Lancaster – Senator Scott Wilk, R- Antelope Valley, today presented Desert Haven Enterprises (DHE) with the inaugural “21st Senate District Nonprofit Appreciation Award.” Desert Haven Enterprises, located in Lancaster, is dedicated to developing and promoting the capabilities of persons with developmental disabilities.
“Desert Haven Enterprises is a model nonprofit, and I am so pleased to be recognizing them today. DHE has deep roots in our community and improves the future for so many people with developmental or intellectual disabilities,” said Wilk. “Helping a group of citizens whose voices can often go unheard gain a greater sense of self-worth and confidence improves not only their lives but the community as a whole.”
In 1954 the first seeds were sown for what later would become DHE. It started with a group of parents meeting to find playmates for their children with developmental disabilities. That effort became a preschool, and the preschool eventually morphed into Desert Haven Enterprises, an organization that maximizes the potential and independence of persons with developmental disabilities through vocational training and job placement.
Nonprofits play an important role in our communities. Their work often goes unrecognized, which is why Senator Wilk created the Nonprofit Appreciation Award. The award will be given quarterly to local nonprofits doing business within the 21st Senate District.
Some statistics about California’s nonprofit community:
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Nonprofit economic activity contributes 15 percent of California’s gross state product.
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Nonprofits rank as the fourth largest industry in California by employment, with nearly one million people employed by nonprofits, accounting for 1 in every 16 California jobs.
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Each year nonprofit organizations bring in at least $40 billion in revenue to California from out-of-state sources.
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California nonprofit organizations employ greater percentages of women and people of color than the overall civilian workforce.