HOLA friends!

As you can see, we had a busy, but very productive first quarter. It was a grand beginning to 2009! We’re excited to begin our Spring Quarter with more classes, volunteers, and kids to serve.

Tony M. Brown
Executive Director

 

Cooking with the Stars!
With childhood obesity rates skyrocketing, especially amongLatino youth, HOLA worked with KTLA’s Allie McKay and the Junior League of Los Angeles to highlight the importance of healthy living to our kids in two very special events.

 

First, on Thursday, March 5th a caring group of Junior League of Los Angeles members brought Wolfgang Puck’s world-renowned pastry chef, Sherry Yard, to HOLA to teach a workshop called Kids in the Kitchen to our youngest members. The kids were treated to an afternoon of fun, all with a focus on healthy living that included a yoga demonstration by Francesca Avalli and healthy cookies by Sherry Yard.

 

The following week, HOLA's young chefs were invited by KTLA’s morning host Allie MacKay to the LA Times’ test kitchen to demonstrate healthy recipes with HOLA's Healthy Cooking instructor Alex Nataren. See the segment online here.

 

 

New Skate Park
Los Angeles City Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, together with Councilmembers Herb Wesson and Jack Weiss, Recreation & Parks General Manager Jon Kirk Mukri and professional skateboarder and television star Rob Dyrdek opened a brand new "Safe Spot Skate Spot" state of the art skate plaza in Lafayette Park. Heart of Los Angeles was recognized for joining DC Shoes, CKE Restaurants (Carl’s Jr.), and other outstanding private partners who have made this park and city a better place.

 

"We are so proud to be partners with L.A. City Recreation and Parks as they have truly listened to the community, found great partners in DC Shoes and Carl's Junior and with Rob Dyrdek and his partners, and created a world class Skate Plaza." Tony Brown, HOLA’s Executive Director. 

We are especially proud of HOLA high school senior, Elvis Figueroa, who was invited to lead the group in the pledge of allegiance. Congratulations on a job well done Elvis!

 

 

Outstanding Volunteers
The owners of Starfish Creative Events, Gail Cayetano and Stephanie Hansen have started a brand new program at HOLA called Mentoring Matters that brings outstanding leaders from a variety of professions to HOLA to speak with the Bridges middle school youth. These lucky students have the opportunity to hear from seasoned professionals about the importance of education, perseverance and the many life lessons that have helped them succeed. Recently, Gail and Stephanie brought ESPN NFL analyst and former Pro Bowl athlete for the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills, Marcellus Wiley, to the class of eager youth to talk about his journey to success.

 

 

The Carole Witheril Memorial HOLA in One! Golf Tournament
Please join us at beautiful MountainGate Country Club on June 8, 2009 for a day of challenging competition, wonderful food and lots of fun. This year, we will be honoring the memory of a dear friend and HOLA in One! long-time volunteer, Carole Witherill. Your participation in HOLA IN ONE! is a perfect way for you to join the family of sponsors and help provide resources for a very worthy group of young people. From individual golfers to organizations seeking sponsorship opportunities, we value your involvement. To find out how you can participate please call HOLA’s Director of Development, Gita Wenaweser at (213) 389-1148 ext. 241. See our website for more information (click here).

 

 

 

 

Thank You to HOLA Bowla Supporters!

Thanks to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Lakers Youth Foundation and Fox Sports en Español, this year’s HOLA Bowla was an incredible success! Over 150 people attended the bowling bonanza, with special celebrity appearances by Los Angeles Lakers players Trevor Ariza, Didier Ilunga-Mbenga and Shannon Brown. The talented players joined the Los Angeles Lakers Girls and Chivas USA soccer players Gerson Mayen and Lance Parker to support fundraising efforts benefiting the inner city youth sports league, of the Central City Athletic Association (CCAA), co-founded by HOLA. HOLA’s young athletes thank everyone who supported this year’s event!

 

Event sponsors included the Lakers Youth Foundation, Fox Sports en Español, Dodger Dream Foundation, AEG, California United Bank, Carl’s Jr. ®, Bingham McCutchen, LLP, City Paper Box Company, Joico, the Burnstine Family, Stephen Espinoza and San Marino Friends of HOLA. Product sponsors included Why Cook?, Cuvee, Cuties ® California Mandarins, Wonderful ® Pistachios, Fiji ® Water and POM ® Wonderful.

 

 

 

HOLA Welcomes Raul de Quesada to the Board!
HOLA welcomes our newest board member, Raúl de Quesada! An award-winning executive with vast experience in the Latin American and U.S. Hispanic markets, Raúl de Quesada currently leads the marketing operations for two of the country’s top sports networks.  As Assistant General Manager and Senior Vice President of Marketing, Communications, and Creative Services for Fox Sports en Español and Fox Soccer Channel, Raul has been instrumental in the growth and success of both networks. Raul has been a long-time supporter and advocate for HOLA and we are thrilled to have his leadership on the board!

We encourage you to check our website for updates www.heartofla.org. Thank you for your continued support!