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A valuable friend in the community: East L.A. YAL benefits from partnership with City Terrace Coordinating Council

The new location of the East L.A. Youth Activities League (YAL) is 4100 City Terrace Drive, East Los Angeles. For more information, contact (323) 267-3560 or visit www.EastLosAngelesYAL.org

Sometimes, you need a friend to vouch for you. The East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Youth Activities League center, found such a friend in the City Terrace Coordinating Council. The Coordinating Council is a community leadership organization entering its 28th year that was established to bring services and improvements to the community, meeting community needs and lowering the crime rate.

“The City Terrace Coordinating Council is well respected and trusted by the community and that has greatly helped build a bridge between the community and the YAL,” Deputy Art Lozano said of the partnership between the East L.A. YAL and the nonprofit community organization that was founded in 1986. “This new partnership has provided more resources and opportunities to serve a greater number of children in our community”.

The East L.A. YAL, in its 13-year existence, has moved several times to different locations, and in February of this year held their grand opening for its new permanent location in City Terrace. For some kids, the local Youth Activities League is a place to get some much-needed help with homework. For others, it’s a place to shoot some hoops or learn a new sport without fear of physical violence or becoming tangled up in many of the other negative distractions the streets have to offer. For others, it’s literally a place to call home.

The YAL centers are available to youths ages 7 to 17, and there is no fee to participate. The facilities are staffed by a blend of deputies, civilian staff and untold dozens of volunteers who just want to help.

Thanks in large part to the partnership between the YAL and the City Terrace Coordinating Council, Lozano says the YAL programs offered to the community have been expanding and growing in numbers. “I see a lot of good things happening,” said Lozano, who credits the YAL growth to the efforts of Gloria Chavez, a City Terrace resident since 1963, co-founder of the Coordinating Council and current president for more than 15 years. “She is such a well-respected leader in this community,” Lozano said. “She is a strong advocate for the children, and for making City Terrace a great place to live. Having Ms. Chavez and her organization as a community partner has proven to be extremely valuable in establishing a bond between the YAL and the community.” In March, Chavez was named by county Supervisor Gloria Molina as the Woman of the Year for the First Supervisorial District.

Lozano said more than 60 youth participate in the YAL program via the partnership. The younger children participate in the summer recreation program across the street from the new City Terrace YAL building, at St. Lucy’s Catholic Church, while the teens remain in the new building. By utilizing additional facilities, such as the church, the YAL is able to continue making needed improvements to its new location.

“We are here to partner up and make this area the best that it can be,” Captain James Wolak, Commanding Officer for the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station said, “and we’re grateful to have the City Terrace Coordinating Council to help make it happen.”

The East L.A. YAL’s new location is located at 4100 City Terrace Drive. For more information, contact (323) 267-3560 or visit www.EastLosAngelesYAL.org

Photo Caption:
A ballet folklorico team was one of a variety of performers at the grand opening of the new East L.A. YAL location earlier this year.

Written by:
Sergeant AJ Rotella
Sheriff’s Youth Foundation
4700 Ramona Blvd., 4th floor
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(323) 267-3560
[email protected]
http://sheriffsyouthfoundation.org/
https://www.facebook.com/SheriffsYouthFoundation
https://twitter.com/sheriffyouth

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Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
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