L.A. Works Day!
Saturday, June 2, 2007

Reading to Kids is organizing a team of volunteers for L.A. Works Day and we are excited to see you there!  Below is information for volunteers, including check in, project details, wrap up, directions, and participating volunteers.

Check In
Check-in is at 7:30 a.m. at California Plaza.  After parking (see directions below), check-in at the designated registration table.  When you register, you will be given a wristband with a letter on it.  This will correspond to the gathering spot for our team.  After you grab a quick continental breakfast (rolls, juice and coffee if my memory is correct), come over to the area designated by our "letter."  Please find me and let me know you have arrived.  I will be wearing an LA Works t-shirt like the one the people are wearing on the LA Works home page (http://www/laworks.com) and a black baseball cap.

Mark May

Note: you may drive yourself directly to the project location if you choose and bypass Cal Plaza:
Bethune Middle School
155 West 69th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90003

If you go directly to Bethune, please arrive before 9:00 a.m. and check in with Ellen Hoctor (nee Ellen Dugas) who is our on-site project manager.  Please let me know if you plan to drive directly to Bethune so that I know not to expect you at Cal Plaza.

Project Details
By 8:30 a.m. we will be on a bus to Bethune.  We should arrive by 9:00 a.m.  That will give us about 30 minutes to prepare for the LA Works Day tasks that will begin around 9:30 a.m.  The Reading to Kids volunteers will probably participate in one or more of the following tasks - interactive activities with local children (reading, playing games, etc.), painting several murals on campus, painting the exterior of bungalows, planting and landscaping.  Currently there are 43 people signed up for the Reading to Kids team.  Depending on the number of kids who attend, Ellen has budgeted 20 volunteer spots for interactive kid activities.   Everyone else will paint or work on landscaping.  Final task assignments will be made once we arrive at Bethune.  You can certainly let me know if you have a preference.

Special request - We are still looking for one person to be a task captain (i.e., team leader) for the interactive activities with the kids.  You will work with the other task captain to organize the 20 volunteers and oversee the activities once they get started.

Be sure to wear comfortable clothes!!  You should wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. We will have water for you at the school, but you should consider bringing a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen in case you are working outside.

Wrap Up
After completing the project, we will clean up the materials we used at Bethune and return to California Plaza around 12:30 p.m.  LA Works will have lunch for everyone (salad and pasta from Louise's in years past) and live music and dance.  It will be a great time to relax and socialize much like we do each month at El Cholo after the reading clubs (but without the margaritas).

Driving Directions to California Plaza
Exit 110 Fwy at 4th Street (it goes oneway, east bound). Continue to Olive Street. Turn Left onto Olive Street. Turn left into parking entrance marked California Plaza parking.  (Note - parking tickets will be validated in the afternoon after we return from the project site!)  Take the elevator up to plaza level and proceed to the Watercourt. Go to registration to check-in.

Please feel free to contact Mark May with any questions you might have: Mark.May@readingtokids.org.