Funds for Venice’s young and old
By ALICE OLLSTEIN Special to the Daily Press
VENICE This month the Venice Neighborhood Council had the difficult task of selecting 19 community projects out of the 40 submitted to receive Community Improvement Project Funding. The council distributed a total of $39,546 to a diverse array of organizations focusing on the young, the old and the planet.
The council ranked the projects according to strict criteria, asking, “What’s the community benefit?” and “Are you asking for money that the city of L.A. can’t actually pay for?” — such as funding for an individual’s salary.
“Lots of people need money as a place to start,” said council outreach officer Mark Saltzberg. “We’re able to give money to a broad range of projects, with the belief that those projects can leverage what we give them to attract the rest.”
One recipient was Dogtown Books, a project led by the non-profit writing and tutoring organization 826LA that allows students to polish and publish their original work. “[826] specializes in an after-school homework help program, working with kids who are not able to afford tutoring and teaching them the skills that writers use,” Venice coordinator Danny Hom said.
With Dogtown Books, local Venice students ages 6 to 18 can see the efforts of their labor in print.
“As stakeholders in the Venice community, what we do at Dogtown Books really benefits the kids in the area,” Hom said.“We aid them in cultivating a story that they want to tell.”
The council’s money, Hom said, will expand the program to more students and improve the design of the books themselves. Past compilations of student work include “The Infinite Map” and “We Attack You with Tiny Claws.” Over 50 students benefit from the program each year.
“For every child, the impact is different. For some it’s about finding their individual voice,” Hom said. “For some it gives them a sense of being treated seriously by adults.”
The Learning Garden, located on the corner of Walgrove and Venice adjacent to Venice High School, was the project to earn the most money, raking in $4,972 for solar lighting.
Once a “public eyesore,” the space, according to Gardenmaster David King, now “exists to serve the community and foster community,” and provides learning opportunities for high school students, teachers and the community at large. Examples include art and gardening classes open to the public, an upcoming Fourth of July ice cream social and lessons for students on sus-tainability and food security.
“For those who can’t afford healthy, safe produce, we show ways to grow your own food,” King said. “We also donate all extra produce to the Westside Food Bank.”
The solar lighting to be installed with the council’s money will serve several purposes.
“It will help us beautify the garden and hold events later in the day during the winter months when the sun sets early,” King explained.“But it will also heighten security, which the school administration is certainly concerned about.”
The council’s money will also aid the Fourth Annual Senior Citizens Prom, hosted by Venice 2000’s branch H.E.L.P.E.R., by funding food, entertainment and limousines for hundreds of party-going seniors.
“We want to do something to honor our seniors in Venice,” explained Stan Muhammad, the executive director of Venice 2000. “It’s to give them a social outlet, allow them to let their hair down.”
The first prom proved such a huge success that the organizers pushed to make it an annual event.“The first one was phenomenal,” he said. “Having a prom was out of the norm, but [the seniors] loved to get to dressed up and have a good time. We crowned the best dressed king and queen, and the DJ performed in costume — like BB King. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The prom will be held at the Oakwood Recreation Center on Aug. 16.
“All of the projects were ranked on their potential for improving community, and we want to see that potential fulfilled,” Saltzberg said. “There are going to be obstacles to overcome for each and every one, and all of us hope that they will ask for our assistance when they encounter them.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 24, 2008. Read the original PDF.