A Letter from Ann Burroughs
L.A. Works Executive Director
 Dear Friends,
This year marks the 15th birthday of L.A. Works! We’ve been mobilizing L.A.’s volunteer power since 1991! Happy birthday, L.A. Works!
As we move into this special year of service inspired by the 20th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, and in honor of the life of Mrs. Coretta Scott King, we are reminded that our capacity as individuals and as a nation to be great lies in our willingness to serve others.
L.A. Works is predicated on the fact that engaged citizens such as those galvanized by the hurricanes in the Gulf region, or those who volunteer each week at their local shelter or food bank, are the cornerstone of a vibrant democracy, and that effective volunteer action is a path to broader and deeper civic involvement.
By any measure, we have come a long way. L.A. Works is now our city’s action tank for community and corporate service. We are the “home-base” for over 10,000 volunteers and almost 100 corporate volunteer programs. We are the hub for programs that impact the most pressing social issues in Los Angeles, and a network of service to almost 600 community organizations impact. Our volunteers have refurbished over 300 schools, day-care centers, playgrounds and parks, and our murals have brightened street corners and schools across the city. We have more project leaders than ever before, and our monthly calendar of volunteer projects has reached a record high of 125.
And it is you, our volunteers who we must thank for this. Through your dedicated commitment to service, you have re-imagined volunteerism and energized a new generation of volunteer activist and created a new movement for social change in our city.
But there is a lot more to do – and an ever clearer mandate that we must do it!
Please click here to read about some of the programs and plans we have in place to scale up our potential and to forge a new community and corporate compact for our city.
We will need your help to do this – your volunteer hours as well as your financial support!
Within the next month we will be launching a 15th Anniversary Campaign to raise $45,000 on-line – $3,000 for every year we’ve been in existence. We will be asking you to ask your friends to support your commitment to volunteering and service, and we will provide you with the on-line tools to make it easy to help us meet this financial goal.
L.A. Works must sustain the momentum and impact of the viral spread of action we have already fostered. Only with your help and on-going commitment, can we take the leadership in inspiring, motivating and sustaining a movement for civic change in our city.
With warmest wishes,
Ann Burroughs
New Orleans -- Six months later...
By Larry Deckel
Director of Programs
L.A. Works
On February 16th – 18th I traveled to Louisiana as a representative of Hands on Network to consult with Volunteer Baton Rouge on starting up their hands-on programming as "Hands on Baton Rouge." The folks in Baton Rouge were wonderful in every way, and treated me to the Southern hospitality I've missed since leaving Louisiana in the late 70s. They are very enthusiastic in carrying on the work of the network, and appreciated my sharing with them the remarkable work our Project Leaders and volunteers have been doing here at L.A. Works.
I took advantage of the trip to trek over to New Orleans, to get a first-hand look at how the city is doing, nearly six months after Hurricane Katrina.
 What I saw in New Orleans left me emotionally exhausted, and broke my heart. Vast sections of the city have been rendered uninhabitable. The once vibrant crescent city now has an uneasy silence, as entire districts have taken on characteristics of a ghost town. While I was initially struck by the site of individual houses, roofs blown off, shuttered windows and doors, trees toppled upon them, refuse and trash littering their yards — the full enormity of the situation sank in as I saw entire blocks, streets, and neighborhoods destroyed. While many structures still stand, a faint yellow line representing the high water mark tells the story of a city held captive underwater. Everything in these homes was destroyed. Furniture, appliances, clothing, decor, paintings, photos — even the walls themselves, were ravaged by the floodwaters that rushed in as the levees broke. As I drove through these devastated neighborhoods,  I was amazed to find that even six months later, electricity was still unavailable; traffic lights weren't in operation, and few residents had returned — there was so little to return to. You couldn't go "home" — as your home was now something you couldn't live in. A few industrious folks have set up RVs and trailers in the front yards, but most simply don't know where or how to start. Many will never return...
Click here to read the rest of this story (featured on our BLOG). See additional pictures of New Orleans, and hear about the role volunteers will take place in the revival and reconstruction in New Orleans.
Dream Saver
Does your school or non-profit have an after-school or weekend program for Kids aged 8-12? If so, contact us to sign up for a session of Dream Saver. L.A. Works trained facilitators will be offering this 2-hour program free to qualifying agencies. Dream Saver teaches kids how to realize their dreams through goal-setting, differentiating between needs and wants, and the value of saving for their future. Dream Saver is sponsored by Ameriquest Soaring Dreams. Sessions start in April! If you'd like to schedule a session for your kids, email info@laworks.com
New Project:
Career Night for Teens
Angel's Flight is a temporary shelter for runaway and at-risk teens located in the MacArthur park area. They have an extensive program that includes counseling, life skills training, drug prevention education and classes.
On the fourth Wednesday of every month, L.A. Works volunteers engage the teens in discussions and activities to help them explore a variety of career options.
All volunteer will contribute to this mentoring evening and be able to help guide the activities — but if you have some special career info to share, or activities that you think will interest and engage the group, please email the Project Leader once you've signed up to attend the project. Your contributions and ideas will help make each months session interesting, fun and useful as these special teens plan for their future. Click here for more info and to sign up:
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