Friends Aim to "Stand and Deliver" for Ailing Teacher

By JAMES HOURANI

Updated 8:29 AM PDT, Tue, Mar 2, 2010

Print Share

Getty / AP

Jaime Escalante, the East L.A. teacher who was immortalized in the movie "Stand and Deliver," is fighting cancer. His family has run out of money to pay for treatments, according to reports.

Actor Edward James Olmos, who played the teacher in the film, said that Escalante’s family did not want to ask for help, but friends took it upon themselves to get the word out in hopes of making his final days as comfortable as possible. Olmos posted an appeal on his website to friends of Jamie asking them to make a donation.

Olmos said he has been "moved to tears" to hear of the circumstances now facing this "great man."

A fund drive has also been planned at Escalante's alma mater, Garfield High School, on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

LOOK

Olympic Fans

LOOK

Oscar Fashion Faux Pas of the Past

LOOK

Preview: Hollywood's Most Exclusive Oscar Afterparty

The Bolivian-born Escalante, now 80 years old, gained international renown for his work teaching advanced math to "un-teachable" students at Garfield H.S. in East L.A.

Vanessa Marquez, who also appeared in the 1988 film, said that so far $5,000 has been raised toward the $30,000 needed by the family. A fund for Escalante has been set up by "Stand and Deliver" cast members and The Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education in Pasadena, which publishes Escalante's educational materials.

Contributions can be sent to "Friends of Jaime," C/O FASE, 236 W. Mountain St., Suite 105, Pasadena, CA 91103. Call 626-793-5300 for information.

First Published: Mar 1, 2010 1:21 PM PDT

Print Share

Don't Miss

local_beat

5 hours ago

1 Killed in South LA Fire, Explosion

Fire officials say people were thrown from the building.

Read It

tech

2 hours ago

Got a Pain in the Neck? Maybe It's "Text Neck"

Too much texting can lead to a painful condition known as "Text Neck."

Read It

breaking

52 minutes ago

WikiLeaks to Publish Newly Received War Docs

The WikiLeaks website has received additional “very significant” material about U.S. military abuses from anonymous whistleblowers and plans to post the documents within weeks, the group’s founder said Friday.

Read It

0 Comments

You Might Like

Immigration Protestors Close Wilshire; 10 Arrested

local_beat

Jul 29, 2010

Immigration Protestors Close Wilshire; 10 Arrested

local_beat

Jul 29, 2010

Where's the Summer Weather?

Air Quality Advisory Issued for Parts of Southland

local_beat

2 hours ago

Air Quality Advisory Issued for Parts of Southland

local_beat

5 hours ago

1 Killed in South LA Fire, Explosion

Got a Pain in the Neck? Maybe It's "Text Neck"

tech

2 hours ago

Got a Pain in the Neck? Maybe It's "Text Neck"

