She commands the stage and inspires young people to be great. Debora Wondercheck is the founder and CEO of the nonprofit Arts and Learning Conservatory in Orange County, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year—and like her name, Wondercheck is wonder-ful!
In addition to the numerous awards she's received over the years, such as Orange County's 125 Most Influential People and the various community awards given to the organization, Wondercheck and her team are changing the lives of young people.
She tells Hero Host Heather Jordan, "We started with really a dream. It comes from my mom. She always wanted to play a musical instrument. She grew up in 1945. She was 10 in the Jim Crow era and wasn't allowed to play an instrument at the school that she had attended for systemic reasons."
That experience pushed her to vow that when she grew up, her children would not be denied the opportunity to play music.
Wondercheck's mother made good on that promise seven times over! "As the youngest of seven kids," Wondercheck said, "We all play instruments, and those instruments actually opened an avenue or trajectory for our lives to go to college... Five of the seven of us received scholarships."
Wondercheck says her foundation is all about giving back and creating opportunities for children who would typically not have access to play instruments or be involved in theater.
They also loan out instruments to families because, as Wondercheck sees it, "We wanna make sure that any child that comes to us has the ability just to step right in and grow in this art form because it's a gift to be able to play an instrument or be involved on a production."
Wondercheck's journey to this point was not easy. As a child, her mother fled an abusive relationship with her kids, but they overcame their challenges and broken spirits by finding the light in music and playing instruments.
Now, as an accomplished cellist, orchestra conductor, and curator, she's passing that light on to others, "We're here to set students up for success in life, and we're able to do that through the arts, and seeing their sense of accomplishment comes from what we instill in them, that is everything to me," she said.
Wondercheck's dream continues growing as her organization recently opened a new state-of-the-art community theater in Costa Mesa.
You can learn all about the new theater and much more about our KNX Hero Debora Wondercheck HERE.
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