Local Organizations and Citizens Rally to Transform San Pedro High School

TORRANCE, Calif., May 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- This Saturday, San Pedro High School (SPHS) will receive some much-needed improvements to its campus.  The school is one of the dozens of schools in Los Angeles County that will benefit from Sharefest Community Development's 8th Annual Workday. In the course of one day, Sharefest will mobilize thousands of volunteers to complete hundreds of service projects in schools and neighborhoods. These projects are estimated to be hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of community improvements.

Residents of the San Pedro community approached Sharefest to undertake two projects at the local high school. The first project involves the installation of sports scoreboards for the baseball and softball fields.  Seven years ago, the SPHS Men and Ladies' booster clubs raised the funds to purchase the scoreboards, but due to the high installation costs, the scoreboards were never installed. Ron Galosic, the volunteer parent who submitted this project for the Sharefest Workday, expresses his optimism, "Several groups and people have tried over the years to get this project accomplished but have not succeeded, but today, with Sharefest's help, I am hopeful to be the one that is able to get the job done."

As an organization dedicated to bringing about positive change through projects that meet the needs of local communities, Sharefest has the experience and drive to get the job done.  Drawing on the core value of "collaboration" which makes Sharefest and its Workday is so successful; Sharefest quickly enlisted the help of its long-term partner Cornerstone Construction Group. With support from the Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office and LA Unified School District's Board Member Dr. Richard Vladovic, Sharefest was also able to capitalize on a grant received from its second-year partner, the Home Depot Foundation.  It is also through the committed volunteerism of King's Harbor Church, City on a Hill Church and community members who will participate in Saturday's Annual Workday, that this seven-year-in-the-making project of installing the scoreboards at San Pedro High School will finally be completed.

SPHS Principal Jeanette Stevens lauds Sharefest's effectiveness in pulling this project off: "Thank you, Sharefest, so much for all you are doing for our school! We are greatly appreciative and I am personally SHOCKED at how much you are able to accomplish in such a short amount of time! Last week, I learned about the scoreboard project and we are ecstatic! It is hard to imagine that $21,000 worth of scoreboards have been sitting on the floor in a dark, back room on our campus for seven years, collecting dust! You somehow heard about this project, secured people, and with plans in place and people ready to move, we are ready to install!"

The second project at SPHS is the creation of a beautiful edible garden on campus. The efforts will transform a large patch of undeveloped land into a new garden that will be a living quilt of organic plants suitable for the local climate, benefitting not only students but also those in the community. While demonstrating the diversity of urban food production practices, the fruits and vegetables grown in the garden will not only provide fresh produce for SPHS's students, but produce will also be donated to those with limited access to healthy organic produce through a partnership with local food banks and meal programs. The garden is aptly named "Victory Garden." People in various countries created victory gardens during the World Wars to provide food supplies for feeding the community.

Karen Collins, the landscape architect from Living Color Landscapes who designed the garden and has partnered with Sharefest since the Workday's inception, articulates the vision of the Victory Garden: "Our imagination behind the garden is to capture an artistic yet practical garden that will enrich the lives of students and faculty, but also those in the surrounding community. It will be a symbol of the strength, unity and pride of San Pedro."

"We are thrilled to come alongside San Pedro High School and serve in solidarity with the people of the community to affect positive change," said Sharefest Executive Director Chad Mayer. "We know that our collaboration efforts will benefit students and families for generations. We are into making dreams come true."

Sharefest is looking for volunteers to join the effort this year. Any parties interested in participating in these two projects at San Pedro High School or one of the other hundreds of projects in the South Bay and Harbor areas, should register online at the Sharefest website – www.sharefestinc.org.

The Sharefest Workday has built an impressive track record over the last eight years of helping more and more schools and neighborhoods while rallying an increasing number of volunteers from Los Angeles County to leave an imprint of lasting, positive change in local communities. Sharefest's progress so far: 1,150 projects, 30,000 volunteers mobilized, and $5.6 million worth of projects.

For more info, please visit www.sharefestinc.org or call (310) 626-8106.

Sharefest Community Development is a 501c3 non-profit, founded in 2006, that develops comprehensive programs and services that strengthen communities and meet the needs in the lives of children and families. Through its Workday, Sharefest has been repeatedly recognized statewide and nationally. It has made at least $5.6 million worth of improvements to the Los Angeles area to date.

SOURCE Sharefest Community Development