Newsletter Spring 2022 by The Wooden Floor

Making a gift that provides for generations, pg. 8

Celebrate our Class of 2022, pg. 10

SPRING

Griselda harnesses courage to pursue her dreams, pg. 6

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Focus on Today, While Being Future-ready When the pandemic first began, many believed that it would have been a short-term disruption in our everyday lives. At The Wooden Floor, we took a different viewpoint. Due to the strength and agility of our Board of Directors and staff, we simultaneously began to respond to the rapidly changing needs of our students and families while launching our innovative, strategic planning process. Our inspiration for a 10-year vision strategy is knowing that from day-one with us, our students make a 10-year mental commitment to complete their journeys to higher education. In this way, our Strategic Vision serves as our organizational “North Star,” or guidepost that helps us navigate and stay focused on helping our students achieve their big dreams for themselves.

Dawn S. Reese

Chief Executive Officer @DawnSReese

10-Year Strategic Vision 2021-2031: To Drive Social Innovation, Drive Impact and Uplift Our Community We look at each strategic planning phase as chapters in a book. Whereas the Strategic Vision tells us where we are headed, our strategic plans tell us how we are going to get there, one chapter at a time. In November 2021, the Board of Directors approved our Strategic Plan (2021-2023)-Chapter One: Leading With Agility, Strengthening Our Community. The main priority areas: ■

Learning From and Managing Through the Pandemic: Ensuring sustainability, quality, and high performance impact for our mission and students, during- and post-pandemic

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10-Year Journey: Responding to both the emerging needs of students and families today, and the long-term impact to social, emotional and academic wellness

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Leverage Successes: In preparation for the 40th Anniversary in 2023, build upon our culture of philanthropy by broadening awareness, connecting, and deepening community engagement

Exemplifying how we Uplift Our Community, on page 6, Alumna Dr. Griselda Maldonado shares what she learned during her time with The Wooden Floor (previously known as Saint Joseph Ballet) and how the 6 C’s: Creativity, Collaboration, Communication, Critical-Thinking, Character, and Courage continue to be part of her life skills and career. We are moved and inspired by you, as part of a loving community of supporters and friends who continually walk alongside us. You ensure that we help our students to thrive especially during these challenging times, to propel their lives forward. With gratitude,

THE WOODEN FLOOR

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39th Annual Concert Rehearsals At the beginning of the year, choreographers Kendra Portier and Christina Robson along with The Wooden Floor’s Artistic Director Falon Baltzell worked with students to begin co-creating new dance pieces for the organization’s exciting return to the Irvine Barclay Theatre stage since the start of the pandemic. The Annual Concert residencies are a place for students to safely express and explore their creativity, develop greater curiosity, and foster team work and creative problem solving.

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Newsfeed DANCE FREE WEEKS SEPTEMBER 2021 Dance Free Weeks returned to the most in-need Orange County public elementary schools for free in-person dance education workshops! Instructors from The Wooden Floor spent the entire week dancing outside with 3rd and 4th graders. As students performed a new dance piece in front of their classmates, they proved that they had fun, learned something new, and felt proud of themselves. We are thankful to Santa Ana Unified School District who championed our return back onto their campuses and helped us spread the word to future families of The Wooden Floor.

ANNUAL AUDITIONS OCTOBER 2021 We lovingly welcomed many children and their families to our first in-person Annual Auditions since the start of the pandemic. Students were hopeful for the opportunity to potentially join The Wooden Floor and take their first step towards a bright 10-year journey. We are grateful to everyone who helped make the day a successful and warm experience for perspective students, including the families who trusted us to care for their precious little ones.

THE WOODEN FLOOR

DUCKS SHOPPING SPREE DECEMBER 2021 For the 14th year in a row, students from The Wooden Floor received an unforgettable holiday gift of a Target shopping spree with the spouses and partners of the famed Anaheim Ducks players. In addition, each child went home with a 43” Roku TV from TCL®. The Wooden Floor students selected to participate are from families with extremely limited resources who otherwise would have not received gifts at Christmas. This shopping spree remains one of the highlights of our year, and once again reminded our students how their community values and supports them.

VIRTUAL CAREER DAY: EDUCATION JANUARY 2022 Our Virtual Career Day series started the new year with a focus on education for students interested in a career working with children, improving our world, and being in a field that is immensely rewarding. Led by our Chief Executive Officer Dawn S. Reese, our 8th to 12th grade students heard from The Wooden Floor Alumna Mariela Esther Rivera, Admissions Representative at Azusa Pacific University; Dr. Susie López–Guerra, Director of Community Relations at Santa Ana Unified School District; Niloufar Mirhashemi, Curriculum Specialist at Santa Ana Unified School District and Chemistry Teacher; and Robert Turner, Speech and Language Therapist Assistant contracted through Therapy Travelers for the Hesperia Unified School District.

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“My hope is for Romero-Cruz Academy to be a place of cultural richness where students learn about the beauty in the diversity of our world and become well-rounded citizens with high levels of social cultural competence.”

