by JR Valrey
For nearly three decades, Don Lacy has led the LoveLife Foundation following the tragic murder of his daughter LoEshe’ Lacy near McClymonds High School in West Oakland, which she attended. Since that time, Donald Lacy has been able to transform his pain and turn the LoveLife Foundation into one of the most important voices in the Bay Area when it comes to empowering youth.
The LoveLife Foundation’s College Summer Prep class of 2026 has graduated, and the LoveLife Foundation needs our help raising scholarship money for these youth, who have all been accepted into colleges and universities. Check out Donald Lacy as he gives us the details on this very important community program.
JR Valrey: Can you tell us a little bit about the history of your mentorship/scholarship program? What do y’all do and who does it serve?
Donald Lacy: First of all, thanks, JR, for all you do to enlighten and inform our community. Big salute. For 29 years, the LoveLife Foundation has been serving at-risk youth in Oakland and the Bay Area. The foundation was the vision of my 16-year-old daughter LoEshe’ (pronounced LO-E-SHAY, which is Ibo/Nigerian and means “LoveLife” in English). LoEshe’ was a successful conflict resolution mediator at McClymonds, where she was a student. So the history began with her.
In the summer of 1997, a friend of hers, James Valery, who was born on the exact same day as her, was murdered. She came to me and asked me to help her write a play about stopping violence and to start a program to support youth. Tragically, she was killed the same year, on Oct. 20, 1997. We started the LoveLife Foundation on Nov. 1, 1997. Our first after-school program was at LoEshe’s school, McClymonds. Shout out to my brother Will Hammons for helping me start the LoveLife Foundation and run the after-school program.
Originally, we trained youth in radio and television programming. We gave them airtime on KPOO and KPFA, as well as KTOP and KMTP television. We produced public service announcements that have received awards from the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, Bay Area Cable Ace, the United States Congress and the Red Cross.
These programs gave young people platforms to present their brilliance through the media. As the years passed, we expanded the curriculum in our after-school program to include financial literacy, career development, connecting youth with vocational training, conflict resolution, mediation, monitoring their mental health, time management and our summer college prep program. When youth successfully complete our College Summer Prep program, we provide them with scholarships to four-year colleges. We are currently raising money for scholarships for the 12 students who successfully completed our summer program. Depending on how much we are able to raise, we give them a minimum $6,000 scholarship. If we are able to raise even more money, we give them a scholarship of $12,500.
JR Valrey: Can you tell the readers about some of this year’s students who have succeeded in the College Summer Prep program?
Donald Lacy: This year, we had one of the greatest classes of students in our 29-year history. Our students continue to inspire us with their dedication and achievements. For example, De’Arra volunteers at the Food Bank and interns at Highland Hospital. Irshad interned in the law office of attorney Adante Pointer. He wants to become a lawyer because his father has been incarcerated for years. Da’Mya, during her high school years, worked three jobs to help take care of her mother, who has been battling cancer for several years.
David has made history as the youngest employee ever hired by NVIDIA. This remarkable young man wakes up at 5 a.m., five days a week, to catch the 6 a.m. BART train from West Oakland and makes his way to his job, where he helps build robots at NVIDIA. His talent and work ethic have been so impressive that NVIDIA’s founder personally took him to Taiwan to meet with the company’s Board of Directors and Executive Leadership. Luan is Oakland’s nominated Poet Laureate and volunteered in Mayor Barbara Lee’s office. The GPAs of our students in 2026 range from 3.2 to 4.3.
JR Valrey: How many of your students got accepted into colleges or universities? Which colleges or universities are they attending?
Donald Lacy: This year, all 12 of the students who participated in this year’s program are going to four-year colleges. They will be attending Stanford, UCLA, Cal Berkeley, UC San Diego, San Jose State, UNLV, Southern University, UC Davis, Sacramento State and Parsons College in Paris. Two students are attending Cal Berkeley, and two students are attending San Jose State. A lot of these outstanding youth have overcome circumstances that make their journey even more remarkable.
JR Valrey: What is the importance of Black youth having the opportunity to attend college or a university? What does it do for the student? What does it do for the community?
Donald Lacy: Great question, JR. For a lot of these youth, like myself, they are the first person in their family to go to college. It means a lot for their self-esteem and for overall family pride. It gives each student an incredible sense of accomplishment and confidence. The challenge is the high cost of a college education in 2026. It also gives them the opportunity to be out on their own for the first time. They have to manage their time, their bills and their social lives with their college schoolwork. The community benefits tremendously from the success of our scholars.
One of our students, Da’Mya, wants to get into the medical field to help people afflicted with cancer, like her mom. Irshad wants to be an attorney to represent people who are dealing with the unjust legal system. David is working at NVIDIA while in college at Stanford and is learning all about AI and robot technology to bring that knowledge back to West Oakland to share it with the community. Our students in 2026 are very community conscious and relish the idea of coming back to Oakland and sharing what they learn for the betterment of their community.
JR Valrey: What do you hope these students learn from the LoveLife Foundation programs in the long term?
Donald Lacy: I can honestly say that I am so proud of the class of 2026. One of the key components of our program is teaching them what I had the great fortune to learn at San Francisco State. I have a degree in Black Studies, and we taught them eye-opening information that they were very grateful to receive. I had them read and write about “The Cress Theory of Color Confrontation,” “The Haitian Revolution,” “Who was John Henrik Clarke and why was he so important?” and “Who was John Lewis and how did he contribute to the human rights struggle?” In addition, we had them research Dr. Angela Davis and her contribution to the Black Liberation Movement.
We also taught them about the Black Panther Party and their enormous contributions to the Black community. I am big on knowledge of our history and how it will help them navigate this white male supremacist system. I also shared with them my journey of going through the restorative justice process. They learned a great lesson from my journey to forgive the one man convicted of murdering my 16-year-old daughter.
JR Valrey: How can the Bay Area community and SF Bay View readers help?
Donald Lacy: Thank you again, JR, for always being a big supporter of mine and the LoveLife Foundation. I encourage all your readers to support these brilliant youth of color. This year, we have nine Black youth, two Asians and one Latina student. Two of the youth are first-generation immigrants. We greatly appreciate any support that your readers can give us. All contributions are tax-deductible. You can send us a check or money order made out to: The LoveLife Foundation, 4200 Park Blvd. #638, Oakland, California 94602. Or you can donate electronically at At Risk Youth | Lovelife or via QR code attached on the flyer.
JR Valrey is editor in chief of the San Francisco Bay View and can be reached at JR@sfbayview.com.