In The Spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
MLK Volunteer Day, 2013, 99th Street Elementary School in Watts
IHADLA has long believed in the power of giving back to the community. Every year, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we make it our mission to beautify one of the schools with which we partner. This year, it was 99th Street Elementary’s turn! Many came out on this beautiful, sunny Monday to paint the school and clean the school garden.
Dreamers brought their parents and grandparents.
What we started out with in the garden was, well…overgrown.
Dreamers asked excitedly what they could dig up. About 99% of the time, we could say “Weeds!”
Cleaning up the planter boxes meant that Dreamers can soon begin to grow their own flowers and vegetables. They were very excited about the prospect.
Eric Salsa (pictured here with the wheelbarrow) is a member of our Dream Builder’s Circle. The Dream Builder’s Circle is comprised of young professionals dedicated to giving back to the community. Eric, along with DBC members Tara Case and Erin Kronberg, put in some very hard work today. Go DBC!
Executive Director Katy Garretson and Trustee Win Rhodes. Win, pictured left, was one of the founding members of IHADLA more than twenty years ago. We were so honored to have her attend today, and hope that she can visit again soon.
Win commending one of our volunteers.
Our boys took special interest in finding earthworms and caterpillars.
Wow!!! What a transformation.
At the end of a productive morning, everyone sat down to have some pizza. It was definitely hard work, but with all of our generous volunteers, it was an enjoyable day that ended in smiles.
Board Member Justin Falvey and his family sat down for some one-on-one time with the Dreamers. Board Member Keith Gorham and his fiancée Jan, as well as Grant F. Little, III, Board Chair, and his daughter Greer, attended as well!
Dayana, pictured here, is our intern through the month of January. She has been helping us compile our scholarship and mentoring database, as well as tutor Dreamers at 99th Street. Dayana has made a great addition to our team!
For those not pictured here, we would like to thank all IHADLA staff, board members, LMU Tutors, Dream Builder’s Circle Members, and dedicated family members who joined us today. We appreciate your hard work.
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