Mar Vista Day of Service

On March 15th, Bill joined Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, LAUSD Superintendent David Brewer, and thousands of Westside volunteers for the 2008 Day of Service. The event was a big success, with volunteers working on more than 50 community service projects in Mar Vista, Venice and Del Rey. Volunteers came together from all over the City to plant trees, paint community centers and homes, and remove graffiti.

The day started at 8:00 am with a kick-off rally at Mar Vista Park. After the rally, Bill and the dignitaries helped plant a tree and headed off to the Mar Vista Family Center in Del Rey to help paint their pre-school building. The group then headed to Mar Vista Gardens to join Loyola Marymount Univeristy students to plant trees and paint the Recreation Center gymnasium. From there, Bill traveled to Mark Twain Middle School to plant flowers in the community garden. The group then traveled to Venice to help paint the house of Ms. Inez Crawford, a senior resident. The last stop took place around noon at the IMAN Center in Palms, where Bill joined the mayor in celebrating the Persian New Year, Narooz, with the Westside's Persian Muslim community.

While the 2008 Day of Service was a long one, it was rewarding because of the positive lasting impression it left on the Westside. Special thanks go out to the volunteer planning group and to the people in mayor's office who put in countless hours planning and organizing the 2008 Day of Service for Mar Vista, Venice, and Del Rey.

-Len Nguyen

Field Deputy for Mar Vista, Palms, and West LA