It was such a pleasure to participate in the building of a new community playground at the Watts Labor Action Committee Center on March 24.  More than 400 volunteers gathered to construct a place for kids to connect with each other in a safe, fun environment and learn about the life and legacy of Cesar E. Chavez.  Because of this project, kids throughout the community will come together to make lasting connections that may not have existed otherwise.

Through a partnership with the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation, national nonprofit KaBOOM! and Youth Service California, nine more playgrounds will be constructed by over 2,000 volunteers in communities across California.  These playgrounds were designed by the community, including the kids who will actually use them.  The youth also participated in lessons regarding Chavez’ life and legacy and learned how to use his core values to make a positive impact through service and civic participation.

But these projects aren’t just about building new playgrounds; instead they are about bringing people together to build and strengthen their communities.  Service and volunteering gives individuals and families the opportunity to meet new people, have new experiences and tap into talents they never knew they had.  It brings people from all walks of life together for a common purpose and to do their part to improve the world around them.  With every new volunteer, our communities, state and nation all become stronger and more united.

The Cesar E. Chavez Day of Service and Learning 2007 program also created new afterschool service clubs that will teach middle school students about Chavez’ life and values and get them involved in service activities to empower them to address issues in their own communities.  New curricula was developed to teach our youth about Chavez’ core values, both during the school day and as part of afterschool programs and to further encourage participation in service to their communities.

As Cesar E. Chavez once said “We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community … Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.”  To find ways you can make a difference in your community visit www.CaliforniaVolunteers.org.

Michael Camuñez
Chairperson, CaliforniaVolunteers