Glenwood Elementary Completes "The BEST Mural Project Ever"

Glenwood Elementary held a dedication on October 26, 2010, to showcase their completed mural project titled "The BEST Mural Project Ever."  The mural was featured in The Daily News, as shown in the clipping below.  Muralist, Helene Cob, collaborated with Glenwood Elementary staff, students and volunteers to create the bottom two murals in "The BEST Mural Project Ever".  This is second "BEST" project funded by City of Los Angeles' Community Beautification Grant.

Left: Daily News clipping on October 27, 2010.  Right: Full mural image titled "Healthy Foods" which connects to the school's health curriculum and promotes healthy concerns.                                                                                                                         

"Heritage Mural 1" which depicts the immigrant experience and the history of the United States.

The first BEST project funded by CB Grant is "The BEST Garden Ever" (pictured below).  These two projects ties into the school's BEST program which is a school-wide positive behavior program that teaches students about respect, responsibility and safety. 

"The Best Garden Ever"

CB Grant Projects along the cicLAvia route

Did you take part in the first cicLAvia? On 10/10/10, a reported 100,000+ people took advantage of 7.5 miles of Los Angeles City streets that were closed off to cars. This event brought people from all over to walk, jog, skate, and ride their bikes along this comfortable route. This idea originated in Bogotá, Columbia and has spread across the globe.

Along, this route were many visible Community Beautification Grant funded projects that you might have seen.

Little Tokyo Sparkle and Beautification Project

Beautify Little Tokyo Coalition, c/o Little Tokyo Service Center

111 S Central Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012

In the downtown area, you could not miss this mural along Central Avenue. This mural was created to celebrate Japanese-American culture with images of Manzanar, youth basketball, and local festivals.

Positive Places

Central City Neighborhood Partners

1247 W 7th St., Los Angeles, CA 90017

This project envisions sitting/meeting areas around the City of Los Angeles in random public spaces. They would like to put "community living rooms" all over to create places to read, drink some water, and chill out for a moment before you head off on your merry way.

MacArthur Park Primary Center Building Marker and Community Mural

MacArthur Park Primary Center

2300 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90057

This mural, under the direction of muralist Yuriko Etue, is a great way to announce the primary center located on 7th Street, directly across from MacArthur Park.

Lacer Stars Mural at Sacred Fools Theatre

Los Angeles Center For Education Research (LACER)

660 N Heliotrope Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90004

Upon getting to one of the end points of cicLAvia towards Melrose in East Hollywood, you are greeted with open arms by this mural.

New Gates to Rosewood Community Garden

Rosewood Community Garden

4162 Rosewood Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90004

This project is considered "special mention". It was slightly off the route and many did not even know they were passing this vibrant community garden even though it has those beautiful welcoming gates with a sign announcing its presence.

If you would like to see more of the over 1,000 projects completed in partnership with the community with the Community Beautification Grant, just click this link!

Start a Vegetable Garden: The Home Farming Movement

Applications are now available for the creation of a vegetable garden in the LA area as part of the "Home Farming Movement", in which Urban Farming and Triscuit is teaming up together in support of community-based home farms.

Urban Farming and Triscuit will be funding the creation of four 400 sq ft vegetable garden, in support of their mission of transforming unused land into a garden that supplies fresh food for the local communities. To apply, applicants must meet the following requirements:
1. The group should consist of people who are committed to implementing and maintaining the garden.
2. The location of the garden must have 6+ hours of sun and have access to water. The location must be in an urban/suburban area that has no existing garden.
** Schools and children's groups cannot apply (with the exception of university level).

Urban Farming will provide the following to the awarded gardens:
- Soil/compost to cover 400 sq ft, 18" high; plants and seeds for one planting season
- Irrigation for 400 sq ft
- Tools (one time)
- Soil testing
- Garden insurance
- Urban Farming and Triscuit "Home Farming" sign
- Assistance with permit approvals
- Help with matching a Master Gardener
** Cost of water is not covered.

Applications are due November 24th, 2010; however, if there are still available funds, Urban Farming will accept applications until December 31, 2010.

For more information or an application, please contact Meg Glasser preferably by email at meg.glasser@gmail.com. Her contact number is (646) 726-1563.

To join in the "Home Farming Movement" and have access to information and garden advice, please click here.

Need Funding to Maintain Your Project?

Applications are now available for the 2010 Maintenance Matching Fund Program provided by Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative (LANI). This program awards qualified LANI organizations of up to $3,000 to fund the cost of maintaining past completed projects. Organization must match 50% of the requested amount through volunteer labor, grants, and/or donations of cash, materials or supplies, and professional services.

The following are eligibility information from the Frequently Asked Questions of the application packet:

· Does the proposed maintenance project have to be a LANI improvement?

No, it does not. Although an applicant neighborhood MUST be a LANI neighborhood, the improvement proposed for maintenance does not have to be an improvement originally funded or implemented by LANI.

· What constitutes being a LANI neighborhood?

Being a LANI neighborhood means that your community went through the LANI process of organizing a Recognized Community Organization (RCO), developing a Community work Plan and receiving LANI funding to make public improvement in your community in 1994, 1997, 2000 OR that LANI funding has been used to make improvements in your community and a steering committee or stakeholder group has been established. LANI neighborhoods are listed in the application forms (also provided on this map). Applications will be denied if applicant community is not a LANI neighborhood.

· What constitutes being an eligible organization?

Eligible organizations fall into three categories. Applicant organization must:

1) Be the original LANI RCO; or

2) Be the stakeholder group or steering committee established for implementation of a LANI project; or

3) Be an established organization in a LANI neighborhood that works to achieve our same goals of neighborhood revitalization. Neighborhood councils are eligible organizations.

Funding can be used to pay for the following:

• Maintain or repair an existing neighborhood improvement,
• Maintenance service, or
• Replacing minor low-cost improvements

The last date to submit an application is October 29, 2010. For the complete guidelines and application, please click here.

If you have questions regarding this program, please contact Rebecca Draper, Director of Neighborhood Improvement Projects at (213) 627-1822 x16 or by email at rebecca@lani.org.