2701 Wilshire Blvd. Suite, 100 Los Angeles CA. 90057 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 15, 2007
CONTACT:
TONY BROWN (213) 389-1148 ext. 235 (213) 321-4096 cell
HEART OF LOS ANGELES (HOLA) RECEIVES MAJOR GRANT FROM THE EVERYCHILD FOUNDATION TO EXPAND COMMUNITY CENTER AND ADD EDUCATIONAL LEARNING SPACES & WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY CENTER FOR ATRISK YOUTH In order to address the social and educational needs of an impoverished community, private support of center became crucial Over 2300 at-risk youth will have an enriching safe haven, inspiring learning spaces and a wireless technology center at L.A. Recreation and Park’s Lafayette Community Center in the heart of the Rampart District, thanks to a $1 Million dollar grant provided to Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) by the Everychild Foundation. The check will be presented Wednesday, March 14, 2007 between 12:15 pm and 1:45 pm at the Everychild Foundation Luncheon at The Regency Club in Westwood. It will be the first $1million grant given by the Foundation. Four years ago, Heart of Los Angeles was forced to find a new home after being in their original home for 13 years. It had only eight months to find a home for over 1,100 at-risk youth. HOLA mounted an aggressive effort to secure private funding to sustain critical programs provided at the youth center. Since the move to our current facility, HOLA has been looking to find an established community service partner to expand its reach to serve the more than 2,300 children in our neighborhood who struggle to find critical youth development programs and safe places to learn and play outside of school. Heart of Los Angeles is pleased to report that it has found the perfect partner in L.A. City Recreation and Parks and the Everychild Foundation. The Everychild grant will enable HOLA to expand its programming to accommodate an ever increasing number or youth. Started in Los Angeles in 1989 with just five kids and a basketball, Heart of Los Angeles has grown into a multi-cultural center that offers fine arts, athletic and education programs for more than 1,300 underserved youth annually throughout the city. HOLA provides elementary, middle and high school programming for a growing population of children who are in urgent need of supplemental services. Heart of Los Angeles Youth is proud to serve at-risk youth.
Each year, the Everychild Foundation invites roughly 30-50 non-profit organizations to apply for its single annual grant. Everychild Foundation is comprised of 225 Los Angeles women who each donate $5,000 in annual dues in lieu of putting on fundraising events. Formed in 2000, the group has now given over $4.5 million in grants. Prior grants have funded a mobile dental clinic, construction of 15 new libraries in public elementary schools, renovation and expansion of a child abuse counseling center, the building of a youth learning center at a home for troubled
teens exiting the juvenile justice system, the purchase of a transitional home for emancipating foster youth and construction of a universally accessible playground. This year will be its first $1million gift. A committee narrows down the proposals to a final two, and each member has an equal vote in the final selection process. The applicants must propose a dream project which will ease suffering of Los Angeles area children facing either disease, abuse, neglect, poverty or disability. (The great news this year is that the runner-up, The John Tracy Clinic, also received funding for its dream project to install newborn hearing screening for congenital deafness in health care clinics in low-income areas. The Clinic’s mission is to improve prospects the hearing impaired. Everychild member, Monica Horan Rosenthal, and her husband, Phil Rosenthal, both of “Everybody Loves Raymond” fame, were so moved by the John Tracy Clinic’s proposal that they decided to fund it in full with a $1million grant of their own when it lost out to HOLA. It was a true fairy-tale ending.) At HOLA, the Everychild Foundation funds will be used to advance and support a landmark partnership between HOLA and Los Angeles City Recreation and Parks for the benefit of thousands of impoverished children annually. In the first year of the partnership, 60% more youth will be served through education programs, the fine arts programs will serve 60% more youth, and athletics programming will reach double the number of kids than both partners serve today. Funds provide for additions and alterations to the HOLA/ Lafayette Community Center capital project, a fully equipped wireless technology learning center, expanded classroom space for job training and college preparatory classes and middle and high school enrichment programs, an office for HOLA program staff, and furnishings. “This tremendous gift to the Rampart Community will provide generations of at-risk youth with hope for a brighter future and a real chance to go on to achieve success in advanced education and career opportunities” said Tony Brown, Executive Director of Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA). “Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) was selected for this grant because of its tremendous and proven ability to transform the lives of children living in an overcrowded, underserved, gang-ridden area. It provides real hope for these youth,” said Jacqueline Caster, Founder and President of Everychild Foundation. “The mission of Heart of Los Angeles is to empower inner city young people to advance their lives and revitalize their communities through personal development, leadership and enrichment programs,” added Mitchel Moore, HOLA’s Founder and Chairman, “which we do starting from the age of 6 through 19 years of age. We are immensely pleased and proud that the Everychild Foundation, as well as all our supporters, believes so strongly in our ability to place a brighter future in the hands of inner city young people.” For any additional information on HOLA, please contact Tony Brown, 213-389-1148 extension 235 and/or visit the website at www.heartofla.org or contact the Everychild Foundation at www.everychildfoundation.org or 310 573-2153. ###