When successful businessman Joe Baldo looked around his community, he wanted to do more than simply succeed in business; he wanted to give back.  Like the idea behind the movie Pay It Forward, Baldo believed one act of kindness could change lives.

While volunteering at Juvenile Hall, 2008 – 2010, he noticed a heartbreaking pattern.  Youth were released, only to return.  The recidivism rate was high.  Instead of asking why they kept coming back, Baldo asked a different question: What if someone reached them before they got into trouble?  Baldo sold his video production business a few months into his time in the Hall so that he could devote himself fully to this mission.

Inspired by his faith and a desire to help vulnerable youth discover purpose and potential, Baldo left the Hall in 2010 and began engaging youth who were on the “Outs”, assisting them to navigate life better than before, to remain out of Juvenile Hall.

As youth groups grew in cities like Santa Ana and Anaheim, Joe and a few close friends would meet with teens in parks to play sports and share a meal.

In 2012, tensions in Anaheim exploded after two police involved shootings caused a riot in the city.  Looking for solutions, Tom Tait, the mayor of Anaheim, became interested in what Baldo was doing in one of Anaheim’s parks. He and other city leaders encouraged Joe to engage their youth more often than once a week.  

Higher Ground opened its first facility soon after, when the City of Anaheim offered it space in Lincoln Park to use as Higher Ground’s home base.  Community leaders hoped the organization could help rebuild trust and provide opportunities for local youth.  

This was the beginning of Higher Ground Youth and Family Services (Higher Ground), a nonprofit dedicated to engaging, educating, equipping, and empowering youth and families in underserved communities.

The first challenge was the two rival gangs at opposite entrances of the park.  Baldo slowly earned the gang members’ trust.  He understood that relationships come before change.  Since many of the youth spent their days drinking beer and smoking marijuana, he began bringing snacks along with sports equipment.  Over time, sports became a focal point more than gang hostility, and the gangs eventually yielded to Higher Ground’s programming, allowing youth to enter the park for daily after-school activities, mentorship and free food.

Many of those served by Higher Ground come from single-parent homes and face serious socioeconomic challenges.  Without Higher Ground, some youth return home after school to empty apartments with no supervision and sometimes no dinner.  Without support, they can easily become vulnerable to gangs, drugs, and other risky behaviors.

Today, Higher Ground offers a wide range of programs designed to strengthen both youth and families.  Geraldine Densmore, Chief Administrative Officer, describes the organization’s mission this way:  “To prepare youth for lifelong learning, resilience and socioeconomic stability, Higher Ground provides a holistic range of after-school and summer programs tailored to meet their evolving needs.”

Programs include homework assistance, academic tutoring, literacy development, STEM education, art and music programs, behavioral health assessments, counseling, gardening, cooking classes, sports, and video production.  The goal is not simply to keep youth occupied, but to help them envision a different future for themselves. 

Baldo believes that helping young people also means helping their families and communities.  Counseling and educational support are provided for parents, along with practical workforce training opportunities.  Parents can learn skills such as sewing, cooking, baking, cake decorating and creating balloon arches for celebrations.  English classes and computer literacy are also available.

Food assistance is another important part of the program.  Youth and families can receive meals and snacks, and groceries free of charge, to help prepare meals at home.  Summer programs provide experiences that many of these youth would otherwise never have.  Through the Los Angeles Maritime Institute, students participate in sailing lessons in San Pedro, learning navigation, mapping constellations and teamwork.  

One of the most inspiring aspects of Higher Ground is how former participants often return to serve others.  Some who once attended the program now work there as staff members and volunteer as mentors, giving today’s youth a living example of hope and success.

Higher Ground partners with the Fullerton School District to assist with after-school programming at Orangethorpe Elementary School and Raymond Elementary School.  The organization also collaborates with colleges and community agencies.   Nursing students, as well as other college students from a wide range of majors, come from Chapman University, CSUF, CSULB, UCI, Hope International, Vanguard, Loma Linda, BIOLA, Concordia and others, to complete internships, field study and service learning on Higher Ground’s campus.  

Last month, Higher Ground opened a new facility in Orangethorpe Park in Fullerton.  The center offers after-school programs for middle and high school students, including homework help, mentoring, sports, gaming, music, leadership development and counseling services.  

Educational presentations for parents are also offered. CEO,  Dr. Jesse Paine, shares brain research that helps parents better understand adolescent development, including the fact that the human brain is not fully developed until approximately ages 25 to 28.  Families also receive education about ADHD, mental health, nutrition, anxiety, and depression.  The Fullerton Center is coordinated by dedicated staff members who believe that changing a community begins by investing in its youth.

In a world where many young people feel unseen, Higher Ground offers something powerful: belonging, encouragement, and hope.  

What began with one man bringing sports equipment and food to dangerous parks in OC has become a life-changing ministry to hundreds of youths and families.

God bless Higher Ground, its staff and the many volunteers who continue to help young people rise to Higher Ground

Find more information at https://www.highergroundoc.org/fullerton (click here)