By Jonathan Silverman, 2025 CLA Intern
The first community event I chose to attend recently was introduced to me and planned through my host office with County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. It was a back to school backpack giveaway on Saturday, July 19 hosted at the San Fernando Valley Community Center in Chatsworth. My main responsibility was to use a cart in the parking lot to deliver toddler beds to various constituents’ cars. Other duties included handing out various school and living supplies geared towards families to prepare for the new school year. Frankly, delivering the beds and fitting them in people’s trunks was more physically demanding than I expected, but it was highly rewarding and brought me closer to my fellow colleagues on the Supervisor’s team.
The previous weekend, on Sunday, July 13, I participated in a beach cleanup organized through an environmental nonprofit organization called Upworthy Ocean Wise at Dockweiler Beach in Playa del Rey. For the first portion of the morning, I cleaned up trash from the shore’s edge to the back sanded area near the parking lot. I volunteered for this beach cleanup along with Natalie and Imani, and while I was by the beach bathrooms, collecting plastic scraps, something dramatic happened. I returned to the main volunteer tent to discover Natalie had been stung by a stingray. A first duo of medics arrived, followed by another pair, and they gathered around Natalie to ask her questions and treat her injury. The tone of the community event certainly shifted, and Imani and I tried to do everything we could to be of help. As Natalie’s foot soaked in the stingray bag filled with warm water, I collected her belongings and Imani brought her car closer to pick her up. As always, despite being in immense pain, Natalie remained calm and composed and handled the situation in stride. Obviously, the stingray injury is primarily Natalie’s story to tell, but in a roundabout way, it brought her, Imani, and I closer as we worked together to address the emergency circumstance.
Both community events differed greatly in substance, from a school supplies giveaway to a beach trash cleanup, as well as in location, personnel, and occurrence of unexpected crises. Nevertheless, I am grateful to have participated in both and had the opportunity to give back to the Los Angeles community.
