Kat Graham, Actress and Singer, goes to Orange County, California to visit two organizations that support low-income and homeless children and youth and their families with comprehensive, long-term services designed to interrupt inter-generational cycles of poverty. Using the story that she's there doing research for a project on philanthropy, Kat starts with a visit to the Wooden Floor Foundation, which has transformed the lives of over 80,000 children and youth with high-level dance instruction, academic and family counseling services and more. Deeply moved by the commitment Wooden Floor makes to its students - who stay in the program for ten years and have a high school graduation rate of 100% - Kat wants to help with everything she has. But first she makes a trip to see the Illumination Foundation, an organization that provides targeted medical, workplace and living assistance to homeless families and individuals, and those at risk of becoming homeless. At the organization's Santa Ana Children's Resource Center, Kat sees the Illumination Foundation's mission in action. Children and teens receive homework help, emotional and life-skills counseling, healthy food and a break from crowded and unsafe living conditions. In the end Kat makes the tricky decision of how to divide a generous gift from the PIMCO between them.
Written by TomSouthwell on Feb 14, 2017