Junior League of Los Angeles Centennial: Legacy of Impact Campaign

Green space, park access, and trees

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

We have an established MOU with LA Rec & Parks (RAP) in which we will revitalize parks and public spaces that are in the most need but currently outside of RAP’s funding capabilities. Parks serve as hubs throughout the city for people to not only enjoy the outdoors, but also to participate in programming, gain access to resources and build a sense of community. We will restore functionality, safety, accessibility and aesthetic of these spaces so they can be utilized to deliver a variety of programming. Our strategic partnership with RAP enables us to design and build what the community needs most through our collaborative approach. The next phase of programming after we revitalize parks is to work with RAP and community organizers to create programming and content that betters the lives of neighborhood (e.g., after-school programs, group sports and team activities, music classes, and more) so that the restored facilities can serve as true community centers for the neighborhoods.

The first park we are currently working on is Green Meadows (431 E. 89th St., Los Angeles, California 90003). A Head Start preschool existed at Green Meadows, but was vacated by Children's Institute during the pandemic. Since that time, the vacated preschool and playground has been utilized in its dilapidated state by Green Meadows as a stopgap multipurpose space primarily for after-school athletic activities including dance and cheer. We will restore its functionality and safety as a space for older children by updating plumbing, electric, flooring, storage, and removing unsafe equipment. We will then make it an inviting space through thoughtful and collaborative design for all youth and community programs offered by the recreation center and additional programming to be offered as desired (and organized by JLLA). As soon as our renovation is complete, Green Meadows Youth Center will be added to the regular RAP maintenance schedule for sustainability. Our first Community Improvement Project (CIP) at Green Meadows will serve as the paradigm for future CIPs to come. These CIPs will become a signature project for JLLA for which we fundraise and prioritize well beyond our Centennial year. There are hundreds of parks in Los Angeles, including rec centers, aquatic centers, child care centers, senior citizen centers, dog parks and skate parks. JLLA’s goal is to make this an innovative, adaptable program which can touch the lives of all Angelenos.

This campaign is addressing a gap in the capacity of RAP to impact Los Angeles communities. JLLA is a civic convener with a strong reputation as the gold standard of volunteers. Through our near century of work, we have created strong relationships with large and small nonprofits, governmental entities, city council members and our Board of Supervisors. We have access to many different organizations to streamline work, bring together stakeholders and absorb community feedback to achieve a project that is successful for all parties. Our skill set specifically includes building consensus among large groups with diverse stakeholders toward a common goal.
Our impact to students and community members will be significant. Not only will we restore spaces giving more access to Angelenos to green spaces and facilities, but importantly the programming we subsequently assemble will be potentially life-changing for many in underserved communities throughout our city.

Our first project at Green Meadows will illustrate our ability to convene different organizations and implement effective programming for students and community members. We will hold community meetings with parents and neighbors to ensure our programming we create and implement, and the other organizations we bring in to support the programming/content, is what the community seeks and more importantly, will benefit from. We have worked closely with RAP teams to be thoughtful in how we have identified this initial project, as well as what projects are in the pipeline for future projects. Our success is measured first by enabling the youth currently using the space to do so safely. Next, our success will be measured by the number of youth utilizing the new space across the number of programs we curate and launch. The successful sustainability of these projects is ensured because RAP will maintain the sites on their regular maintenance schedule and JLLA will train community advocates.