This is our Method
About Us
The Witness To A Dream Foundation is a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) organization formed in 2008 to provide mentoring services to the Los Angeles inner city students. WTAD's programs embrace creativity and the use of positive role models that influence students in a unique, dynamic group environment. Its goal is to teach students important life skills and enable them to pursue opportunities for growth, achievement, leadership, and success.
Background
The youth in the Los Angeles inner city face daunting challenges both in school and in life:
- In the Los Angeles Unified School District, the graduation rate is 45% - 39% for Latinos and 46% for African-Americans.
- Roughly 25% of Los Angeles' children live in households with annual income below $18,000.
- The rate of poverty for high school dropouts is three times higher than that for high school graduates.
- Children from low-income families are more than twice as likely to drop out of high school as those from middle-income families.
- While some crime in Los Angeles has declined statistically, gangs, drugs, alcohol abuse, and racial violence often plague crowded, low-income areas. Urban areas of Los Angeles have the highest number of substantiated child abuse and neglect referrals, as well as the highest number of births to teen mothers.
WTAD History
The Witness To A Dream Foundation was founded by Tom Sturges and Regina Boutte, who have a combined 40 years of experience as educators and mentors to inner-city youth. Tom serves as the EVP and Head of Creative at Universal Music Publishing Group, and is author of "Parking Lot Rules & 75 Other Ideas for Raising Amazing Children", a creative and contemporary book on parenting from which many of WTAD's unique mentoring techniques are based. Tom has dedicated countless hours to mentoring the students in Los Angeles and was recognized as a Mentoring Partner by Gov Pete Wilson in 1998. Regina's background and professional experience has been in education, teaching K-12 grades in the LAUSD and she currently serves as the Asst Principal at the Foshay Learning Center. She is well-known for her dedication and commitment to the students.
In 1998 Tom Sturges and Regina Boutte teamed together to form the Foshay Learning Center choir with thirty-seven 7th grade students. This was the beginning of a beautiful and magical experience where mentoring based on creativity and positive influence formed the foundation for tremendous accomplishments and provided the students with the tools and confidence to pursue their dreams. These mentees defied the statistics for LAUSD students. Their statistics:
- 100% high school graduation rate
- 97% acceptance rate to a 4-year college
- 92% college graduation rate
Tom and Regina continue their relationships with the original mentees and have since enrolled hundreds of students into the Foshay Learning Center Choir, giving them the same experience to create, perform and dream.
Over time, Tom and Regina have worked to create and formalize the WTAD Mentoring System™, the basis for the Witness To A Dream Foundation and its programs aimed at helping the inner-city youth to realize their full potential through creativity, to gain access to higher education and career resources, and to pursue their ultimate dreams.
In 2008, the Witness To A Dream Foundation was incorporated as a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization.
This is a transformational moment for students and begins to truly change their lives forever.
Mission
The mission of The Witness To A Dream Foundation is to better the lives and improve the chances for success of inner-city public school children through mentoring.
The foundation will provide a template for mentors to develop inspiring relationships with mentees based on the proven success of the founders' efforts at the Foshay Learning Center.
Values and Beliefs
We value the youth in our community and believe that empowering them will strengthen their confidence and drive.
We believe that at risk youth deserve the opportunity to realize their dreams.
We believe that providing positive role-models in their lives will help them to realize their full potential.
We believe in the power of creativity as the path to self-respect.
We believe in volunteerism and partnerships in reaching our overall goals.