Group of people holding up large LA28 ticket recipient posters while standing on a grass football field.
Al Wooten Jr. Youth Center Set to
Experience
the LA28 Games

For 35 years, the Al Wooten Jr. Youth Center has turned a mother's grief into a South Los Angeles institution. Now, the organization is among the first 10 local community groups selected to receive free Olympic tickets through the Los Angeles Rams’ $5 million donation to LA28’s Community Ticketing Program.  

Myrtle Faye Rumph opened the center in 1990, two years after her son, Alton "Dunnie" Wooten Jr., was killed in a drive-by shooting. She believed that what young people in her Gramercy Park neighborhood needed most was love, attention and something constructive to do with their time. That belief has guided the center since its earliest days and still does after Rumph's passing in 2015. 

"The Wooten Center has spent 35 years developing youth in South Los Angeles into strong and productive members of the community by creating a safe and nurturing environment for them to grow,” said Erikk Aldridge, LA28's Vice President of Impact and Legacy. "Giving these kids and families the opportunity to attend sport competitions in their backyard is an incredible way for them to participate, dream and be inspired through the Games in 2028.” 

Today, the center serves more than 400 students in grades 3 through 12 across six storefront buildings. They offer tuition-free afterschool programming and low-cost summer programs in academics, STEM, the arts, leadership development and college and career readiness, along with at least 15 field trips a year, including college tours.

Man wearing a LA28 white t shirt holding a giant ticket in front of a white canopy tent standing on a grass field
Now, that commitment extends to the Olympic Games. Tickets distributed through the program will go directly to Wooten Center for students and families, many of whom have spent years in the same six storefronts where the center's work began. 

"Having this opportunity is really about providing our kids and families with access to something historical," said Corey Dantzler, Executive Director of the Al Wooten Jr. Center. "For them to be able to have the opportunity to see it and have their own stories, I think it's going to be very meaningful for our families, but for our kids as well. Years later, if and when the Olympics come back around, they'll be able to share that with their children." 

It's a fitting next chapter for an organization built from loss and turned into legacy. When the Games arrive in 2028, some of those students won't just be watching from home. They'll be in the stands, representing the community Myrtle Faye Rumph spent her life building. 

ABOUT LA28'S COMMUNITY TICKET PROGRAM  
Launched in November 2025 with an inaugural donation of $5 million from the Los Angeles Rams, LA28's Community Ticket Program invites local professional teams and philanthropists to fund LA28 ticket donations that go directly to local community organizations to distribute within their communities. The program is rooted in LA28's commitment to ensuring that the Olympic and Paralympic Games are accessible to and reflective of the city and people of Los Angeles.   

LA28 welcomes individuals, organizations, and community leaders to participate in this effort. More information for interested organizations can be found here.