PROMOTING EDUCATION, HEALTH AND OPPORTUNITY
Growing up in East Los Angeles, I know how important it is to keep a positive attitude and to stay focused on your goals.
–Oscar de la Hoya
Dear Friends,
In 1995, with the help of so many, we started
the Oscar de la Hoya Foundation. The Foundation is dedicated to bringing a better quality of life to our community. By creating and maintaining a state-of- the-art cancer center, a charter high school, a labor and delivery center and a neonatal intensive care unit, the Foundation is achieving our goal of providing needed services and opportunities to underprivileged families living in East Los Angeles.
I know from first hand experience that determination, hard work and faith make dreams come true.
I want to thank every one of you who has made this dream possible. Your commitment and dedication has given young people in our community the inspiration to lead productive and rewarding lives. Together we are creating a better world where people can pursue their dreams and wishes for a brighter tomorrow.
From the heart,
Oscar de la Hoya
THE CONQUERING POWER OF A STRONG FOUNDATION
A strong sense of family, community and commitment gave Oscar de la Hoya the substance to become a world champion. The same solid base was the starting point of his namesake Foundation.
Oscar de la Hoya
Born and raised in East Los Angeles, Oscar de la Hoya rose from a humble childhood to become one of the most respected and recognized athletes of our time. In almost 17 years as a professional boxer, Oscar de la Hoya defeated 19 world champions and won ten world titles in six different weight divisions.
A Champion’s Promise
In 1992, fulfilling an earlier promise to his mother Cecilia, Oscar de la Hoya won the Olympic gold medal in Barcelona. He soon became known as boxing’s Golden Boy, a title earned both in honor of his Olympic achievement and a bright, positive personality as powerful as his left hand.
In 1995, as a tribute to his beloved mother and guided by his personal values and beliefs, another promise was made. It was time for Oscar to carry out his greater vision of giving back to the community. The Oscar de la Hoya Foundation was born out of a commitment to provide educational and athletic opportunities to underprivileged East Los Angeles youths and to help guide them toward positive lives, emphasizing self-esteem and success through hard work, dedication, good citizenship and school achievement.
Tribute to Health
Extending beyond its educational and athletic goals, the Foundation makes generous donations to White Memorial Medical Center, in Los Angeles. It was through these contributions that the Cecilia Gonzalez de la Hoya Cancer Center was created, as was the Oscar de la Hoya Labor and Delivery Center and the Oscar de la Hoya Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, all operating within White Memorial Medical Center.
The Oscar de la Hoya Foundation is the direct result of Oscar’s dedication and openheartedness. It is his sincere and enduring gift to his community. As a result, his status as a hero to the people of East Los Angeles is not without merit.
Providing our children with a high-quality education and a safe environment in which to grow is the best gift we can give them. It is also the best way of ensuring their success and strengthening the community.
From Gym to High School
The Oscar de la Hoya Ánimo Charter High School was founded in 2003 with a seven-figure commitment from the Oscar de la Hoya Foundation to Green Dot Public Schools, a non-profit charter school developer dedicated to strengthening public schools throughout Los Angeles.
The school’s new permanent facility—built on the former site of the Oscar de la Hoya Youth Center and Boxing Gym—was opened in September of 2009, and is currently home to 550 students in grades 9 through 12.
Green Seal
The first public high school to be built in Boyle Heights in over 80 years, this modern, four-story, 51,281 square-foot building was constructed on 0.8 acres of land and includes a rooftop deck, 25 classrooms, two computer labs, four science labs, a covered parking garage and a boxing gym. It has several green features, including high-efficiency mechanical and electrical equipment, natural lighting, and low-emission paint and flooring.
Stellar Reputation
Oscar de la Hoya Ánimo Charter High School was ranked 53rd among America’s best 100 public high schools by the U.S. News and World Report in December 2008, making it into their Gold Medal List for that year. In 2009, it was named a California Distinguished School, with 72% of its graduating students accepted into four-year universities and a 96% attendance rate on a daily basis.
Excellent teachers, small class sizes, and special mentoring and internship programs are some of the forces behind the school’s shining numbers. Ultimately, the hard work and commitment of its students is the reason that Oscar de la Hoya Ánimo Charter High School has won several academic competitions, outperforming schools with much higher income levels.
A HEALTHIER COMMUNITY IS A WINNING COMMUNITY
On October 28, 1990, Cecilia Gonzalez de la Hoya succumbed to breast cancer. It is the loving memory of his mother that inspires Oscar’s ongoing commitment to the wellbeing of the East Los Angeles community.
Challenging Cancer
Thanks to an endowment from the Oscar de la Hoya Foundation, the Cecilia Gonzalez de la Hoya Cancer Center at White Memorial Medical Center opened its doors in April of 2000.
Today this state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment center serves the community with a full range of options for all types and stages of cancer, including surgery, gynecological oncology, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. It houses some of the most powerful and advanced cancer treatment options available in the community.
The cancer program at Cecilia Gonzalez de la Hoya Cancer Center provides screenings, treatments and support services to more than 6,500 patients every year, many without the ability to pay for them. Among the many services it provides, the center offers ongoing free and low-cost community screenings, educational programs in English and Spanish, anti-smoking programs at local schools, and free breast cancer support groups
Delivering Good News
The Oscar de la Hoya Foundation has also helped to establish and maintain the Oscar de la Hoya Labor and Delivery Center and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at White Memorial Medical Center.
These facilities have been serving the community since 2007. Skilled doctors and nurses, together with cutting-edge technology, have made the Oscar de la Hoya Delivery Center the community’s most respected hospital facility for high-risk deliveries, as well as routine deliveries.
Every year, over 3,000 infants are delivered here, more than 4,000 expectant mothers receive emergency care and outpatient testing, and over 1,600 parents receive prenatal, breastfeeding and parenting coaching.
Winning the Smallest Battles
Additionally, the Oscar de la Hoya Neonatal Intensive Care Unit—one of the few Level III units in the East Los Angeles area—is one of the best in the state for complicated and premature births. It specializes in the care of severely ill or premature infants. These tiny infants can weigh less than a pound and require constant specialized care.
Twelve other area hospitals refer their most severely ill newborns to the Oscar de la Hoya Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where nearly 450 newborns receive medical and surgical care every year.
At the Oscar de la Hoya Labor and Delivery Center, and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, we are dedicated to personal attention and quality care— supporting the mother, infant and family.
TRAINING BODIES AND MINDS FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE
Boxing is a discipline that relies on skill, strategy and the use of intelligence both inside and outside of the ring. A smart boxer is a good boxer.
Fighting Fair
The Boxing Program at the Oscar de la Hoya Ánimo High School gets a great deal of attention. Designed for boys and girls, ages 8 through 18, the program teaches the fundamentals and discipline of boxing, emphasizing self-esteem and respect. While learning the sport, students also learn that in order to be successful in life they must be dedicated, hardworking, good citizens and remain free from drugs and alcohol.
Participants who have mastered the basic techniques of boxing move on to sparring and advanced forms of weight training and conditioning. In order to remain eligible for the program, boxers must maintain a minimum C average in their studies.
Once a junior boxer has achieved the standards required to compete, he or she becomes a member of “Team de la Hoya”. Team members travel nationally and participate in competitions, exhibitions and tournaments such as the nationally recognized Golden Gloves Tournament.
