An Invitation to Invest in The Wooden Floor
Lifting Students Out of Poverty to Realize Their
Full Potential Founded in 1983, The Wooden Floor is one of the foremost creative youth development nonprofit organizations in the country. We transform the lives of young people in low‑income communities through the power of dance and access to higher education. By nurturing each child to innovate, communicate, and collaborate, they gain the skills necessary for success in school and in life.
CHANGE STARTS HERE Our year-round holistic model empowers under‑served students through dance, academic, college and career readiness, and family support programs — all free of charge.
100% of students who graduate from The Wooden Floor immediately enroll in higher education. Our goal is to give even more children in low‑income communities this same opportunity.
2 | AN INVITATION TO INVEST IN THE WOODEN FLOOR
LiftCampaign.org | 3
Who We Serve We make a 10‑year commitment to boys and girls in 3rd through 12th grade. A typical family of five at The Wooden Floor has an annual household income of $36,482, which is classified as low to extremely‑low income in Orange County.
How We Do It These core programs comprise our creative youth development model and copyrighted Theory of Change. • Dance Education and Performance Opportunities are the central, transformational elements through which our youth change the way they think about themselves and develop the ability to reach their full potential. A rigorous 10‑level curriculum develops self‑knowledge, which evolves into self‑confidence, leadership, cooperative learning, creative problem solving, and joy. Rehearsals, dance‑making, and performances teach discipline, collaboration, commitment, and achievement through hard work. • Academic Services and College and Career Readiness Programs ensure that our students learn and build the fundamental academic and life skills to prepare for, access, and succeed in higher education. • Our Family Services take a case management approach to counseling, crisis intervention, and social service referrals to help families overcome hardships and navigate a path toward economic progress.
“I wish The Wooden Floor was in every city because it provides an invaluable service to an under‑served community. These kids would not be where they are without it. I get emotional talking about it. Where else can you drop off your child and know they are cared for by people who are really, genuinely invested in their future? We would never be able to afford dance classes let alone everything else The Wooden Floor offers. It’s amazing that, from a dance class, our life has taken a completely different path.” —R OSSI STAYNOVA, MOTHER OF EMMA
4 | AN INVITATION TO INVEST IN THE WOODEN FLOOR
LiftCampaign.org | 5
Moving Youth Forward and Communities Beyond Poverty 34% of Orange County’s children are in poverty, often trapped in cycles of conflict and limited opportunities unless presented with a firm foundation to transform their lives. They find this and more at The Wooden Floor, so they learn, from here you can step anywhere. Our ultimate goal is to break the cycle of poverty, empowering students to become agents of change and beacons of hope within their own families, their neighborhoods, our community, and our world.
100% OF THE WOODEN FLOOR’S GRADUATES ENROLL IMMEDIATELY IN HIGHER EDUCATION — A FIGURE MORE THAN DOUBLE THAT OF THEIR SOCIOECONOMIC PEERS NATIONALLY.*
“The Wooden Floor is helping prepare me to get into college. Whenever I’m struggling in school, The Wooden Floor is always here to help. Dance has helped me learn to not get stressed over hard struggles in school. What I love about dance is the fact that I make something incredible out of nothing.” —C HRISTOPHER, CLASS OF 2020
*Source: National Center for Education Statistics
6 | AN INVITATION TO INVEST IN THE WOODEN FLOOR
LiftCampaign.org | 7
“The Wooden Floor helped me fi was important. They provided th children need in order to succ being you is enough. It helps you you the access to make your dr who is always there for you
8 | AN INVITATION TO INVEST IN THE WOODEN FLOOR
find my voice, and believe that I he support system that so many ceed. It’s a safe haven, where u gain the confidence and gives reams a possibility. It’s a family and never gives up on you.” ‑ALIX, CLASS OF 2011 COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST, OPUS BANK ALUMNI REPRESENTATIVE, THE WOODEN FLOOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS BS IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY, 2015
LiftCampaign.org | 9
10 | AN INVITATION TO INVEST IN THE WOODEN FLOOR
Our Strategic Vision YOUR INVESTMENT IN ORANGE COUNTY’S CHILDREN In 2009, The Wooden Floor’s Board of Directors and staff embarked on a significant strategic planning process, resulting in an ambitious 10-year Strategic Vision 2010-2020. Our organizational strengths in leadership, management, and fiscal position bring us to this time when intentional growth and advancement are needed for three key reasons.
