Guided by their civic duty and desire to help enrich the communities in which they live and/or serve, dozens of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) students and leaders joined residents in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles on Aug. 15 during “CSUDH Day of Service” to plant seeds of hope in a community still struggling 50 years after the Watts Rebellion.
Armed with paint brushes, cleaning supplies and gardening tools to help beautify Fire Station 65 and the Bradley Milken Family Source Center in Watts, the volunteers were joined by a number of men from Beacon House, a residential alcoholic/drug recovery facility for men in San Pedro.
CSUDH Day of Service is one of many events, dedications and projects the university is hosting on and off campus during its “50th Anniversary Watts Rebellion Commemoration.”
On hand during the Day of Service to thank the volunteers and offer words of encouragement were CSUDH President Willie J. Hagan, California Assemblymember Mike Gipson, Los Angeles Councilman Joe Buscaino, and Los Angeles Fire Chief Percy Jones.
The volunteers dug in to give the fire house’s front yard a face-lift by planting hearty native plants that are low maintenance and drought tolerant into an attractive desert-type landscape that wrapped around the front of the station. The hope is the project will also encourage sustainable practices in the community.
Across the street, the Bradley Milken Family Source Center received an upgraded and clean look that day as CSUDH students brushed on a fresh coat of paint in the center’s study and craft room, joined others in painting and sanitizing the playground and recreation area, and planted a vegetable garden for children.
When the work was done in the late afternoon, the volunteers’ hard work resulted in more supportive and welcoming learning and work environments for children, the fire station and the entire Watts community.
To see more photos of the CSUDH Day of Service in Watts visit here.
