In 2007, United Way of Greater Los Angeles released its Quality of Life Report. This key study of important socio-economic trends in L.A. County finds much of the workforce of tomorrow unprepared. Only six out of ten ninth graders in the county are likely to graduate from high school, and fewer than half of those who do graduate are prepared for college. With your help, United Way is working to ensure that statistics like this become a thing of the past. We’re engaging local communities and donors in a shared vision of a well-educated, workforce-ready population.

Among our successes is twelve-year-Alejandro*. Thanks to you and the dedicated counselors at United Way’s partner organization All Peoples Christian Center, this bright-eyed boy from South Los Angeles (who attends John Adams Middle School) is being given the tools he needs for academic excellence in middle school and beyond. All Peoples is a member of United Way’s Tomorrow’s Leaders youth organizations, a select group of 37 organizations throughout Los Angeles County that help kids make the successful transition from middle school to high school, a crucial stage for preventing dropout.

It was no wonder that schoolwork was the last thing on Alejandro’s mind. Growing up in a household where he watched his father battle with alcoholism made every day seem like a struggle. Thanks to a domestic violence support group offered by All Peoples, Alejandro’s mother gained the tools she needed to leave his father. With the help of the center’s case management program, she learned that, as a Tomorrow’s Leaders organization, the center could also help her son who was failing in school.

Tomorrow’s Leaders partner organizations provide high-quality academic services and social support to young adolescents. An organization like All Peoples helped Alejandro significantly improve his grades and begin to address the emotional scars left by years of his father’s abuse. As counselors got to know Alejandro, they discovered he had a passion for geography and learning about other cultures, and tailored his assignments to include maps and history so as to develop his interest in reading.

United Way’s vision is to work with its partners to help youth stay in school and to ensure families are aware of the options their children have for their future. In Alejandro’s case, counselors helped his mom develop and execute a plan for her son’s academic future. All of this was coupled with one-on-one case management that enabled Alejandro to address his emotional challenges. Alejandro now has the tools he needs to excel in middle school and beyond.

Thanks to your support, United Way is improving education in our community and preparing kids for a lifetime of success.

*Identity has been changed to protect the privacy of the individual.