LOS ANGELES, Jan. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Loyola High School of Los Angeles, the oldest continually operated educational institution in Southern California, announced today that Loyola Board Chair, business innovator, civic leader and philanthropist Rick J. Caruso and his wife Tina are donating $5 million to the Jesuit preparatory school, earmarking $4.5 million for the 1901 Venice Boulevard Project and $500,000 for the Caruso Scholar endowment.  This transformational gift is the largest single gift that Loyola has received to date for the 1901 Venice Boulevard Project, ushering in a new era with its construction. In addition, the gift will fully endow a four-year scholarship for a high-performing, low-income student from an underserved Los Angeles neighborhood.

"Tina and Rick's gift is a historic investment in our school, in our students and in our endowment. Their generosity to Loyola will affect generations of Cubs to come," said Fr. Gregory M. Goethals, SJ '73.  "To inspire our students to become future leaders, we must be able to provide them with state-of-the-art facilities that contribute to a thriving educational and spiritual community. Once completed, the 1901 Venice Boulevard Project will transform our campus."

The 1901 Venice Boulevard Project includes the building of Caruso Hall, formerly known as Xavier Center, from the ground up. The 26,188 sq. ft. Caruso Hall will be used for more than 200 events a year. It will include: a dedicated sacristy to service liturgies; hidden operable walls that transform the Grand Hall into three separate rooms with multi-area capacity for AP testing and/or events; state-of-the art integrated communications and AV equipment; a full-service banquet kitchen, capable of serving 800 guests; a multi-purpose student kitchen; and ADA-compliant restrooms.

The 1901 Venice Boulevard Project will also enhance Hayden Circle with a new front entrance gate and eco-friendly landscaping as well as a Graduate-at-Graduation Walkway that showcases the attributes Loyola students aspire to have once they graduate.  In addition, a Veterans' Memorial will be erected in tribute to Cubs who have served and are serving our country. 

The Caruso Scholar endowment reflects Rick and Tina's long legacy of supporting educational institutions that help transform the lives of children living in poverty throughout southern California.  This particular program offers high-performing, low-income students access to the world-class curriculum offered at Loyola and enhances the school's commitment to an already diverse student body. 

"Through my work on Loyola's Board and as the parent of a Cub graduate, not only have I witnessed firsthand the academic excellence this institution instills in all its students, but equally as important - the spiritual growth that is integral to turning young men into positive contributors to society," said Mr. Caruso.  "Tina and I are proud to be part of the reimagining of the southwestern part of Loyola's 21-acre campus as well as supporting promising students from  low-income neighborhoods in their pursuit of a quality high school education."

Beginning in the 2020-2021 academic year, Loyola will have its first Caruso Scholar who will enjoy a four-year scholarship, fully endowed by the Caruso Family Foundation. The student will be chosen based upon the following criteria:

• Demonstration of Financial Need
• Demonstration of Academic Achievement
• Family Support and Commitment to Higher Education
• Underserved Local Areas

About Loyola High School
Celebrating its 154th anniversary as the oldest continually operated educational institution in Southern California, Loyola High School of Los Angeles is an academically rigorous Jesuit college preparatory, located just west of downtown Los Angeles and counts with more than 16,000 alumni. Loyola's student body of over 1,250 young men represents a remarkable geographic diversity, drawing on over 215 zip codes from throughout and beyond Los Angeles County.  The school is also ethnically diverse with more than 45 percent of the student body of Latino, Asian-Pacific or African-American descent.  To enable students to achieve the goal of being "Men for and with Others," Loyola students must complete at least 140 hours of community service work before graduation, with many contributing nearly 200 hours.  Over the past two decades, Loyola students have donated more than 1.7 million hours of community service, primarily to inner-city schools, neighborhoods and agencies. Please visit us at http://www.loyolahs.edu.

Contact:
Maite Saralegui Berry
Loyola High School of Los Angeles
mberry@loyolahs.edu
213.381.5121, x 1313 (O)
213.500.2122 (M)

SOURCE Loyola High School of Los Angeles

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http://www.loyolahs.edu/