Buscaglia

Grossman Burn Foundation

ZUBAIDA HASAN – A Miracle Story

Zubaida was 9 years old. She was a member of a nomadic family that consisted of her two parents and eight other children. She and her family are from the Farah province of Afghanistan. In August of 2001, Zubaida was pouring kerosene into an indoor home cooking stove while it was hot. The fuel ignited and she caught on fire. She sustained burns to her face, neck, chest and arms. When the fire was extinguished, her father took her to a nearby medical provider where she was given ointments. As her condition worsened, her father decided to travel to Iran for treatment. She was admitted to a hospital in Iran for 20 days and then discharged. The doctors there suggested to her father to take her home to die. Zubaida did not die, but her injuries resulted in horrible disfigurement, severe functional impairment and a crippled self-esteem.
In February, 2002, on the recommendation of local shopkeepers, Zubaida’s father, Muhammad, sought help from the Americans for his severely burned daughter. She was taken to the American Army base in Kabul. There, Zubaida met with American military doctors and they decided to contact the U.S. State Department to see what could be done.

 

The State Department contacted Dr. Peter Grossman, a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon at The Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks, California. With the aid of the Children’s Burn Foundation, a Southern California based charitable organization that lends financial and social assistance to burn-injured children who have no means of getting help any other way, Zubaida was brought to America for treatment at The Grossman Burn Center.

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Click here to learn more about the Grossman Burn Center. 

Arts Bridging the Gap

LA Street Art Initiative
Inspiring civic leadership and community pride in youth through the creation of community-driven murals across the city of Los Angeles.

The Program
The LA Street Art Initiative is a socio-emotional arts program that brings youth, professional artists, and community members together to design, co-create, and paint public murals. Aiming to install 150 murals across Los Angeles before the 2028 Olympics, this program empowers youth to engage with their community, pursue leadership opportunities, build understanding, spark essential dialogue and unique exchanges that support the healing of a community, and the building of an ecosystem of artists.

The Impact
This program connects youth with communities in unprecedented collaborations including people experiencing homelessness, law enforcement, and city officials. Friendships are created through art; biases disappear, and new conversations begin. The creation of each mural is a chance for families, friends and the wider community (housed and unhoused) to come together and create a lasting memory. The mural itself becomes a living legacy project and serves as an important reminder of the power of collaboration and togetherness in often divided cities.

Thanks to our partnership with our graffiti control experts at Woods Maintenance Services, Inc., these murals are permanent, ensuring that the community and especially our youth will see them every day for years to come and be reminded of this magical moment so that no matter how bad their day is or how far they might stray from hope, seeing their creation will bring them back to a brighter, more promising place and set them back on a better path.

Click here to learn more about Arts Bridging the Gap. 

Friendship Foundation

Friendship Foundation received a grant to purchase supplies such as art supplies, crafts, sports equipment, and games for school clubs. Friendship Clubs will reach approximately 2,500 children during the grant year.  The Friendship Foundation transforms the lives of people with special needs, their families, volunteers, and eventually society. Friendship Foundation’s mission is to: 1) bring happiness and companionship to children with special needs in a way that celebrates their uniqueness and individuality through participation in age-appropriate social, recreational and educational activities with their peers; 2) build leadership skills and foster the values of altruism, volunteerism, and sacrifice among student volunteers; 3) impart renewed strength, comfort and peace of mind to the parents of these special children; and 4) heighten the community’s awareness, sensitivity and sense of responsibility with regard to responding to these vital needs.  The Friendship Foundation (then known as the Friendship Circle) received a grant from the Leo Buscaglia Foundation in 2010.

Click here to learn about more 2022 recipients. 

Salesian Family Youth Center

Transforming Lives: Discover the Impact of the Salesian Family Youth Center in Our Latest Report

 

Are you ready to be inspired by the transformative work happening in our community? We invite you to explore our latest End of Year Report, a comprehensive look at the Salesian Family Youth Center’s journey and achievements over the past year.

A Year of Growth and Impact

At the Salesian Family Youth Center, we are committed to fostering growth and creating opportunities for young people in the Boyle Heights community and beyond. This year has been a milestone for us, and the highlights include:

  • Expanding Summer Programs: We hosted a successful summer camp with a 10% increase in participants. Our program focused on closing the summer learning gap, offering educational enrichment, physical fitness, arts and crafts, and spiritual offerings such as morning prayer and afternoon reflections.

  • Empowering Young Writers: We supported seven young writers from the Boyle Heights community in publishing their work, providing them a platform to share their stories and overcome personal challenges.

  • Strengthening Partnerships: Our collaboration with local businesses has allowed us to create more opportunities for the youth, ensuring they receive support from the broader community.

  • Focus on Holistic Development: Our programs offer a well-rounded approach, including STEM education, physical activities, and spiritual guidance that foster creativity, personal growth, and spiritual development.

  • Spiritual and Personal Growth: We observed a 10% increase in spiritual growth and a 25% increase in personal growth among our participants, reflecting the effectiveness of our holistic approach.

  • Engaging Cultural Programs: Our new program, which invites business owners to speak with immigrant youth, is bridging cultural gaps and providing high school students with mentorship and inspiration to pursue their dreams.

We are open to any feedback, please email is at info@SalesianClubs-LA.org
 
 
 

If you would like to support us, join our Annual Gala that will take place on February 22, 2024. For more information click here.

 
 
 

Thank you so much for being part of our family and without you, none of these would have been possible!

 
 
 

Salesian Family Youth Center.

Access Books

See what Access Books is doing during to help students out of school. 

“We’ve been running fast behind the scenes and so happy to finally share photos of the 2,400 new books that we distributed to Parmalee Elementary students just last week!

Coordinated with Parmalee’s amazing principal and staff, each student in every grade-level received a bundle of 3 new books to help them with at-home learning activities.”

Our Big Kitchen Los Angeles

You can register to volunteer through our website, www.obkla.org, and you will receive our upcoming open session volunteer dates

For more information on Group, Corporate and School bookings, or to join our ambassador and leadership program please email info@obkla.org

You can learn more about OBKLA at www.OBKLA.org.

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Sages and Seekers

November’s #SageSpotlight is the one and only Clif! We ❤️ Clif and are so grateful for his contribution as a Sage.
Thanks for being YOU!
Scroll through the photos to learn more about Clif.
 

Click here to learn more about Sages and Seekers. 

Click Below To View Previous Reports:

2022 Report |2021 Report |2020 Report |2019 Report | 2018 Report | 2017 Report | 2016 Report | 2015 Report