The Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center

And the results are in for the 2011 officers of the Wooten Youth Council. Through teen helpers, special events and fundraisers, youth and parent surveys, recommendations to parents and staff and other activities the council is working to help make the center the best it can be.

The officers are (left to right) Jamia Kirk, secretary; Marlon McCalla, treasurer; Brandy Castor, president; and Sabrina Span, vice president. Congratulations to them all. Great job!! WE LOVE YOOOUUUU!

My name is Bellisha and I am 11 years old in the 6th grade. I have come to the Wooten Center for many years. I am a foster child who comes from a broken home filled with drugs, violence, bad language, alcohol, you name it! I was taken away from my mom because of these problems. The Wooten Center has really helped me. I probably would be one kid who would be a statistic for all the wrong reasons. I desire to be a teacher. I know I definitely have the personality and study skills to take me wherever I desire to go in society. I love to read and just won a reading competition.

My name is Destani, I am 10 years old in the 3rd grade. I aspire to be a Technology Professional. I love the computer and am interested in how things work. I have suffered abuse because of alcoholism and drugs in my family. I am behind in my grade level because of this. At times my self esteem is quite low, probably because of being ridiculed and told I am of little worth. I get picked on a lot. I love the Wooten Center because I get the help I need with homework and tutoring, as well as life skills in the Street Soldiers class.

My name is Tia. I am 9 years old in the 4th grade. I love to sing. I live with my mom and brother. My dad left when I was 6 yrs old. I have two other siblings that live in foster homes. I want to become a doctor and a musical artist when I go to college.

My name is Gregory and I’m in the second grade. I am in a foster home and live with Ms. Carmen. I would like to live with my sister. I have only one sister. I have ADD. This makes it hard for me to get along with other kids and be patient. The Al Wooten Center has helped me be more patient. I have learned how to share and work with others. The center has taught me to be nice to others. When I grow up I want to be a teacher like Cliff, Darius, and Ms. Barnes. I am learning from them everyday on how to be a good teacher. If I had one wish it would be to live with my sister so I can see my family again.

My name is Corey and I am in the second grade. I have lived in many bad neighborhoods. Around my neighborhood people are always being shot and killed by other gangs. The Al Wooten Center helps me feel safe. The Street Soldier’s class is teaching me how to stay out of gangs and not be infected. Mr. Cliff, Mr. Darius, and Ms. Barnes are teaching me to become a better person. They help me stay out of trouble and improve my behavior. When I grow up I want to be a Construction Worker. The center is teaching me how to be a hard worker and this will help me in the future.

My name is Malachi and I am in Kindergarten. I don’t stay with my mom and dad. I only stay with my mom. I don’t see him a lot because he stays in Arizona. I have two sisters and one brother. When I grow up I want to be a Man. Cliff and Darius helps me to become a better boy man. They teach me to share and they feed me. I look up to Cliff and Darius. Ms. Barnes helps me a lot to. She teaches me to study hard and get good grades. She also helps me with my homework.

My name is Jazzlyn and I am in the 2nd grade. I live with my grandmother. I would like to live with my daddy. My mother does not have a job. Before I came to the center my grades were very bad. I didn’t do all my homework and I behaved bad in class. Ever since I started coming to the center my grades have improved. The staff helps me with my homework and teaches me things I don’t know. At the center I learn from other students too. When I grow up I want to be a teacher like Ms. Barnes. I have learned a lot from tutoring. Ms. Barnes makes learning fun. My one wish in life is to be rich because my family doesn’t have a lot of money.

My name is Symajae and I am in the 2nd grade. I live with my mom and step dad. Before I came to the center, school was very hard. I didn’t know math well and I behaved bad. I never wanted to go to school, I always wanted to play. Now that I am at the center I am getting help with my homework and learning things I didn’t know like multiplications. Ms. Barnes and Darius help me with my behavior. They teach me how to listen and not talk all the time. When I grow up I want to be a police officer. Darius is teaching me how to obey rules so I can be a good officer.

My name is Makiyah and I am in the fourth grade. I live with my mom and my step dad. My step dad doesn’t work. I have two step brothers. I have never thought about joining a gang because people lose their lives in gangs. When I grow up I would like to be a Veterinarian. I like helping animals. I want to go to college so I can get a degree and get a good job. I like coming to the center because the tutors help me with my home work and teach me things I don’t know. I always try to hang around the right people so I don’t get in trouble.

My name is Khalea and I am in the 8th grade. I live with my mother. I have no father. I have three sisters. If I could change anything about my life it would be to have my dad in my life. I have never thought about joining a gang because some of my family has died due to gang violence. When I grow up I would like to be a hair stylist. I want to go to college so I can see myself achieve more and get a degree. I like coming to the Wooten Center because it’s fun. I get help with my homework and have people to talk to. If I had one wish it would be to travel around the world and experience more things instead of what Los Angeles has to offer.

