49ers Touch Down, Capital Campaign Nears Completion, and More… What’s Happening at Sunnydale?

Over the summer, Sunnydale residents and staff played host to a wide variety of visitors and guests, bringing mentorship and much-needed funding to the community.

Firstly, Sunnydale residents of 290 Malosi hosted some very special guests. Longtime Mercy Housing partner and Defensive End for the San Francisco 49ers Arik Armstead brought 16 of his teammates to a community picnic and panel presentation attended by 55 Sunnydale youth and their families.

As seen in the video above, the NFC West Division champions shared words of encouragement and career advice, including reflections on the way affordable housing had impacted some of their lives.  Afterward, they circulated casually, with youth and families in small groups to enjoy dinner and one-on-one conversations. The visit marked just the beginning of a great partnership between Sunnydale and the San Francisco 49ers. On August 12, 60 more youth were invited for a special visit to Levi Stadium to enjoy a preseason 49ers victory against the Green Bay Packers.

In July, California State Senator Scott Wiener, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, and San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Shamann Walton hosted a press conference to announce a $5 million State grant for the HUB, the new neighborhood center that includes a recreation center, community center, early childhood education, and an expanded Boys & Girls Club.

Not to be outdone, The City of San Francisco also made an $11 million contribution to the project.

“We’re going to get there,” Mayor Breed emphatically confirmed. “We’re going to get it done for Sunnydale, so let’s continue to work on it and get it done quickly.”

With this recent influx of support, the multi-year Build the Hub Capital Campaign is more than 90% complete.  The fundraising teams are busy trying to raise the final $5 million needed to finish the capital campaign, and the contractor and architect are putting final touches on the drawings in anticipation of starting construction late this fall.

Mercy Housing and our partners at Related California, Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco, and Wu Yee Children’s Services are close to reaching our Build the Hub fundraising goal. Visit BuildtheHub.org to learn how you can get involved, or contact Shashi Jivan at sjivan@mercyhousing.org.