Summer Night Lights Press Conference

A Better LA's Pete Carroll addressing the media about the Summer Night Lights program where 16 parks will have extended hours to help curb violence in our inner-cities.

Mayor Villaraigosa poses with the Youth Squad - 160 teenage paid interns who will work at the parks this summer.

Coach Carroll meeting the Youth Squad.

Coach Carroll with ABLA/SNL Intern Danielle Tate.

For more information on the Summer Night Lights program please read this article in the LA Times. 

Dodger's Andre Ethier hosts Best Buy Shopping Spree for youth from ABLA/CURE

How many of us have walked through a Best Buy and wished that you could go on a shopping spree on someone else's dime? Well, on Friday, for 14 special West Athens kids, that was exactly what happened. Andre Ethier of the LA Dodgers took the kids on a shopping spree to the West Hollywood Best Buy. What an exciting morning! There were smiles and laughs all around as kids loaded up on Nintendo's, Ipod's, DVD's and more. Of course, kids weren't just loading up for themselves, they were also buying presents for their moms, dads, sisters and brothers as well. Andre was a great sport too, offering the kids advice and feedback on what they should buy, as well as taking the time to sign every autograph and pose for every picture requested of him. While Andre has taken kids on shopping sprees before, it's his first time doing so with A Better LA and CURE and we're so glad he decided to help out. The kids who got to go on the shopping spree have worked very hard in school to earn this trip and it was terrific to see them rewarded for their efforts. We're trying to reinforce to these kids that hard work can produce postiive rewards, and it was so great of Andre, the Dodgers, and Best Buy to help us hammer home that message. Thanks to everyone who made this morning possible. - Josh White, A Better LA Intern

July 4th FREE COMMUNITY CONCERT & FIREWORKS EXTRAVAGANZA

Presented By Councilmember Bernard C. Parks, District 8, KJLH 102.3 FM

A BETTER LA, A Foundation for Kids, Unity One

On the Lawn outside the LA Coliseum located at

3911 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90037

Radio Broadcast and Live Music begin at 3pm

Food and snacks for sale, carnival games with prizes and bounce houses

FIREWORKS at 9pm

To volunteer with A Better LA at this event contact volunteer@abetterla.org

A Better LA in the LA Times

"With crime in decline, a fragile sense of hope"
By: Scott Gold - June 7, 2009

A Better LA Executive Director Brian Center: "There is a sense of possibility here," said Brian Center, executive director of A Better LA, a nonprofit that combats violence in South L.A., funding gang intervention, "moonlight" basketball teams and other programs. "There is an opportunity right now to change things, to not repeat the mistakes of the past, to not screw it up this time."

A Better LA Board Member Mark Olvera: "It's all about respect," said Capt. Mark Olvera, who oversees Newton and is widely credited with helping to implement a more sophisticated and responsive style of policing there. "That dignity you give them is going to pay you back in the long run."

For full article click here.

Mourning a Loss

This is why A Better LA exists, and why it will not relent in its pursuit for peace on the streets of inner-city Los Angeles.

Coach Carroll spent the morning at the memorial service for Dannie Farber Jr., the Narbonne High School football player who was gunned down at a Compton restaurant two weeks ago.

Farber, who police have determined has no gang connections, was shot and killed in an apparent gang-related attack in South Los Angeles on May 24 while eating dinner with a date. Set to graduate June 19 and potentially play football collegiately, Farber was an All-City wide receiver on the Los Angeles City co-champion Narbonne High squad.

Instead of acting as a discouragement for the positive work in the inner-city by groups such as A Better LA, the service was uplifting and hopeful, Carroll said.

"All the speakers talked about how we'll grow from this -- it's an illustration of why we need to do something," Carroll said this afternoon. "It's continuing to echo throughout Los Angeles that people are really ready to go. Dannie's passing was another call to arms for everyone."

Legendary musician Stevie Wonder was a surprise performer at the ceremony in Gardena, bringing the mourners both to joy and tears.

"Holy mackerel, he was spectacular," Carroll said of Wonder. "He started playing and then broke out in the Lord's Prayer, and everyone was cheering and crying. It was emotional, amazing, incredible."

