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Greetings!
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Hollywood HEART is doing its part to save paper and reduce waste with this e-newsletter. We hope it's now even easier for you to keep up-to-date with what we're doing to help at-risk youth. Thank you for your continued support and we wish you and yours the best during the Holidays!
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YUCA Premiere
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It was showtime at Big Time Picture Company in Santa Monica on July 27th-we rolled out the red carpet for the stars of "Connections Exposed," the Movie Team's 57th film, made in partnership with YUCA, Youth United in Creative Action. "Connections Exposed" is about a club owner battling an evil plot by sinister lawyers to take over his club, and his stylish daughters, who don't know they are dating the same boy.
YUCA and all our Movie Team volunteers did an amazing job and worked hard on this film--this night recognized the kids' accomplishments and provided an opportunity for everyone to see the finished product and enjoy some time catching up and meeting the kids' families.
For bringing the Movie Team to the youth of YUCA, Hollywood HEART received a certificate of appreciation at the Asian American Drug Abuse Program (umbrella organization for YUCA) 14th Annual Community Recognition Event on October 15th. It was a lovely evening celebrating the theme-"Embracing Our Communities"-and seeing our friends at YUCA once again. Thank you, YUCA and AADAP!
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Camp Pacific Heartland's 15th Birthday!
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 Camp Pacific Heartland celebrated its 15th summer session in style with two nights of fun with Hollywood HEART. Carnival Night was a blast- pictured is our friend and volunteer Magic Michael wowing the kids at camp with his sleights of hand. Polite in Public provided an awesome photo booth and souvenir pictures for our campers. Our great friend DJ Nate provided music for MTV Night, a chance for our happy campers to dance and celebrate Camp Pacific Heartland's 15th birthday. As always, we can't wait for next year!
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You're Invited!
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This is a season of celebration, and we're excited about enjoying the holidays with you. Join us for these chances to let your hair down for a good cause: Our friends and volunteers Jorge Pallo and Kurt Anderson are throwing their 6th Annual Holiday Bash to benefit Hollywood HEART and Toys for Tots. Bring a toy for Toys for Tots or a gift card for us to one of the following stores: Target, CVS, Costco, Trader Joe's, Ralph's, Von's, Starbucks, Lowe's, Home Depot, Staples, Michael's, iTunes, Party America, or Party City. We hope to see you all there! Click here for a link to the evite, with all the info you need! "Acoustic Christmas" at the Gypsy Lounge in Lake Forest: Come out on December 18th and take in the sounds of local musicians' cozy acoustic holiday-themed music. The show costs $5 to see 15+ bands, and all proceeds will go to your very own favorite charity, Hollywood HEART. The evening begins at 8:00 pm. Click here for the Gypsy Lounge website! |
Movie Team is heading back East!
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In February of 2010, Hollywood HEART will bring our increasingly in-demand Movie Team program to Massachusetts, partnering with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester, The Cultural Center of Cape Cod and Harwich High School's Alternative Learning Program. Inspired because our friend and Board Member Nora O'Brien was a New England native, Hollywood HEART is excited to be offering our unique Movie Making project to at-risk teens in that region for the first time. Wondering what our newest program partners think?
"The Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester is honored to host a Hollywood Heart Movie Team in February 2010. The Club's arts department continually strives to offer our members new opportunities and we are incredibly grateful for this unique experience. All of us at the Club are excited to work the Hollywood Heart Movie Team, learn how to make a motion picture and work with this generous group of movie industry execs willing to share their time and talent with our kids. Together, Hollywood Heart and our Club will inspire young people to think creatively, have fun and perhaps nurture the gift of a future entertainment executive."
-Katherine Parker, Director of Development, Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester
 "The day Lisa Cavanaugh walked through our doors and told us about Hollywood HEART was a great day, indeed. To have such a program here on the Cape, for a dozen young people who really need such a thing, is a blessing ... and a great way to fulfill our mission. We are so excited at the prospect of matching the professionals from Hollywood HEART with these bright, deserving kids. We know the results will be fantastic. Thanks to Hollywood HEART for granting all of us this rare opportunity."
-Lauren Wolk, Associate Director, The Cultural Center of Cape Cod
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Camp Hollywood HEART Returns
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Another glittering Gala evening capped off our second incredible Camp Hollywood HEART program this past August. With more than forty teens infected and affected by HIV/AIDS working together on the visual and performing arts, it was a week of creativity, innovation and joy. Created in 2008 to offer extended arts programming to our older teens and young adults, and inspired by the success of our Movie Teams, CHH is a wonderful combination of our two signature programs. The participants chose one art focus for the week, which culminates in a celebratory evening of dance & music performances, gallery showings, spoken word, a movie premiere and writing compilation books. Throughout their session the participants also enjoyed the chance to explore other art disciplines, visiting professional performances, and - of course - typical camp fun, like the always-popular MTV Dance Night with DJ Nate. Over 100 volunteers and the dedicated teams from Hollywood HEART and our partner One Heartland were inspired and moved by the imagination and spirit of our young adults.
