Hands4Hope LA after school program in North Hollywood grew out of founder Lydia Floyd’s family history.

Despite having epilepsy, Lydia’s mother raised four children as a single mom and fostered many more. Lydia’s siblings were also single parents. It was after a late night phone call with one of her sisters who said, “I wish I just had a little bit of help,” that Lydia felt the call to do something to help single parents and their children. She quickly realized that what parents needed most was to have a safe, loving, and enriching place for their children  before they got home from work.

The First Baptist Church of North Hollywood, Lydia’s home church, opened up half of their facility for the non-profit’s use. It has been a collaboration since the beginning. And now 16 years later, Hands4Hope LA has become an indispensable part of the North Hollywood neighborhood. Together with two staff and seventeen volunteers, Lydia is able to offer Academic Summer Camp as well as tutoring and homework assistance during the school year to single parent and low-income families. Partnering with other local non-profits and government agencies, Lydia and her team have built a rich variety of programming beyond academic assistance that has included: Tai Chi, Kickboxing, Yoga, Cooking, Filmmaking, and Music Production.

Over the years Lydia has seen so many lives change, which keeps her motivation high for continuing such demanding work. “E–” came to Hands for Hope (the original name of the program) two weeks after quitting drugs. He had overdosed and was trying to get his life back on track. After finding support through the program and the people of Hands for Hope, E— went to college and is now a practicing architect.

Another young woman relocated and could not attend the program anymore. She became suicidal without support in her new environment. Her guardians made arrangements for her to return to the program, and now this young woman is on a $35,000 scholarship to college.

With the success of Hands for Hope in North Hollywood, Lydia is excited to potentially replicate the program in other underserved areas of Los Angeles and beyond.

On Saturday, May 21st Hands for Hope will put on their 16th Annual HOPE WALK fundraiser in Los Angeles! To participate, visit their website or Facebook page.

We are so inspired by the long-term investment that Lydia and her team make to build bridges of love, service and training among underserved youth and families in North Hollywood!