Mission Moment
Driving Futures ™ Scholarship Benefit for The Wooden Floor
This February, The Wooden Floor raised over $140,000 in support of merit-based college scholarships for students, at our newest event, Driving Futures ™. The benefit aided the profound, long-term investment The Wooden Floor makes in its students’ academic journeys from elementary school to higher education. Driving Futures ™ is our opportunity to help propel future graduates forward to ensure that they can reach their fullest potential. We held the benefit at Singleton Classics , with Honorary Chairs Will and Cary Singleton. “The Wooden Floor provides 80% of our graduates with college scholarships totaling $4,000-$10,000 each. We just hit another milestone last year by granting over $2.1M in merit-based scholarships, and we have raised $2M in endowed scholarship funds, which we are looking to grow by an additional $2M to increase scholarship award amounts,” said CEO Dawn S. Reese.
From Left: The Wooden Floor Board Chair Jehan Jayakumar, Honorary Chairs Cary Singleton and Will Singleton, and Chief Executive Officer Dawn S. Reese
Rosa is graduating from Middle College High School with both her high school diploma and an AA degree, plus an impressive 4.6 GPA. She was admitted into nine of the 10 colleges she applied to, including her top choice, UCLA. Rosa plans to major in Environmental Engineering or Environmental Science because she has always been an “earth girl,” visiting national parks often with her family. She also loves the subjects of biology and chemistry.
In the First Person:
Rosa
CLASS OF 2025
“Dance is experimental the same way science is –sometimes you try things out and they might work, or they might not work. I’ve seen that a lot with the choreographers we work with here. When you do experiments, sometimes you have to do them over and over to see what works out. I like that about both science and dance - even if you do fail, you can learn from it and try again, and it will work out, eventually.
I feel blessed being a girl in STEAM. I feel that in malecentered spaces, like in STEM classes, I am there and I am making my family proud, I am making all the women proud. There is a sense of pride in being a woman in STEAM - just saying that I am a woman in S.T.E.A.M. makes me proud.
I would not have gotten into college without The Wooden Floor. It has given me such a boost in my confidence. I applied to schools I didn’t think I would get into – and obviously I did! The Wooden Floor is so invested in getting kids to college that it gave me the confidence to try.”
ROSA, CLASS OF 2025
WOMEN IN S.T.E.A.M.
Alumni In Action
Stay up to date with the milestones in our Alumni’s lives after graduating from The Wooden Floor!
EMMA CANO, CLASS OF 2017
“I am living my dream as a pediatric nurse. I always knew I wanted to work with children and young adults and give back in ways that The Wooden Floor gave to me. I want to strengthen my skills as a pediatric nurse and work toward giving back to the communities around me.
At The Wooden Floor, I learned that family can have various meanings. It can be those you are directly related to, as well as the community you build your life withand for me that was at The Wooden Floor. I also learned that strength, passion, and determination can be taught through movement, and I've let it carry me through every aspect of life to bring me where I am today.
To dance in a way that makes you feel your best requires strength, determination, and empathy. Those are some of the top supports that allowed me to be successful in STEAM. It's a rigorous field to go into and I needed the skills that dance taught me, including empathy, to keep myself grounded in my determination and not lose my way, so that I could achieve my goals.”
EMMA, CLASS OF 2017
Since graduating from The Wooden Floor, Emma has earned a BA in Biology from Smith College in 2021 and an MS in Nursing from Columbia University in 2023. She is a Registered Nurse working in pediatrics at New York - Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital - the top children's hospital in New York.
WENDY ALANIZ, CLASS OF 2019
“Learning dance truly taught me about self-discipline, accountability, and how to work with others, which has helped support my career goals. I truly don’t believe I could have made it this far without The Wooden Floor. On top of the more than generous scholarship I received, all throughout high school, I felt as though I had a place where I belonged. I was able to receive help for not just school-related subjects, but I was able to receive mental health support as well. With SAT/ACT practice courses, tutoring sessions, and all the college prep programs I attended, I felt as though I was fully supported and was given all the proper tools I needed to get into college.
No words can ever be put together to describe the way that The Wooden Floor has changed the direction of my path in life. While I heard the slogan 'From here, you can step anywhere' almost every day I was there, I never really understood the impact of it until I left. I, like many other fellow graduates and current students, felt that I could only go so far with the cards I was dealt with in life. However, looking back now, my younger self would be so incredibly proud of the person I am today. The Wooden Floor staff never told me my goals were too big or that I couldn’t accomplish my dreams; they truly believed in me, and I will forever be grateful for the amazing staff.”
WENDY, CLASS OF 2019
Wendy earned a BS in Aerospace Engineering from UC San Diego in 2023 and currently works as a Reliability Engineer at PPG Aerospace. She is proudly a first-generation college graduate and the first engineer in her family. Wendy aims to gain more knowledge of the aerospace industry and explore the different pathways that her chosen career has in store for her.
19TH ANNUAL
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2025 at 6:00PM
Big Canyon Country Club Newport Beach, California
Step Forward:
Step Forward, our endowment campaign, is designed to further grow The Wooden Floor Endowment Fund to ensure future generations of students can reach their full potential, both in school and in life.
The National Philanthropic Trust estimates that nearly $229 billion in charitable assets were held undistributed in Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) as of the end of 2022. It is important to be mindful not to wait too long to distribute and decide upon which organizations you would like to support.
Orange County’s premier wine tasting benefit returns for the 19th year to keep the promise to The Wooden Floor’s youth so they know: “from here, you can step anywhere.”
Save-the-date for a rare and extraordinary wine tasting experience featuring 12 hard-to-find wines from around the world.
▫ A fun, strolling blind wine tasting competition
▫ Signature small plates
▫ Sharing of student success stories
▫ Silent auctions and opportunity drawings
▫ Giving opportunities
There are two ways to give.
■ Today, you can send your annual gift to The Wooden Floor through your DAF, which will influence our programs and services for the 475 children and their families we serve.
■ As part of your estate planning, you may consider identifying The Wooden Floor as a beneficiary through your DAF, which ensures you will pass on your values and uphold your commitment to The Wooden Floor’s mission for generations to come.
Please remember, all gifts of any size in the form of direct cash gifts, pledges, and planned legacy commitments matter in this special campaign and make an impact on the lives of our students. We are grateful.
Please contact Dawn S. Reese at Info@TheWoodenFloor.org to discuss ways that you can make a difference.