Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust awards Hope Stone New Orleans donation for summer camp scholarshi

Caring, educating and providing a safe environment for children to express their

creativity is an important and vital mission. Now, thanks to a generous donation

from the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust, Hope Stone New Orleans is able to further

achieve this mission.

Hope Stone New Orleans is a local, independent 501 (c ) (3) nonprofit that was

launched in 2010. The vision of Hope Stone New Orleans is to provide "Arts for All”

through our innovative arts education programs. Our programs offer a structured

creative outlet for individuals to explore, find, and recognize their full artistic

potential. Our organization celebrates the creativity and diversity of New Orleans

and our innovative programming encourages self-expression, passion, and

community through collaborative thinking. Our scholarship program ensures the

arts are available to all.

We are currently hosting our sixth annual 12-week-long summer arts camp, located

at Nola Spaces (1719 Toledano St.). We reach out to a diverse population and

provide an enriched arts experience to many New Orleans children and youth. More

than 70% of our campers have been awarded full or partial scholarships to attend

this educational and highly participatory arts experience. Thanks to the donation

from the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust, we were able to award an additional 380

weekly camp scholarships, which doubles our camp attendance.

All of our students are provided with healthy meals and receive daily classes in

music, dance, theater, and visual arts from professional artists and educators. We

encourage uniqueness and individuality, and our instructors guide campers to

discover each art form in their own way.

Oscar Judah Thomas, a lifetime resident of New Orleans, passed away on December

2, 2013 at the age of 93. Mr. Tolmas lived a long and multifaceted life: because his

parents were immigrants they stressed the importance of education on their

children. This early inclination towards schooling led to his graduation from both

Tulane University in 1941 and Tulane Law School in 1943. After graduation, Tolmas

went on to serve as a naval officer during WWII. He was a lawyer, businessman, real

estate developer, and homebuilder. Mr Tolmas’ love for horse racing led him to

eventually establishing Tolmas Racing Stables with one of his brothers. He owned

and bred horses, entering them in races all around the country. Mr. Tolmas lived an

incredible life. In his last will and testament, Mr. Tolmas left 100% of his assets to

the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust with the mission to “assist other tax-exempt

charitable organizations with their missions of helping others”. Mr. Tolmas’ legacy

of generosity and passion for the New Orleans community will live on in the hearts

of many”.

Hope Stone New Orleans is still accepting applications for some weeks of our camp

programs. Our goal is to offer 580 weekly summer camp scholarships in 2015. If you

are interested in enrolling your child in Hope Stone summer camp please email:

pamela@hopestoneneworleans.org or call: (504) 390-8399.