Shalimar 25th Anniversary

On November 6, friends, volunteers, supporters, and alumni of the Shalimar Learning Center gathered to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the center’s opening. The night was filled with memories of the center’s past and excitement looking toward the future.

The Shalimar story is at the very heart and origin of Think Together. What started off in this one neighborhood inspired the start of Think Together only a few years later, now a statewide program serving 200,000 students each year.

The Center began when three moms of the Shalimar neighborhood had enough of gangs and drugs threatening their children’s safety and reached out for help. Randy Barth and community leaders created the Shalimar Learning Center in a small 3-bedroom apartment. On the first day there were 100 students eager to be there.

Making an impact in a community and the lives of students is no small task. The Shalimar Learning Center, which provides academic support and enrichment to Early Learning children ages 0-5 and students in grades K-12, is Think Together’s only community-based site and therefore unable to draw on government funding, relying entirely on contributions from corporate and family foundations, partners, and generous individuals.

At the event, Pacific Life, National Charity League- Newport Chapter, and the O’Donnell Family each received recognition for their above and beyond support of Shalimar. Through their generosity, students will now be learning more complex coding, the new language of the 21st century workforce, on top of the academic support and daily homework help they receive.

We thank all of those who have dedicated their time and financial support to the Shalimar Learning Center over the years. If the first 25 years are any indication of what’s to come, the next 25 years promises even more children a future of success.