DISADVANTAGED KIDS “TRAVEL GLOBE” AS SCHOOL TRANSFORMS INTO UNITED NATIONS
 More than 100 disadvantaged youth “circled the globe” as their school was transformed into a virtual United Nations and they were introduced to the cultures, customs and food from 10 exotic locales throughout the world including Greece, Cuba, Africa, Iraq, Italy and Japan. The exercise is part of an ongoing program developed by Hollywood news and entertainment producer Richard Ayoub to further the educations of students from Lockwood Elementary School.
Ayoub has enlisted a number of prominent executives from the Hollywood community and corporate sponsors like La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill to donate their time and resources to the project. In fact, La Salsa will serve up food for all 200 students and volunteers that day.
According to Ayoub, each child will be presented with a “passport,” which will be stamped after they visit each of the 10 classrooms. Each room will be adorned with a flag representing a particular country, a map designating its geographic position and food from that nation. Students will be taught some basic history and customs and learn to say “hello” and “goodbye” in the native tongue.
“I started this grassroots organization, ‘Friends of Lockwood,’ when I learned that the children had a real need for outreach by members of the community. They wanted to know that someone cares for them,” said Ayoub. “Since that time, I have witnessed a profound difference in the lives of these students who never cease to amaze me.
Since establishing Friends of Lockwood, test scores at the school have tripled.
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