Heart of America Foundation
| Founded | 1997 |
|---|---|
| Focus | Community, service, and volunteerism |
| Location | |
Area served | United States |
| Product | School makeovers and book distributions |
Staff | Jill Heath, President and CEO |
| Website | Official website |
The Heart of America Foundation (also known as Heart of America or simply HOA) is a non-profit organization located in the Washington, DC metro area, specifically Landover, MD, which has a national focus on transforming spaces into modern learning environments so that students and communities can learn and grow.
About[edit]
The Heart of America Foundation, a national nonprofit headquartered in Washington, DC, combines volunteerism with its initiatives. The organization's focus is to "transform spaces into modern learning environments so that students and communities can learn and grow." The Heart of America redesigns and revitalizes school libraries, gymnasiums, cafeterias, technology labs, and other spaces in low income communities. Since 1997, the organization has provided children living in poverty with more than 4 million library and take-home books, and engaged volunteers service to the community. The organization operates with a small staff and thousands of volunteers in communities across the country.
A Focus on Community and Service[edit]
The Heart of America Foundation links community service with school transformation. The organization provides resource support for children, primarily in under-resourced schools (elementary, middle, and high school levels), where more than two-thirds of the children are from low-income families. Heart of America staff and volunteers have replenished, redecorated and revitalized nearly 400 school and community spaces across the United States in areas of high need. The organization has provided children in need with 4 million books and other resources.
Makeovers[edit]
Heart of America's makeover programs focus on transforming spaces into modern learning environments for students and communities. These spaces can include libraries, classrooms, STEM and maker spaces, financial literacy focused areas, gymnasiums, cafeterias, and more. The Heart of America team takes a look at a space's current use and flow, designs a new layout, provides furniture and resources, and new technology to complete a space.
This program engages community and corporate volunteers, youth, and other members of the school community in service through library beautification and improvement activities, book distributions and one-on-one reading activities with children.
Book distributions[edit]
Heart of America organizes and hosts book drives and book distributions across the country as part of a Books from the Heart initiative.
Disaster response[edit]
After Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast of the United States in 2005, the Heart of America focused on young victims of the storm, and organized an effort to collect new backpacks, school supplies and books for those in need. In the six weeks following the storm, the Heart of America gathered and personally delivered more than 40,000 books and over 40 tons of backpacks, school supplies and toiletries to displaced children in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, engaging some 16,000 students in the process.
This endeavor led to a broader effort in 2006 that engaged over 250,000 students in restoring Gulf Coast school libraries, classrooms and home libraries destroyed by the storms by providing books for children in need. The Heart of America then solidified its focus on efforts related to literacy needs, not just in disaster plagued cities, but around the country in other areas experiencing hardship.
President and CEO[edit]
Jill Heath
Jill Heath became an honorary member of the HOA team while at Target Corporation where she awarded more than $30 million in grants. She developed and managed Target's award-winning and nationally recognized School Library Makeover Program as a member of the Community Relations Team. She also managed Target's philanthropic portfolio for the east coast including New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Jill later served as Manager for Corporate Security, leading a team that developed public-private partnerships globally with government, non-profit and community agencies focused on mitigating corporate risk through initiatives with law enforcement, emergency management and public health entities. As founder of H+H Strategies, Jill supported national nonprofits with philanthropic portfolio strategy, engagement plan development, strategic planning and external affairs. Jill holds a bachelor's degree in Biology from Albion College, a Sea Education Association Accreditation from Boston University, and Executive Education Certificates in Marketing/Communications and Nonprofit MBA.
Founders[edit]
Bill Halamandaris
Bill Halamandaris is the son of an immigrant coal-miner. For 15 years, he headed a Congressional Committee to find and prosecute waste and fraud. In 1985, disheartened by the corruption he'd uncovered, he began to search for what he considered the "heart of America"—people who represent the best in society, the best instincts of man, and the best part of ourselves. That effort grew into The Heart of America Foundation. Bill serves as Chairman and full-time volunteer for the organization.
Angela Halamandaris
Before co-founding the Heart of America Foundation, Angela Halamandaris helped develop Give Kids The World Village, a 75-acre (300,000 m2) resort for terminally-ill children in Orlando, Florida. Angela has served as a volunteer with organizations such as the National Capital Area Foundation of the March of Dimes, WETA-TV, the Caring Institute, the Frederick Douglass Museum, and the Hall of Fame for Caring Americans. She is President of the Heart of America Foundation.
Past Initiatives[edit]
Day of Home: The Heart of America coordinated "The Day of Hope" in 2000, an event that marked the first anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre in Denver, Colorado. There, Heart of America youth Ambassadors reached 10,000 students through assembly presentations focused on community and service. A day after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York in 2001, the organization responded by creating a fund and national awareness campaign to aid affected families in the greater New York region. By the end of 2002, the fund had provided health insurance for over thirty families.
Youth Service Awards: The Heart of America "Heroes of the Heart" Awards was a recognition program that highlights "heroes"—young and old—throughout the United States for their work in the community. In 2000, a National Heroes of the Heart Award was presented to actor and activist Christopher Reeve. Since its inception, Heart of America has honored students and young people across the country with this award.
Charity in Chocolate (formerly Sweet Charity): A signature event of the Heart of America Foundation featuring prominent chefs and a delicious fashion show with delicious fashions created by chefs. This event also hosts a live book auction to support Washington DC elementary schools. Prior to 2012, the annual Sweet Charity "Des Alpes Chocolate Fashion Show" benefit, co-hosted by Albert Uster Imports, was held each year in Washington, DC. In 2009, more than 40 participating chefs applied Albert Uster chocolate to design fanciful chocolate fashions. The fashions were then displayed in a chocolate fashion show.[1]
Official Web Site[edit]
The Heart of America Foundation
References[edit]
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