In the First Person:

Dr. Griselda Maldonado “The arts push our thinking – they are such an important component to the development of our children. When I was at The Wooden Floor, at the time known as Saint Joseph Ballet, I built the self-confidence to believe that I can accomplish what I set out to accomplish. Dance helped me develop into a well-rounded person and practice the character needed to get through college. It takes a lot of courage to perform in front of a large crowd, it takes courage to be vulnerable in front of your peers when making mistakes during dance rehearsals, and it takes courage to commit to something that becomes a part of your everyday life. Dancing kept me focused and helped me build strong communication and collaboration skills along with a strong social emotional well-being to have the courage to pursue my own dreams to be where I am today, despite the many challenges I faced.

THE WOODEN FLOOR

I was in tears when I met The Wooden Floor’s instructors on the first day of Dance Free Weeks at Romero-Cruz Academy. I will always be grateful for the experience The Wooden Floor provided to me. It was like a second home for me and for many others.”

Dr. Griselda Maldonado, a Saint Joseph Ballet/The Wooden Floor Alumni Dr. Griselda Maldonado attended The Wooden Floor, formerly known as Saint Joseph Ballet from 19881993. She graduated from California State University Dominguez Hills with a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies in 2002 and a Master’s Degree in Multicultural Education in 2004. She continued her education at California State University Fullerton, earning a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership in 2010 and an Educational Doctorate in 2018. She is the Principal at Romero-Cruz Academy in the Santa Ana Unified School District, and was overjoyed when The Wooden Floor asked to bring Dance Free Weeks to her school.

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A gift that provides for generations AND BEGINS MAKING A DIFFERENCE TODAY Bequests and other planned gifts to The Wooden Floor are important to the future of our mission. Contributions to The Wooden Floor’s Endowment Fund ensure the strength of our organization today, and for years to come. On day-one, when students join The Wooden Floor, they make a 10-year mental commitment to our organization, and we need to be prepared to make a 10-year financial commitment to them. YOU CAN GIVE TO OUR ENDOWMENT FUND IN A NUMBER OF WAYS TODAY: ■ ■ ■ ■

A gift of cash or other assets. A gift of stocks, bonds, and/or mutual funds. A gift of your required minimum IRA distribution, up to $100,000 annually. And other charitable ways to give.

JOIN THE WOODEN FLOOR LEGACY SOCIETY: A gift of a percentage of estate assets or a set sum specified in your will or trust. Your investment will provide a more sustainable future for our students’ journeys and ensure high-quality outcomes, as well as scholarship awards for future generations of deserving students.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please request more information with the enclosed envelope or contact Dawn S. Reese, Chief Executive Officer at 714.541.8314 ext. 136 or Dawn@TheWoodenFloor.org.

2021-2022 Board of Directors Theresa Allen,* Board Chair Managing Director and Portfolio Manager, First Republic Private Wealth Management Judith F. Posnikoff, PhD,* Immediate Past Chair Managing Director, Martlet Asset Management, LLC Saar Swartzon,* Vice Chair Principal Attorney, Cohn & Swartzon, a Professional Law Corporation Yvonne O’Neill,* Treasurer Certified Public Accountant, O’Neill Financial Management Joseph Chatelle,* Secretary Principal, Mercer Sasha Ayloush,* Director of Sales & Marketing, Hydraflow Falon Baltzell, MFA, Artistic Director, The Wooden Floor Seán Curran, Chair, Department of Dance, NYU Tisch School of the Arts Michelle Dean,* Community Leader Brent Funston, Chief Executive Officer, Wind River Group, LLC Elizabeth Gonzalez, Alumni Representative Community Leader Raquel Gonzalez, Parent Representative, Community Leader

The Wooden Floor was selected as the only nonprofit organization in California to receive the 2021 Stand for the Arts award from Ovation TV and Charter Communications. READ MORE:

Bryan Green, Financial Advisor, Edward Jones Jehan Jayakumar, Founding Partner, Carlson & Jayakumar, LLP Naveen Jonathan, PhD, LMFT, Community Representative Clinical Associate Professor of Marriage & Family Therapy, Chair, Marriage & Family Therapy, Crean College of Health & Behavioral Sciences, Chapman University Simon Khinda, Partner, Bridge Law, LLP

THE WOODEN FLOOR

Jeremy Krout, President/CEO, Environmental Planning Development Solutions, Inc. Richard Lee, Market President, Retired, Aetna, Southern California Catherine M. MacIver, Community Leader Dana McCollum, General Manager, American Funds/Capital Group Companies, Inc. Linh Nguyen, Vice President, Advance Beauty College Arthur Ong, Executive Vice President, Retired, Deputy General Counsel PIMCO Alix Portillo, Assistant Vice President, Compliance Monitoring Officer, Genesis Bank Dawn S. Reese, CFRE, Chief Executive Officer, The Wooden Floor Jim Slaughter, Partner, Slaughter & Slaughter, LLP Ernesto M. Vasquez, FAIA, NCARB, Partner & CEO, SVA Architects, Inc. Fabiola Velazquez, Parent Representative Community Leader

Board Emeriti Joan Beall, Community Leader Beth A. Burns, Founder of The Wooden Floor and Artistic Director (’83-’05) Sharon Hartshorn, Community Leader Richard C. Hunsaker,** President, Hunsaker Management Virginia Hunsaker,** Community Leader Damien M. Jordan, General Manager, Retired, American Funds/ Capital Group Companies, Inc. Yvonne M. Jordan, Community Leader Socorro Vasquez, Community Leader * Executive Committee Members. ** In Memoriam.

