South San Francisco, CA April 9, 2018 Submitted by Robert Riechel, San Bruno Community Leader
Article Source: San Bruno Community Foundation (CA)
SAN BRUNO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION RECEIVES $280,000 DONATION FROM GOOGLE AND YOUTUBE
Google and YouTube Employees Send Outpouring of Thanks to San Bruno’s Police and Fire Departments for Swift Response to YouTube Shooting
San Bruno, California, April 9, 2018 – The San Bruno Community Foundation today announced that, in response to the brave work of San Bruno’s first responders who supported YouTube during a violent incident at its San Bruno headquarters on April 3, Google.org and Google and YouTube employees are donating more than $280,000 to the Foundation. The funds will support first responder effectiveness training and other related programs in partnership with the San Bruno Police and Fire Departments, building upon the First Responder Effectiveness Strategic Initiative that the Foundation launched last month with grant funding.
Google and YouTube are making a $100,000 grant to the Foundation to support first responder programs in San Bruno. They also invited their employees to express their gratitude to the first responders by making individual donations to this effort, which Google.org will match. In the first 48 hours, more than 800 Googlers from around the world donated more than $90,000. With Google.org’s initial $100,000 grant and its matching donation, the Foundation expects to receive more than $280,000 from the Google/YouTube community.
On April 3, San Bruno police officers responded within minutes of receiving the first reports of gunfire at YouTube’s headquarters located in San Bruno’s Bayhill business park. Other jurisdictions provided additional support. Three YouTube employees were shot and wounded by the assailant before the shooter took her own life. First responders evacuated the building and searched the premises, looking for evidence and ensuring the threat was over. An investigation of the shooting, led by the San Bruno Police Department, is ongoing.
Following the incident, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki tweeted, “There are no words to describe how horrible it was to have an active shooter @YouTube today. Our deepest gratitude to law enforcement & first responders for their rapid response.”
The Google donations build upon the San Bruno Community Foundation’s First Responder Effectiveness Strategic Initiative, which the Foundation launched in early March with a $160,723 grant to the City of San Bruno to bolster the effectiveness of San Bruno’s first responders, both in their daily interactions with the community and in the event of a serious disaster like the 2010 gas pipeline explosion that led to the Foundation’s creation. In crafting the initiative, the Foundation at that time recognized the importance of first responders in the San Bruno community, particularly in light of recent events around the state and country, including fires, hurricanes, shootings, and other acts of violence.
At the core of the Foundation’s initiative are community-oriented projects intended to enhance the preparedness of the San Bruno Police and Fire Departments in dealing with major public safety incidents as well as their day-to-day responsibilities through advance planning and training. The Google/YouTube donations will support these and other first responder-related programs in San Bruno.
“We are grateful to our police and fire departments for their swift and thoughtful response in the face of tragedy in San Bruno, and to Google.org and the entire Google and YouTube community for partnering with the Foundation to strengthen first responder prevention and preparedness efforts in our community,” commented Nancy Kraus, President of the Foundation. “The Google/YouTube donations will support programs that help ensure that San Bruno’s first responders will be ready and prepared to act in future public safety incidents.”
The San Bruno Community Foundation is the nonprofit organization created by the City of San Bruno to administer the $70 million in restitution funds received from PG&E after the devastating 2010 gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno’s Crestmoor neighborhood. The Foundation serves the San Bruno community by investing in projects, programs, services, and facilities that have significant and lasting benefits. Through making grants, leveraging partnerships, and taking advantage of other resources, the SBCF assists and enables the community to maximize shared investments and realize their subsequent enhancements and benefits.
Leslie HatamiyaExecutive Director
San Bruno Community Foundation
lhatamiya-sbcf@sanbruno.ca.gov
Office (650) 763-0775
www.sbcf.org