"Dance Up" Fall 2011 - The Newsletter of The Wooden Floor

fall 2011

providing Hope and Opportunity Through Dance, Academic and Family Programs

danceup melanie ríos glaser, executive and artistic director

In the First Person

Shantel, Class of 2011 I would love to thank the supporters of The Wooden Floor for the generous scholarship granted to me because it will allow me to pursue my dreams and will immediately be used toward paying my tuition fees for my first year at NYU. As I grew up dancing at The Wooden Floor, I learned the importance of the values taught and I will integrate them as much as possible into my everyday life in New York.

The Wooden Floor taught me the significance of having respect for others, for myself, and for my surroundings.

Every day, we were all encouraged to be excellent, to be the best we can be, in all aspects of our lives. The encouragement that I was given allowed me to gain confidence in myself, and this is what has helped me to come this far. Soon I will be in New York doing what I love at one of the most prestigious schools in the world. The Wooden Floor has brought me up to believe that I am excellent, and so I have become.

I know many factors have aided me in being accepted into NYU, one of them being The Wooden Floor. And now with your generous financial support, I can fulfill my dreams and attend the university that has been my goal for so long.

Pictured: Shantel, age 11, performing in The Wooden Floor’s 21st Annual Concert ‘Presence’ in 2004.

Thursday, October 6

Thursday, October 13

Saturday, October 15

Wednesday, December 7

Experience 14 hard-to-find, exquisite wines from the Rhône region of France and California’s Central Coast paired with signature hors d’oeuvres. For reservations, please contact Keegan Bell at 714.541.8314 ext. 140 or Keegan@TheWoodenFloor.org

Bring a friend or two to see our programs in motion, and welcome the new academic year. Enjoy refreshments, visit with friends, watch dance classes, and hear first hand about the accomplishments, which students are achieving at The Wooden Floor.

An inspiring event marking the beginning of a 10-year transformative journey at The Wooden Floor for the Class of 2021. Do you know of a student that would benefit from our services? Audition details are online at www.TheWoodenFloor.org

Join us as we celebrate the season of caring with hors d’oeuvres, tree decorating, and holiday crafts with our students. Tree and toy donations are welcome. For more information or to RSVP contact Susie Forbath at 714.541.8314 ext. 115 or Susie@TheWoodenFloor.org

5th Annual Keep the Promise Wine Tasting Benefit

Open House 5:30pm - 7:00pm

Annual Auditions 8:30am - 1:30pm

Community Holiday Celebration

Complete information on events featuring the students of The Wooden Floor is available online at www.TheWoodenFloor.org

the gift of opportunity: a letter from dawn s. reese

supporter spotlight

Robert & Cindy Mairena

Audition Day is one of our favorite days at The Wooden Floor, and it is also one of the most poignant.

Picture yourself walking through the line of prospective students and their families that wraps around our building, and all you witness is a sea of sweet, hopeful, and earnest faces. Due to our reputation in the community, these parents know if their children are selected to join The Wooden Floor, it may be the only chance they have to gain

the necessary skills to be successful in life, to be academically prepared, and to be the first in their family to attend college.

In the book Outliers, the author Malcolm Gladwell writes about the story of success. He states, “Outliers are those who have been given opportunities – and have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them.” He attributes this strength to a steady accumulation of advantages

FORWARD MOVEMENT

As the owner and CEO of Office Solutions, Bob Mairena is always looking at his return on investment (ROI). When it comes to his and wife Cindy’s charitable support, the goal is no different. “The outcomes The Wooden Floor produces are incredible. It is even more inspiring if you have the opportunity to talk to these students and let them articulate how The Wooden Floor has impacted their lives,” says Bob.

From the moment our students set foot on our wooden floors to the day they head off to college, we are there every step of the way – and beyond. Take a look at their journey out of poverty and into a better future.

Bob and Cindy’s passionate support also derives from a personal understanding of the challenges facing our students.

“Cindy and I grew up in a community very similar to the more disadvantaged areas in Santa Ana. We have a great deal of empathy for the obstacles that students of The Wooden Floor have to deal with,” he says. “We recognize that some of these children can reach their full potential if given the proper mentorship and encouragement.

We want to reach these kids.

Cindy and I feel that we have an obligation and responsibility to “pay it forward.”

