The entire Hands4Hope LA summer camp together

Stories

Every number has a name.

The big organizations can show you bigger numbers. We can tell you what happened to each kid. These are the stories our families tell about Hands4Hope LA, in their words wherever we can.

Azie's family sharing frozen yogurt around a table
Azie’s family, North Hollywood.

Azie came for homework help. Her whole family stayed.

Her family therapist told her about Hands4Hope LA. Her kids joined the afterschool program, then summer camp: Underwood Farms, the California Science Center, Castaic Lake. Homework done, new friends made.

And Azie? Parent workshops, a community that learned her name, and a raffle win that paid a bill in a hard month.

“The children are happier, more motivated at school, and safe.”

A mentor beside a young student singing at the microphone
Showcase day.

Diana was a Hands4Hope kid in 2009. Her daughter is one now.

Some kids grow up and move away. Some grow up and come back through the same door holding a smaller hand. After 26 years in the same neighborhood, our first generation of students is old enough to enroll their own children, and they do.

That is the quietest number we track, and the one we are proudest of.

In their words. Straight off the name tags.

Student testimonials

HELLO
my name is

Melody

“The staff is very nice and they drive us on field trips.”

HELLO
my name is

Jayden

“I learned piano and now I can play at home.”

HELLO
my name is

Victoria

“It’s fun and I feel safe here.”

HOLA
mi nombre es

Rosa

“Mis hijos hacen la tarea, cenan y llegan felices a casa. Aquí conocen a mi familia.”

(“My kids do their homework, eat, and come home happy. They know my family here.”)

HELLO
my name is

Diana

“I was a Hands4Hope kid in 2009. My daughter is one now.”

Made by our students

The films our teens write, shoot, and star in.

Every year our teens make a driver-safety film: they write it, act in it, and premiere it. This year, for the first time, they made one entirely in Spanish.

And the numbers, for the record.

Twenty-five years of work. UCLA helped us count it.

1,280+

youths given a safe space

260,000+

meals provided

250,000+

homework assignments completed

13,248+

enrichment classes held

10,080+

student transportation trips

3,456+

tutoring sessions held

1,114+

college and career prep hours

3

underserved communities supported

Ready for them to find their thing? Registration takes minutes.

Every program is free. Low-cost transportation from partner schools is available.

Register a Student