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ANSA's Jabulani!
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Artists for a New South Africa held an inspirational night of music and speakers, called Jabulani!, on September 22nd at the Wiltern Theatre. We were able to bring local campers to the event for a night of celebration-speakers included Archbishop Desmond Tutu, anti-apartheid activists Barbara Hogan and Ahmed Kathrada, and Alfre Woodard. Jackson Browne provided the evening's music. It was a great opportunity for our local campers to get together and be inspired.
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Ho-Ho-Holiday Volunteer Opportunities
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We HEART the Holidays! We're busier than ever this holiday season with the following exciting programs; help make the holidays brighter for the families we serve by volunteering with us!
Friends and Helpers Partnership: We've partnered with local nonprofit Friends and Helpers to bring holiday cheer and gifts to our local campers and their families. We are so grateful for the opportunity to extend our support and help to these families, and make their holidays a little brighter and easier. One catch-the deadline for Friends and Helpers has passed, and we are still getting wish lists from interested families. We hope you can help us help these deserving youth. We are accepting gifts until December 8th.
Camper Holiday Reunion: Thanks to Raleigh Studios, Paramount Studios, Raleigh Cafe, Jakks Pacific, and Magic Michael, we're treating 40 local campers to a fun night in Hollywood! Activities include a magic show, edible arts and crafts, a tour of Paramount, and dinner. We love every opportunity we get to see "our" kids, and we'd love to see you too! The fun happens on December 9th.
The Art Team: From Paper to Canvas: Hollywood HEART is partnering with our friends at Hollygrove to bring fun and creative collage-making workshops to Hollygrove's Winter Literacy Camp. Our workshops will allow the kids to explore the connection between the written word and visual art in an engaging and fun way-making canvas collages inspired by their favorite word, book, or poem. Come volunteer with us at Hollygrove on December 21st!
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Got Office Skills?
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Hollywood HEART has always depended on our family of volunteers to help
us make a difference in the lives of at-risk and HIV/AIDS-affected
youth-and we need you now more than ever. We are in need of day-to-day
office support, so if you're office-savvy and want to spend an hour, an
afternoon, or a day here with us in the lovely Hollywood HEART
Headquarters, please let us know! We love company and look forward to
every opportunity we have to spend time with our awesome volunteers.
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Give a Day, Get a Disney Day
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Hollywood HEART is
thrilled to be a part of Disney's "Give a Day. Get a Disney Day."
campaign to encourage community service in 2010. Their goal is to
inspire one million people to get involved with their communities, and
they are during their part by offering free admission for one day to
one theme park (Disneyland, Disney's California Adventure, or
Disneyworld) in exchange for verified volunteer service with a
participating organization. Starting January 1st, 2010, you can sign
up through the Disney website to be part of the program, and search for
us in the participating organizations. We're looking forward to
serving our community with you!
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Two Fond Farewells
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 Kara Mondino, former Program Coordinator and Development Associate, is now off to conquer the rest of the non-profit world. She is currently pursuing her master's degree in Non-Profit Administration at the University of San Francisco. Kara worked very hard during her nearly three years at Hollywood HEART helping to develop programming and tackling grants AND she always had a smile and kind word for everyone. While we miss her spirited ways, we wish Kara nothing but the best! Kara rocks! 
Emily started of at Hollywood HEART as an intern and quickly impressed us all with her superb writing
skills and her passion for our work. After she graduated with her
bachelor's degree in English from the University of California, Los
Angeles she spent a few months with us as an Office Assoicate. During
this short, but sweet time, we were so glad to have Emily on our team! Good luck to Em on all your future endeavors!
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| We HEART Interns |
 Hollywood HEART was fortunate enough to have some amazing interns in 2009. You already know about Emily, but did you meet Charli Cowan (not pictured) and Alice Woo? Both UCLA students, Charli was awesome with our Movie Team participants during the spring quarter and Alice's graphic design skills came in very handy during the summer quarter. Here's Alice at our YUCA Movie Team screeni ng.
And last but not least, we have our current intern - Eric Otis. Eric is currently pursuing his bachelor's degree in sociology at California State University, Northridge. Eric was chosen for this internship because of his positive nature, his strong work ethic, and his interest in helping his community. Here's Eric helping out at the beverage station at the Nora O'Brien Fall Classic.
If you or someone you know is interested in interning for Hollywood HEART, please feel free to contact us.
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The Nora O'Brien Fall Classic: A Home Run!
