Get ready, L.A.! Thousands of UCLA student volunteers headed your way Sept. 20
WHAT:
For UCLA's third annual Volunteer Day on Sept. 20, nearly 6,800 incoming freshmen and transfer students will be deployed to 26 locations throughout Los Angeles. An additional 1,100 UCLA staff members, faculty, alumni, upperclassmen and other volunteers are helping to organize and oversee the effort.
Making this a true all–Los Angeles event, volunteers will go into each of the city's 15 City Council districts to work on projects at elementary, middle and high schools, and at parks, shelters, a senior center, a food bank and a Veterans Affairs site.
Projects will include major painting, distribution of food and school supplies, restoration of nature trails, refurbishing of gardens and removal of fire hazards. Volunteers will also assist seniors and veterans and, at schools, engage in college-preparatory mentoring.
Note: Chancellor Gene Block will be at Breed Street Elementary School in East Los Angeles.
WHEN:
Tuesday, Sept. 20
8:30 a.m.
New students begin leaving UCLA residence halls in more than 140 buses bound for sites around the city.
9–9:30 a.m.
Buses arrive at 27 volunteer locations throughout Los Angeles.
10 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer projects are underway.
BACKGROUND:
Volunteer Day is part of Chancellor Block's major initiative to expand UCLA's already strong tradition of service. The goal is to make UCLA a national leader in volunteerism and encourage UCLA students, faculty, staff and alumni to make a lifelong commitment to helping others. More than half of UCLA's undergraduates participate in some form of community service, from tutoring young people and combating poverty and homelessness to providing legal, social, medical and educational assistance. Volunteer Day is a special project of the UCLA Volunteer Center, an online gateway for civic participation available to all Bruins, past and present.
WAYS TO FOLLOW VOLUNTEER DAY:
Before and after Volunteer Day, information will be available at http://volunteer.ucla.edu/2011-volunteer-day. On the day of the event, visit http://volunteer.ucla.edu.
Facebook | Twitter:
To follow Volunteer Day events on Facebook, visit http://facebook.com/uclavolunteer. For live Twitter updates, responses and retweets throughout Volunteer Day, the Twitter username is @uclavolunteer; to see what everyone, including the UCLA Volunteer Center, is saying, use the hashtag #uclavol.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Claudia Luther, cluther@support.ucla.edu
310-206-8258 (office) | 310-489-8942 (cell)
SITES OF SPECIAL INTEREST
Breed Street Elementary School
2226 E. Third St., Los Angeles 90033
City Council District 14: Jose Huizar
At this East Los Angeles School, 300 volunteers will paint and help distribute $47,000 worth of school supplies donated by K to College, a nonprofit that provides school and other supplies to low-income students in need.
Project director: Ed Simon
Please note: At 10 a.m., State Assembly Speaker John Perez and UCLA Chancellor Gene Block will speak to an audience of the school's children and help distribute school supplies. Block and his wife, Carol, also will help with beautification projects at the school.
Will Rogers State Historic Park
1501 Will Rogers State Park Rd., Los Angeles 90272
Council District 11: Bill Rosendahl
Using 400 gallons of paint, 1,000 volunteers — the most at any Volunteer Day site — will paint 40,000 lineal feet of fencing that surrounds 50 acres of the park.
Project leader: Kevin Reed
Please note: At approximately 12:15 p.m., the volunteers will gather at the polo field to spell out "UCLA" in banners and run across the field.
TreePeople Park
Park entrance is at stoplight where Coldwater Canyon Avenue, Franklin Canyon Drive and Mulholland Drive (West) intersect.
City Council District 2: Paul Krekorian
At this 45-acre park and headquarters of TreePeople, 150 volunteers will perform trail maintenance, removal of invasive plants and general clean-up of facilities.
Project leader: Jordan Karagiannidis
SITES IN SAN FERNANDO VALLEY
Ernest Lawrence Middle School
10100 Variel Ave., Chatsworth 91311
City Council District 12: Mitchell Englander
450 student volunteers: painting
Project leader: Vito Costanzo
Pacoima Middle School
9919 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Pacoima 91331
City Council District 7: Richard Alarcon
500 student volunteers: painting, college-preparatory mentoring
Project leader: Kim Kovacs
Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies
18605 Erwin St., Sherman Oaks 91335
City Council District 3: Dennis Zine
350 student volunteers: painting, mural painting, college-preparatory mentoring
Project leader: Steve Werkeiser
Sylvan Park Elementary School
6238 Noble Ave., Van Nuys 91411
City Council District 6: Tony Cardenas
300 student volunteers: painting
Project leader: Emile Koster
OTHER VOLUNTEER DAY 2011 PROJECT SITES
(As with the above sites, media are welcome at any of these sites.)
