Where To Go From Here

    Jeopardy provides a wealth of information and assistance to its participants, but there is much room for growth, according to Tim Walsh, a financial consultant and enthusiastic member of the program’s Board of Directors.
    “These volunteers do this because it is so joyful and gratifying,” says Walsh. “We have wonderful people with big hearts, but we need more.”
Walsh – who joined the Board because he says he wanted to make a “meaningful contribution” to the community -- believes there are a number of areas in which Jeopardy could expand. First, he would like to see a full-time director hired to facilitate day-to-day operations of the program. “We have more money than we’ve had before, but we need to determine how best to use it, and how to use money that will be donated in the future,” he says. “We could pay someone to build Jeopardy to its full potential.”
    Next, more assistants and volunteers could be brought in to increase the number of activities and fundraising efforts. Additionally, Walsh would like to see a Board of Directors with 20 to 25 members, rather than eight. “We need a board with a broader set of skills,” he says. “We need about 20 worker-bees.”
    At that point, Walsh believes Jeopardy could grow to 300 or 400 kids (there are currently about 90).
    Lastly, Walsh would like to increase awareness of Jeopardy and its good work through public relations and the creation of a DVD about the program, and would like to bring in additional mentors to inspire the youth. “The kids really admire Officer Zepeda (an LAPD officer assigned to Jeopardy),” he says. “We need doctors, lawyers, businesspeople and successful businesswomen, particularly of Hispanic backgrounds, because that’s who these kids can relate to.”
    In short, Walsh hopes to continue to expand Jeopardy’s resources, because, as he puts it, “This program is for good kids who we want to help stay good kids. Jeopardy is here to keep them functioning and on the right path.”