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When our friend and Hollywood HEART board member Nora O' Brien passed away this past spring, it not only left us with overwhelming sadness but also a tremendous emptiness, the kind of emptiness that inspires one to ponder how we could honor such a giving person. At Nora's impromptu wake at a west side watering hole, a few of us gathered to talk about Nora . One of Nora's friends made the very telling remark: "Nora makes me want to be a better person." We wanted to get involved with the charity work that was so important to Nora. Thanks to a few of Nora's close friends, fellow sports fans (Red Sox, Patriots), and a smattering of acquaintances that played pick-up softball games with her, we began planning a softball event in her honor. What started as simply a softball game and possibly a nighttime silent auction morphed into the all-day gathering of friends and family this past October to benefit Hollywood HEART. The day was a wonderful success, raising over $30,000 to support programming in Nora's native  New England. Everyone had a wonderful time playing softball, bidding in the silent auction, enjoying treats from Skewers on Wheels, Stephanie's Soft Serve, and LA Fuxion, and spending some time with old and new friends and family. For some of Nora's friends, it was their first time volunteering. We never, ever expected to raise the amount we did. Because of the tremendous success of this event, we plan on making next year's Nora O'-Brien Fall Classic even better. We all came away inspired and happy, and we all plan on continuing her legacy of volunteering for years to come.
-Jon Burk, The Nora O'Brien Fall Classic Committee member |
Spotlight on: Susyn, Sonya and Roy
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Hollywood HEART is lucky to have talented and dedicated volunteers! In
this edition of our newsletter, we want to highlight Susyn Duris and
newlyweds Roy Scarazzo and Sonya Gamargo.
Susyn found Hollywood
HEART through the Entertainment Industry Foundation. An actor herself,
she was initially interested in making movies with children. "Acting
isn't about acting, it is more about living and reacting to life, and
telling stories, and that's what I share with the kids," Susyn says.
Susyn has also been to Camp Hollywood HEART and felt that "the talent,
excitement, and gratitude" our teenagers exhibited was "humbling and
rewarding." Susyn's dedication doesn't stop there-a woman of many
talents, she has also lent her public relations expertise to the
organization, playing a key role in securing a step-and-repeat set-up
from Time Warner Cable. When asked about her motivation for helping,
Susyn notes that she "feels much more like a collaborator at Hollywood
HEART than most organizations" she volunteers with.
 Sonya and
Roy Scarazzo are such dedicated volunteers that when they recently tied
the knot, they asked their guests to donate to Hollywood HEART instead
of buying wedding gifts. The happy couple was attracted to Hollywood
HEART because our volunteer opportunities allow them to combine their
creativity with working with kids. Roy is an editor who works in
casting and loves that at Hollywood HEART he can "use his powers for
good instead of evil." His favorite part of volunteering is the Movie
Team screenings, he admits to being just as excited to see the finished
product as the kids. Sonya, a fashion designer who runs wardrobe
during Movie Team programs, thinks that "the diversity of the children
is great" and the people she's worked with while volunteering are "some
of the most amazing people" she's met. When she started to volunteer,
she was simply looking to help others but quickly found out that "there
is so much personal benefit as well"-she has a good time and always
looks forward to events.
Thank you Susyn, Sonya, and Roy for all that you do for Hollywood HEART!
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WAKA Rocks!
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For the second year in a row, the World Adult Kickball Association chose Hollywood HEART as their benefiting charity. On November 21st, at WAKA's End of Season party, Hollywood HEART received the fruit of their fundraising labor: $1,367.00. The funds raised were partially from a bake sale and flip cup tournament on November 9th, in which we happily participated with some baked goods (want the recipe for "brookies," brownies and cookies together at last?) and a plucky flip cup team with HEART. We are so thankful that WAKA continues to share its great warmth and spirit with us. Thank you, WAKA!
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A Midsummer Night of Music
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Celebrated vocal collective SONOS, KCRW DJs Anne Litt and Mathieu Schreyer, and hilarious emcee Svetlana (Iris Bahr) joined Hollywood HEART at Zanzibar in Santa Monica on July 30th for a night of music, laughter, friends, and fundraising. The delicious appetizers were provided by Top Chef's Betty Fraser of (Grub restaurant), and the event was covered in the online publication Brand X (click here for that article!). Thank you to everyone who gave their time and efforts to make it happen--we had a great time! |
Get Your 2010 Calendars!
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Local organization Flower Goddess Productions has partnered with Hollywood HEART to create a 2010 calendar called "Hollywood: The Good, The Bad, and The Funny." All proceeds from the sale of this calendar will go to Hollywood HEART to support our programming.
Flower Goddess Productions is dedicated to developing and highlighting
strong roles for women and actors of color. Their mission is to provide a
platform for rising actors, screenwriters, and other entertainment
professionals to create projects that are a unique and candid
reflection of the human experience
We're so thankful for Flower Goddess' generosity and wonderful spirit. Click here to pick up your copy of the calendar today for only $4.99!
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