WikiLeaks to Publish Newly Received War Docs

breaking

52 minutes ago

WikiLeaks to Publish Newly Received War Docs

0 Comments

OLDEST | RECENT

{"totSize":6,"payload_type":"json","status":"1","results":[{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"390259_85845242","adminTags":null,"views":7,"createdBy":20929812,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":3849418,"mediaName":"\"Stand and Deliver\" Teacher Fights Cancer","parentThreadId":-1,"mediaId":3849418,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":"externalmedia","createdAt":"2 Mar 2010 02:42:27 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":6,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"fb_100000624402113","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1881888","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"Jaime Escalante is one of, if not the best role model in our present day teaching profession. He knew that brown skinned kids have unlimited potential when they are motivated by a caring, interested teacher. Escalante didn't give up on his students and now he needs everyone's help. He has two months to go and his medical bills and expenses will be astronomical. I will Stand and Deliver for Jaime Escalante, I hope there are many, many Latinos and others who will do the same. I am honored to have known about this man. Que te vaya bien Jaime! "},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"390259_85845242","adminTags":null,"views":7,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":3849418,"mediaName":"\"Stand and Deliver\" Teacher Fights Cancer","parentThreadId":-1,"mediaId":3849418,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":"externalmedia","createdAt":"2 Mar 2010 09:28:41 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":6,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1882864","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"Terrible thing about what happened to Mr. Escalante. But before I donate let me ask: He was a member of the teacher's union. They've got HUGE benefits. Are you saying he's uninsured? How could that happen?"},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"390259_85845242","adminTags":null,"views":7,"createdBy":20940113,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":3849418,"mediaName":"\"Stand and Deliver\" Teacher Fights Cancer","parentThreadId":-1,"mediaId":3849418,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":"externalmedia","createdAt":"2 Mar 2010 16:58:33 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":6,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"garsol99","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1885530","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"My prayers go out to this amazing man in the field of education. Stand and Deliver was one of the first movies that moved me. My mother has been a teacher for forty years, and I see the same drive in her that I saw in that movie. We don't see mant teachers today that care about the children like Mr. Escalante did. My father passed away from cancer, and I hope and pray for a full recovery for this great man."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"390259_85845242","adminTags":null,"views":7,"createdBy":20952316,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":3849418,"mediaName":"\"Stand and Deliver\" Teacher Fights Cancer","parentThreadId":-1,"mediaId":3849418,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":"externalmedia","createdAt":"3 Mar 2010 06:36:15 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":6,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"CAWTnet","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1891466","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"Kemo Sabe, Mr. Escalante would always fondly refer to us in class, and we to him. There where many antidotes he would share with us that encourage us to come to class as scheduled, during our lunch break, and 7am Saturday mornings at ELAC, which I had to bus in from Inglewood where I lived. I attended Garfield's Computer Science Magnet program started due to Mr. Escalante achievements with his students. I benefit from his creative approach to education, and was engaged through his interactive methods of learning a difficult subject. In 1985, I took, finished 45 minutes early and passed the AP Calculus exam with a 5. My scholastic confidence and critical thinking has carried me throughout my life. Mr. Escalante was also my upper division Mathematics Professor when I attended Cal Poly Pomona. He supported me when I interned at Rockwell International, and as I charted my course through pioneering developments of the Multi-media industry, I continued to taped into the creative problem solving skills I learned from Mr. Escalante. I have founded a non-profit organization CAWT 4 Kids, www.cawt4kids.org, an Arts, Education and Wellness program to help engage community kids through creative problem solving for life. It is up to the students who have benefited from Mr. Escalante's education seeding to flower, be fruitful, and pollinate these skills in the future -- our kids. I am doing my part to share my experiences, which I have been blessed to achieved, with One Common-Unity at a time. Jaime Escalante, Kemo, my prayers are with you through this time of enduring all stages of life. I hope in this time of transition, you ponder all you have done for so many people. Know the torch that you have passed me, will not burn out. I will carry your approach and philosophy to community youth who will exponentially illuminate the world. Peace & Blessings to the Escalante Family, Deba Harper Garfield High School Class of '86"},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"390259_85845242","adminTags":null,"views":7,"createdBy":20973301,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":3849418,"mediaName":"\"Stand and Deliver\" Teacher Fights Cancer","parentThreadId":-1,"mediaId":3849418,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":"externalmedia","createdAt":"3 Mar 2010 23:49:04 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":6,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"EdwardjamesOlmos","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1898400","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"Donations for Jaime Escalante can be either through Paypal to this email address: friendsofjaime@edwardjamesolmos.com or you can go to my web site: edwardjamesolmos.com? and donate directly. Thank you for supporting this great American! EJO posted by Edward James Olmos"},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"390259_85845242","adminTags":null,"views":7,"createdBy":20973301,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":3849418,"mediaName":"\"Stand and Deliver\" Teacher Fights Cancer","parentThreadId":-1,"mediaId":3849418,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":"externalmedia","createdAt":"10 Mar 2010 03:22:43 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":6,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"EdwardjamesOlmos","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1943719","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"You can make a donation to help our friend Jaime at my web site:? ? www.edwardjamesolmos.com? ? Just go to the section dedicated to him.? ? or by Paypal to:? ? friendsofjaime@edwardjamesolmos.com? ? Thanks for supporting this great american hero in his time of need!? ? Edward James Olmos"}],"error":"","totPages":1}

No comments have been posted yet.

0 Comments