L.A. Works Thanks it's Project Leaders

L.A. Works Makes it Easy to Volunteer in Los Angeles

We Salute our Project Leaders
January, 2006

Project Leader of the Month

Sherly Lam

Our first Project Leader of the month for 2006 has recently found the time to make a large commitment as a Project Leader. Sherly Lam has jumped in with both feet, starting a great new project for our calendar, as well as organizing a sensational holiday party for special teens this last Christmastime.

Sherly enjoys an active lifestyle. She is employed by a prestigious consulting firm where she has had the opportunity to travel the world and work with individuals from very diverse backgrounds. She is involved with a number of initiatives within her firm that aim to improve the experiences of analysts across the United States. Aside from her career, Sherly also enjoys playing the guitar, singing, running, swimming, reading, art, spending time with family and friends, and contributing to her community.

Sherly has volunteered with L.A. Works since 2003. Her first project was at the Ford Hotel (Shelter First) in Downtown, Los Angeles where she spent time with toddlers and children. When the Ford Hotel project ended, she began to volunteer at Angel's Flight, a temporary shelter for runaway and at-risk teens. She quickly became a veteran and had the opportunity to lead a couple of events at the shelter. More recently, Sherly, along with project leader Helga Hung, threw a successful holiday party for over fifty kids at Angel's Flight. The kids enjoyed a night of delicious food, dancing, taking pictures with Santa, and were given gifts that were generously provided by long time volunteer Alvin Fong.

In addition, Sherly has served at homeless shelters, women's shelters, Special Olympics events, Senior Citizen's homes, and participated in environmental clean-up projects. However, her passion lies in interacting with children who never fail to light up the lives of everyone around them. She believes that these kids are an inspiration to others as they continue to demonstrate gratitude, optimism, and generosity throughout the journey of their lives, regardless of their circumstances. Sherly strives to encourage these children to explore different channels of their lives whether it is discussing career opportunities with the volunteers, discovering the world of music, participating in an arts and crafts night, or engaging in team-oriented activities. One of her most memorable experiences was seeing a group of children arm in arm singing Christina Aguilera's "You are Beautiful" on karaoke night!

Sherly tells us that what she finds wonderful about volunteering is the amazing group of people she meets who all share the same heart to positively contribute to other's lives and to the environment. With a goal to continuously increase her involvement in the community, her experiences as a project member and as a project leader have led her to establish a new project at the LA Family Housing Sydney M Irmas Transitional Living Center for children 6-12 years of age. Though the project is fairly new, it has been highly successful and great fun for the kids who truly welcome our volunteers into their lives. If you'd like to be a part of this project, which meets monthly in North Hollywood, click here for more information.

A thought that Sherly would like to share with her fellow project leaders is "...to be flexible, creative, encouraging, and enthusiastic, and more importantly, to always have a great time! Our experiences not only provide a positive outcome to others and to our community, but also offer an opportunity to learn more about ourselves and appreciate all that life has to offer."

Thanks Sherly! For finding the time to shine a light into the hearts of so many kids in our community!

This Month's Project Leaders

Thanks to all of our Project Leaders who are leading projects during the month of January.

You are the real leaders in our community! The Staff & Board of Directors of L.A. Works thanks you for being the real superstars of our community!

Andrew Abeyesinghe
Bobbi Marin
Brandy Griffin
Bryan Kadatani
Chris Martone
Christina Preiss
Clarence Smith
Colleen Gately
Cynde Knerr
David Trilling
Ed Simon
Elvin Albino
Emilie Harris
Emily Barclay
Gil Gerstein
Hal Christensen
Helga Hung
Howard Weiner
Jay Ross
Jesse Perez-Fraga
Joan Bang
Julie Anne O'Neill
Justin Tsai
Karsten Loose
Katherine Serrano
Kathryn Perez-Fraga
Luis De Avila
Margaret Conway
Mark Kimura
Mia Farrell
Michael Hicks
Mike Kremer
Pamela Moore
Paul Van Wieren
Sandy Boscarino
Shelia Taylor
Sherly Lam
Suzanne Wiener
Timothy Dickey
Veronica Cruz
Yolanda Dave

Want to join the ranks of L.A.'s most involved citizens? Become an L.A. Works Project Leader.

It's easy, it's fun, and it doesn't require a huge amount of your time.

Go to the Project Calendar section of the website and sign up for Project Leader Training or email Larry Deckel to find out the date of the next session.

Past Project Leaders Of the Month

November, 2005 - Clearence Smith

October, 2005 - Joan Bang

September, 2005 - Kat and Jesse Perez-Fraga

August, 2005 - Bryan Kadatoni

July, 2005 - Ken Hagopian

June, 2005 - Laura Bonilla

May, 2005 - Alexa Benson

April, 2005 - April Fields

March, 2005 - Mia Farrell

February, 2005 - Sandy Boscarino

January, 2005 - Andrew Anura Abeyesinghe

December, 2004 - Jacquie Moreno