1994 - Established the Shalimar Learning Center in Costa Mesa; our first after school program. Became an award-winning program replicated by numerous organizations nationwide.

1996 - Worked as part of a collaboration to establish the Minnie Street Learning Center (now called the Lighthouse Learning Center) in Santa Ana.

1997 - Formed THINK Together as a privately-funded 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit provider of academically-oriented after school programs.

Won the Disneyland Community Service Award (and $40,000) as Orange County’s top charity for its work at the Shalimar Learning Center.

Won the R.C. Hoiles Award (and $50,000) from the Orange County Register as OC’s Charity of the Year.

1998 - Established our first privately-funded public school program sites at Davis Elementary in Santa Ana and Thorman Elementary in Tustin.

2000 - Opened our 10th site and began serving more than 1,000 students per day across elementary, middle and high schools.

Listed in U.S Department of Education’s Guide to After School, as a model program exemplifying Best Practices.

2002 - Received first round of federal funding ($400,000) from the Fund for the Improvement of Education.

2003 - Partnered with Santa Ana Unified to win a $2.6 million per year federal 21st Community Learning Centers grant award.

Third-party evaluation by Hoffman, Clark & Associates validated strong program outcomes.

Named Best After School Program in the U.S. as part of a National Education Awareness Week contest of more than 800 after school providers.

2004 - Won the Ethics in America Award from the Passkeys Foundation.

Partnered with Tustin Unified and Camp Fire USA to win a $1 million per year federal 21st Century Community Learning Center grant award.

2005 - Was named 1 of 2 Bank of America Neighborhood Builder Awards ($200,000) in Orange County and 1 of 78 nationally. 

2006 - Won first $1 million private grant award from The Irvine Company.

2007 - Opened 150 new sites across 19 school districts in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties serving more than 20,000 students making THINK Together one of the largest after school program providers in the U.S.