WE MUST GO DEEPER. Our record of student success has fueled internal growth in our student body through a high retention rate. We must expand current programming to sustain outcomes for larger numbers of students on their paths to success in school and in life.
WE MUST START EARLIER. The college access landscape is rapidly changing. Four-year college eligibility is increasingly competitive, and the bar continues to rise. We must advance to help students overcome challenges to access higher education.
WE MUST SERVE MORE. Across the past five years we have been forced to turn away 80% of children who line up to enroll, due to current space constraints. We are called to pursue collaborative growth opportunities to serve more children.
At The Wooden Floor, the whole family is supported. Izrael joined The Wooden Floor in 2016, and was followed by his brother Daren who enrolled the following year. According to their mother Sandra, The Wooden Floor has been an educational experience not only for her boys, but for her and her husband, as well. Sandra and her husband have access to parenting and communications workshops, one-on-one counseling, and other free services to help their boys succeed in school and in life.
LiftCampaign.org | 11
Introducing INSPIRING YOUNG PEOPLE. BUILDING OUR COMMUNITY. Lift: The Campaign for The Wooden Floor enables implementation of our 2010-2020 Strategic Vision, provides a solid foundation for growth, and significantly increases our nimbleness to create more immediate and long-lasting impact. To achieve this vision, The Wooden Floor is mounting a special four-year comprehensive campaign seeking to raise $27.2 million by 2020. The organization of this major fundraising effort into a comprehensive campaign, counting all philanthropic support over a four-year period, allows us to focus on the needs of the organization and those we serve holistically, recognizing that all aspects of our funding support each other. To achieve our goals, we have identified the following three key funding priorities:
1. Advance Student Success GROWTH AND EXCELLENCE OF EXISTING PROGRAMS $11.5 MILLION To continue to best support the most vulnerable children and families we serve, our annual operating budget is funded predominately by private, philanthropic contributions. To maintain and deepen high-quality programs that respond to the evolving needs of a growing number of students, we must grow our base of annual support across a four-year period to fund $11.5 million by 2020.
12 | AN INVITATION TO INVEST IN THE WOODEN FLOOR
“I got distracted and lost track in math, but tutoring at The Wooden Floor helped me raise my grades. My mom told me to never miss an opportunity here, because this is one of the few places where you have a lot of opportunities to get ahead.” —CARLOS, CLASS OF 2020
LiftCampaign.org | 13
14 | AN INVITATION TO INVEST IN THE WOODEN FLOOR
2. Invest in Tomorrow’s Leaders EXTENSION OF THE WOODEN FLOOR CAMPUS $5.7 MILLION The Wooden Floor at Depot at Santiago We will grow to serve 100 more students year-round (totaling 475) through an additional annex campus constructed in partnership with C&C Development’s Depot at Santiago work-force housing community. We seek to raise $2.85 million to fund 10 years of costs to extend high-quality programming through an additional dance studio, education center, and family counseling and resource center. Located less than one mile from our current location, this new annex will form a “connected campus” where all students will be served at both campuses to holistically meet their daily needs. Accelerator for Innovation Fund To remain a leader in creative youth development, we must focus and invest in: experimentation, research, risk-taking, and investment to move more young people forward. This $2.85 million opportunity fund will provide seed capital for future local programmatic growth, as well as dissemination of The Wooden Floor in a Box© to licensed partners across the nation.
3. Pivot to the Future of Education SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH ENDOWMENT GROWTH $10 MILLION $10 million in endowed fund investments will provide a more sustainable future and ensure expansion opportunities exist for future generations of deserving students. We seek to raise $4 million to build upon our existing endowment, and an additional $2 million in each of three designated endowed funds to advance the following programmatic priorities: Artistic and Dance-Making Initiatives, Student Support Services, and College Scholarships.
