HOLA Media Kit

HEART OF LA

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Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) embraces youth to build stronger communities in areas overrun by adversity, poverty and a feeling of hopelessness. HOLA gives kids a chance to succeed.

Mission: Heart of Los Angeles provides underserved youth with exceptional programs in academics, arts and athletics within a nurturing environment, empowering them to develop their potential, pursue their education and strengthen their communities.

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Demographics: Heart of Los Angeles provides over 2,400 youth, ages 6-24, with free after-school programming in arts, athletics and academics. HOLA’s members are 85% Latino, 7% Asian American, 6% African American, and 2% other ethnicities, closely reflecting the demographic composition of the Rampart/Westlake District, the second most densely populated area in the United States.

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Need: HOLA’s education programs meet the needs of those youth with the least amount of resources. Of the families attending HOLA, approximately 90% are living at or below the poverty level and struggle each day simply to survive.

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Facilities: All HOLA’s programs take place in a four-building, 32,000 square foot campus in the heart of Los Angeles, in and around Lafayette Park. Facilities include multiple classrooms, an art gallery, library and studio, three computer labs, music/ orchestra rooms, an athletic facility with a full gymnasium, a stateof-the-art field turf soccer field and more.

Heart of Los Angeles

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2701 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles CA 90057 213.389.1148 www.heartofla.org

8Heart of Los Angeles provides over 2,400 youth, ages 6-24, with free after-school programming in arts, athletics and ac Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) was founded in 1989 and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Federal Tax ID # 95-4397418)

HOLA’s Academic Programs are designed to provide students with structured and quality academic support and enrichment through our SmartStart Elementary, Bridges Middle and PAT High School Programs. HOLA’s Visual Arts curriculum is delivered by professional art instructors, college professors and volunteer artists who provide over 30 intensive arts education classes each week, including drawing and painting, ceramics, sculpture, screen-printing, public art and fashion design. HOLA’s Music Program serves 225 1st - 10th grade students in Gustavo Dudamel’s signature Youth Orchestra LA program, and an additional 50 students in private music lessons, a children’s choir, a jazz band and a rock band.

HOLA’s Athletics Program serves over 1,000 youth who participate in premiere basketball, soccer and volleyball leagues, summer camps and outdoor recreational activities.

GIVING !

KIDS A CHANCE TO !

SUCCEED

Success: Heart of Los Angeles has achieved measurable results by tracking the success of each student. Not only do HOLA students matriculate to the next grade level, with notable achievement in language arts, math and science, but over the last three years,100% of HOLA’s seniors graduated from high school and 92% are going to college.

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HOLA Alumni: Over 200 HOLA alumni are currently attending colleges and universities nationwide, including many UC and Cal State campuses, as well as Barnard and Wellesley Colleges, Brown and Boston Universities and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to name just a few. Many of these young adults are the first in their families to go to college and are traveling away from home for the first time.

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Partnerships: Heart of Los Angeles has become a beacon center of hope that unites partners with youth and their families to transform communities. HOLA has developed innovative partnerships with best in class organizations, including Bard College, the Everychild Foundation, Longy School of Music of Bard College, Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and numerous and generous private funders, to help give kids a chance to succeed.

Heart of Los Angeles provides over 2,400 youth, ages 6-24, with free after-school programming in arts, athletics and academics

8Heart of Los Angeles provides over 2,400 youth, ages 6-24, with free after-school programming in arts, athletics and ac Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) was founded in 1989 and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization

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Mission Statement !

HOLA provides underserved youth with exceptional programs in academics, arts and athletics within a nurturing environment, empowering them to develop their potential, pursue their education and strengthen their communities.

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Core Message: !

In neighborhoods often overrun by poverty, crime and a feeling of hopelessness, Heart of Los Angeles invests in youth to build stronger communities. Heart of Los Angeles gives some of the city’s most vulnerable youth a chance to succeed in life.

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Vision Statement: !

Street corners once occupied by gangs and overrun by criminal activity are now safe for visiting artists, teachers, alumni and volunteers. Drugs, weapons and spray cans are replaced with instruments, books, sports gear, paint brushes and canvases. Everyone in the community is sharing lessons learned and the local schools and the surrounding neighborhoods are becoming strong foundations for fostering the next generation of productive and successful contributors.

Heart of Los Angeles has become a beacon center of hope that unites partners with youth and their families to transform communities.

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About HOLA:

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• HOLA has served the community for 25 years and currently serves 2,400 kids • $3.2 million annual budget

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• Supported by The Ahmanson Foundation, Annenberg Foundation, Dwight Stuart Youth Fund, The Eisner Foundation, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, Weingart Foundation and others

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• 70+ staff members and over 700 volunteers annually • This past year HOLA’s volunteers donated over 12,000 hours of their time

8Heart of Los Angeles provides over 2,400 youth, ages 6-24, with free after-school programming in arts, athletics and ac

HOLA Programs SmartStart Elementary • Program Mission: SmartStart provides elementary students with the FUNdamental building blocks necessary for academic advancement and personal growth.

