In honor of the Mayor’s Day of Service, Venice Community Housing Corp. (VCHC) and Rebuilding Together Greater LA brought together supplies and community volunteers to paint the home of longtime Venice resident Inez Crawford.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Councilman Bill Rosendahl arrived on the LADOT Trolley to help paint the home and support community volunteers. The March 15 Day of Service included more than 30 separate projects in Mar Vista, Venice, and Del Rey, including a garden project VCHC’s LA Bridges program helped with at Mark Twain Middle School. Over 30 volunteers and community members helped prime and paint Crawford’s house. Many volunteers were involved with community service organizations; others were neighbors. Painting advice and supervision was given by VCHC’s HandyWorker staff.
Ms. Inez Crawford moved to Venice in 1946 from Houston, Texas. She bought the house she lives in today in 1967. Crawford worked for many years as a vocational nurse at Wadsworth Medical Center until she was hit by a car, on her way to work, in 1987. She returned to her duties until she was unable to do so because of her physical condition and retired in 1989.
Several community members who helped with the project remember coming to Crawford’s house as youth. “We would come here to play basketball, play music, and hang out,” remembers Byron Jones, Venice resident and HandyWorker staff. Even today Crawford takes an interest in youth. “If I had the money, I would buy a plot of land and build the biggest youth center,” she says. “Young people need something to do, to keep them off the streets and out of trouble.”
Crawford was extremely pleased that so many people came together in the community to help out. It reminded her of days gone by. “This is wonderful. It’s almost overwhelming. I do appreciate it, and I am very satisfied,” she said.
For more information on VCHC, go to vchcorp.org.
