News
Flintridge Hits a Home Run
Daniel Torres, Flintridge Center’s Outreach Case Manager for the Apprenticeship Preparation Program (APP), knocked it out of the park at the Social Innovation Fast Pitch event last Tuesday evening. At the end of the night, he walked away with a $20,000 check made out to Flintridge.
The Social Innovation Fast Pitch program, coordinated by Social Venture Partners, trains 20 nonprofit leaders every year to craft a short, impactful pitch to convince donors that their organization’s work is worth an investment. Of those 20, 10 are selected to present their pitch in the final event to expert judges and a massive audience for a chance to win major prizes.
Our own Daniel Torres was selected as a finalist. Over 650 people gathered at the Skirball Cultural Center to hear the 10 finalists pitch to the judges. All of the finalists represented great organizations doing impactful work for their communities, and all of the pitches were incredibly moving and passionate.
Daniel told his incredible story about being desperate after incarceration, finding hope and support through Flintridge Center’s APP, and becoming a leader to others at Flintridge. He asked the audience to support Flintridge’s work to uplift the formerly incarcerated community members who need it most, with the impressive final statement, “We are so much more than what’s on our background checks.”
Daniel’s story moved both the crowd and the judges, and Flintridge was awarded the $10,000 audience vote award and the $10,000 judge’s award for the overall best pitch. We’re so grateful to Social Venture Partners for including us in this inspiring event.