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Reflection on L.A. Works Day by Suzanne Gross
We met The Rev. Joyce Stickney at St. Augustine's early Saturday morning, June 8th for a prayer and off we went to participate in the Annual L.A. Works Day. Fiduciary Trust graciously sponsored our efforts, assuring the 11 of us breakfast, plenty of work, and lunch.
Frankly, I didn't know what to expect of the morning. Prior to loading us on the bus, we had a visit from the Mayor, a Hollywood celebrity and of all things political - the USC band, murmuring during their singing, "Beat UCLA."
As we rode our "B" bus to the James A. Foshay Learning Center, just west of USC, Peter Haight and I noticed now many churches and places of worship there were on our route. It set the tone for me. I knew we were in "good hands' and off to do good works.
The James A. Foshay Learning Center is a large school and is doing all they can to raise the standards of education and respect for their students. The principal told us that they had a 90% graduation rate of seniors going on to college.
We came to beautify their campus and that we did. There were flats of impatients and ice plants waiting for us, along with shovels, trowels, and lots of dirt. Actually, I'd like to emphasize, LOTS of dirt. We dug, we watered, we planted and when all was said and done, we admired our handiwork. It was beautiful and we were tired, hungry and ready to enjoy lunch and the satisfaction of a job well done for these deserving students. Just as we were finishing up, a girl came out of the building, obviously a student, and said to me, "Thank you so much for doing this for our school." I couldn't believe how much that simple statement meant to me.
Copyright © 2002 St. Augustine by-the-Sea
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