LumenSparQ News - Issue #16

Chromebooks_find_a_new_home_p1.png


Catching Up


Hello Friend,

It has been a while since our last note, and a good deal has happened. We awarded our first Empowerment Scholarship, named a new Lumenary and a new SparQ, and sent donated Chromebooks, books, chess sets, and 3D printers to people who put them to use. Here is a look at the last few months.

Jodie Dolan and the Laundry Truck LA team in front of the truck

A New Lumenary:

Jodie Dolan and The Laundry Truck LA

Jodie Dolan was volunteering with Shower of Hope when she watched a woman leave a shower and put her dirty clothes back on. She started asking what it would take to bring clean laundry to people where they already were. The answer was The Laundry Truck LA, which now runs four trailers and visits eighteen locations a week, from Skid Row to school campuses. Since its first load in 2019, it has completed more than 738,000 pounds of laundry.


Anyone who shows up gets their laundry done. LumenSparQ named Jodie a Lumenary, and our program support will help keep the truck coming to Madison Elementary in Pasadena.


Read Jodie's full story at lumensparq.org

 

Our First Empowerment Scholarship

On May 20, LumenSparQ presented its first Empowerment Scholarship to Mahalet Yonas, a graduating senior at Da Vinci Communications High School. The scholarship honors a senior whose impact on the community is already visible before graduation.


Mahalet is president of the National Honor Society, founded the Marine Conservation Club, and captained the indoor volleyball team. She plans to study film and English, with a philosophy minor, and then go to law school.


Read the full story at lumensparq.org.

Mahalet Yonas receiving the LumenSparQ Empowerment Scholarship
 
 

"I Stayed on the Train"

Alouette Cervantes-Salazar, a Lumenary, coordinates the Dream Resource Center at East Los Angeles College. This spring the center held its annual graduation celebration for students who are undocumented or mixed-status. About 25 students marked their graduations at a dinner with music, wearing custom sashes provided by LumenSparQ.


The district chancellor and the college president attended, and three graduates spoke. One graduate's words, "I stayed on the train," gave our story its title.



Learn more at lumensparq.org.


Sofía Fonseca-Pérez with fellow SDSU Flying Samaritans volunteers

SparQ News: Sofía Fonseca-Pérez


Sofía Fonseca-Pérez is a junior at San Diego State University who has wanted to become a doctor since middle school. She volunteers with the SDSU Flying Samaritans, a student-run group that runs free medical, dental, and mental health clinics in Tijuana. The group saw 857 patients last year.


LumenSparQ named Sofía a SparQ and has since sent clothing and water bottles for her to bring to her next clinic.


Read Sofía's full story.


Gregory Shechter, a LumenSparQ SparQ, with supporters

Resources on the Move


We love when the right resources find the right people. Here is where some of this year's donations went.


Chromebooks for Mark Twain Middle School. Westside Neighborhood School had retired 54 Lenovo Chromebooks after a few years of reliable use. They were still in excellent condition, so we looked for a classroom that could use them and found a DonorsChoose request from Mrs. Silvia Corcuera, who teaches Spanish and Math Intervention at Mark Twain Middle School. All 54 devices arrived on September 9, and the school sent 30 of them to her classroom.


New books at Lennox Middle School. María Saldaña's student book club received its first books of the new school year, including "Queso, Just in Time" by Ernesto Cisneros.


A fresh shelf at 156th Street Elementary. We restocked the Little Library outside the school with gently used books donated by Westside Neighborhood School.



Chess sets for Check Mates. Ten chess sets, each with a custom canvas bag printed with the Check Mates logo, went to SparQ Micah Presser for his program.


Printers for a young maker. Two donated 3D printers and filament went to Gregory Shechter, a high school sophomore who printed and gave 500 fidget tools to nine schools and plans after-school workshops.


See more news on our Instagram.

Thank You for Being Here


Every story we share exists because people in our community chose to show up, for students, for neighbors, for one another. We're grateful you're part of that network, and we're grateful you continue to follow along and cheer these local heroes on.


Until next time, stay curious, stay connected, and keep shining.


With gratitude, The LumenSparQ Team

LumenSparQ Inc.

2630 W 157th Street

Gardena CA 90249

‪(424) 571-9821‬

Facebook  Twitter  Instagram  
LinkedIn Share This Email