Outcomes
1. Over 150 supplies donated from Larchmont students and faculty
2. Over 400 supplies donated from partner organizations
3. Over 60 students and faculty engaged with donating supplies, packing, or distributing!
4. Helped 170 homeless with care packages
5. Connected with three organizations
6. Students learned how to manage money and balance project costs
7. Students connected with outside organizations and franchise stores to support project
8. Students engaged in school and Korea-town community
9. This was the first community civic engagement event hosted during school hours!
10. Students gained problem solving and communication skills
2. Over 400 supplies donated from partner organizations
3. Over 60 students and faculty engaged with donating supplies, packing, or distributing!
4. Helped 170 homeless with care packages
5. Connected with three organizations
6. Students learned how to manage money and balance project costs
7. Students connected with outside organizations and franchise stores to support project
8. Students engaged in school and Korea-town community
9. This was the first community civic engagement event hosted during school hours!
10. Students gained problem solving and communication skills
Student Experiences
“I really loved being able to get more involved with my community by doing hands on work. The group of girls that I worked with was so positive and motivated, which pushed all of us to make a difference. One of my favorite parts of being involved with Girls Build was making packages for our homeless community. It was a great moment of togetherness for everyone and it felt really good to be giving back and putting care into each package. Emma and Lea had really great ideas and really helped us all collaborate. I am so glad that I got to be a part of Girl’s Build my senior year” - London Hayes (GBLA member)
"If I were to summarize my Girls Build LA experience into one word, it would simply be eye-opening.
I was first introduced to the program through assisting with their toiletry drive for the homeless in the areas surrounding Larchmont Charter at Lafayette Park. Here, I, along with several other classmates, assembled "care packages” which included basic hygienic necessities into bags that were specifically donated for the homeless drive. Following the assembly of these “care packages“, the GBLA members methodically planned out and enacted a route that would be followed in order to reach the most people and be the most impactful. Ultimately, with care packages in hand, several of us walked through macArthur Park and its surrounding areas offering the toiletries to whoever needed them. In 45 minutes, we had successfully handed out just over 100 care packages to families and individuals without a home.
Through this experience I truly learned how impactful GBLA truly is as they do just that, build LA. I’ve learned that they provide a foundation for leadership, community involvement and student activism that simply would not have been there before. Through their initiative to —directly— help the homeless, they were able to bridge the gap and create a sense of empathy for those who may be in more fortunate circumstances, truly proving that regardless of your socioeconomic standing you are human and you have the power to help out those who may need it most." -Vincent Snyder (student)
I was first introduced to the program through assisting with their toiletry drive for the homeless in the areas surrounding Larchmont Charter at Lafayette Park. Here, I, along with several other classmates, assembled "care packages” which included basic hygienic necessities into bags that were specifically donated for the homeless drive. Following the assembly of these “care packages“, the GBLA members methodically planned out and enacted a route that would be followed in order to reach the most people and be the most impactful. Ultimately, with care packages in hand, several of us walked through macArthur Park and its surrounding areas offering the toiletries to whoever needed them. In 45 minutes, we had successfully handed out just over 100 care packages to families and individuals without a home.
Through this experience I truly learned how impactful GBLA truly is as they do just that, build LA. I’ve learned that they provide a foundation for leadership, community involvement and student activism that simply would not have been there before. Through their initiative to —directly— help the homeless, they were able to bridge the gap and create a sense of empathy for those who may be in more fortunate circumstances, truly proving that regardless of your socioeconomic standing you are human and you have the power to help out those who may need it most." -Vincent Snyder (student)
“My experience for Girls Build LA was great, our group was very diverse and had girls from different grade levels. They all shared different ideas for future projects and everyone was super supportive of one another. I also loved the fact that we all were really dedicated to wanting our civic engagement projects to succeed, and being excited for whatever the next project was. The dedication and excitement the girls showed was what made the experience a whole lot better as well as being able to see our ideas flourish. One of our most successful projects was being able to distribute 170 hygiene care packages to homeless people. As a group we agreed that homelessness has always been a huge problem so instead of attacking the problem as a whole we focused on one specific area. It was nice being able to help a little bit and seeing how thankful they were for being able to provide them with hygiene items” - Arianna Gomez (GBLA member)
“This was my first time participating in a Girls Build LA event. I remember passing a room full of supplies and asking one of the members what it was for. After volunteering at their packaging event, I really wanted to help distribute these packages to see the full effect of the project. When I walk to the bus stop afterschool I always pass by homeless encampments. It meant a lot to me to distribute the bags and to see everyone’s gratitude. This was the perfect way for me to connect with the team members but also the community” - Ralston Young (student)
Refection
When we first started planning this project in January we did not have an idea of the scale of this project and the impact it could have. This started at first as a mini project but when we received an overwhelming amount of support and donations, we realized that we wanted to expand the project.
