Growing Young Minds: After-School Program Provides Safe Haven for Hundreds

Jose Rivera has been running the Ketchum Downtown YMCA’s Growing Young Minds after-school program for nearly 23 years, impacting nearly 2,000 kids’ lives. The character-building program, held at Hoover Street Elementary School in the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles, is for students in kindergarten through 5th grade. It provides a safe haven for the kids who live in this rough part of town, which averages around 300 crimes per month, according to the LA Times.