Myrtle Faye Rumph selected as ‘Cookie’ finalist
Wooten Center founder competes in ‘Everyday Mom’ contest
Cookie, Condé Nast’s lifestyle magazine for moms, created the Smart Cookie Awards in 2006 to recognize, celebrate, and support mothers who are making a significant difference for women and children in the world. In addition to high-profile honorees from the fields of health, politics, science and social work, the award recognizes an everyday extraordinary mom, who is elected by the visitors of Cookiemag.com, as the people’s choice.
Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center’s founder Myrtle “Faye” Rumph has been chosen as one of five finalists in Cookie Magazine’s Annual Smart Cookie Awards “Everyday Mom” contest.
The online contest begins on January 9 and concludes at midnight on February 8. To vote, go to www.cookiemag.com/go/smartcookie
The winner will receive $35,000 from Citi for a charity of her choice, attend a gala celebration in New York City hosted by 20/20 Correspondent Deborah Roberts and be featured in a portfolio in the May issue of Cookie.
In January 1989, Alton “Dunnie” Wooten Jr. was killed in a drive-by shooting near Adams and Crenshaw in South-Central Los Angeles. The murder of the 35-year-old black man was said to be the result of a gang initiation. Drive-by shootings were at a height when Wooten was killed.
Programs like “Taking Back Our Community” and “Mothers Against Gangs in Communities” were formulated out of a desperate attempt to stop the violence. “Gang sweeps” by police officers and tougher penalties for youth offenders also emerged. But Wooten’s mother felt that the solutions only angered already rebellious youth. “What they need is love and attention,” said Myrtle Faye Rumph, Wooten’s mother. “They need to stay busy. They need to have more confidence. They need to have their attitudes changed. If somebody had taken more time with the person who killed my son, maybe my son would still be alive.”
With that, Rumph set out on a journey that would bring her many more sons, as well as daughters. She decided to open a youth center. Over a year later, after taking groups of kids on field trips, attending various community meetings and consulting with directors of other non-profit groups, Faye rented a small storefront at 9115 South Western Avenue in Los Angeles, next door to her moving and storage business, and started the Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center.
Today, the Wooten Center serves hundreds of at-risk youth in South Central Los Angeles each year with programs that include: tutoring, homework assistance, college preparation including SAT prep, gang/violence prevention with our Street Soldiers program and computer instruction.
While the economy continues to struggle, charitable organizations have become even more of an asset to many families than ever before. The fall season is synonymous with back-to-school, but for many parents who need a helping hand with getting their children prepared for the new school year, Operation School Bell steps in to provide that assistance.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—DonorsChoose.org, the innovative national online education charity that allows public school teachers to seek independent funding for classroom supplies and resources via its website, announced today that the Wasserman Foundation has made a two-year commitment of $4 million to support Los Angeles School District and charter teachers. This includes a $2 million gift card campaign to parents and the community and a $2 million challenge grant to Angelenos to fund Los Angeles schools through DonorsChooseLA.org.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—One of the oldest and largest homeless shelters on Los Angeles’ Skid Row is scaling back its efforts, because of insufficient and delayed government funding, even as it sees a greater need, its chief executive announced today.
During the month of May, we celebrate Mother’s Day and in light of this recent celebration, this week’s Ultimate Transformation Moment is for our mothers and women in general.
Women, you must recognize that you hold the power, as the first nurturers on earth, over our children as well as in your relationships. You move from an emotional place that uplifts us, because you’re the closest thing to God on earth—the female entity, the female principle.
Great Beginnings for Black Babies’ Black Infant Health (BIH) is a program that provides pregnant women in their first trimester and beyond with prenatal health education, parenting classes, social support, empowerment groups and referrals for free pregnancy testing, doctors, Medi-Cal/Healthy Families, WIC, community and social services, day care resources and more.
The program will host a free health resource fair, “Celebrating Healthy Babies—Past, Present and Future,” beginning at 10 a.m., Saturday in Rancho Cienega Park, 5001 Rodeo Road.
