About us

April Parker Foundation

The April Parker Foundation is a community-based non-profit organization that serves the historically underserved BIPOC communities in Orange and Los Angeles Counties through a range of culturally relevant, highly supportive offerings. We strive to empower disadvantaged individuals, families, veterans, and small businesses with the goal of uplifting our community as a whole.

Our organization was born out of the necessity to meet the needs of our beneficiaries and was founded by individuals who are deeply connected with the local community’s needs. As a Foundation, we are committed to making racial diversity, equity, and inclusion part of everything we do – from the programs we develop to the people we hire and the community members we serve.

Core Values

The heart of our organization

Diversity & Inclusion

We believe in upholding the dignity of every human being and respecting every person's right to access the help they need to thrive. We strive to create an inclusive and welcoming environment centered on kindness, compassion, and nonjudgmental support. We work to build a culture of inclusion that offers a seat at the table to every person in our community.

Accountability

We take full ownership of our individual actions and responses, regardless of the actions or behavior of others. We are transparent, owning up to mistakes and making a sincere effort to correct them. We are committed to being reliable and dependable. We are people of integrity who are willing to be held responsible and to be answerable to those who have placed their trust in us.

Commitment

We are committed to going above and beyond for the people we serve, putting their needs first, and serving to the best of our abilities as a team. We maintain an unwavering focus on doing everything within our power to ensure our community has the support it needs to overcome obstacles and seize all the opportunities available to them. Everything we do is centered around this commitment.

Empowerment

We believe anyone can realize their dreams when they are imbued with the confidence and agency to act on their own behalf. Every person has the right to take control of their own life’s outcomes by getting the appropriate support, and empowering individuals can heal whole communities. In all our work, we make sure to give communities access to resources and services that help empower them.

Compassion

We believe in finding ways, large and small, to shower compassion on every human being we encounter. We aim to be servant leaders who listen carefully to the needs of others, not only offering sympathetic ears but helping hands, voices of advocacy, and caring hearts. Creating a culture of compassion is at the heart of what we do, and will allow us to advance our mission and best serve our community.

Education

We believe people can only make confident decisions about their lives when they are armed with information. We are on a mission to promote personal agency by giving communities access to open education. We encourage people to stay informed as part of their work to become the best possible versions of themselves. Education is an essential step in empowering individuals.

Vision

Our mission is to improve the health, social and economic outcomes of underserved communities by removing barriers to equitable access to resources and supportive services.

Mission

Our vision is to establish a thriving community by actively strengthening socially and economically underserved individuals, families, and businesses, through the offering of direct services and resources.

Founder

April Parker is a successful business executive and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in contract law. She is known for her leadership and for creating well-known brands such as EDEN Bodyworks and April Parker Shoes. After witnessing the consequences of economically disinvested communities growing up in Baltimore, Maryland, she joined the U.S. Army and later founded the April Parker Foundation in Long Beach, California.

We run toward challenges, overcoming obstacles, we are hurdlers.

Meet the team

Experts in empowering communities

Join Our Mission

The April Parker Foundation removes barriers to equitable access to resource and supportive services to improve the health, social and economic outcomes of the underserved communities.