Program Brochure

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

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

I

H OLA BY T H E NUMBE RS

n neighborhoods often overrun by poverty, crime and a feeling of hopelessness, Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) invests in youth to build stronger communities. HOLA gives some of the city’s most vulnerable youth a chance to succeed in life. From what started 25 years ago with just a handful of kids in a dilapidated gym, today HOLA serves over 2,300 youth, ages 6-24, in a safe and supportive environment. HOLA operates on a four-building, 32,000 square foot campus located in and around LaFayette Park.

HOLA’S NEIGHBORHOOD

• 97% of HOLA families live in poverty • 375+ enrichment classes • 35+ STEM-related classes • Over 500 counseling sessions annually

61%

of adults have less than a high school education

• 98% of seniors graduate high school

Fewer than

Home to

of high school students graduate on time

active gangs; recruitment as early as 5th grade

50%

30

HOLA’S KIDS

• 100% of graduates go to college • Over 200 alumni attending 75+ colleges nationwide

12%

of adults have college degrees

86% LATINO 6% ASIAN AMERICAN

5% 3%

• Over $1 million in scholarships awarded

AFRICAN AMERICAN OTHER ETHNICITIES

3

1 2

4

H O L A’ S F O U R - B U I L D I N G C A M P U S

E

ducation is the key to breaking the generational cycle of poverty, but our public schools no longer have the resources to ensure the success of its students. Heart of Los Angeles puts back what’s been stripped out of the school day, guiding its students on the path to college and productive futures. The vast majority of HOLA graduates are the first in their families to attend college. They are “locomotive kids,” the engines that pull their entire families out of poverty.

H

including a comprehensive music department, a robust visual arts program, premier sports leagues and activities, leadership and healthy living classes, and a cutting edge scientific arts program.

ELEMENTARY

MIDDLE SCHOOL

H

OLA’s Smart Start Elementary Education Program provides 50 students with daily academic instruction and focused homework help from credentialed teachers and volunteer tutors. Students participate in a wide variety of enrichment opportunities that are geared to expand their horizons far beyond the classroom.

T

he HOLA Bridges Program emphasizes strong academic foundations, providing 55 students with individualized academic support, a focused college-prep curriculum and a full complement of enrichment classes.

HIGH SCHOOL

T

he PAT High School Education Program serves 150 students, preparing them for college and equipping them with the tools and resources to obtain a degree.

Beginning as freshmen, PAT develop a personalized plan, and as seniors, each student is paired with a volunteer mentor who helps him or her navigate the college system and complete applications and financial aid forms.

ALUMNI

T

he goal of HOLA’s College Success Program is to ensure that alumni graduate from college.

Support and resources include a formal Alumni Association, retreats, a summer workshop series, connections to on-campus resources, financial aid boot camps, social events, individual academic counseling and scholarships.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGH T “HOLA provided invaluable resources necessary to my development as a scholar and musician. Their unique approach to arts and education fueled my desire to pursue a degree in Music and Business. I am forever indebted to HOLA for their generous support throughout the years.”

Dustin started coming to HOLA when he was in elementary school. He was one of HOLA’s very first music students and he credits HOLA with opening up the world of music to him. He recently graduated from USC’s Thornton School of Music and is now working in Worldwide Creative Operations at Universal Studios.

HOLA is founded

by Mitch Moore with 5 kids and a basketball

1989

HOLA co-founds Central City Basketball Association

Volunteers launch HOLA's Art Program; many are graduates of Otis School of Art & Design

1991 HOLA theater program begins with actor Garrett Brown and NPR reporter, Kitty Felde

Project Takeoff Homework Center launched with support from Southwest Airlines

1993 First annual fundraiser, First Lights of LA, is held at the Broadway Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles

DUSTIN • CLASS OF 2007

Lakers star Eddie Jones visits HOLA to launch Lakers community partnership

1995

1997 Bridges Middle School Program begins

GIVING KIDS A CHANCE TO SUCCEED MUSIC music instruction, a full youth orchestra (YOLA at HOLA), a rock band, big band and jazz ensembles, a choir, and weekly drum, piano, and guitar lessons.

YOLA at HOLA provides 250 students with up to 15 hours of intensive music education and academic support each week. YOLA at HOLA is a partnership with the LA Philharmonic and is inspired by Music Director Gustavo Dudamel’s formative experience with “El Sistema.”

VISUAL ARTS HOLA’s Visual Arts Program provides quality programming to over 280 students. Each year, over instructors, college professors and volunteer artists.

Classes include ceramics, photography, fashion design, printmaking, screen printing and public art.

HOLA

1

ATHLETICS Through HOLA’s Athletics Program, more than 1,000 youth have the opportunity to participate in soccer and basketball Through a unique partnership with the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, HOLA’s kids enjoy much-needed green space, a soccer field, outdoor basketball courts and a full-size gymnasium.

