It was the search to somehow improve the lives of the people of Los Angeles that led to the formation of the nine-year-old non-profit organization L. A. Works. In 1991 a group of concerned Los Angeles residents took a look around their city and decided to do something that would have a positive, and lasting, effect on the quality of life in L.A. This combination of entertainment people, local businessmen and city officials wanted to do something help their city live up to its name, the City of Angels.
Bob Johnson, one of the founders of L. A. Works, remembers fondly getting together with co-founders, Donna Bojarsky, actor Richard Dreyfus and a small group of colleagues to, "brainstorm the idea and figure out what we'd actually do. How we would go about it? Where were we going to come up with the name, and where were we going to come up with the money to run the organization? All the things you have to go through if you are going to build something from scratch." And build something they did.
For the past nine years L.A. Works has been bringing together volunteers from all walks of life to participate in a wide variety of hands-on community services. Since its inception the organization has mobilized a network of more than 52,000 volunteers and logged over 300,000 hours of volunteer service to communities throughout the Los Angeles area. Whether a volunteer's availability is two hours, two weeks or two months, L. A. Works will find a project somewhere in the city to fit that person's schedule. Ann Zald, a Los Angeles businesswoman, has volunteered with L.A. Works over the past 7 years. "I became involved with L. A. Works because I was tired of bellyaching about all the things that I think are wrong with L.A." says Ann. "I've done a lot of different projects. Planting trees, painting schools, building a rec room at a home for boys. My all time favorite was putting in a garden at a home for women with AIDS. We spent the entire day planting a tranquility garden where there had been just dirt." All of the L.A. Works services are provided completely free of charge to the recipient. The organization works, sometimes for months, to accurately evaluate the needs for each project and then proceed to scour their lists of contacts to meet those needs. In addition to renovation projects, L. A. Works volunteers help tutor children through their "Let's Read" literacy program, they have painted countless murals in communities throughout the Los Angeles area and cleaned up countless miles of beaches, parks and rivers. In addition they have helped thousands of disabled and elderly people, through meal and transportation programs.
Looking back Bob takes pride in the thousands of projects L. A. Works has accomplished over the past nine years, and the network of volunteers they have established that continues to grow every year. "We all know people that say I'd really like to get involved, but I don't know how, or I don't have a lot of time. Well, we have created a vehicle where you can say, 'Oh I know who you can call. I know how you can get involved.' You say you only have two hours a month? Boom! We have something for you, and thanks to the structure we have created and the relationships we have cultivated, you are going to have a quality experience. And if we can get you one time, we can probably get you again. And if we get you, we'll probably get your friend. And it is that sense of engagement and participation that really builds a community."
For more information on L.A. Works and how you can find a volunteer program to suit your schedule, please visit their website, at www.la-volunteer.org/. Or you can contact them at:
L.A. Works
River Center and Gardens
570 W. Ave 26, Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90065
(323) 224-6510
If you live outside the Los Angeles area, but are interested in helping your community you can contact City Cares, for information on volunteer opportunities in and around your city. 
