Valeria Torres has spent her life in and around Wilmington and the Harbor Area. Some of her fondest memories revolve around the fun and innocent times she had at Hawaiian Avenue on the West side of Wilmington. She was obviously one of the first students to volunteer, then, to go to Hawaiian and provide a colorful mural as part of the Murals for Motivation class. I could see her reminiscing about her time at the elementary school the minute she stepped onto the small campus, and it was a heartwarming moment to witness.

Valeria started off thinking that the murals class was going to be like any other class at Avalon – a mandatory way to catch up on credits and raise her class status. As time progressed, however, she began to see that with each change made to a wall at our worksites, came a changeValeria mixing paint for herself and other students on the worksite. in her outlook on the class. While she does admit that murals are hard work, she also confides that they are a fun (and legal!) way of sharing her artistic talent with her community.

Along with excitement for the class, Valeria has acquired an appreciation for what community service can be. She no longer sees community service as merely a way to deal with court appointed punishments; it has transformed into a way for her to give back to the children in her community, at her alma mater, who look up to the cool high school students coming onto their campuses each week to paint them a special work of art. She hopes to provide a mural for Hawaiian that instills pride in students, and hopes that these younger kids will pay forward the community outreach that they see the Avalon students completing on their campuses.

 Avalon students posing after a hard day’s work.

Rosie Parra // YDA Tutor

That’s what I kept thinking in the days leading up to the workday. The task seemed enormous. Can we get it done in one day?

Weeks before the Workday we met with principal William Baker at Victor Elementary School in Torrance to do a walk through and discuss projects for the workday. Create a mural celebrating the “we do our best” work ethic of the Victor Vikings. Sure, we can do that. Clean the computer lab and 70 computers. No problem. Clean every window in the school…by hand. Seriously?

I think we committed before we knew what we were being asked to do.

Principal Baker had surveyed his staff to see what they saw as the biggest need. The overwhelming response was window cleaning. The catch was that many of the windows were not sealed so a power washer was out of the question. We had to do it the old fashioned way with buckets, sponges and paper towels.

As volunteers from Life Covenant Church, Victor PTA and school staff gathered that morning we set out to do the tasks at hand. A couple other projects had been added last minute, which only added to my concerns about finishing the window washing. I was cautiously hopeful everything would get done.

The window washing team met the challenge head-on. The mood around the school was upbeat and positive. Ladders went up, buckets were filled and windows began to shine.

At lunch a little more than half the windows completed. I looked around and saw fatigue setting in. But after good meal—thanks to the Victor PTA and Chick-fil-A—and some rest, the team was back at it. The afternoon proved to be daunting, but in the end the team rallied and prevailed. They took a menial task, that most of us hate doing, and turned it into a beautiful expression of selfless service.

At the end of the day we had finished two murals, sanded and painted four picnic tables, prepped and painted the entire health office, cleaned the computer lab and hand washed over 200 windows.

I think the most telling comment I got was from Principal Baker as we toured the school at the end of the day. The school had been dealing with the unexpected passing of a beloved teacher. He told me our presence that day and particularly the clean windows had made a tremendous difference. He commented that the feel of the school now was lighter than it had been all week and couldn’t wait to see the faces of teachers and students as they arrived Monday morning.

 Written by Kevin Dobruck // Life Covenant Church

What Axxel discovered during the mural process is that Axxel working on the small detailsthese murals are so much more than elective credits.  Each wall became a canvas where he could express his artistic talents. Currently, Axxel works with his uncle painting cars at an automotive painting company and has come to learn the importance of paying attention to the details.  A natural leader, and phenomenal teacher, Axxel has led a group of 5 other young men through the process with a heart of servant instruction.  Working along side his peers, he graciously suggests, guides and leads the team as to the nuances of painting. He speaks to them about the strokes, the lines, the depth of color and all the while, with a perfectionist eye, he steps back constantly to look at his work to get a different perspective, smiles for a moment and goes right back to work.

The beauty of the Service Learning component is that the students are able to see the validity of their contributions to the community, take ownership in the quality and the outcome of their work, and begin to step back and look at their own lives to get a different perspective.  They now see the possibilities available to them and can begin to paint a future with all the possibilities and hope of making a difference included in their life mural.

Axxel with his team of students at Rancho Dominguez Prep

Walteria has been undergoing modernization with the help of Balfour Beatty for months now so as to give the campus and its students the basic needs. From slurrying floors to completely redoing the school’s parking lot, Balfour Beatty supplied many of the physical necessities to make Walteria a safe, fun, and successful school.

And now with the Workday, the campus was given its final needed touches. Workers running on meatball sandwiches, ranging from ages of 12 to 69, worked for 6 hours sanding, tracing, taping, and painting to give back to these Walterian elementary schoolers.

Volunteer Patrick Ngai shared, “I am amazed at the level of dedication that our brothers and sisters have toward Sharefest year after year. It is a true testimony of the manifestation of God’s love in their hearts.”

This year was no different, but something was, the Sharefest leadership.  The Sharefest leadership was totally there for us. They worked with us, encouraged us, and were patient as we shared the concerns of our hearts. We ended up adopting a project once again, blessing people and meeting their needs above and beyond their request. The project went off with out a hitch, we finished by 2pm, ran on budget, had 14 volunteer show up, and were totally blessed as a team and a church.

As Breakwater Church Project Manager, I wanted write this to encourage the small guy, the church who has limited resources, the church who thinks they can't, thinks it's too much and lacks people/volunteers and money. I want to challenge you to press in, pray, exercise your faith, talk to the leaders of Sharefest, and participate next year.

