FFSC Mentoring Launches Its Second Round!

Over 40 youth and volunteers gathered at New Designs Charter School on Saturday, June 11th for Second Chances Mentoring Program's second round of mentorship this year! Despite a gloomy morning, eventually the sun came out and teams of mentors and mentees engaged in a little healthy competition.

From he Name Game to the Final Relay Race, teams got to know one another and work together in order to send their Mummies through the finish line, morph themselves into Rocks and Caterpillars, tie balloons with one hand, and share pieces of themselves while munching on M&M's. Check out some of the action below!

2011 Round 2 Mentor Mash Up!

Second Chances Kick Off Hall of Fame!

Destiny, Natalie, Marilyn, Nala, Vanessa, Kubrat, & Mindy

Karim, Sinque, Chad, Drew, & Jesse

Isaiah, Eddy, Davontre, Richard, Benjamin, Maurice, & Jeremiah

Essence, Kelly, Dayjah, Tanisha, Katherine, Beth, Caroline, & Princess

Breana, Danielle, Claudia, Brenda, Crystal, & Ashley

We can't wait to see everyone again at Chuck E. Cheese on the 25th for our 3 rounds of Speed Mentoring!

Tavis Smiley and Second Chances Beautify New Designs!

On August 22nd, 2010, approximately 150 students, ages 13-18, representing the Tavis Smiley Foundation's Youth to Leaders program worked in partnership with Foundation for Second Chances to continue the agency's efforts to transform the campus of New Designs Charter School.

These students, hailing from all over the U.S., experienced a week-long Leadership Institute at the UCLA campus in order to empower them with essential skills to become effective leaders in impacting community change. After a series of workshops and exercises, this group of dynamic teens put theory into practice when they arrived at New Designs Charter School in downtown Los Angeles.

Students cycled through three stations, including planting a flower garden and rolling out new grass, reviving a dull hallway with beautiful new colors, and creating art in a poetry workshop led by spoken word artist Andre Ruiz. Some students were (literally) getting their hands dirty for the first time, but all were inspired to put ideas into action and make visions into reality.

Foundation for Second Chances is grateful to the Tavis Smiley Foundation for the opportunity to work with such a talented and passionate group of youth in serving the South Los Angeles community. We also extend our greatest thanks for the Tavis Smiley Foundation's sponsorship of one of Second Chances' own students in attending the leadership conference.

Below, find a selection of pictures from the day's activities! You can view the full gallery of the beautification project HERE and pictures from all aspects of the Institute HERE.

Aon United at New Designs Charter

“Don’t underestimate your talent and effort because a little is much. A little bit of help, even in one day, goes a long way.” – Janice, Aon (Los Angeles) Executive Assistant

“My favorite part was taking the group photo of Aon workers because I was really surprised by all the support from the employees." – Sheryl Marx, Aon (Irvine) Executive Assistant and Second Chances Mentor


Community empowerment and resilience don't stop at anything -- even when it's a scorching 99 degrees outside. The 77 Aon employees who checked in at New Designs Charter School on Thursday, July 15, are a living testament to that. Within just seven hours, Aon employees resurrected New Designs Charter School with a new mural, vegetable and flower gardens, new seating areas, pristine hallways, and freshly painted walls.

Before the inception of New Designs Charter School, the campus was a stomping ground for retired nuns. As you can imagine, re-landscaping the campus was direly needed. So instead of spending a day in the office, the Aon employees volunteered their time and effort into creating a comfortable school environment for 200 students.

So how is it that Aon, the world's leading risk advisor and human capital consultant, partnered with Foundation for Second Chances? This year marks the beginning of Aon's global charity initiative, which is a vital fraction of their sponsorship with Manchester United. All of the Aon branches in over 120 countries called for an international day of action on Thursday, July 15 to bring their wealth of knowledge, finance, and philanthropy into the community level.

Compassionate Aon employees were untied throughout the globe under Aon United Day, and brought positive change into their local communities. For instance, in Sacramento, Aon employees partnered with Project 680 to provide hygiene supplies to homeless youth. In the Netherlands, Aon employees participated in a charity bike ride and raised funds for youth sports programs in disadvantaged areas.

In Los Angeles, the beautification project was more than what FFSC expected. Aon employees did not hesitate to get down and dirty to get the job done, in addition to donating $500 worth of sports equipment to New Designs and a $5,000 check to the Second Chances Mentoring Program!

The great work done at New Designs will have a long-lasting effect on both students and the Second Chances community. Aon employees also left with an impression that community involvement is at the forefront of social change. There is a lot more work to be done, and it is only our hands that bring exact change.

--Menchie Caliboso, PR/Marketing Intern

Aon and Second Chances Partner to Beautify New Designs Charter

In May, Second Chances Mentoring Program was selected to partner with leading global reinsurance intermediary, Aon, to serve our community. The project at hand? The beautification of a burgeoning, innovative charter school in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, New Designs Charter School.

On Tuesday, June 1st, the Los Angeles offices of Aon hosted a silent auction to raise funds on behalf of Second Chances Mentoring Program. Employees came out to bid on tickets for Disneyland, an autographed game ball from the Los Angeles Lakers, a week-long condo rental in Honolulu, a brand new Kindle, and so much more! Over $3,000 was raised that afternoon; combined with the Irvine office's silent auction the previous week, $4,500 was raised to help breathe new life into the New Designs campus.

Second Chances would like to recognize Aon employees for their support and generosity--from mobilizing volunteers to coordinating fundraisers, our sincerest thanks. Deepest thanks go to Sheryl Marx, Executive Assistant at Aon and Second Chances mentor, for nominating FFSC for this incredible community partnership. Our gratitude also extends to Warren Sata, Director of School Operations at New Designs, for all his support and enthusiasm.

On July 15, 2010, over 100 Aon employees will be repainting classrooms, implementing murals, building new seating areas, planting flowers, donating sports equipment, teaching classes, and creating a vegetable garden for the University Park campus of New Designs.