WBI Students and Staff Volunteer in Mayor Villaraigosa's Day of Service

July 28, 2009 - PRLog -- On June 27th, 2009, Western Beauty Institute's Students and Staff were offered a chance to participate in Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa's Day of Service. Rachel Reynoso, Placement Director for the San Fernando Valley campus said, "They contacted me and asked us to volunteer for the Day of Service." CEO, Ms. Christina Diaz loved the Day of Service idea and accepted the invitation. WBI was the only beauty school selected by the city to be a part of this honored event.

The city of Los Angeles had thousands of volunteers, cleaning, planting, and feeding the police and fire department members and many other events. WBI Students and Staff contributed their services to seniors, children and families in three locations: Las Palmas Park in San Fernando, Alicia Broadous-Duncan Multipurpose Senior Center in Pacoima, and Bernardi Multipurpose Center in Van Nuys. WBI Director of Marketing Randy Fugate said, "As I visited each location in the San Fernando Valley photographing our fabulous students and instructors giving of their time and talents, I was moved in a positive and inspiring way. You could see the joy on the faces of the children and parents. You could see the happiness on the faces of the seniors. You could feel the pride in volunteering that everyone must have felt. It was truly touching."

Mayor Villaraigosa's office described the morning this way in their press release (http://mayor.lacity.org/PressRoom/PressReleases/LACITYD_0...): "Mayor Villaraigosa and Councilman Zine kicked off the morning by serving a buffet to 200 members of the LAPD and LAFD at the Pacific Youth Lodge Boys’ Home, a non-profit program that counsels troubled adolescents. Programs include individual, group and family therapy, an accredited and individualized academic program and substance abuse treatment. Following the opening ceremony, Mayor Villaraigosa embarked on several service projects spanning the City of Los Angeles to plant trees, beatify the community, and help those in need acquire access to valuable resources. At a community clean up project in South Angeles, the Mayor assisted cleaning up an alley that allegedly has been used for illegal dumping of garbage, drug use, and prostitution. The Community Coalition in a collaborative effort with the Martin Luther King Park Advisory Board, and the Community Village Collaborative recruited volunteers to assist with the restoration of the alley located at 39th and Western Avenue adjacent to the Martin Luther King Park. The community has been asking for assistance in helping to clean up this alley to show their pride and also relay the message that they will not accept crime in this neighborhood. The Day of Service culminated with a volunteer festival at City Hall where Mayor Villaraigosa paid homage to the thousands of volunteers that have given their time and energy during his first term to build stronger communities and those who volunteer on a daily basis with various City departments. He led all in attendance to take the pledge of service. The volunteer festival featured a volunteer resource fair, food, entertainment, a kids’ zone complete with a mobile skate park and insect exhibit and organizational group photos to be taken with elected officials. At the volunteer festival, the Mayor also announced the “True Angels” Volunteer Contest. “There are True Angels in this city. They are the people who devote untold hours each day to building their communities and lifting up those less fortunate than themselves,” Mayor Villaraigosa said. “Whether painting a mural, planting a tree, or serving food to seniors, True Angels realize we are all in this together, and that social change only comes with active, committed engagement.”

Despite the warm weather, many people of all ages from the surrounding communities showed up for their hair styling. Some had their nails done too. Many clients expressed their appreciation by thanking the students for their free services. At the end of the event, WBI students and staff had seen 239 clients, which was more than expected. Congratulations to Ms. Rachel for her coordination and to all the participants for offering their gift of beauty to the people of Los Angeles.

Article Source: http://www.wbi.edu/news/2009062701.php

Official School Website: http://www.wbi.edu

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