After-School Flying Program In Compton, California
This past week I learned about a free after-school flying program at Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum (TAM) in Compton, California. Kids as young as 6 years old are not only learning to fly, but are also being made to do their homework, clean up the airport hanger and even wash planes! The founder of this program was inspired by the Tuskegee Airmen and is giving back in Compton to teach the kids discipline, time management and all the skills to fly planes. This is the type of creative and innovative programs that our young kids need in order to compete in tomorrow’s world. And this is also the type of hope that is very needed in an area like Compton.
THINK Together has recently been talking to TAM about a partnership to enhance TAM’s education portion of their fantastic program.
Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum was also recently featured on CNN. Take a look at the video below.
Shaq On Education
Wonderful op-ed piece written by 15-time NBA All-Star Shaquillle O’Neal on the importance of education. Link here to the USA Today web site: http://usat.ly/IvwhIQ.
It’s very refreshing to see such a high profile athlete walk the talk regarding education. The NBA has the “We Care” promotion that show NBA players visiting elementary schools and reading to kids. But the irony is that the majority of those athletes never finished or even go back to finish college. Shaq finished his undergraduate degree during his NBA career, then got his masters degree and has now received his doctorate.
With the success of after-school programs at THINK Together and the Boys and Girls Clubs, it is my hope that the statistic in Shaq’s quote below will not get any worse.
2012 Tournament Announced
UPDATE: Please see the 2012 Tournament page here.
EXTRA! EXTRA! EXTRA! We are proud to announce the 2012 Charles Abbott Memorial Golf Tournament is to be held on Monday October 15th at Monarch Beach Golf Links in Dana Point. The Monarch Beach Golf Links is a part of the prestigious Dana Point St. Regis Resort (@StRegisMB) which is one of the most luxurious resorts in all of Southern California. With some personal connections and arm twisiting, we were able to secure some great rates for our tournament that will provide an even better tournament experience that we have been providing the last twelve years.
Oak Creek Golf Club in Irvine treated us like kings for three years, but in order to continue our tradition of playing some of the other great golf courses in the Orange County area, we decided not to pass on this opportunity. We also looked at moving the tournament to Strawberry Farms in Irvine, Black Gold in Yorba Linda, as well as a few others, but landed on Monarch Beach. We hope you’ll join us on Monday October 15th for another great year.
Stay tuned for more announcements:
Like us on Facebook – www.facebook.com/charlesabbottfoundation
Follow us on Twitter – www.twitter.com/CAGolfTourney
Another Reason To Like THINK Together
Last week THINK Together (@THINK_Together) announced new members to their Board of Directors. New board members include auto legend Donnie Crevier, Smile Brands CEO Steve Bilt, technology executive Doug Antone, Ralphs Grocery Executive Kendra Doyel and THINK Alumni Paoloa Leon. What is absolutely great about these folks is simply their pedigree, their knowledge, their work experience and name recognition. With these names now associated with THINK Together, even more attention will be brought to THINK and this can only help improve THINK’s name recognition as one of the best after-school programs in the nation.
Read the full article in the Sacramento Bee here:
http://bit.ly/Ia7V36
PIMCO Volunteers
This is a fantastic blog post showing what a difference volunteering makes. Kudos to PIMCO Patners for giving more than just their money, but giving more than 15,000 hours of volunteer time to read to kids. Last month 160 PIMCO volunteers descended on four elementary schools in Santa Ana as participants in THINK’s “Royal Reader” Program. What a fantastic way for an organization to make a difference.
http://think-together.blogspot.com/2012/02/pimco-visits-think-together-in-santa.html
Education Paradigm
I came across a very interesting video today regarding education paradigms and how every country is the world seems to always be “reforming” their education system. One of the more interesting points was the fact that as standardized tests have increased in number in the U.S., so has the amount of Ritalin given to our children. Coincidence? The 11 minute animated video is adapted from a speech given by Sir Ken Robinson Phd., who has written several books about the topic. The video is animated (UPS whiteboard style) and is very entertaining. The message isn’t Earth shattering, but very interesting and worth a watch.
12th Annual Golf Tournament
The 12th Annual Charles Abbott Memorial Golf Tournament was a huge success. Fortunately and unfortunately, we are still counting some dollars as well as waiting for a few dollars to still come in. I’m estimating that we will net $40,000 again, which would make this the 2nd year in a row that we have cleared $40k. Thanks to all who attended to made the event such a great day. We will be posting pictures soon and will sent out another note when we do.
Thanks again.
Mark Abbott
Smater Summers
Smarter Summers is a groundbreaking, $11.5 million project of the Walmart Foundation and the National Summer Learning Association to provide more than 20,000 slots in high-quality summer learning programs for middle-school students, along with healthy summer meals, and opportunities for physical activity.
THINK Together staff joined with Baldwin Park USD to participate in this summer program which turned out to be extremely rewarding for both students and teachers. Here is a link to an article written by THINK Together’s Laurie Weidner, Director of Marketing and Communications, about some Baldwin Park 6th graders who participated in the Smarter Summers program.
Smart Summers Made My Summer Fun!
www.smartersummers.org/?p=377
Lebron James
Lebron James paid a visit to the Boys and Girls Club of the Los Angeles Harbor on July 26th. Read below for more information on James’ visit as reprinted from the Boys and Girls Club newsletter.
LeBron James visited the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor last Monday July 26th to view our San Pedro Club’s renovated gymnasium, made possible by a generous $120,000 donation from the LeBron James Family Foundation, Nike and HP. The Club also received a significant donation of Nike basketball and athletic equipment to support sports and fitness programs, and 16 state-of-the-art HP computers for use in the Club’s technology center.
The San Pedro gym received a complete makeover. The floor was stripped, sanded, and repainted and. the basketball standards, gym seating, and scoreboard were replaced. The wonderful donation allowed for significant infrastructure improvements, including energy efficient lighting, heating, and storage space. .
A $2,000,000 donation from revenue gained during LeBron’s “Decision” broadcast during the summer of 2010 was distributed to 59 Boys & Girls Club organizations nationwide. In addition, Nike contributed $500,000 in athletic equipment and HP donated 1,000 computers, making the total value $3,000,000. “We are honored the LeBron James Family Foundation, Nike and HP have invested in the youth of the Los Angeles Harbor,” said Mike Lansing, Club Executive Director., “Our Club members are thrilled to have access to this beautifully renovated gym.”
THINK Together Coming to Victorville
There have been a few hurdles over the past year in getting THINK Together to open up school sites it into the High Desert, but it is finally happening! Victorville Elementary received a grant that will fund THINK Together’s operations in 13 of their schools for the 2011/2012 school year and beyond. THINK Together is beginning to hire staff as can be seen by the think below. If you know any good folks who love kids and have a passion to help kids succeed in education, please check out the THINK Together web site for job openings in the Victorville area.