• On average, 57% of students performed at grade level in reading, writing, math, and homework at the beginning of school year. At the end of the year 77% did.

• Students performing at grade level on standardized tests: • LAUSD average: 53% in English, 61% in Math • HOLA students: 61% in English, 82% in Math • 14 enrichment classes offered each session

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Bridges Middle School • Program Mission: Bridges is a middle school program designed to help students focus on achieving their goals by using integrated programming which emphasizes commitment to academics, team building, self expression, civic participation and project based learning.

• Students achieving Proficient or Advanced on the CST (California Standards Tests): • LAUSD average: 48% in English, 41% in Math • HOLA students: 61% in English, 69% in Math • 17 enrichment classes offered each session

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8Heart of Los Angeles provides over 2,400 youth, ages 6-24, with free after-school programming in arts, athletics and ac

PAT High School • Program Mission: Preparing Achievers for Tomorrow (PAT) high school program prepares youth for post-secondary advancement by providing academic support, preparation for college, personal guidance and pathways to achieve their life goals.

• Average graduation rate in 4 years: • LAUSD: 64% • HOLA: 100% • Over 90% of students pursue post-secondary education • College counselor to student ratio at local high schools is as high as 470-1, at HOLA every student is paired with a mentor

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Music • HOLA’s Music Program includes YOLA at HOLA, a partnership with the LA Philharmonic which is the second site of Gustavo Dudamel’s signature program. YOLA at HOLA is directly inspired by Dudamel’s formative experience in El Sistema.

• Students spend over 15 hours of intensive music instruction a week in rehearsals and academic tutoring • YOLA at HOLA students have performed at prestigious institutions all over Los Angeles including: • Walt Disney Concert Hall • Levitt Pavilion MacArthur Park • Los Angeles Convention Center • Hollywood Bowl

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8Heart of Los Angeles provides over 2,400 youth, ages 6-24, with free after-school programming in arts, athletics and ac

• Music Program serves an additional 50 students in: • Private music lessons • Children’s choir • Rock band • Jazz band

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Visual Arts • Serves over 300 elementary, middle, and high school students • Each year, students can choose from more than 100 classes in 22 different art forms including: • Ceramics • Photography • Painting • Fashion Design • Printmaking • Public Art • The Visual Arts department curates four themed exhibitions throughout the year to showcase the creative accomplishments of HOLA’s young artists

8Heart of Los Angeles provides over 2,400 youth, ages 6-24, with free after-school programming in arts, athletics and ac

Leadership • Program Mission: HOLA’s Leadership Program is based on the twin beliefs that all youth are potential leaders, and that leadership can be practiced by all of us in our everyday lives • The Leadership Program spans all grade levels and includes exploration of leadership knowledge, skills, and practice in age appropriate activities through three program components: • Classroom Activities help students explore the basics of leadership knowledge including: developing vision from values, resolving conflict, improving communication skills and creative problem solving

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• Service Learning asks young people to take initiative in researching, planning and executing projects that address real needs in their community

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• Peer Mentoring links older students with younger ones in meaningful ways which foster responsibility, belonging and support

STEM • Program Mission: HOLA’s Scientific Arts Program provides an inquiry-based exploration into the world of science and computer literacy in a modern multimedia environment that fosters life-long learning • Classes offered include: • Video game design • Digital design • Robotics • 3D modeling • Minecraft • Chemistry

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8Heart of Los Angeles provides over 2,400 youth, ages 6-24, with free after-school programming in arts, athletics and ac

Sports • HOLA offers free basketball and soccer leagues to over 1,000 young athletes year-round • The Junior Jumpshot league, in partnership with the Lakers Youth Foundation, serves over 350 youth with leagues in the spring and fall • HOLA co-founded the Central City Basketball Association (CCBA), which provides leagues for over 300 high school boys and girls each year • HOLA co-founded The Central City Soccer Association (CCSA), which offers soccer leagues in the spring and fall to over 600 boys and girls of all ages

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Alumni • Most students are the first in their families to attend college • Over 200 alumni currently attend more than 75 colleges and universities nationwide, including: • Brown University • Columbia University • Kalamazoo College • Kenyon College • Lewis and Clark College • 8 out 10 UC campuses, including UCLA and UC Berkeley • University of Wisconsin-Madison • USC • Over the past 4 years, HOLA has awarded nearly $800,000 in multi-year scholarships • HOLA has a strong alumni support network and a dedicated Alumni Director that helps to keep students in college • Over 90% of active alumni are progressing through or have graduated from college

8Heart of Los Angeles provides over 2,400 youth, ages 6-24, with free after-school programming in arts, athletics and ac

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! ! ! ! www.heartofla.org ! !

8Heart of Los Angeles provides over 2,400 youth, ages 6-24, with free after-school programming in arts, athletics and ac