PS I Love You Foundation's Annual Day at the Beach!

On Saturday, July 24th, Second Chances Mentoring Program attended PS I Love You Foundation's 10th Annual Day at the Beach! This special mentoring event was a blast for our mentors and mentees to attend, and Second Chances is grateful for being able to participate for its second year in a row.

Kids received free beach gear (including boogie boards!), toys, and a pizza-and-ice-cream lunch! Free surf lessons, face painting, game booths, and--of course--the most epic relay race were among the activities for the day. Our group did it all and then some, building sandcastles, playing in the water, and catching some rays on a beautiful day in Manhattan Beach.

Second Chances definitely can't wait until next July, when we hope to participate in this fantastic event once again! Special thanks to Tess Johnson and Patricia Jones for putting on such an awesome program for at-risk youth in Los Angeles.

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

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.