By: Ben Malcomson, USC Rips It Blog

Marshall Madness

The Marshall Graduate School of Business held their 3rd annual“Marshall Madness” on Saturday, May 22nd at the North Gym on the USCcampus. The “Madness” is a 3 on 3 basketball tournament for studentsin the graduate program, and there was great competition amongst the 4teams that battled in the double elimination format.

The real winner of the day didn’t make one basket. That’s because thenet proceeds in excess of $1,000, contributed by the tournamentplayers and friends, were donated to A Better LA.

There were some great raffle prizes for the donors, including PeteCarroll autographed t-shirts and footballs, football game tickets forthe USC opener against San Jose State, and food certificates from someof the local area restaurants. Even after 3 hours of basketball, theplayers were still enthusiastic about the prizes and interested inlearning how A Better LA functions as an organization and finds success in its work.


It is exciting to receive support and understanding from the greatbusiness leaders of the near future, and think about how they cancontinue to make a difference in their efforts with A Better LA.

Glory to greater Glory

When you realize within, “I am on the planet as a localization of a cosmic event,” you are claiming your identity as a local distribution center for delivering what is happening throughout and beyond the cosmos: love, beauty, compassion, joy, creativity, harmony, peace. Sure challenges arise, but you relate to them in their proper context—as rich material to work with. You live as a co-creative agent with the Spirit to fully express your unique identity. As you begin to love and appreciate yourself, you realize that all beings are an emanation of First Cause, and so it becomes natural to express compassion, forgiveness and to pray that everyone experiences the glory of their existence. You begin to realize that how you see the world and what you experience are projections of the quality of your own consciousness. Equipped with this insight, you quit demanding that circumstances and people change, and instead you take self-responsibility and work within yourself for a transformation in consciousness. Your life becomes an ongoing revelation so that you literally live from glory to greater glory. You consciously choose to live by the evolutionary principles governing the universe. You accept that there is an innate greatness within you that must be disturbed into action, so you welcome challenges as a vehicle for awakening to your true nature. You begin each day with an attitude that “this is the best day of my life, and by the end of this day I will have a deeper realization about the universe, about the Invisible, about myself and the true art of living.” In these ways you go about living the wisdom that your true identity is not determined by anything or anyone outside of yourself.

Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith
Director of Agape International Spiritual Center

The Clergy and Lay Institute for Violence Prevention May 28, 2009

May 28, 2009
The Clergy and Lay Institute for Violence Prevention on May 28, 2009 proved to be both inspiring and informative to all of the students of the program. It was the second of three programs focusing on the integration of church into community intervention and participation in countering gang violence. The institute generously provided a Mexican dinner for all in attendance.

The program began with a praise and worship service in both English and Spanish that brought everyone to their feet. The Speaker commented that, “life is not what you expect, but life is what you inspect,” and further added “life is 10% what you bring to it and dealing with 90% of what it brings to you,” further encouraging the audience.

Alexia Salvatierra the Executive Director of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice succeeded the worship service speaking about how unfortunately Los Angeles is not a united community, and how we must all work together to find unity. Alexia concluded her speech with asking attendees to discuss what their goals are, what some community goals are, and what kind of road blocks they face. She concluded with calling for a moment of silence for everyone to commit to turning these goals into realities.

Javier Stauring, the Director of Faith Communities for Families and Children, delivered his speech next. He focused on the trust that must be developed between individuals, families, and communities. He recognized that positive and trusting environments are crucial to stopping gang violence. Bill Martinez, the Coalition Director of the Violence Prevention Coalition, followed Stauring, and centered his speech around the necessity of building and developing a common language in order to be more effective in communication and advocacy.

A Better LA’s own Executive Director, Brian Center, was in the last group of speakers. He spoke to the group beholding the theme that children are inherently good, and some who may have taken a wrong step are in need of help from the community. He also acknowledged the power Los Angeles’ Churches hold. He shared the enormous amount of funding that could be raised, for gang intervention, if each church took an initiative to fundraise. As a community, it is imperative that we do not lose hope and do not lose sight of the goal, of ultimately helping individuals in need, and creating an overall better and safe community environment.

The program was a huge success as participants were willing to extend the program which was running overtime. They were all invested and eager to learn how they may be able to make a positive difference and help the community of Los Angeles.