CULTURAL immersion & Wilderness Camps

Bob and Cindy’s support has taken many forms - from the donation of office furniture and supplies, to being Dance Partners and Annual Concert Underwriters. Bob served on The Wooden Floor’s Board of Directors for four years and as Chair of its Marketing Committee during the organization’s transition to its new name. “It is a very emotional process to go through a name change and rebranding initiative, but I was very proud that we as a Board unanimously voted to go forward.”

As he tells it, Bob continues to be renewed by his involvement.

“The more you know The Wooden Floor, the more natural it is to be passionate about it.

There are a limited number of organizations that Cindy and I can support, but The Wooden Floor is certainly one of those organizations that I can see, touch, and feel the impact that it has.”

2 The Wooden Floor | fall 2011

Our young dancers attend performances, museums, and other cultural events to broaden their creative capacity, and in turn, their ability to solve problems. Summer leadership wilderness camps allow youth to engage in team-building and leadership workshops far from the city where many of our under-served students rarely leave.

Year 1 Setting the Foundation in Third Grade

Years 3-6

Growing and Nurturing Student Enrichment

Communit

Many students b Weeks. Taught b DanceFree Week dance workshop Santa Ana and n students particip attend The Wood

ANNUAL CONCERT

Performing each June with artistic direction from some of the nation’s top contemporary dance choreographers at the Irvine Barcla Theatre, our young dancers receive a burst of confidence and selfdetermination that is reflected in their personal lives and school work

Career Nights

Professionals from a variety of industries, including medicine, engineering, and technology, host a question and answer session with students, who are looking toward the future and its possibilities.

College Prep Workshops

As early as 7th grade, students participate in college campus tours and classes aimed at honing study habits and time management skills, which will lead to a more successful high school career, and, ultimately, their careers in college.

Years 7-10 Finishing High School and Maintaining Momentum

Pre-Collegiate Mentoring

The Wooden Floor’s Junior class gears toward the college applications process in the fall with pre-collegiate workshops.

Topics include free KAPLAN SAT ® prep courses, college and career research, financial aid and scholarships planning, and personal statement writing.

Co Years

Ongo and S

THE WOODEN FLOOR LEGACY SOCIETY: WHAT WILL YO Now in our 28th year, we are proud to announce the launch of The Wooden Floor Legacy Society – an additional way for long-time friends to make an impact on underserved students, now and for generations to come. By joining the Legacy Society, you will ensure that our future students will have the same level of care and support to realize their

full potential through dance, academic, and family services.

Whatever your stage in life, your financial circumstances, or your charitable goals, you can help move our community’s youth forward through a legacy gift. There are many planned or estate gift opportunities that can make a lasting difference.

including the person’s abilities to do something meaningful when they seize an opportunity that is put before them, master a skill with extraordinary effort, seek out personal and community champions, and learn from generational and familial legacies.

At The Wooden Floor, we work with each student to build on their attributes of strength by immersing them in opportunities available to them through our dance-based youth development programs.

Over the past two years, our student retention rate has increased dramatically and as a result, sadly we have to turn away many of the children who line up

GENERAL MANAGER/CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, THE WOODEN FLOOR

the wooden floor news feed November 10 Community professionals gather at The Wooden Floor to host a Career Night for 8-12 grade students, exposing them to new and different career possibilities.

October 12 A new weekly workshop titled On Target culminates for boys at The Wooden Floor aimed at stress management, problem solving, and decision making.

ity Engagement

begin their journey at DanceFree by professional dance instructors, ks brings free week-long introductory ps to the most underfunded schools in neighboring cities. Over 3,000 excited pate each year and are encouraged to den Floor’s audition day.

ay e

early in the morning. For the ones selected, who take their first step across the threshold of The Wooden Floor, it can be their opportunity. When we encourage them to seize it, it makes the difference in breaking the cycle of poverty. We know it is true and proven.

Audition Day

Lining up as early as 2:00am, hundreds of young people vie for a chance at securing a spot at The Wooden Floor. Students are chosen based on their financial need and a demonstrated desire to excel in dance.

DANCE EDUCATION Students are immersed in arts education, attending dance classes in ballet, modern, and improvisation two to four times a week for the next ten years.

Accompanists fill the studios with live music.

GIFTing the Tools for Success First year students receive backpacks laden with school supplies to give them the confidence to tackle the new school year. A brand new dance uniform is presented to each young artist after successfully completing their first six months of dance class.

