Wooten executive director Naomi McSwain (2nd from right) at the Wooten Center with Kinecta staff (LtoR) Latrice, Camille, and Tracy

Here's How You Can Help

Be a Wooten Champion with your financial or in-kind gift. Your donation will help ensure that our programs are available to provide college and career readiness, leadership and life skills, performing and visual arts and more for students in the South Los Angeles area.

As a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization, the Wooten Center is supported by foundations, corporations and other donors with financial and in-kind gifts.

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How to Pay

• ​By Card: Complete the form on right

• By Mail: Make check or money order payable to Al Wooten Jr. Youth Center and mail to:

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Naomi McSwain, executive director

Al Wooten Jr. Youth Center

9106 S. Western Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90047​

(323) 453-6533 cell

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Recurring Online Donations

Use your PayPal account (or complete the donation form to create an account) to set up a monthly or other recurring gift.

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In-Kind Gifts

School supplies: notebook paper, pencils, pens, erasers, sharpeners...

• Tutoring: small whiteboards, games (math, reading, writing, science)...

• Office supplies: copier paper, printer toner and ink, paper clips...

• STEM: robots, science kits, microscopes, software, tools...

• Art supplies: paint, pencils, markers, paper, canvas, easels....

• Recreation: game boards, jump ropes, balls (basketball, football, soccer, golf)...

• Musical instruments: percussions drums/bells, piano keyboards

• Other classes: cameras, video cameras, maps, globes, 

• Snacks: chips, boxed juice, water bottles, gift cards for pizza, etc....

• Wooten Dollar Store: toys and gift cards for grades 3-12, $10-$50 ea

Stock Donations

The Wooten Center has a brokerage account allowing liquidation of stock. Funds will be deposited into our checking account. For information and stock transfer, contact our broker as follows:

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Marco Chu

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc.
350 South Grand Avenue, 27th Floor

Los Angeles, CA  90071
Tel: 213.236.2065  Fax: 213.985.4503
marco.chu@ml.com

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Please complete the form below to donate online. Thank you!

Scroll below for a list of our donors providing grants and other contributions in support of our students.

Thank you to our donors

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The Wooten Center has a mix of supporters providing grants, individual donations, and other contributions. We are very grateful for the individual donors and corporate sponsors who give each year for our dinner and golf tournament. Many gave in 2020 despite the event cancellations due to the pandemic.

Our board members increased their individual giving to help provide relief, donating more than $150,000 in 2020, including $59,000 in stock from Kit Jennings and $20,000 from an anonymous board donor designating half for an emergency fund for our families. Staff at PineBridge Investments and Wedgewood, Inc. raised about $33,000 and $5,200, respectively, including matches from their principals John Lapham, Steven Oh, and Greg Geiser, all long-time Wooten donors.

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In-Kind, Volunteers, Partners

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Helping defray costs and provide quality facilities and services, several friends provided in-kind support to help improve our three youth center buildings before the pandemic and volunteers to provide virtual private tutoring when we had only three teachers for an unprecedented enrollment of 100+ students in one week in August. Our 30+ volunteers providing virtual private tutoring today largely come from USC, UCLA, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, and St. John's University.  

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The donors who helped make our buildings more safe, accessible, and beautiful include McCarthy Cook, Howard Building, SAA interiors + architecture, HKS Architects, Sherwin-Williams, Mannington Commercial, Kinecta Federal Credit Union, Lane & McGowen, Public Counsel, and Alston & Bird.

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Partners AKA Sorority, Inc. Tau Beta Omega, the Southern California Council on Black American Affairs, Educate California, Jenesse Center, Positive Results Center, Wayfinder Family Services, Girls Club, LA County Public Health, Los Angeles Metropolitan Churches, Community Response System of South Los Angeles, Brotherhood Crusade, and other agencies provide volunteers and resources for academic and personal enrichment for our youth and families.

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Grants

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It takes more people than we can mention here to provide the safe and nurturing environment our mission calls for. We cannot do it alone and appreciate every one.

Thank you to the foundations and corporations below for their recent grants in support of our students.

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Thank you to the following foundations and corporations for their recent grants:

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• AEG Foundation, $5,000
   

• Ahmanson Foundation, $150,000
   

• All Ways Up Foundation, $5,000
   

• AmFund Foundation, $2,500
   

• Angels Wings Foundation, $10,000
   

• Annenberg Foundation, $20,000
   

• Bank of America Charitable Foundation, $15,000
   

• California Community Foundation, $40,000
   

• Crail-Johnson Foundation, $15,000
   

• Dwight Stuart Youth Fund, $15,000
   

• Green Foundation, $25,000
   

• Kaiser Permanente, $52,500
   

• Kinecta Federal Credit Union, $10,000
   

• KROQ Radio, $12,000
   

• The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, $25,000
   

• Pepperdine University, Seaver College, Nonprofit Leadership Collaborative, $5,000
   

• S. Mark Taper Foundation, $50,000
   

• Southwest Neighborhood Council, $1,250
   

• Weingart Foundation, $50,000

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