Dear Friends,
I am again reminded of the deep and meaningful partnerships and collaborations thatthe Corps has built over the last three decades and that have sustained us during thisdifficult year.
Chief among those is our partnership with the City of Los Angeles. We have been soproud to work together through multiple administrations and in every council districtfor all these years to bring our unique program model to every young adult andcommunity in need.
This week as the city debates the harsh economic realities brought on by thepandemic, it feels fitting to take a moment to say thank you for the long-standingsupport of our Clean & Green program. I was honored to be allowed a few momentsto share public comment on how transformative this program has been especially inthe last year thanks to funding from the City.
This program provides jobs for the young adults in our community that have been hithardest by the pandemic – currently 40% of our Clean & Green Corpsmembers are theonly ones in their family working and 84% of them are taking on more of their family’sfinancial burden. These Corpsmembers are on the front lines clearing and cleaning theCity’s streets, alleys, underpasses and other forgotten areas.
We know City services are overburdened with requests and working with less; we’rehere to help fill those gaps. Not just in the essential clean up services we provide butbecause we are flexible and can help with emergency response services, like foodboxing and supplies deliveries. We are nimble and quick and our services are beingprovided by the vulnerable populations hit hardest by this pandemic.
We’ve understood the hard decisions that leaders have had to make this year. Whilewe have seen a reduction in funding, our Clean & Green Corpsmembers havecollected and properly disposed of 125% more lbs. of trash, 276% more bulky items,and cleaned 71% more alleys and 328% more streets. They are working hard toaddress these ever-important quality of life issues now. Pulling together to do all wecan is what makes Los Angeles so special.
There is hope on the horizon, but there are still big challenges to overcome. We arecommitted to meeting the moment and working with the City of Los Angeles tocontinue to promote health, safety, and opportunity for all. We are so grateful for thecontinued partnership and the belief in our Corpsmembers talents and futures. We arecommitted to doing all we can to keep programs like Clean & Green a vibrant part ofour community.
Yours in service and gratitude,
Wendy Butts
CEO, LA Conservation Corps