Year 2 building on that foundation

k.

A Little Summer Reading

Homework Help

Each summer, beginning in third grade, curious young minds are fostered in the Summer Reading Program, which focuses on encouraging students to develop a life-long love of reading, and achieve grade-level reading proficiency.

Students with GPAs below 2.0 receive mandatory one-onone tutoring with tutors from local universities including UCI, Chapman, and CSU Fullerton.

Tutors stay with them until their grades have been raised.

September 26 The Wooden Floor serves Orange County’s most disadvantaged schools during its annual DanceFree Weeks, providing over 3,000 students with free dance classes aimed at getting them active and exposing them to the arts.

September 6 Dancers returned to The Wooden Floor after a short summer break, eager to begin their new dance classes. august 24 The Wooden Floor Founder Beth Burns gathered the growing number of alumni attending UCLA for a tour of the campus and surrounding Westwood, allowing the students to form a support group and build camaraderie at their new alma mater.

August 15 The Wooden Floor launched its new website! Check it out at www.TheWoodenFloor.org.

August 12 The Alumni Professional Network gathered in Huntington Beach for food, fun, and friendship. Contact Mayra Avina at 714.541.8314 ext. 128 or Mayra@TheWoodenFloor.org to join the Alumni Professional Network.

August 1 The annual Summer Reading Program and Learning Workshop drew to a close after welcoming 48 and 50 students respectively, all of whom worked diligently to improve their reading skills, increase their vocabulary, and master their science and math skills for the coming school year.

July 28 The Topanga Film Festival screened The Modern Man, a short-form documentary following Fernando, a student from the Class of 2011 at The Wooden Floor. The DOCMiami Film Festival and PBS will also feature the film this fall. Watch it online at www.TheWoodenFloor.org.

ollege Years

oing Mentoring Support

Scholarships & Financial Aid

Graduating seniors are provided with merit-based scholarships totaling $4,000 - $10,000 enabling them to continue their education. Additional need-based support from the Supplemental Aid Program and College Access Foundation is also available to those who request it.

Alumni Professional Network

A support network for Alumni of The Wooden Floor allows for students to reconnect, share stories of college experiences, and grow through professional development training.

S u pport a st u de n t ’s S U CC ESS.

OUR LEGACY BE? For more information on The Wooden Floor Legacy Society, or to let us know that The Wooden Floor is already in your estate plans, please contact Keegan Bell, Director of Development, at 714.541.8314 ext. 140 or Keegan@TheWoodenFloor.org.

You can play a key role in one or more students’ success – and make their college dreams a reality! Your gift of any size will help support a mentoring relationship for each child that may last up to ten years. Please see the enclosed envelope for the many ways you can contribute to charting a successful future for our students.

July 25 Students with a 100 percent attendance rate were rewarded with a fun-filled beach party, hosted by the Denham family, in return for maintaining perfect attendance at The Wooden Floor during a busy school year and Concert season.

July 21 12 dancers from The Wooden Floor furthered their dance education with noted contemporary dance companies by attending the Limón West Coast Summer Workshop and the Backhausdance Summer Dance Intensive.

July 13 Participants of this year’s IMAGINE workshops reunited for an afternoon of seminars aimed at maintaining the goals of helping our young girls learn the value of making good decisions and how today’s choices will affect their futures.

July 12 A parent workshop, conducted by Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Orange County and underwritten by The Boeing Company, focused on financial literacy.

July 8 The American Heart Association conducted two workshops to educate parents on the importance of keeping a healthy diet to prevent diabetes, which is prevalent at higher rates in Hispanic communities than other ethnic communities.

