On February 5, Literacy for Environmental Justice (LEJ) was honored to receive the Outstanding Park Volunteer Group Award at the 11th Annual Neighborhood Empowerment Network (NEN) Awards. The NEN Awards are San Francisco’s way of honoring and celebrating the work of residents and organizations that make San Francisco an amazing place to live, work and visit.
The San Francisco City Hall Rotunda served as an elegant venue showcasing the city’s finest neighborhood support groups. Mayor London Breed kicked off the ceremony with a gracious speech, recognizing the vital role neighborhood support groups play in weaving together the fabric that defines San Francisco.
LEJ was represented by several staff and volunteer members. They shared the following:
“It was a great celebration honoring a beautifully diverse group of organizations, many of them small but mighty that make San Francisco the wonderful place it is and represent its beating heart. With folks like this working in the trenches and building community, we stand a good chance of keeping the soul and environment of San Francisco alive.”
– Milton Reynolds, LEJ Board Member
“It brought me great pride and joy for LEJ to be recognized as this year’s Outstanding Park Volunteer Group. Volunteerism plays a vital role in sustaining our organization and is the fuel that powers LEJ’s engine. Without the help of our volunteers, our nursery would not exist, plants would not be grown, habitat would not be restored, campgrounds would not be built, educational opportunities would be missed, and most importantly we would miss out on the community building and healing opportunities our work provides.
A large part of my role at LEJ is coordinating volunteer events. Going on stage to accept the award made me value all that hard work and all those beautiful people in a new way. I truly feel like I was receiving the award on behalf of them, and those that came before. My deepest appreciations go out to our volunteers. Keep up the good work! Our future depends on it!”
– Ryan Tachibana, LEJ’s Community Programs Coordinator
We are grateful to the many partners, collaborators, and donors that make our work possible and allow us to run our volunteer programs. And we appreciate the time, energy, and love that volunteers pour into the native plants at our nursery and every inch of the Candlestick Point State Recreation Area.
Click here to view a video of LEJ receiving the NEN Award. Special thanks to Pouneh Ghaffarian for recording it!
Click here to learn more about the Neighborhood Empowerment Network!
If you’re interested in learning more about our volunteer opportunities, please visit our calendar.