L.A. Works Thanks it's Project Leaders

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

We Salute our Project Leaders
November, 2004

Project Leaders of the Month

Timothy Dickey and Howard Weiner

One of our most successful volunteer projects for many years has been the long-term tutoring and mentoring program -- Let's Read. This month we recognize two volunteers who stepped up to the plate and took over the leadership of this important program at its Mar Vista Gardens location: Timothy Dickey (pictured right), and Howard Weiner (below, left). We honor them both together this month as they became Project Leaders together - as a team!

Tim has spent most of his 36 years in Northern and Southern California. As a writer his career has spanned a wide range of activitiies from substitute teaching to general carpentry. He now works for Deloitte & Touche as an intranet content manager, but got involved with L.A. Works about six years ago when he worked as the community events manager at Borders Books & Music, which used to host L.A. Works orientations. He took that as a sign he should get involved with L.A. Works and quickly gravitated towards Let's Read as a volunteer.

Howard is 38 years old, originally from Chicago and works at NBC Universal as VP/Research for International Television Distribution. He has been volunteering for about 11 years, starting when he lived in Chicago through Chicago Cares (an affiliate of the Hands On Network, as is L.A. Works). When he moved to Los Angeles, they put him in touch with L.A. Works, and he soon got involved with the Let's Read program at Del Pueblo School on the East side. When he moved to the West side, he started tutoring at the Mar Vista Let's Read.

Tim and Howard became project leaders after, by their own admission, they had avoided it for some time. They felt the program had fallen into disrepair a bit over the years, especially in terms of the number of kids attending and the commitment from the folks at Mar Vista. (It's not their fault, budget cuts from the city resulted in Let's Read receiving less support). Also, one of their favorite kids, a young man named Rasuda who they had tutored for years, kind of shamed them into it. He had seen so many coordinators come and go, and wondered if they weren't a little embarrassed at not having stepped up. According to Howard: "We weren't about to let a twelve year-old trash-talk us like that, and of course we knew he was right."

We asked Tim and Howard to tell us a bit more about why they volunteer, and their work with Let's Read:

Tim: I’m always encouraging people who want to volunteer to do so in a way that excites them, not out of a feeling of obligation to a cause or group. Literacy is a key issue for me, and since I don’t have kids of my own I really enjoy getting to know the groups as they matriculate through the program at Mar Vista.

Howard: I enjoy tutoring immensely. It provides a real contrast to the rest of my life, particularly my job. Literacy is an important issue to me. Many of these kids come from families where their parents speak little or no English. Reading and learning English are important to their educations and futures. I think the parents that send their kids to Let's Read really understand that.

The kids at Mar Vista are great to be around, always so nice, well behaved and funny. I'm always impressed by their willingness, even desire, to read books or solve math problems on a Saturday morning, when it would be much more fun to be outside playing ball or at home watching television. I know when I was their age you couldn't have gotten me to do that. A few of them are well behind their grade level as far as reading skill, but most read quite well for their age.

Tim: Volunteering gives me a sense of balance in my life, and I really think that doing something good for others is absolutely one of the greatest things we can do. I’m not going to say I’m always chipper as I roll out of bed kind of early on Saturday mornings. But it doesn’t take five minutes with the kids to remind me why I’m there, and to make me realize that if I wasn’t there…well, that would be another absent resource for these kids and families who are trying to improve their lot despite tall odds against them. I have been fortunate in my opportunities for the best of what society has to offer, but what does it mean if I don’t use it and share it? I have an unqualified sense that I have done something to make a positive difference at the end of every Let’s Read session.

Tim and Howard have been taking initiatives to improve the project every week. According to Tim: "Communication is probably the most important thing to having an event work. Organization is key, of course, but as an organizer you are first a hub of information—coming and going—to pull off your event with any kind of success. You also have to lobby, coerce, and at times finagle, so it’s not only important to stay on top of the communications but also be diplomatic and accommodating. The world has enough bosses; as a project leader I just try to be a coordinator and guide. (chuckling) It also helps to be an accomplished and dedicated emailer."

According to Howard: "We have some great tutors volunteering now week after week, and that's brought more stability to the program. Attendance is up among both tutors and kids, and that's positive news."

The most positive news of all however, is the dedication and leadership of volunteers like Tim and Howard, who heard the call of these kids, and made the commitment to lead this project into the future. Through their dedication, they're making a major impact in Los Angeles. Thanks guys!

This Month's Project Leaders

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

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
April Fields
Bobbi Marin
Cindy Finocchi
Cynde Knerr
David Trilling
Dustin Manhart
Ed Simon
Genane Maalouf
Helga Hung
Henry Meyer
Howard Weiner
Jacquie Moreno
Jay Ross
Laura Bonilla
Luis De Avila
Marc Weinberg
Margaret Conway
Mary Lawler
Meghan Dougherty
Meghan Lee
Mia Farrell
Michael Hicks
Natalie Chan
Sandy Boscarino
Sarah Boyd
Suzanne Studer Iselt
Suzanne Wiener
Teresa Castelli
Timothy Dickey
Veronica Cruz

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 Courses section of the website and sign up for Project Leader Training or call Natalie at 323-224-6510 to find out the date of the next session.

Past Project Leaders Of the Month

October, 2004 - Russell Ali

September, 2004 - Suzanne Wiener

August, 2004 - Veronica Cruz

July, 2004 - Margaret Conway

June, 2004 - Ellen Dugas

May, 2004 - Luis de Avila

April, 2004 - Mandana Dayani

Mar, 2004 - Cindy Finocchi

Feb, 2004 - Viet Hoang

Jan, 2004 - Teresa Castelli

Dec. 2003 - Mary Lawler

Nov. 2003 - Jose Valencia

Oct, 2003 - Dustin Manhart

Sept, 2003 - Marc Weinberg