EDUCATION CENTER & COUNSELING OFFICE
DANCE STUDIO
COURTYARD & MAIN ENTRANCE
THE WOODEN FLOOR AT DEPOT AT SANTIAGO
LiftCampaign.org | 15
16 | AN INVITATION TO INVEST IN THE WOODEN FLOOR
It’s Your Move WILL YOU HELP US LIFT CHILDREN OUT OF POVERTY TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL? Within our first, quiet phase launched in 2016, we are proud and grateful to have received 100% financial and volunteer participation from The Wooden Floor Board of Directors, Campaign Cabinet, and executive staff. We are well-positioned and on track of benchmarks to achieve our campaign working goal of $27.2 million. Now, to reach this significant goal to move the needle for those we serve, we need your help. Your investment in this unprecedented campaign will strengthen The Wooden Floor’s commitment to transform the lives of more young people in low-income communities through the power of dance and access to higher education – now, and for generations to come. We are deeply grateful for your generous consideration.
Please contact Dawn S. Reese, Chief Executive Officer at 714.541.8314 ext. 136 or Dawn@TheWoodenFloor.org to discuss how you and others may wish to participate in this exciting campaign.
GIFT AND RECOGNITION OPPORTUNITIES To show our deep gratitude, we invite you to learn more about the impact of your investment, along with special naming and gift opportunities at LiftCampaign.org.
LiftCampaign.org | 17
Campaign Leadership CAMPAIGN CABINET Damien M. Jordan
Michelle Dean James A. Driscoll Judith F. Posnikoff Diane Sawyer Saar Swartzon Tod White
Campaign Chair
Joan and Donald Beall Honorary Chairs
Virginia and Richard C. Hunsaker Honorary Chairs
“My wife, Yvonne, and I met with a high school senior of The Wooden Floor and her parents who said that they knew as smart as their daughter was, she would never have had the opportunity to go to college and study pre‑med without The Wooden Floor. Now, imagine hundreds of more students on the path to graduating high school and going to college. We find that very powerful. Lift: The Campaign for The Wooden Floor will make that image a reality.” –DAMIEN M. JORDAN, CAMPAIGN CHAIR
“From our Board of Directors, staff, and parents, to our supporters, we are united as one in a single goal: to move young people forward. The impact of our mission is real, and we see it every day — one changed life can change an entire community.” —DAWN S. REESE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
18 | AN INVITATION TO INVEST IN THE WOODEN FLOOR
2017‑2018 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Arthur Ong*
Gilbert R. Cisneros
Chairman Executive Vice President, Deputy General Counsel PIMCO
President and Co-Founder The Gilbert & Jacki Cisneros Foundation
James A. Driscoll*
Community Leader
Evangelina Gonzalez
Saar Swartzon*
Parent Representative Community Leader
Judith F. Posnikoff, PhD* Treasurer Managing Director Pacific Alternative Asset Management Company, LLC
Epiphany Owen,* Secretary Partner Best Best & Krieger, LLP
Theresa Allen Managing Director and Portfolio Manager First Republic Private Wealth Management
Sasha Ayloush Customer Service Manager and Secretary of the Board of Directors Hydraflow
Falon Baltzell, MFA Artistic Director The Wooden Floor
Joseph Chatelle Principal Mercer
Partner & CEO SVA Architects, Inc.
Michelle Dean
Immediate Past Chairman Community Leader
Vice Chairman Principal Attorney Cohn & Swartzon, a Professional Law Corporation
Ernesto M. Vasquez, FAIA, NCARB
Bryan Green Financial Advisor Edward Jones
Jeremy Krout President/CEO Environmental Planning Development Solutions, Inc.
Catherine M. MacIver Community Leader
Dale A. Merrill Dean, College of the Arts California State University Fullerton
Yvonne R. O’Neill* Certified Public Accountant O’Neill Financial Management
Alix Portillo Alumni Representative Compliance Specialist Opus Bank
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
Dawn S. Reese, CFRE Chief Executive Officer The Wooden Floor
Mary E. Tolar Vice President and Senior Strategic Program Manager American Funds/Capital Group Companies, Inc. *Executive Committee Members Last Modified: March 13, 2018
LiftCampaign.org | 19
For more information, please contact: Dawn S. Reese | Chief Executive Officer 714.541.8314 ext. 136 | Dawn@TheWoodenFloor.org
www.TheWoodenFloor.org 1810 North Main Street, Santa Ana, CA 92706
Photography by Christine Cotter and Edie Layland, Illustration by Eric Reese Illustration ©2017 The Wooden Floor