Farewell, Intern Diana!

This past Monday, June 28, marked the last day of Foundation for Second Chances' first-ever Programs Intern, Diana Norton! Diana was an incredible asset to the Second Chances team, and provided a solid foundation for our Reading Wheels Literacy Program that will continue for years to come. Diana also made meaningful contributions to ensuring the success of our Community Health Festival, and in developing curriculum for our Mentoring Program. A wearer of many hats, Diana will sorely be missed here at FFSC.

Diana, right, with our new PR/Marketing Intern, Menchie Caliboso

Diana's energy, compassion, and sense of humor brought indispensable ideas and unforgettable memories to Foundation for Second Chances, and we know she is destined for great things. We wish Diana the best of luck in her aspirations to earn her Masters degree so that she can one day run her own non-profit organization--a feat we are confident Diana will soon conquer.

Thank you, Diana, for all your hard work and dedication! You will always remain an important member of the Second Chances family.

SCMP Climbs to the Top of Los Angeles!

On Sunday, July 27, Second Chances Mentoring Program hosted its monthly Group Outing at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook on the recommendation of mentor Joe Weiner! It was a beautiful day in this pocket of nature nestled in Culver City, and our group had a great time hiking up the infamous stairs to see all of Los Angeles below.

No doubt, it was a challenging workout, but it was Taylor W.'s favorite part of the outing! "I liked climbing up the stairs because we all had to work together." Keeping each other motivated and taking in the views of Los Angeles from above made it worth the effort!

Mercedes, Taylor, and Michelle pose together at the top

After a round of high-fives and catching our breath, mentors and mentees had a picnic lunch before walking through the educational exhibits at the Visitors Center. The rest of the day was spent playing sports, with some of our mentees trying out volleyball and baseball for the very first time!

Reading Wheels, Class of '10!

The weekend of June 12th marked the end of the Reading Wheels Literacy Program for the school year. In honor of the close of Reading Wheels, Melissa Wyatt, Executive Director of FFSC, myself (Diana) and my fellow volunteer coordinators (Shannon and Su-yin) planned a very special final day for our kids and volunteers.

We began the day just like any other, breaking the kids up into K-2nd graders and 3rd-5th and assigning them volunteers. After reading " Here comes Summer!" with the K-2nd graders and "Phineaus Macguire Erupts" with the 3rd-5th graders, we decided to play a very special and wildly entertaining game. Created by Shannon, the game is a mix of musical chairs and a pop quiz. You begin the game just like musical chairs but instead of automatically being out if you dont have a chair when the music stops, must answer a pop quiz question related to the books. If you get it wrong, you are out, if you get it right, you get to keep playing.

After a very competitive game of Shannon's amalgamation of musical chairs and a pop quiz, (Congratulations to Aura for winning!) Melissa surprised everyone with a very special Graduation lunch! Nothing says "Congratulations on graduating from the first round of Reading Wheels" like fried chicken and red velvet cake!! As a thank you to all the kids for participating in the Reading Wheels Program, we created graduation certificates for all the kids so they would have something to take home with them....besides a full belly and left over pieces of cake.

Although RW has closed down for the summer all of us here at FFSC are very excited to start back up in September. See you all then!

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.

SCMP Gets Wild at the L.A. Zoo!

On Saturday, May 22nd, SCMP hosted its biggest outing of the year thus far at the Los Angeles Zoo! Teams of mentors and mentees sprawled across the zoo, engaging in a fun and educational Photo Scavenger Hunt. Posing with their favorite animals, learning that birds help keep alligators' razor-sharp teeth pearly white and koala bears sleep 20 hours a day, mentors and mentees also made new friends while enjoying the wildlife and sunshine.

Seth, Franciso, Antonio, and Eli chill out with the flamingos

Taylor, Mercedes, Cyra, and Marielle reach the wingspan of a California Condor

Seth and his mentor Juan, having a great time at the L.A. Zoo!

Much thanks to Program Staff for organizing the outing, and much love to our mentors for bringing their mentees out for a beautiful day at the zoo! We look forward to seeing all of you again for our June outing.

2010's A Taste of Health & Fitness

To recap and relive the spirit of this year's Community Health Festival, just watch the video below! Witness the perseverance of our 5K Run/Walk participants, watch Tarik Tyler, Rev. Roosevelt Grier, and Melissa Wyatt encourage the crowd to get and stay fit, see Councilmember Herb Wesson kick off the obstacle course, and more!

SCMP Finishes 5K Run/Walk at A Taste of Health and Fitness!

Mentors and mentees from Foundation for Second Chances' Mentor Program participated (and completed!) the 5K Run/Walk at Rancho Cienega Sports Park as a part of the agency's 4th Annual Community Health Fair on Saturday, April 24th! Check out some of us in action below:

Taylor sprints around the curve of the track, with Myesha and Ny'Breya not far behind!

Mentor Ana Flores rounds another lap around the track during her final mile!

But the 5K Run/Walk was only the start of our day! Mentees received free vision screenings, as well as free goodies to help them stay fit and healthy, from toothbrushes to yoga equipment. Mentors and mentees also participated in the Obstacle Course, designed by celebrity fitness trainer Tarik Tyler. Check out mentee Destinee's take on the course below!

Mentors, mentees, and other FFSC supporters pose with Councilmember Herb Wesson and Tarik Tyler before the Course!

Second Chances mentee, Destinee, owns the Course!

After the Obstacle Course, mentors and mentees gathered for a picnic lunch on the grass, and spent the rest of the day playing on the bounce house and inflatable slide!

Climbing up the wall towards the end of the bouncy obstacle course!

Rachel flashes us a smile after making it down the slide!

Mentees from our program were inspired to become more active; after running the 5K and playing tennis for the first time on neighboring courts at the park, one mentee asked her mentor to teach her how to play tennis and how to swim, so she could be more active and have more fun outdoors.

Immense gratitude and thanks to our Executive Director Melissa Wyatt, Bring Back Gym's Tarik Tyler, and all of Foundation for Second Chances' supporters in making the Health Festival a success! Keep a look out for our next blog post, which will cover all aspects of the Festival!