Nearly 300 volunteers from the Santa Monica Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, along with members of the surrounding community, came together to beautify Grand View Elementary School in the Westside neighborhood of Mar Vista on Saturday, April 27.
Volunteers spent the day cleaning, painting, reorganizing classrooms, refinishing picnic tables, and adding splashes of color throughout the schoolyard.
Large murals were also painted on some of the school’s outside walls.
“What happened today is generosity in the extreme, to turn a school with absolutely no color into one of the most beautiful places to be on earth. I have teachers coming up to me with their faces so bright and happy, and everyone is excited,” said Tonya King, project coordinator and mother of a Kindergartener at Grand View Elementary.
Levi Heath, President, Santa Monica Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, said its members were thrilled to work together with members of the community to enrich the lives of children, parents and teachers at Grand View Elementary.
The service project is one of hundreds that took place Saturday across California, in which more than 75,000 volunteers participate annually through Mormon Helping Hands, a Church program dedicated to providing local community service and disaster relief. Volunteers are recognizable by their bright yellow t-shirts and vests bearing the Mormon Helping Hands logo.
