Meet our New
Director of Programs
Larry Deckel
 We're sad to announce that Anthony Rubenstein and Natalie Furlett have left L.A. Works and moved on to other ventures. We wish them all the best! They will be missed by the many volunteers, agencies and companies who've had the privilege to work with them.
To help fill their void, long-time L.A. Works volunteer, consultant, and staff member Larry Deckel has returned to full-time status in his new capacity as Director of Programs.
Larry has a twelve-year history with L.A. Works. Over the years he has served on dozens of committees, planned some portion of almost every L.A. Works Day, and worked with hundreds of projects. During the last four years or so he's served as Director of Communications - designing our electronic newsletters and managing our website and its "Hands on Tech" technology.
Now, he'll continue those duties while expanding his responsibilities to include managing our monthly calendar projects, strengthening our Project Leader base, serving as contact for our many partner and referral Community Service Providers, and seeing to the growth and development of our entire volunteer base.
Larry's been very visible on the local and national volunteer scene. He and L.A. Works were recently featured on the national VolunteerMatch website.
Larry is dedicated to making it easy for everyone to get engaged in the social issues affecting our communities. Volunteering DOES make a difference in how L.A. works as a community. If you have an idea for a project or volunteer opportunity that should be added to our regular calendar, contact Larry at larry@laworks.com.
New Projects Added to
Our Monthly Calendar
Each month L.A. Works, working with our Community Service Providers and our volunteer project leaders create 50-70 easy ways you can create positive change in Los Angeles. Our website makes it easy and flexible to volunteer. We've recently added several new projects to our calendar to expand the ways you can "be the change" by volunteering. Why not get involved with one of these:
Adopt a Highway - Protect a Bay
Santa Monica Baykeeper needs your help with their monthly adopt-a-highway clean-up in Marina Del Rey. Once a month, they pick up trash along Lincoln Blvd to keep it out of the storm drains and out of the Santa Monica Bay.
Come join other volunteers for a few hours of rewarding volunteer work that will have a lasting effect on the health of the bay. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age.
This project takes place on 3rd Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. till noon. Click here to sign up for August 20th.
Community Garden Project (Hollywood)
Located two blocks from Covenant House California, the community garden serves as a work, play and relaxation area for CHC residents, staff, and the neighboring convalescent home. Until now, the Serrano Convalescent Home sat next to a depressed, barren plot of land where its residents sat and spent part of their day. With a lot of hard work, this land is becoming a site for Serrano and CHC to cultivate food, as well as comfort. Volunteers will help us nurture our community garden by helping to assist with planting and landscaping. Make sure to dress to get dirty.
Covenant House California (CHC) is a multi-service non-profit agency offering critically needed programs designed to meet the various and complex needs of runaway and homeless youth. The agency provides outreach, shelter, transitional living and a comprehensive range of support services, including crisis intervention counseling, primary medical care, substance abuse prevention and intervention, job skills development and employment assistance, designed to promote stability and self-sufficiency for the future. Covenant House California has provided service to tens of thousands of homeless youth since it was founded in December 1988.
Volunteers for this project must be at least 13 years of age. This project takes place
on the third Sunday of every month. Click here to sign up for September 18th.
Distribute Food and Clothing to the Poor and Homeless (Hollywood)
Food on Foot is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization dedicated to providing the poor and homeless of Los Angeles with nutritious meals, clothing, and assistance in the transition to employment and life off the streets.
Volunteers will assist with sorting clothing before the regular meal service. Then, they will be assist with the distribution of the meal - each volunteer assigned to something specific that you will hand out (i.e. water, muffins, chicken dinners). At times volunteers may be asked to assist clients with finding clothing that is appropriate for them.
At the end of the food service volunteers stay to watch the awards ceremony where clients who participate in Food on Foot's 'Work for Food" program are recognized.
Volunteers for this project must be at least 5 years of age. Anyone under the age of 18 MUST be accompanied by a parent or guardian at the project.
This project takes place on the 2nd Sunday of every month. Click here to sign up for September 11th.
New Session of Let's Read to start
Let's Read is one of L.A. Works' most valuable volunteer programs. Volunteers make a weekly commitment to provide kids with the tools that will enable them to reach their dreams. We work individually and as a group with neighborhood kids to help them with school-related materials as well as to expose them to topics that they may not otherwise be familiar with. This mentoring relationship can change the lives of these kids.
Volunteers for Let's Read commit to come each Saturday morning during the Fall Term from Sept 17 - Nov 19.
Click here to sign up for Pueblo Del Rio. Pueblo Del Rio's Let's Read is located in Southeast Los Angeles. (First time Let's Read volunteers should also sign-up for the Let's Read Orientation for Pueblo Del Rio on Sept 17th from 8 am - 9:45).
Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities
The L.A. Works web site also lists ongoing volunteering opportunities for non-profit agencies that have long-term volunteer needs. These referrals are not L.A. Works managed projects but we think these opportunities may be of interest to our volunteers. The link to the list of ongoing opportunities appears at the bottom of the calendar page on the web site. Click here to see the ongoing opportunities section of the web site.
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