My name is Dariontae and I am in the third grade. I live with my mom and step dad. I have one brother and one sister. If I could change anything about my family it would be the anger. People in my house get mad over nothing. I have never thought about joining a gang because I am afraid to die. When I grow up I want to be a police officer so I can stop gang violence. I like coming to the Al Wooten Center because it’s fun. Mr. Cliff is friendly and he always gives me things like snacks. If I had one wish it would be to stop gang violence.

My name is Markiess and I am in the 6th grade. I live with my grandparents. I have four brothers and one sister. I have thought about joining a gang so I can protect my family. When I grow up I want to be a famous football player. I want to be very athletic. My brother helps mentor me and teaches me sports like football and basketball. I want to go to college so I can learn and get a better job. I like coming to the center because the Street Soldiers class is teaching me how to stay away from violence and become a better person. I hope my grandparents are alive to see me become a successful man.

My name is Randall and I am in the 4th grade. I live with my mom. I have five sisters and three brothers. I don’t live with my dad but he visits me sometimes. I like living in my neighborhood because there’s no gang members or violence. When I grow up I want to be an artist because I like to draw. People at the Wooten Center encourage me to be an artist. People are always asking me to draw for them. I want to go to college so I can learn and become a better person. I like coming to the Al Wooten center because it’s very fun. All the classes are great. I can get help from anyone at anytime.

My name is Tyler. I am 6 years old in the first grade. I live with my mom, big sister, and my dog. One of the bad things that happened to me is that my dad is not around. The last time I seen my dad was when I was 4 years old. At the Al Wooten Center when I am mad Miss Jay and Darius, the Street Soldiers teacher, help me calm down and talk. They also help me with my homework during homework assistance. When I grow up I want to be a police officer.

My name is Jordan. I am in the 2nd grade and I am 7 years old. I live with my mom, two of my grandmothers, my twin sister, my big sister, my little brother, and my grandfather. I would rather live with my mom and dad. A bad thing that happened to me was when my mom and dad got a divorced. This was bad because I don’t get to live with my dad. I get to see my dad once a week and we have fun. I wish I could spend more time with my dad. When I am at the Al Wooten Center Miss Jay, Miss Renee, Darius, Ms. Settle, Mr. Cliff, and Mr. King help me with my homework or when people bother me. When I am mad I go to Mr. King’s computer lab and log onto angermanagement.com to release my anger and that makes me feel better. When I grow up I want to be a circus dancer. My favorite part is to balance stuff on my nose.

Hey there Katrina’s the name and I attend the Al Wooten Center. I have been attending the Wooten Center for about nine years now. I am a foster child and I live with my mom/guardian and my twin sister Sabrina. I recently lost my aunt February 21, 2009 to lung cancer. I lost my father to lung cancer November 29, 2007. So I hate learning about friends or loved ones smoking because I know I’m going to lose them the same way I did with my dad and aunt. I am currently attending Washington High School. I come to the Wooten Center to get help in my math. If it wasn’t for the Wooten Center and Miss Jay, I wouldn’t be passing to the next grade.

My name is Sabrina and I’m in the 10th grade. I live with my twin sister Katrina and my mother. I’d prefer to live with my best friend James. My mom is a foster parent and my dad passed away November 29, 2007 but he was a foster parent too. I have six siblings older and younger than me. One thing I can say about my mother is that she is nice has been taking care of me since I was born. I don’t know my real parents but I know they were good people to have let me live and to have let two wonderful people such as my foster mom and my foster dad take care of me. I love both my foster and real parents. They are all good people. If I could change one thing about my life I would change the fact that my daddy smoked because if he didn’t smoke he would not have died. When I grow up I want to become a game designer and I want to be a pet shop worker too. I like coming to the center because I know everybody, plus I’ve been here for 8 years no reason to stop going now right. And plus I feel safe here.

My Name is Marlise and I am a junior at Amino South Los Angeles Charter High School. I am 16 years old. I live with my mother, my 10 year old brother, and 4 year old sister. I prefer to live with my mother because she has been there me through thick and thin and she has raised me for 16 years by herself. In about two years I would like to attend college at either Florida AME or Southern University. I would major in business management while attending Culinary Arts School.

My name is Kamren. I am 9 years old. My parents divorced when I was 2 years of age as I was raised by my Mother. My Father did drugs and he left us. The Wooten Center has helped me overcome these challenges by myself saying no to drugs, getting good grades in school and striving for college.

My name is Edward. I am 9 years old. I was disobedient to my Mother and Grandmother by using profanity words. I was in fights at school and being suspended 6 times during one grading period. I even witnessed my brother belonging to a gang. The Center has helped me by motivating me to be a good person, completing my work assignments and controlling my temper. Street Soldiers program has kept me away from drugs.

My name is Tatiana. Not having my biological parents raise me has been so hard for me. I have been in foster care since I was born. The Wooten Center has helped me deal with my emotions because my relationships with some of the teachers and I get to share my issues with them. I Love The Al Wooten Center.

