Meet Tony Brown

Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) has now been serving the Rampart Community for more than two decades and Tony Brown, Executive Director of HOLA, is excited about the future. Tony Brown talks about HOLA’s partnerships with the LA Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as HOLA’s new campus building and Everychild Foundation Learning Spaces in Lafayette Park. Read Tony’s bio.

Why is this year, HOLA’s 23rd year, the most exciting?
This year, like every year, is flying by and every year seems to be our most exciting. This year HOLA has so many incredible new program offerings and we’re delivering them with more heart than ever.  Our staff and volunteers feel the sense of urgency to serve up personalized attention and challenging curricula, this year especially, now that programs and staffing have been cut in our local schools and we don’t want these kids to lose because we didn’t step up to help.  We haven’t responded to the kids’ needs on our own; we are getting help from our Recreation and Parks partners, celebrities like Roselyn Sanchez, universities near and far, our longtime supporters, the LA Lakers and our newest partner, the LA Philharmonic.

Can you tell us about the “YOLA at HOLA” partnership with the LA Philharmonic?
This was an easy program to say “yes” to.  HOLA’s mission is to provide underserved youth with exceptional programs so by helping to fund a quality program that provides access to instrumental and orchestral education in underserved communities throughout Los Angeles is an ideal fit. YOLA at HOLA is inspired by El Sistema, the Venezuelan music education system that nurtured Gustavo Dudamel!  This is a significant blessing to so many of the families who have placed their children on a waiting list to enter our SmartStart Elementary Program for, in many cases, two and three years.  Now in year two, we are able to give 180 students an incredible HOLA and LA Phil experience that will benefit LA’s young people for a lifetime.  Our community is forever grateful to Fred Ali and the Weingart Foundation for bringing us together.

HOLA recently expanded its campus. Can you tell us about HOLA’s new campus buildings and classrooms?
Thanks in large part to our main funders, the Everychild Foundation and the W.M. Keck Foundation and to our partners, City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks and General Manger, Jon Mukri, we have joined together to benefit the community by streamlining expenses to serve twice the number of people through four times the number of programs and class offerings. We are thrilled to be co-operating the recently renovated state of the art, LEED certified, “green” community center in Lafayette Park. Today, residents in a neighborhood in need of green spaces have access to a community center, skate plaza, soccer field and gym.

Last year, HOLA also re-opened our HOLA North facility which now houses YOLA at HOLA and provides much needed additional space for our SmartStart Program.  Also, in addition to our HOLA Central Building, we have expanded our community campus by finding a new home for our Visual Arts Program and Art Gallery in the Wilshire Royale building, a historic landmark building on Wilshire Blvd.  In this new space we have been able to expand our visual arts class offerings to 26 weekly classes.  So there is major growth happening with increased enrollments across all programs and the creation of a campus safe zone for children, offering kids more hope and inspiration in lieu of gangs, crime and disenfranchisement.

What makes the community center building special?
Not only is this a LEED certified building designed by the late architect Stephen Kanner, but the gymnasium bears the Lakers logo on the center court. More importantly, the gymnasium is now home to Lakers Youth Basketball Leagues and monthly World Champion Lakers clinics that are open to the community. The leagues operate year-round and the clinics are held on the first Saturday of every month from 1pm – 3pm.  Join us for a clinic and you might just meet your favorite Laker Coach, staff member or even player.

How do you think the new park building will change the community?
When our local schools have to shut down summer school programs because of budget cuts and P.E. and art classes are severely reduced, drop out rates increase, teen crime increases and hard-working parents are worried about the safety of their children hanging out in public spaces or on the streets.  Having a revitalized new community center provides kids with alternatives to unhealthy behaviors. This summer we saw more families utilizing this new center and treating it like it is the safe backyard that they don’t have.  So not only do more people come out, more people now come together around the many programs, classes and activities we are providing with our Rec. and Parks partners.

How can professionals get involved at HOLA?
Call us or email us! We are seeking volunteers all of the time. Come by and take a tour of our campus. We need volunteers, mentors, teachers and more. You can make a difference in a child’s life.

How is HOLA changing the world?
HOLA is achieving positive results and in doing so, we are helping to end the cycle of poverty and improving the future for all of us.  We are turning kids who were on the path to dropping out of high school into college bound, high school graduates.  Last year, 48 high school seniors graduated from our program and 100% of these kids are now enrolled in 2-4 year colleges and universities. Despite the fact that California has spent millions in financial aid for students who don’t complete their first year of college, last year over 90% of our alumni successfully completed their first year of college.  At our elementary level, we’re seeing kids come into our program reading below grade level and by year’s end, we’re seeing 94% read at or above grade level. Area school teachers appreciate that we are supplementing their efforts after school by reinforcing what the students are being taught during the school day, and parents are appreciative that we are working with them, helping them to stay connected to their kids as they continue to grow.

All of this is needed, and HOLA is trying – with a lot of help from volunteers and caring supporters – to do as much of this as we can and doing it well, in my opinion. The belief that every child deserves a chance is at the core of what we do. This is what is making a difference here.

All of this is making a difference and making for a better LA now and in the future.