Thousands Spruce Up Schools, Community Centers in ‘Day of Caring’

Armed with a broom in one hand and a dust pan in the other, 11-year-old Alex Munoz was part of the legion of volunteers who painted, planted and cleaned area schools and community centers Saturday.

Parents, teachers and children helped refurbish sites across Los Angeles County, in cooperation with United Way’s annual “Day of Caring.”

Sweeping a walkway in front of Lankershim Elementary School in North Hollywood may be a simple chore, but Alex realized his work was a small part of a bigger plan.

“It’s a good thing to get people out to help and make the school look better,” he said. “I’m sweeping up leaves and trash, but if I wasn’t doing it here, I would be doing it at home.”

The event attracted thousands of volunteers who wanted to make a contribution, no matter how small. While adults and kids scrubbed windows and spruced up an art center at the Santa Clarita Boys & Girls Club in Newhall, former Los Angeles Lakers player and coach Kurt Rambis kicked off festivities at Staples Center downtown.

Area volunteers also worked at Pacoima Elementary School and the Didi Hirsch Community Mental Health Center in Pacoima.

At Lankershim School, kids painted a mural depicting the school’s mascot--a lion--on the outside of a building. With an added jungle motif, the artwork was a blessing for Debbie Martinez-Rambeau, who has been principal at the school for only two months.

“When I came here, the school looked kind of grungy,” she said. “We want the school to be clean and want this to be a home away from home for kids. By having the kids here today, they are taking ownership with this school.”

She estimates the work would cost between $30,000 and $40,000 if the school hired a private company for the maintenance. But with more than 100 people donating their time, Saturday’s event was a rousing success, organizers said.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better turnout,” Martinez-Rambeau said.