The Guardsmen started in 1947 when an active group of civic-minded young professionals in San Francisco joined together to assess how they could impact the lives of disadvantaged children by creating opportunities to build life skills and make positive contributions to the community. Membership is through word-of-mouth and active members must be under 40 and meet an annual volunteer commitment.

Since its inception, The Guardsmen has impacted hundreds of thousands of students through its scholarship and campership programs. Today, there are 150 active Guardsmen and more than 500 senior Guardsmen who collectively raise over $1 million annually through their volunteer efforts. As an all volunteer organization with minimal administrative costs, approximately 90 cents of every donated dollar goes directly to providing:

• Annually over 5,000 Bay Area inner-city youth an opportunity to experience nature and learn about sustainability and the environment at summer camp;

• Over 120 scholarships to at-risk students to attend private education and to benefit from college preparatory studies; and,

• Bay Area schools and youth organizations an opportunity to grow and maintain their educational and recreational programs.

Guardsmen members receive no compensation for their services. Support comes primarily from donor contributions and volunteer-produced special events, like the Guardsmen Season Opener. The Guardsmen is a 501(c)(3) corporation which receives no state or federal assistance and does not have any fund-raising organization affiliation.