FFSCM Speed Mentors at Chuck E. Cheese!

This past Saturday, February 26, our new mentors and mentees met up once more at Chuck E. Cheese for three rounds of Speed Mentoring! Mentors and mentees matched off, and spent time shooting free-throws, playing skee-ball, and winning tickets at various games throughout the late morning and early afternoon. After playing games, mentors and mentees sat down together, asking and answering questions like the ones below!

Describe your ideal day with a mentor. What would you want to do?

Go to the beach - Isaiah, Age 7

Go out to eat and talk - Ny'Breya, Age 12

What is something you're good at?

Drawing - Hilary, Age 8

Football - Robert, Age 8

Mentors will be notified of their matches at their upcoming Match Meeting, and thus concludes our first Kick Off of 2011! As always, much credit is due to our amazing mentors, who will have an incredible impact on their mentees' lives over the course of the next year. And much love to Program Staff, for ensuring a great event for all our kids and mentors!  

Ready... Set... Kick Off!

On Saturday, February 12, Foundation for Second Chances Mentoring (FFSCM) launched its first round of mentorship at La Cienega Park! It was a beautiful day in Beverly Hills, and our mentors and families arrived with an appetite for healthy competition, and not to mention a delicious potluck lunch.

From the 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 in a line with one hand, and share pieces of themselves while munching on M&M's.

A preview of more pictures coming soon!

SCMP Hits the Ice!

On Saturday, January 29, SCMP hosted its monthly group outing at ICE at Santa Monica, an outdoor skating rink just a block away from the 3rd Street Promenade! It was a beautiful sunny afternoon gliding (...and a little tumbling!) across the ice, with over 20 mentors and mentees in attendance.

Forming a Second Chances Train at ICE!

Juan and Seth striking a pose

 As always, it was wonderful seeing everyone together, and we can't wait to see you again next month!

FFSC Mentoring Getting Ready to Launch!

Mentors Tina and Jess begin constructing a free-standing structure as part of our training energizer, Going Up!

...and we're back! It's been a madhouse here at FFSC recently, but we're back and ready to document the launch of our new mentoring program that will exclusively serve children of prisoners in Los Angeles County! We are steadily reaching our goal of launching 15 matches this round, with our final Mentor Orientation/Training scheduled for Saturday, February 5.


FFSC Mentoring is also thrilled to welcome its newest addition, Program Coordinator Brian Ponce! Brian comes to us fresh from University of Illinois at Chicago, where he earned his Master's degree in Criminology, Law and Justice. Brian also has extensive experience in providing mentorship to youth at-risk in the community, and we welcome his fantastic energy and great ideas as he becomes an integral part of our team. Welcome, Brian!

FFSC's 5th Annual Gift of Giving

...and the holiday season is among us! While Foundation for Second Chances wishes you and your loved ones a safe and happy Thanksgiving, we're also gearing up for our  5th Annual Gift of Giving event, and would love for you to join our holiday team!

This Christmas, FFSC is inviting 150 underprivileged children and their families to join us for a day of fun, a delicious feast, and free gifts to brighten up the season. While many of us may think of Christmas as a pleasant time to spend with family and friends, to celebrate the birth of Christ, to enjoy good food, and to exchange gifts, Christmas can be a discouraging and strenuous time for many of the families within FFSC's community.

Many of our families cannot afford to give their children Christmas gifts, nor can they afford to share a nice holiday meal together. The Gift of Giving helps brighten the holiday season by hosting this FREE event along with the generosity of people like you.

Ways You Can Help:
 1. Volunteer the day-of at the event
 2. Host a toy drive at your work/school/church/group/holiday party
 3. Personally donate unwrapped gifts for youth, ages 4-14
 4. Make a monetary donation
 5. Make food donations
 6. Inquire about donating cooking or arts and crafts supplies
 7. Have your group create and host a game or craft station for children
 8. Ask your company to consider our sponsorship opportunities
 9. Tell your friends and family to join us for this wonderful event!

Interested in getting involved or making a donation? Contact Volunteer Event Coordinator, Michelle Woo (mwoo17@yahoo.com). For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Associate Director, Fatima Nelson (fatima@ffscinc.org).

View more photos of last year's Gift of Giving.

Happy 1-Year Anniversary to Our Mentoring Couples!

On Sunday, November 21st, Second Chances Mentoring Program held a Closure Celebration for mentoring couples who recently reached the end of their year together. Lots of laughs were shared during our Mentorship Pictionary & Charades, and lots of great food was enjoyed at Acapulco's Sunday brunch! At the heart of the event, mentors and mentees reflected on their year in SCMP by creating and sharing art projects featuring photographs, hand-drawn pictures of their favorite outing, and wishes they have for their new friend.

Kelly shares with her mentee, Erica, her favorite outing together ice skating in Pershing Square, where Erica helped Kelly from falling!

Myesha shares with her mentor, Ana, how she loves how she is always there for her.

While mentors from this round completed their first year, two-thirds are continuing on in their mentoring relationships for a second year with Second Chances. It has been an incredible year for all of our mentors and mentees, and we are so grateful for our mentors' time and talents and so proud of the tremendous growth in our youth! Without our incredible volunteers, SCMP would simply not exist, so to you we are always indebted. Thank you.

Ana Flores & Myesha N.

Anthony McDaniel & Erron W.

Blanca Torres & Eddeshia C.

D'Aundra Hawkins & Chelsea D.

Jeff Shaivitz & William D.

Kelly O'Hara & Erica L.

Nichole Millard & Marielle B.

 

Thank you also to the management and staff at Acapulco, for making this a memorable experience for our mentoring couples and for always being supportive of our program!

SCMP Gears Up for Thanksgiving

On Saturday, November 13, SCMP hosted its group outing at the Japanese American National Museum, participating in the museum's Target Free Saturdays! The second Saturday of every month, Target sponsors a FREE event full of great activities for children and families as well as free admission to the museum's exhibits. This month's theme was Thanksgiving, and our mentoring couples were treated to a full day of crafts to take home and share with their families.

Mentees and mentors constructed origami turkeys, pine cone centerpieces, woven place mats and journals, and turkeys made of plastic cups that could really gobble!

Our deepest thanks go out to the Japanese American National Museum for putting on an incredible event that our mentors and mentees really enjoyed. For more information on the museum's Target Free Family Saturdays, visit their schedule here!