Learn To Be Foundation

The Learn To Be Foundation was recently nominated for an Outstanding Citizen Award from the Anaheim Fall Festival. Each year, the Anaheim Fall Festival committee recognizes community members who have enriched the City of Anaheim at a Masquerade Jubilee. As part of this year's "Escape to Oz" theme, community members were nominated for displaying exceptional brains, heart, and courage in the area of community service. Learn To Be, an Anaheim-based nonprofit dedicated to improving educational resources for children, was nominated in the category of "Brains".

The 4th annual Masquerade Jubilee will take place on Friday, October 30, 2009 at the Double Tree Hotel in Anaheim.

The Anaheim Fall Festival has a 73-year tradition of presenting an annual community-wide Fall Festival event. The Fall Festival recognizes the Harvest Season and brings children and families together to educate and celebrate the history and cultural diversity of the City of Anaheim and the surrounding cities.

Learn To Be is proud to be nominated for the award, alongside other dedicated community members. Thank you, Anaheim Fall Festival!

The Learn To Be Foundation participated in Be the Cause's 8th annual Walk for Hope on Saturday, October 17, 2009 at El Dorado Regional Park in Long Beach. Joining more than 25 local charities, the Learn To Be Foundation helped raise money and spread awareness of important community causes.

Participants in this year's 5-kilometer walk included: American Cancer Society, Amnesty International, Be the Cause, Be The Match Marrow Registry, Childs-pace Foundation, Clarendon Foundation, Common Ground Spiritual Center, Community Action Partnership of Orange County, Corazon de Vida Foundation, Donate Life, Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, Estelle for Humanity, Expedicion Alegria - Expedition of Happiness, Helping Hand Worldwide, Invisible Children, Learn To Be Foundation, Love Without Boundaries, Manav Sadhna, NextAid, OC Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance, OC Interfaith Coalition for the Environment, Peace4Kids, Rosemary Children's Services, SAHARA (South Asian Helpline and Referral Agency), Sarcoma Alliance, Seeds of Light, Spencer Hospice Foundation, Spirituality for Kids, The Africa Project, The Cameron Siemers Foundation for Hope, Tias Arms, Tony's Treehouse and Veterans for Peace.

"The Walk for Hope is a reflective journey that leads the walker along a tree-lined path decorated with lovingly created handmade quotes, all selected with great care for their insight and inspiration. In addition to these beautiful quotes, there are several activity stations along the way to give each walker the opportunity to pause, interact, reflect and sow seeds of change and growth," according to Be the Cause's blog. Last year, approximately 1,000 participants raised $15,000 for local nonprofit organizations.

Thank you to everyone who supported this community-wide event!

The Learn To Be Foundation reached out to University of California, Irvine students at its Have-A-Heart Community Service Internship Fair on Wednesday, October 14, 2009. Hosted by the Center for Service in Action, the annual fair aims to connect community service groups and agencies with UCI students who are interested in making a positive impact in their community.

Learn To Be proudly joined more than 45 local organizations, including children and youth advocates such as: Abrazar Inc., Achievement Institute of Scientific Studies, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County, Boys Hope Girls Hope of Southern California, Central Orange Coast YMCA, Circle K International, Comfort Zone Camp, Discovery Science Center, For OC Kids, Friendly Center, Girl Scout Council of Orange County, Girls Inc. of Orange County, Irvine Unified School District School Readiness Program, Kids Who Care Foundation, KidWorks, March of Dimes, MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement Program), Mental Health Association Project Together, Orange County Child Abuse Prevention Center, Orange County On Track, Pretend City Children's Museum, Santa Ana Police Athletic & Activity League, THINK Together, and UNICEF at UCI.

Recent budget cuts to public education programs have gravely impacted K-8 students across the country. With fewer teachers and increasing class sizes, the need for supplemental help outside the classroom is more apparent than ever.

The Learn To Be Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that offers free online tutoring to students in underserved communities. These one-on-one tutoring sessions occur online with the tutor and the student communicating via a virtual whiteboard, audio communication, and a digital pen and tablet system. Once logged in, students can receive instant help in math, science, and language arts.

Learn To Be tutors are passionate and high-achieving volunteers carefully selected to ensure a safe and quality learning experience for all children. The Foundation currently has tutors across the nation in Orange County, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Colorado, Wisconsin, Chicago, Washington D.C., Boston, Maryland and New York. “Tutoring is my way of serving my community. My own welfare essentially depends on the welfare of my community and tutoring empowers the base of the community, the youth,” said Josephine Lee, a Learn To Be tutor and recent UCLA graduate.

The Learn To Be Foundation is always looking for volunteer tutors to share their talents and time with students in Southern California's neediest communities. Interested volunteers should fill out an application online at www.learntobe.org/become-a-tutor.