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When you grow up playing sports with your four brothers, you learn to be tough. At least that’s the way it worked out for Alondra Almeida, a third-year Playworks AmeriCorps Coach who’s known as Coach Lahni. “It helped me not to give up, not to quit, and it also taught me a lot of patience,”…

“Today I got to hang in a world where Rock Paper Scissors solves all and Fortnite dances are the new hello,” stated Meagan Kong, professional dancer/athlete and Adidas ambassador, in an Instagram post about her experience at a Playworks event.  #adidaswomenla From indoor recess to cooperative after-school games, it was a day to start breaking down barriers and…

Playworks AmeriCorps Coaches serve their communities every time they step onto a school playground, so you’d think they’d grab the chance to take a holiday off. But instead, dozens of Playworks Coaches, staff members, and their families chose to join together on the National Day of Service to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther…

Existing Executive Director Stepping Down, Associate Director Named Interim Executive Director LaVal Brewer has announced that he is stepping down from his role as Executive Director of Playworks Southern California. Effective February 11, 2019, LaVal will begin serving as the Director of Business Development and Partnerships at OneOC in Orange County, CA. He is looking…

A 4th grader who never smiled. A 5th grader who played kickball every recess but never allowed other kids to kick and run the bases. And two boys who got into fights constantly at recess. Those were just a few of the students who learned how to play well together by participating in Playworks’ Recess…

Playworks Southern California has just completed our first league for the 2018–2019 school year, and it included more than 350 girls from inner-city schools across LA County and Orange County who were learning to play basketball. Playworks coaches recruited girls who had very limited exposure to the sport and would shy away from playing basketball…

Playworks is proud to receive the 2018 Top-Rated Award by GreatNonprofits, the leading provider of user reviews about nonprofit organizations. “Playworks is a great example of a nonprofit making a real difference in their community,” said Perla Ni, CEO of GreatNonprofits. “Their award is well-deserved recognition not only of their work, but the tremendous support…

Sometimes there’s something even better than a “win-win.” In the case of Playworks’ Recess Reboot at Griffin Avenue Elementary School, it’s more a case of a win-win-win. As part of the USC Good Neighbors Grant Program, Playworks Instructional Coach Roxana Colmenares visited the school for four days in November to lead a Recess Reboot. Coach…

AEG, the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company, today announced that Playworks, a national nonprofit that supports learning and physical health by providing safe and inclusive play to low-income students in urban schools, has been granted an additional $25,000 from the AEG Community Foundation as the winner of the #SpreadCheer Challenge.