NAMED

ORANGE COUNTY BUSINESS J O U R N A L’ S TOP 5 FUNDRAISING B R E A K FA S T S FOR

8 CONSECUTIVE YEARS!

WEDNESDAY APRIL 27, 2022 AT 7:30AM

YO U

10th Step Beyond Annual Breakfast®

U N D E RW R I T E R S LEAD CLASS PARTNER The Beall Family Foundation Jessica Camacho (Alumna, Class of 2009) & Christopher Reyes Suzi Chauvel / Chauvel Foundation Linda and Tod White Charitable Fund Gail & Peter Ochs Constance & Donald Sperling CLASS PARTNER

THE WESTIN SOUTH COAST PLAZA

KER Legal Group, APC Robert J. Mairena / Office Solutions

686 ANTON BLVD. COSTA MESA, CA 92626

INNOVATION UNDERWRITER

Keynote Speaker: THE HONORABLE ELIZABETH G. MACIAS, JUDGE, SUPERIOR COURT OF ORANGE COUNTY

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THA N K

Celebrate and support the Class of 2022, The Wooden Floor’s 17th consecutive graduating class to have 100 percent of students on track to finish high school on time and enroll in higher education

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Join us in recognizing Class Partners who help underwrite the college and career readiness journeys for each of our graduating classes

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Participate in an inspiring morning that will leave you filled with hope for the future leaders of our community

Sponsorships and individual tickets available now at TheWoodenFloor.org/StepBeyond.

Advance Beauty College Theresa & Jonathon Allen The Golden Eagle Foundation Michelle & Timothy Dean Gochnauer Family Foundation Yvonne & Damien Jordan Michelle & Robert Kargenian Joanne & Dennis Keith Carole & Rich Lee The John & CC Nelson Family Trish O'Donnell Nicholas Pardon & Sean Devlin Swartzon Family Foundation Deborah & Harold Ward CREATIVITY UNDERWRITER Huneycutt Family Foundation Kathleen Lockhart Union Bank ENCOURAGEMENT UNDERWRITER Judy & David Threshie As of January 27, 2022.

THE WOODEN FLOOR

Supporter Sightings Back Row: Staff members from Snyder Langston. Front Row: Staff members from The Wooden Floor.

Snyder Langston Bike Donation December 16, 2021 Continuing their tradition of generosity for the 24th year in a row, real estate and construction company Snyder Langston donated bikes for students of The Wooden Floor. Snyder Langston employees lovingly assembled and delivered 50 bikes, which came with helmets and locks, and were gifted to our students to make their holidays bright.

“We always look for meaningful ways to support children in the community and started building and donating bikes over 20 years ago. It is very meaningful to all our team members and they take great pride in providing bikes at Christmas. We even have many former employees join us to build the bikes because they enjoy the event and feel good about the kids we support.” Jason Rich, President, Snyder Langston

From Left: Immediate Past Eat & Wrap Chair Marilyn McIntyre with Board Member and new Eat & Wrap Chair Sasha Ayloush.

Eat & Wrap December 6, 2021 Board Member and new Eat & Wrap Chair Sasha Ayloush hosted supporters and friends for a return of our Eat & Wrap event. Guests helped wrap nearly 500 gifts - one for every student of The Wooden Floor! We’re grateful for the collective support of our generous event underwriters, supporters, and guests in helping us exceed our fundraising goal by raising more than $11,000 to help underwrite gifts, trees, and programing support for our families most in need during the holiday season.

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SANTA ANA, CA PERMIT NO. 949

1810 North Main Street Santa Ana, CA 92706-2727 714.541.8314 TheWoodenFloor.org

Please Save-the-Date!* We remain hopeful that we will be able to gather at the following events to help propel our students and our mission forward.

Inside the Studio® Thursday, March 24, 2022 | 6:30pm THE WOODEN FLOOR MAIN STREET LOCATION Join our students and guest choreographers as they demonstrate works-in-progress from our Annual Concert and take your questions on our dance-making process.

10th Step Beyond Annual Breakfast® Wednesday, April 27, 2022 | 7:30am WESTIN SOUTH COAST PLAZA Gather for an inspiring morning to celebrate our 18th consecutive graduating class on-track to have a 100 percent college enrollment rate and support our college and career readiness programs.

More information at TheWoodenFloor.org/StepBeyond

39th Annual Concert June 2-4, 2022 | 8:00pm IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE Be inspired by our young dancers as they perform new dance works co-created with leading contemporary dance choreographers, reflecting the organization’s reputation for artistic excellence.

More information at TheWoodenFloor.org/AnnualConcert

*Based on community health conditions at the time.

DanceUp is a trademark of The Wooden Floor.

More information at TheWoodenFloor.org/InsidetheStudio