This project required a lot of skills. One thing we wanted to ensure was that all of the purchased supplies were fundraised for. Having to make 170 care packages, each with 15 different items in them required us to focus on spending money efficiently. This required multiple trips to different store locations and brainstorming creative ways to reach our goals.
Another main focus was to bring awareness to the need for feminine hygiene products as they are often left out of care packages. After our toiletry drive, the majority of our donations were feminine hygiene products. This shows how people recognized the inequity that comes along with being a homeless female. Women who are experiencing homelessness must face the difficulty of not being able to have proper menstrual care. As a team of girls, it was especially important for us to provide these products. It meant even more to us when we distributed them to women.
We first made contact with World Harvest a couple months back when members of our Girl’s Build LA team hosted a food drive before beginning the GBLA initiative. When we visited their location, it was inspiring to see the impact that they have on the community around us. They ensure that families have equal access to high quality products for little to no cost. Ray, the founder, generously gave us supplies that really allowed us to build this project. This was a gesture that meant a lot to us, especially since they are a non profit that supports different community projects.
Finally, considering the unprecedented times of COVID-19, these packages are needed more than ever. Many homeless right now are not aware of what is happening due to the fact that many do not have access to the news. Hygiene is essential right now. Although we were not able to follow through with our voting advocacy plan, we have used social media as a platform to bring awareness. On our instagram stories we have highlighted the importance of Census and provided resources on its benefits and how people can access it. We have also posted a video that highlights tips for mental health and stress during quarantine.
Overall, this project allowed us to connect a group of girls from different grade levels and backgrounds to solve relevant issues today. Due to the COVID-19, many of our planned expenses did not happen. We hope to use some of the leftover budget to help support the organization Beauty on the Streets, by purchasing wigs intended for homeless women off of their amazon wishlist. We also hope to pay for the grocery carts of customers at the World Harvest non profit. This project allowed us to not only connect with our members, organizations, and community, but also gave us valuable skills for the future.
This project required a lot of skills. One thing we wanted to ensure was that all of the purchased supplies were fundraised for. Having to make 170 care packages, each with 15 different items in them required us to focus on spending money efficiently. This required multiple trips to different store locations and brainstorming creative ways to reach our goals.
Another main focus was to bring awareness to the need for feminine hygiene products as they are often left out of care packages. After our toiletry drive, the majority of our donations were feminine hygiene products. This shows how people recognized the inequity that comes along with being a homeless female. Women who are experiencing homelessness must face the difficulty of not being able to have proper menstrual care. As a team of girls, it was especially important for us to provide these products. It meant even more to us when we distributed them to women.
We first made contact with World Harvest a couple months back when members of our Girl’s Build LA team hosted a food drive before beginning the GBLA initiative. When we visited their location, it was inspiring to see the impact that they have on the community around us. They ensure that families have equal access to high quality products for little to no cost. Ray, the founder, generously gave us supplies that really allowed us to build this project. This was a gesture that meant a lot to us, especially since they are a non profit that supports different community projects.
Finally, considering the unprecedented times of COVID-19, these packages are needed more than ever. Many homeless right now are not aware of what is happening due to the fact that many do not have access to the news. Hygiene is essential right now. Although we were not able to follow through with our voting advocacy plan, we have used social media as a platform to bring awareness. On our instagram stories we have highlighted the importance of Census and provided resources on its benefits and how people can access it. We have also posted a video that highlights tips for mental health and stress during quarantine.
Overall, this project allowed us to connect a group of girls from different grade levels and backgrounds to solve relevant issues today. Due to the COVID-19, many of our planned expenses did not happen. We hope to use some of the leftover budget to help support the organization Beauty on the Streets, by purchasing wigs intended for homeless women off of their amazon wishlist. We also hope to pay for the grocery carts of customers at the World Harvest non profit. This project allowed us to not only connect with our members, organizations, and community, but also gave us valuable skills for the future.
