Mentees Build First African American Fire Station

Our group showcases the fruit of their labor!

This past Saturday, February 20th, Second Chances Mentoring Program hosted its outing at the California African American Museum and California Science Center in Exposition Park! Although intimate, our group had a great time visiting the exhibits at the California African American Museum.

After a brief tour, our group sat down to get to work, creating their very own replicas of the first African American fire station. Black firefighters protected the public here in Los Angeles, but the conditions under which they served were difficult. Trailblazers included George W. Bright, hired in 1897 as the first Black firefighter on the Los Angeles Fire Department. An all-Black company was formed to prevent Bright from supervising whites.

Mentor Kabir helps his mentee build his own fire station

Once our work was done, we headed next door to the California Science Center, where some of us checked out the special America I AM The African American Imprint exhibit (open until May 2, for those interested!), and some of us checked out the hands-on science exhibits, including earthquake simulators and spiraling echo tubes!

Special thanks to mentors Kabir and Kristi, as well as Executive Director Melissa Wyatt and Program Manager Tiffany Ferrara, for coming out on a sunny Saturday with their mentees and children in tow.

Mentees Volunteer at Local Rescue Shelter!

Part of our group, pictured above with animals from the Amanda Foundation.

On January 20th, Second Chances Mentoring Program hosted its monthly Group Outing at the Amanda Foundation, a no-kill rescue shelter dedicated to finding loving homes for abandoned pets, and educating the public on the importance of spay/neuter to combat pet overpopulation.

Mentees volunteered at the rescue shelter alongside their mentors, bathing and walking dogs, cleaning the cattery, and providing much needed affection for animals who needed to be socialized. At the same time, mentors and mentees learned the importance of responsible pet ownership, and how their care and attention helped these animals recover from the abuse they've endured.

Teri Austin, President of the Amanda Foundation, thanked everyone who came out to volunteer, "it really helps them heal from the neglect and abuse some of them have suffered to have the unconditional love and attention of new people. Thank you for taking the time to come see them."

One of our mentees, pictured above with mentor Jae and dog Jeremy, was inspired by her mentor to face her fear of dogs for SCMP's monthly group outing

Reading Wheels February 13th

Hey everyone

Diana here, an intern and volunteer coordinator with FFSC. Just wanted to tell everyone about the Reading Wheels Program and our most recent success!

Reading Wheels Literacy Program, our newest program, happens the second Saturday of each month. FFSC gathers together with our children and volunteers, from 10am – 1:30pm, for a fun and relaxing time of story-telling and literary games. Reading Wheels aims to improve our children’s reading and writing skills through the guidance and support of adult friends who will read to them and listen to them read. Volunteers can come read with our children for a one time commitment, or can make a longer term commitment to volunteer multiple times. Join us for on our reading adventures! ***Volunteers will be eligible for a ticket to Disneyland after volunteering with the Reading Wheels program for 1 Saturday.

The February 13th Reading Wheels at 42nd St Elementary, although only our third, was a huge success. Volunteers from LA works and UCLA dedicated their saturday morning to ensure our wonderful kids got the time and attention they deserve. Following a great round of introductions and icebreakers, we split the kids into k-2nd and 3rd - 5th. While the K-2nd graders read " Dick and Jane, How Can i Help?", the 3rd - 5th graders tackled the more challenging chapter book " Math Rashes and Other Classroom Tales" .

After an hour of reading and discussion, a delicious lunch of pizza was provided by our awesome executive director Melissa Wyatt. Seeing as it was a beautiful Saturday morning, handball and double dutch were the games of choice by the kids. Much to my dismay, i could not get Shannon, one of the volunteer coordinators from LA works, to double dutch for the first time, BUT a few of the kids got myself and Jasmine, another volunteer, to turn the ropes for them AND even got our UCLA volunteers to chase and play them around the jungle gym!

Sadly our day concluded at 1:30 after a few more rounds of reading, discussion and games, but on the bright side, many of the kids promised to come back for the next Reading Wheels and bring friends!....Maybe by then i'll find a better way to convince Shannon to try double dutching!

That's all for now, but our next Reading Wheels is February 27th and the following Reading Wheels will be on March 13th, and the one after that April 10th.

I am definitely looking forward to another sunny Saturday morning filled with reading, fun and pizza!

Welcome to Second Chances Blog!

Greetings, and welcome to our agency blog!

Foundation for Second Chances is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization, serving the youth and families of the South Los Angeles community through its After School, Mentoring, Reading Wheels Literacy, and Community Service programs. You can learn more about our agency by visiting http://www.ffscinc.org, or watching our YouTube debut below:



We are always in need of positive adult role models and caring, committed volunteers. If you're interested in making a positive impact in our community, then please don't hesitate to contact our Program Manager, Tiffany Ferrara, at tiffany@ffscinc.org or (213) 627-1745.

Stay tuned for updates on program events, special opportunities, and pertinent information concerning our youth!