Heart of LA’s central campus in Westlake had finally begun to once again buzz with activity as the pandemic receded. While young people learned, played, healed, created art, and sang together with peers across generations, our leadership turned their sights towards the many other under-resourced areas of Los Angeles. In too many neighborhoods throughout the city, educational success for low-income youth is an ongoing challenge. Graduation rates, college attainment, and other outcomes remain stark, pandemic-related learning loss can still be seen, and school systems continue to struggle to provide everything kids need.
The call for expansion was clear – that year, Heart of LA began to deliver our visual arts and scientific arts (STEM/STEAM) programming at Augustus Hawkins Nature Park in South Central LA. With growing demand for additional services from the community, land access and support from Recreation and Parks and the Dept. of Water and Power, and a significant lead gift from City Council District 9, we’re now embarking on a transformative addition to the park and to our services.
Our decades-long partnership with Heart of Los Angeles has shown how much more we can do together than each of us could do alone. I am excited for all that this will bring to Augustus Hawkins Nature Park.
I envision our District’s parks as places where people of all ages can be in community together, learning, healing, and thriving. This project will provide the space and momentum for that to happen at Augustus Hawkins Nature Park.
Help us raise the funds needed to make this expansion possible. Our goal for Heart of LA – South Central is $3.5 million, including all construction costs and program start-up costs for the first two years – ensuring that when we open our doors, we can immediately serve this community at our full capacity.
Help us cross the finish line and provide every child an opportunity to succeed!
Gifts of $5,000+ will be included on our Heart of LA – South Central donor wall.
Individual exterior and interior namings start at $10,000
To learn more about support opportunities, please contact Cristina Briskie-Wood, Chief Development Officer at cwood@heartofla.org.
PROJECT PARTNERS
Heart of LA exists to help young people overcome barriers through exceptional, free, integrated programs and personalized guidance in a trusted, nurturing environment. Every year we welcome over 3,000 students to our Lafayette Park campus and partner sites across the city to provide programming at no cost to families. To find out more about our programs and our amazing community, visit our home page.
