Description

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The youth we serve come from poverty-stricken families with histories of violence, substance abuse, or neglect. These forgotten children are tucked away in group homes, shelters, detention facilities, special centers and schools throughout the region, under the radar of the general public.

We’ve built an extensive database of over 1,200 youth facilities throughout Southern California that enables us to match volunteers with high-risk or at-risk kids in their own neighborhood, based on the youths’ ages, genders, challenges and other preferences. We train our mentors, help them to customize curriculum and give materials for their workshops.

Through music, art, writing and performing arts, youth learn to express themselves in a positive manner versus the destructive ways that they have in the past. Creative expression is very therapeutic. We bring thousands of troubled kids to free concerts, plays and other events. These cultural excursions bring relief and joy to the youth, while exposing them to new types of music, theater and art.

We also arrange General Mentoring, like one-on-one Special Friend relationships and teaching life skills to small groups of youth. We continually send out targeted notices to our partner agencies about scholarships, jobs, free computers, books and other resources for the kids. We’re a conduit for individuals and businesses in the community to give back to the neediest youth.

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Volunteering is rewarding and helps build healthy, sustainable communities, thereby empowering individuals. We have three main volunteer opportunities:

I. By focusing on the arts, such as music, writing, dance or painting, it’s often easier to get kids to open up. Youth build their confidence and self-esteem by accomplishing their goal of creating the arts, while keeping souvenirs of the experience. This is equally rewarding for the mentors, as they share their expertise in the arts.

II. By donating just an hour of your time each week, you can make a difference in our world. By mentoring one-on-one (like a Big Brother/Sister or a Special Friend) or as a General Mentor to a small group of youth, you help the kids to learn basic life skills. Taking your mentee(s) on fun outings also makes them aware of opportunities in their neighborhood.

III. There are opportunities to help us on different committees (Strategic Planning, Programs, Development, Marketing/PR and Finance) and on our board of directors. Assistance is also needed for fund-raising, grant writing, publicity and special events.

Create Now Donation Information

We depend upon public donations to continue our work. You can help!

Donation Options:

Checks, Money Order, Cash