My name is Chakira. I am 11 years old. Losing my Mother at 8 years of age has been hard for me especially becoming a teenager and missing out on what a Mothers Love can be to her growing daughter. The Al Wooten Center has helped me over come this because the teachers are always there for me with love and direction. They help me go in a positive direction and help me believe that I can overcome all obstacles by striving and reaching for a higher education.

My name is Taziyah. I am 9 years old. My biggest challenged that I faced was my grandmother dying while I was in her arms. The Wooten Center has helped me to understand the importance of life and made me want to get a lot of education. My Grandmother would be proud of me on how this afterschool program has blessed my life and kept me safe at all times. Thank you Al Wooten Center.

Hi, my name is Corey. I’m in the 6th grade and I’m eleven years old. I live with my older brother and mother in a house around the corner from the Center. My mom works two jobs. I wish I could live with both of my parents but they’ve been separated for a long time and they recently got a divorce. I come to the Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center to get help with my homework and to participate in the programs. Street Soldiers has taught me that joining a gang can lead to death or life in jail. In Tutoring I have learned new formulas to help me in math and I have shown improvement on my report card. When I grow up I want to be a doctor or a paramedic. In my neighborhood people are caring and nice but the police sirens and the shooting so close to my house, it can be a little scary. I definitely have to go to college, to get a good education and to become a paramedic so I can help people stay alive. Sometimes I wish the world was different. My parents were separated for a long time but their divorce really affected me. I don’t know, but I think they got a divorce because it’s like most African American relationships, they just don’t work out. I know it’s better this way because my family could be like one of those that end up shooting each other over love, money, jealously or someone cheating.

My name is Amanda. I am nine years old and I’m in the 4th grade. I have six brothers and one sister but I only live with my mom and my aunt. My mother works at a gas station. I would rather live with all of my family in a big house. We like to do lots of things together and living in the same house would make it easier. When I grow up I want to be a doctor so I can help people. I’m going to college because it will be good for me and I know I’ll be able to help my family if anyone gets sick and I would be able to take everyone to Soak City or New York (I’ve never been there). I like coming to the Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center because we get to go on field trips. The classes are fun too and they teach you lots of things. In Street Soldiers I learned that being in a gang is bad because people get killed. In tutoring I am getting better in math and grammar. My writing has gotten better and it shows in my school work. I have made many friends at the Center. I have fun playing games and I like helping my Educational Assistant in class. It’s like my family, if my mom and dad stayed together. I love having one big happy family when my siblings and I go places or when I’m here at the Center.

My name is Tamara and I’m in the 6th grade. I live with my grandma and all of my family in one house. I don’t have any brothers or sisters. I would prefer to just live with my mom. She works for different schools but not during the summer time. I don’t know what my dad does. When I grow up I want to be a teacher. I want to help students learn and be more fun than my teachers. Of course I have to go to college first to get my education. I like school but they give too much homework. At the Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center they help me with my work when I have questions and I enjoy going on the field trips. My neighborhood is not so great but I know I’m always safe at the center. If there was one thing I could change it would be me. I get teased about my hair all the time. It doesn’t grow on the sides and sometimes the kids at my school call me “patches”, but I don’t cry. I just ignore them but I wish they would just keep quiet. At the Center they know I’m big and that my hair doesn’t grow right but they don’t bother me about it. They stick up for me. I like coming to the Center. The Educational Assistants are like my mom and the kids are like brothers and sisters to me. They always miss me when I’m gone.

Hello, my name is Sarian. I am nine years old and in the 5th grade. I am the oldest of four children and I live with my mom. I wish I could live with both of my parents but they split when I was about 4 or 5, I can’t remember. Since then, I barely see my dad anymore. I like coming to the Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center because I’ve made really good friends here including the staff. Tutoring helps me get all my grades up in school and in Street Soldiers class I learn life skills. When I grow up I would like to be a chef so I know for a fact that I’m going to college for Culinary Arts. I also know that joining a gang and not participating in the programs at the center would not help me accomplish my goal. I love my family and the family at the Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center. At the center, whenever I feel sad they have sympathy for me then, I begin to feel right at home.

Hi, my name is Arianna. I’m in the 3rd grade and I’m eight years old. I live with my mother and sisters. My neighborhood is clean, but at night I can hear people shooting outside. My mom and dad are the nicest parents on earth but when I’m bad my mom yells at me. Sometimes she yells at me so loud that she loses her voice. I wish I could live with my mom and dad then maybe I wouldn’t be so bad and my mom wouldn’t yell so much. When I grow up I want to be a Veterinarian because I have a dog and I want to keep him safe and healthy. When I get my college education I know I will be able to work with a lot of animals. At the Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center, during the summer time, we got to go to the Zoo. I really liked seeing all the different animals. It was fun. I like to come to the Wooten Center because I get help with my homework and I have tutoring classes that help me become smarter than I was before. In Street Soldiers class I know why gang life would not be good for me. I also learned how to avoid friends and attitudes that could push me to make the wrong decisions. The Center helps me because I feel like my family is put back together again. I learn that I’m not always supposed to get everything and my parents know what’s best for me.

Content on this page requires a newer version of Adobe Flash Player.