Westside Day of Service
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 15, 2008
MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA LEADS COMMUNITY SERVICE EFFORT IN WEST LOS ANGELES
Day of Service brings together local residents from Mar Vista, Del Rey and Venice to give back to their communities
LOS ANGELES - Celebrating the spirit of volunteerism and calling on all Angelenos to give back to their communities, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa led the City’s annual Day of Service in Mar Vista, Del Rey and Venice, bringing local residents together to participate in over 50 community service projects throughout West Los Angeles.
“The spirit of service and active engagement is what builds communities in Los Angeles,” Mayor Villaraigosa said. “Improving our neighborhoods and helping others makes us proud of where we live and forms connections across the Westside and the entire City.”
Joining Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, LAUSD Superintendent David Brewer and thousands of volunteers from around the City, Mayor Villaraigosa helped plant trees, paint community centers and homes, and celebrate the Persian New Year. He also encouraged fellow LA residents to participate in community service efforts coming to their neighborhoods in the future. (A list of upcoming City-sponsored days of service is below.)
Organized through a partnership between the offices of the Mayor and Councilmember Rosendahl, the Mar Vista, Venice and Del Rey Day of Service provided an opportunity for nearby residents to work together on a wide variety of projects that benefit their neighborhoods.
Following a spirited kick-off event at the Mar Vista Park and Recreation Center, volunteers spread out across the area to paint the Mar Vista Family Center; plant trees at the Mar Vista Gardens Public Housing Complex and in the community garden of Mark Twain Middle School; refurbish the home of Ms. Inez Crawford; and celebrate “Norooz,” the Persian New Year, at the Iranian Muslim Association of North America’s Cultural Center. In the middle of the day, volunteers returned to the Mar Vista Recreation Center for lunch, music, a community fair and athletic competitions for local youth.
Mayor Villaraigosa has sponsored 15 local and citywide community days of service - first as Councilmember of the 14th Council District and then as Mayor. This included the first-ever “Citywide Day of Service for Our Youth” in October 2005, which brought together more than 7,500 volunteers and engaged the entire City in an effort to improve the lives of children and students throughout Los Angeles. In addition, the Mayor led the Watts Day of Service in November 2006, working with over 5,000 Angelenos to empower and energize the residents of Watts.
In 2006, the Mayor established a partnership between his office and Big Sunday, resulting in a turnout of 32,000 volunteers at service projects and clean-up sites across the LA area. One year later, Big Sunday attracted more than 50,000 volunteers at over 350 projects in the largest community service effort in the nation.
In addition to Big Sunday 2008 - scheduled for May 3-4 - the Mar Vista, Venice and Del Rey Day of Service is the first of seven local community service efforts for this year and early next year in the following neighborhoods:
- West Valley - May 3, 2008
- Central - July 26, 2008
- South Los Angeles - September 20, 2008
- East Valley - November 15, 2008
- Eastside - February 7, 2009
- Harbor - May 2, 2009
Sponsors for this year’s Mar Vista, Venice and Del Rey Day of Service include:
- Forever 21
- Michael Levine Trading Co.
- Mar Vista Community Council
- Del Rey Neighborhood Council
- Grassroots Venice Neighborhood Council
- Mar Vista Public Library
- DWP
- Jean Roth, graphic designer
- Popcandy
- Board of Public Works
- Bureau of Sanitation
- Bureau of Street Services