April 28th was such a blessing for me and our church, we not only filled a need, but made new friends. We have committed to continuing or new relationship with Lucille Smith Elementary School in Lawndale, partnering with them to help maintain and visit their garden. Our small church once again proved to be mighty on this day, as we acted in faith and reaped a great reward, that is friendship.

Written by Sunny Bray // Breakwater Church

Thanks to these sponsors, our 9th Annual Workday will be the biggest one yet!!

An Estimated $200,000 in School Improvements to be Completed at No Cost to Schools

Balfour Beatty is diving in headfirst this year and taking on projects at 19 schools (THAT'S RIGHT.....19!!!) in the Redondo Beach, Torrance and Wiseburn school districts. Over 400 Balfour Beatty employees, contractors, vendors, family members, and volunteers will complete beautification projects on campuses such as Alta Vista Elementary School, Edison Preschool, Lincoln Elementary School, Madison Elementary School, Redondo Shores Continuation High School, Redondo Union High School, Richardson Middle School, Tulita Elementary School, Washington Elementary School, and several Da Vinci Charter Schools.

Balfour Beatty executives at Towers Elementary on our 8th Annual WorkdayBalfour Beatty Construction remains a leader in the U.S. commercial construction industry, providing general contracting, at-risk construction management, and design-build services through more than 2,400 professionals nationwide. It is no stranger to the South Bay community, as it is behind major modernization efforts throughout the South Bay and has been instrumental in previous Workdays (three years in a row!). Some of the projects made possible by Balfour Beatty this Annual Workday include interior and exterior painting of buildings, building outdoor and mobile technology classrooms, sanding and painting picnic benches, gardening and landscaping, and of course, construction projects such as building fences, wooden sandboxes and planters, performing irrigation work, and re-slurrying and repainting of parking areas. All of these projects will be provided at no cost to the schools thanks to our awesome partners and volunteers. We are highly looking forward to making the dreams of these schools a reality, and applaud Balfour Beatty employees and families for their determination to give back to the communities they serve:

“When I think about the excitement and smiles on the children’s faces when they see the improvements at their schools, I’m tremendously proud to be a part of this company and of the people and partners who work with us.”

- Eric Stenman, Regional CEO for Balfour Beatty Construction

“Participation in the Sharefest Workday is an opportunity for the company’s employees and suppliers to give back to the communities they serve. Knowing our efforts will be enjoyed by the staff, students and surrounding communities for years to come is extremely gratifying. 

- Tom Schlegel, Balfour Beatty Construction’s Sr. Program Manager and BBC Sharefest Project Coordinator

There is still time to be a part of Sharefest’s 9^th Annual Workday on Saturday, April 28^th. Visit our Workday page for more information on how to volunteer, sponsor a project, or spread the word. You can also email us at info@sharefestinc.org.

Students working hard to complete phase 2Sharefest, in its dedication to creative collaboration for positive change, has once again, brought together its wealth of resources to complete the Victory Garden at San Pedro High School, transforming an unused plot of land into an organic, sustainable classroom filled with nutritious foods.  Partnering alongside contractors like Cornerstone Construction Group and Living Color Landscapes, caring organizations such as Kaiser Permanente as well as teachers and students from San Pedro High School, Sharefest looks forward to assisting in the completion of a project that will impact the campus and community of San Pedro for years to come.

Its design began as the dream of James Weston, to provide a garden for both students and community members to partake of; participating together in the planting, maintenance, and sharing of the fruits of their labor.  Sharefest was invited to provide expertise in the promotion and development of the project and brought in Landscape Designer Karen Collins from Living Color Landscapes to take this dream to the next level.  As the project grew, so did the dreams of what it could be.  The initial phase of the project was to clear the space, grade the space, and construct the planters.  San Pedro High students and members of Cornerstone Construction Group, Dakotah Masonry, and City on a Hill Church came together to successfully complete the project.  Phase two pooled the resources of SPHS students and Dakotah Masonry to prepare the space for the laying of pavers on the floor of the garden area.

On Saturday, April 28 the garden will be completed.  Much of what will be done in the final phase comes as a result of the generous donation of finances and volunteers by Kaiser Permanente.  Crystal Williams, Public Affairs Representative at Kaiser, shares, “Kaiser has a desire to be in our community promoting community interaction, volunteerism, and healthy living.  The Victory Garden project brings together these values.” 

Principal Jeanette Stevens is appreciative of the project and believes that it will greatly impact the campus.  “We are so thankful to Sharefest and Kaiser for their generosity in making this project happen.  We are excited to be able to have an amazing space in which our students can take ownership, learn valuable life-lessons, and enjoy.”

The Victory Garden project brings together a partnership of organizations that desires to impact their community in a tangible way.  With the combined efforts of Sharefest, Kaiser Permanente, Thrivent Financial, San Pedro High students and teachers, as well as the local church congregations and businesses, what was once a dream will become a reality.  The impact that will be made will be generational, as students for years to come will be able to taste the fruit of labor.

Rendering and overall project designed by Karen Collins with Living Color Landscapses

Along with the free Cups of Joe, Sharefest will have dozens of Starbucks volunteers diving into workday projects in the Torrance and Carson areas. This year marks the first Annual Workday for Starbucks volunteers, and a new partnership for us here at Sharefest as well. We welcome Starbucks to our team of sponsors and Workday volunteers, and give them a big, heartfelt THANK YOU for helping Sharefest make a difference!

If you would like to join us on Saturday, April 28^th at one of our many South Bay and Los Angeles Area worksites, visit our Workday page for more information. There are still so many ways you can help!