Ten years ago, Perry founded an after-school mentoring and tutoring program, Boys2Men Girls2Women, which now serves 125 children, ages 6 to 18. Most children are from low-income single-parent households in Fresno, Calif., where the dropout rate is one of the highest in the country and 35 percent of children live below the poverty level. The program pairs each child with caring mentors and provides homework assistance, individualized tutoring and leadership development classes.