PARKS:
Griffith Park (6 sites)
2800 E. Observatory Ave., Los Angeles 90027
City Council District 4: Tom LaBonge
300 student volunteers: trail maintenance and restoration, removal of invasive plants
Project leader: Hillary Kane
Vista Hermosa Natural Park
100 N. Toluca St., Los Angeles 90026
Council District 1: Ed P. Reyes
200 student volunteers: planting, trail maintenance, refurbishing benches
Project leader: Nic Anduze
Topanga State Park
20829 Entrada Road, Los Angeles 90290
City Council District 11: Bill Rosendahl
500 student volunteers: trail restoration, brush clearing, weeding
Project leader: Edwin Luna
SCHOOLS:
Arlington Heights Elementary School
1717 Seventh Ave., Los Angeles 90019
City Council District 10: Herb J. Wesson Jr.
90 student volunteers: instruction in financial literacy, entrepreneurship, work readiness
(Partnership between Junior Achievement and UCLA Anderson's Challenge for Charity)
Project leader | contact: Claire Eaton Pomeroy, UCLA Anderson, 650-269-5203
Baldwin Hills Elementary School (2 projects)
5421 Rodeo Rd., Los Angeles, CA 90016
City Council District 10: Herb J. Wesson Jr.
Inside project:
90 student volunteers: instruction in financial literacy, entrepreneurship, work readiness
(Partnership between Junior Achievement and UCLA Anderson's Challenge for Charity)
Project leader | contact: Claire Eaton Pomeroy, UCLA Anderson, 650-269-5203Outside project:
300 student volunteers: painting
Project leader: Matt Wong
Cienega Elementary School
2611 S. Orange Dr., Los Angeles 90016
City Council District 10: Herb J. Wesson Jr.
90 student volunteers: instruction in financial literacy, entrepreneurship, work readiness
(Partnership between Junior Achievement and UCLA Anderson's Challenge for Charity)
Project leader | contact: Claire Eaton Pomeroy, UCLA Anderson, 650-269-5203
Crenshaw High School
5010 11th Ave., Los Angeles 90043
City Council District 8: Bernard Parks
150 student volunteers: painting, planting, college-preparatory mentoring
Project leader: Nikki Lin
Emerson Middle School
1650 Selby Ave., West Los Angeles 90024
City Council District 5: Paul Koretz
200 student volunteers: painting, college-preparatory mentoring
Project leader: Violeta Pelzman
Jordan High School
2265 103rd St., Watts 90002
City Council District 15: Janice Hahn
250 student volunteers: painting
Project leader: Colleen Bruton
Magnolia Avenue Elementary School
1626 S. Orchard Ave., Los Angeles 90006
City Council District 1: Ed P. Reyes
90 student volunteers: instruction in financial literacy, entrepreneurship, work readiness
(Partnership between Junior Achievement and UCLA Anderson's Challenge for Charity)
Project leader | contact: Claire Eaton Pomeroy, UCLA Anderson, 650-269-5203
Selma Avenue Elementary School
6611 Selma Ave., Hollywood 90028
City Council District 13: Eric Garcetti
100 student volunteers: painting, college-preparatory mentoring
Project leader: Joshua Witt
UCLA Community School
3400 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90010 (Ambassador Schools Complex)
City Council District 10: Herb J. Wesson Jr.
200 student volunteers: career day for parents, students and teachers
Project leader: Greg Ware
UCLA Lab School
330 Charles E. Young Dr. North, Los Angeles 90024
City Council District 5: Paul Koretz
200 student volunteers: weeding, restoration of handrails and benches
Project leader: Jamie Bugni
Warren Lane School
9330 S. Eighth Ave., Inglewood 90305
350 student volunteers: painting, planting, college-preparatory mentoring
Project leader: D'artagnan Scorza
OTHER SITES:
Angelus Plaza Senior Center
255 S. Hill St., Los Angeles 90012
City Council District 9: Jan Perry
100 student volunteers: interactive activities with seniors
Project leader: Linda Escobar
Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
1734 E. 41st St., Los Angeles 90058
City Council District 9: Jan Perry
300 student volunteers: food-distribution support activities
Project leader: David Tracy
Union Rescue Mission
545 S. San Pedro St., Los Angeles 90013
City Council District 9: Jan Perry
225 student volunteers: cleaning, painting, distributing water
Project leader: Penny Menton
Veterans Affairs Medical Center
11301 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90073
Federal land: City Councilman Paul Koretz (District 5), County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky (District 3)
150 student volunteers: assisting veterans, painting
Project leader: Mike Stajura
Weingart Center Association
566 S. San Pedro St., Los Angeles 90013
City Council District 9: Jan Perry
25 student volunteers: painting
Project leader: Rosemary Chavoya