What a Day! 🌿
Sixty neighbors, nature lovers, and first-time weeders showed up and showed OUT for a sun-soaked day of community, curiosity, and getting gloriously dirty together.
The incomparable Jason Wise led the charge with a lively deep-dive into Native Plant Education & Foraging — the kind of walk where you look at a “weed” and suddenly realize it’s been feeding people for centuries. Adults were scribbling mental notes; kids were just eating things (supervised, don’t worry).
Monarch Super Hero Stephanie Orellana, repping Ascot Hills Park and El Serenity Garden, brought the milkweed magic with planting and soil health demos so good that people left not just inspired but actually armed with plants to take home. And nature, being the showoff she is, sent along a few guest caterpillars to seal the deal. Pure chaos. Pure joy.
The incredible Caitlin Stamos and the crew from CivicSoul.org arrived with Heroes ready to battle the invasives that had made themselves a little too comfortable in the habitat. Yes, there was weeding. There was a LOT of weeding. There were smiles anyway.
Big love to Monarch Mami and Help on the Go for bringing our youth Heroes, and to our family at Friends of Elysian Park for bringing the neighbors — because what’s a village without them?
And a heartfelt thank you to Eunisses Hernandez from Council District 14 — her staff has been by our side at every single session, sleeves rolled up and ready to work, and at this event showed up with official recognition certificates from the City of Los Angeles — a beautiful acknowledgment of what this community is building together. 🙏
And to the board of ADCCLA — thank you for believing in this, always.
None of this happens without our volunteers. Every single one of you. We mean it when we say it takes a village — because it genuinely, absolutely does. 💚