SCIENTIFIC ARTS HOLA’s Scientific Arts Program ensures that computer literacy and technology classes are available to all HOLA youth. Students have access to 16 computer workstations and classes that include engineering, robotics, 3D printing, computer repair, video game design, circuit bending and stop motion animation.

WRAP-AROUND SERVICES HOLA provides wrap-around services of unparalleled breadth and depth that support the whole family.

Services include individual, group and family counseling, leadership and character development programs and activities and assistance connecting to essential community resources.

HOLA Film Project featured on "Huell Howser Presents"

1999

HOLA relocates to the historic Bryson Building thanks to a partnership with LA Housing Partnership

2001

First HOLA alumnus joins Board of Directors

2003 Chick Hearn Learning Center and first LA Lakers Reading Room open

College Prep Program is launched

eg Coll P

PRE

Healthy Cooking Program begins

Tony Brown succeeds Mitch Moore as Executive Director

2005 SmartStart Elementary Education Program begins

LA84 Foundation, Department of Recreation and Parks, Nike and HOLA team up to open state-of the-art turf soccer field in LaFayette Park

2007 HOLA is awarded $1 million grant from the Everychild Foundation to renovate LaFayette Park Recreation Center

PARTNERSHIPS Heart of Los Angeles has successfully leveraged its resources through a number of innovative partnerships.

These agreements have enabled HOLA to direct a substantial portion of its funding to cover programming costs.

CAMPUS PARTNERS

“The Lakers Youth Foundation is proud to support the kids at HOLA and help give them a chance to succeed in their lives. HOLA is in our backyard and we have been honored to partner with such a well-run organization for so many years to provide quality programs for the youth of the community.”

• Bard College • City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks • Ghetto Film School • Longy School of Music of Bard College • Los Angeles Housing Partnership • Los Angeles Lakers

— Janie Buss Drexel, Co-owner, LA Lakers, Director of Charitable Services

• Los Angeles Philharmonic Association

“Our partnership with HOLA and the LA Phil provides us with a rare opportunity of discovering the effects of musical training on emotional, social and cognitive aspects of development as they actually occur. We are just in year two of our five year study, but already we’re seeing a number of exciting findings.”

— Dr. Antonio Damasio, Director, USC Brain and Creativity Institute

2014 SERVICE PARTNERS HOLA Serves over

22,000

• Art Center College of Design

youth ages 6-24 • Loyola Marymount University

• Penland School of Crafts • Pepperdine University • University of Southern California (Brain & Creativity Institute, Rossier School of Education and School of Social Work) • University of Tennessee (College of Education, Health and Human Sciences) HOLA VOLUNTEERS HOLA’s success would not be possible without the hard work and commitment of our dedicated corps of more than 500 volunteers who give over 9,000 hours of their time every year.

Visual Arts Department moves to the HOLA Royale

Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) at HOLA is launched

2009 First HOLA rock band is formed

Pro skater Rob Drydek, City Council Member Herb Wesson, Carl’s Jr., Department of Recreation and Parks and HOLA cut the ribbon on new skate plaza in LaFayette Park

HOLA and Department of Recreation and Parks with the Everychild Foundation cut the ribbon on renovated LaFayette Park Recreation Center.

2011 New Lakers basketball court is dedicated

HOLA has 200 alumni in college LMU, USC and CSU Los Angeles develop first counseling programs at HOLA

Longy School of Music of Bard College opens Master of Arts in Teaching Program (MAT) on HOLA’s campus

2012 Simón Bolívar Orchestra visits and performs side by side with YOLA at HOLA

Art Department launches Public Art Program with grant from prestigious HOLA receives first grant from Robert Rauschenberg the National Endowment for the Arts Foundation

Parents Book Club is formed STEM summer camp is launched and is filled to capacity

2013 Bard College opens MAT program at HOLA Congressman Xavier Becerra visits HOLA YOLA at HOLA plays opening night at the Hollywood Bowl

Ghetto Film School launches LA Fellows Program on HOLA’s campus

25!

HOLA partners with LMU’s Helen B. Landgarten Art Therapy Clinic to offer clinical art therapy interventions

VISION

S

treet corners once occupied by gangs and plagued by criminal activity are now safe for visiting artists, teachers, alumni and volunteers. Drugs, weapons and spray cans are replaced with musical instruments, books, sports gear, paintbrushes 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.

Please help us make this vision a reality. All of our programs are free and each year, HOLA spends $1,600 per student to provide exceptional services to a growing population of underserved youth.

To support Heart of Los Angeles, use our secure on-line donation system, www.heartofla.org/donate, or send your tax-deductible contribution to:

HEART OF LOS ANGELES 25

2701 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 100 Los Angeles, CA 90057 t (213) 389-1148 f (213) 389-1085 www.heartofla.org

For more information or to schedule a tour, please contact Elizabeth Curtis at (213) 389-1148, x241 or ecurtis@heartofla.org.