Thank you! www.TheWoodenFloor.org 3

PRESORTED FIRST CLASS MAIL US POSTAGE

previously known as Saint Joseph Ballet

PAID

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

SANTA ANA, CA PERMIT NO. 302

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

The Wooden Floor Board of Directors 2011-2012 Ernesto Vasquez, Chair AIA, Founding Partner, Mclarand Vasquez Emsiek & Partners Jim Slaughter, Vice Chair Attorney at Law, Slaughter & Slaughter, LLP Damien Jordan, Immediate Past Chair Senior Vice President, General Manager, The American Funds Service Company Frank Foster, Secretary Principal, Residential Strategies, LLC Richard C. Hunsaker, Treasurer President, Hunsaker Management Glennda Adair Community Leader Joan Beall Community Leader Catherine Chase Senior Vice President, Credit Suisse Private Bank Jim Driscoll Community Leader Frank Hall Vice President Resource Development, Retired, St. Joseph Health System Sharon Hartshorn Community Leader Virginia Hunsaker Community Leader Yvonne M. Jordan Community Leader Juan Laguna, Parent Representative Attorney at Law Catherine MacIver Senior Vice President, Bank of America Insurance Services Group Donald McKayle Professor of Dance, Emeritus, University of California, Irvine Danny Melita Community Leader Yvonne R. O’Neill Certified Public Accountant, O’Neill Financial Management Luz Orozco, Parent Representative Community Leader Cyrus Parker–Jeannette Interim Associate Dean of the College of the Arts, California State University, Long Beach Melanie Ríos Glaser Executive & Artistic Director, The Wooden Floor Kristy Santimyer-Melita Community Leader Larry Stofko Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer, St. Joseph Health System Susan Whittaker Governance Counsel St. Joseph Health Ministry Barbara Yingling Community Leader William Yingling III Community Leader Beth Burns, Board Emerita Founder of The Wooden Floor and Artistic Director (’83-’05) Socorro Vasquez, Board Emerita Community Leader

Photography by: Kevin P. Casey

4 The Wooden Floor | fall 2011

For the fifth consecutive year, John Markley, with help from his wife Janice, has scoured wine shops across California and New York for over 12 months in search of exquisite wines. But, unlike most wine lovers, the wines Markley hand selects will not sit idly in a cellar – not for long, anyway. Markley has channeled his passion for wine into support for The Wooden Floor. Markley’s motivation for the benefit event, titled Keep the Promise, has always been to host the most distinguished wine tasting in Orange County, and in turn, generate the most impact for the students of The Wooden Floor. He has succeeded on both accounts, netting nearly a quarter million dollars over the past four events, and earning rave reviews for the hard-to-find wines he showcases.

The event takes place Thursday, October 6, 2011, at 6:00pm, and due to increasing popularity, the strolling wine tasting will be held at Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach. It will continue to feature the popular “blind” tasting competition, specially paired hors d’oeuvres, an exciting opportunity drawing, and much more.

This year, Markley decided the event should spotlight the Rhône Region of France. Included in the tasting are 2007 reds, considered among the best vintages produced from the region in the last 20 years. Markley enlisted the help of Master Sommelier, Steven Poe, assembling a collection of 12 wines - six white and six red.

Each has an average rating of 95+ points and retail prices of up to $110 per bottle. Of the tasting, Poe says, “Chateauneuf du Pape is the star,” yielding a “one of a kind beauty that is sure to amaze and delight all those fortunate enough to indulge.” Poe is one of fewer than 200 people worldwide to hold a Master Sommelier title.

Event Details

Keep the promise sponsors to date include

Big Canyon Country Club Newport Beach, CA

– Joan & Don Beall, and Janice & John Markley Gold Medal Sponsors – The Capital Group Companies, and Rich & Ginnie Hunsaker Silver Medal Sponsors – Credit Suisse Foundation, Ezralow Companies, Jan & Frank Foster, Frome Family Foundation, Sharon & Terry Hartshorn, Peter G. Welsh - Newmark Realty Capital, Inc., Trish & John O’Donnell, Orange Coast Magazine, Nancy & Geoffrey Stack Family Foundation, and Union Bank Bronze Medal Sponsors – Glennda Adair, Corinthian Colleges, Inc., Honda Center/Anaheim Ducks, Anthony & Connie Seiffert, Sidles Duncan & Associates, The Thompson Foundation, Barbara & Bill Yingling, and Nancy & Arn Youngman

Keep the Promise A Wine Tasting Benefit for The Wooden Floor Thursday, October 6, 2011 6:00pm

TICKETS

$250 per person, $150 of which is tax deductible.

RSVP

714.541.8314 ext. 140 or www.TheWoodenFloor.org

Premier Sponsors

All proceeds from the event benefit The Wooden Floor. 90 percent of funding for The Wooden Floor’s nationally recognized model comes from private community donations.

Thank you to the corporate sponsors that have come forward this fall to support the students of The Wooden Floor.