Dr. Barbara Seniors Harkins Foundation

The Dr. Barbara Seniors Harkins Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Miami, Florida and Los Angeles, California. The late Dr. Harkins believed that all children, regardless of race, gender, or class deserved to enjoy the best possible future. She devoted her life to helping others.

Our Foundation

Making Futures Brighter Through Education

Defining the next generation of scholars should not only be by what they learn in the classroom but also through their experiences beyond text books and outside of traditional learning environments. We believe that the best way to motivate children to pursue education beyond high school is by combining studying with inspirational out-of-school activities.

Scholarships

Each year the Foundation awards scholarships to outstanding students in the communities of Dade County, Florida and Los Angeles County, California. More information about the scholarships is available on our website.

Film Workshops

The foundation is host to the Filmmakers Workshop, which is led by local high school film production students. It identifies gifted young people from traditionally underrepresented groups in the industry and provides them with an intensive once-a-month training program during which all aspects of filmmaking are taught FREE to middle/high School students from the greater Los Angeles area, held on Saturdays from September through May. The workshops provide exposure to the profession through hands-on experience in movie-making techniques, screenings and discussions of important professional works, discussions with filmmakers and industry professionals. Space is limited, please contact the foundation for more information. Our next workshop is this October and our topic is casting. Click for more info

Film Camp

Children in grades 6-12 who are interested in filmmaking are invited to attend our Film Camp. The Camp offers unique opportunities for campers to become fully immersed in a collaborative, supportive and creative artistic community. Through the film classes, campers learn to write, direct, shoot, and edit their own short films. In addition to creating their film projects, the group has had speakers ranging from Ms. Ryan Case (Editor, "Modern Family"), Ms. Claudette Robinson (Smokey Robinson and the Miracles), and many others. Campers are assigned to small groups with participants their own age and they all attend daily classes in script writing, camera direction and editing. At the end of the week, campers share their film projects. Click for more information

Youth Expos

Various Youth Expos are sponsored by the Foundation annually. These include art, film, writing and other jobs found in the film industry.

Giving Back

The Foundation believes in giving back to our communities and teaching the young how important it is to support the area in which you live. In that light, we sponsor programs for free backpacks for school children, free supplies for teachers and free televisions for our communities.

Book Club

Celebrate reading with the organization’s book club. Our foundation has teamed up with The Blazers of Los Angeles to provide students with a setting in which they can have lively discussions about the same books and complete fun-filled activities related to the book. Club members will enjoy activities and snacks during each club meeting. The Book Club will feature “Wonder” by R. J. Palacio as well as other books.. The Book Club is $25.00 to join (some scholarship funding is available) and is open to ages 9-14. Click for more information

College Tours

The Foundation encourages students to continue their education beyond high school by making sure they have opportunities to visit college campuses.