Urban Compass pointing in the right direction

Within the great expanse that is Los Angeles, non profit organizations bring the focus back to the individual and do what they can to best serve their unique community. At SCORES, we have fostered a great relationship with the community and families of Palms in West LA. Similarly, the organization Urban Compass has made a large impact on students in the community of Watts. Their after school program at Verbum Dei High School serves 26 students, four days a week for two and half hours a day. It involves the hard work of their staff, a dedicated volunteer base from local schools and universities and the passion of the students participating. This has allowed them to grow an even greater network of community support and mentorship than their walls may lead you to believe.

Recently, Urban Compass partnered with Pharmaka to create an exhibit of student art work inspired by the great Andy Warhol. Some of the work and process are featured in an on-line photo album on the LA Times website which you can access by clicking the picture above. You can also continue on to Urban Compass’s website to learn more about their organization by clicking the logo below.

Even though organizations like Urban Compass or LA SCORES may only serve a small portion of greater Los Angeles the impact of their work can be seen and felt by everyone. It is important to remember that “every waterfall begins with a drop”; SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL NON-PROFITS!

Huevos Rancheros with Pico de Gallo

In the context of our busy lives certain things are bound to fall by the wayside for the sake of time and money. More often than not, these things include our health and in particular the food we eat. One way to avoid this is by finding healthy recipes with a short prep time. There are a lot of websites where you can find healthy recipes, that fit within your budget and schedule. Here is a recipe for a delicious traditional Mexican dish that is both healthy and fast. Enjoy

PICO DE GALLO:
Ingredients:
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups of chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
3 jalapeno peppers
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation:
Combine ingredients and serve or refrigerate

PREP TIME: 20 minutes
SERVING SIZE: 1/2 cup (6 servings)
NUTRITIONAL FACTS: 34 calories, 8 g carbohydrates, 0 total fat

HUEVOS RANCHEROS with PICO DE GALLO
Ingredients:
4 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
Nonstick cooking spray
1 1/2 cups egg substitute
2 tablespoons shredded Cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese
2 cups Pico de Gallo (see above)
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper


PREPARATION:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Lightly brush tortillas with oil on both sides and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until tortillas are crisp on the edges and starting to brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. Spray a large skillet with non stick cooking spray.
4. Pour egg substitute in skillet. Cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until eggs are cooked through.
5. Place equal amount of eggs on top of each tortilla and top with 1/2 tablespoon cheese.
6. Place under broiler for about 2 minutes until cheese is melted. Spoon Pico de Gallo on each tortilla and top with ground black pepper.

PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIMES: 15 minutes
SERVING SIZE: 1 tortilla
NUTRITIONAL FACTS: 146 calories, 4 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat

*Recipes from Healthy Latino Recipes by Champions for Change

CHECK THEM OUT AND FIND MORE RECIPES HERE!

GAME ON!!

With the the Spring sun at its peak and the ocean breeze keeping us cool, our game day last Friday was pure LA fun! Check out this slide show of photos from the day as our kids enjoyed the second to last game day of the season. If you can't see the slide show click HERE to see the album online.

For their community service project, the girls' teams from Palms Elementary organized a community clothing drive. Families and students brought bags and bags full of clothes to donate to those in need. The drive was an enormous success, bringing in full car loads worth of donated items. The clothes were given to Chrysalis, an organization that helps "economically disadvantaged and homeless individuals become self-sufficient through employment opportunities." Hopefully the efforts of our small community can benefit others all over Los Angeles.

To learn more about Chrysalis, click this link to visit their website.

Thank you to all the LA SCORES students and coaches who made this possible and the Palms Elementary community for embracing this project. LA SCORES would also like to give a special thanks to Justin Portaz from Hogan and Hartson, who filled his car, past its capacity, to transport the clothes from our office to Chrysalis (Who needs to see through their back windows anyways?).

If you can't the slideshow above, click here to view the photo album online.

Inspiring positive change through soccer!

America SCORES prides itself on utilizing sports as a means to inspire positive change in people and communities. Under this same mission, the Homeless World Cup seeks to improve the lives of the in-need participants who make up the teams in it's tournament. The annual tournament brings together international teams of players who are either homeless, have mental illness or deal substance abuse or are otherwise excluded. The tournament, that started in 2003 with 18 national teams and has since expanded to include 56 nations and the first Women's Cup in 2008.

The Homeless World Cup has a significant impact on the lives of its participants. 73% of the players involved, changed "their lives for the better for the better by coming off drugs and alcohol, moving into jobs, education, homes, training, reuniting with families and even going on to become players and coaches for pro or semi-pro football teams."

Ambassadors of the Cup include Eric Cantona, Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand. This years Cup will be held in Milan September 6-13. Follow the link below to learn more and see how you can get involved.

HOMELESS WORLD CUP!

Classic Art With Contemporary Culture

The Bilingual Foundation of Arts is a theater that cherishes classical art forms and sees the necessity of infusing it with contemporary culture. The Bilingual Foundation of Arts' mission is "to serve communities by presenting classic Spanish language drama and contemporary plays on Hispanic themes to English- and Spanish-speaking audiences, thereby bringing awareness of the diversity of the Hispanic culture through theater." The performances are educational, entertaining and ,often times, interactive. The intimacy of the theater itself promotes a sense of community within the audience and the messages conveyed through the plays only reinforce this value. The Bilingual Foundation is a great place to go as a family and can bridge generations through youthful and vibrant acting and important traditional values. It also embodies Los Angeles' rich artistic presence and its diverse cultural heritage. Please click the masks below to be redirected to the Bilingual Foundation of Arts website.

SOL shines bright on a cloudy day!

On an unusually cold and cloudy Tuesday at Braddock Dr. Elementary LA SCORES students stayed warm playing soccer with the LA SOL. The Womens' Professional Soccer team LA SOL had their first visit with our program that day a few weeks ago and has since made regular appearances during soccer practice and one writing class. They have played in some raucous scrimmages, intense battles of survival in sharks vs minnows, and have made kids' days as they chose their names to be recipients of giants pens, kites or other goodies as rewards for good behavior.

The level of enthusiasm and excitement that the SOL exhibits has been contagious. It has spread to every boy and girl on the playground and energized our coaches with emphatic examples of what positive role models can do. The SOL have worked hard to establish relationships with our students regardless of language barriers (Thank You Aya and Camile), demographics and celebrity. Very telling of the bonds formed was when students invited SOL players to their school's open house. "We are supposed to bring our parents or brothers or sisters or grandparents but can you come with me?"

All the players have been impressive in so many different ways. Not only with their talent and abilities on the ball, but also with their abilities to communicate with the kids and become teachers and role models so quickly. From the students and staff at LA SCORES we want to send a special THANK YOU to Camile Abily, Brittany Bock, Liz Bogus, Stephanie Cox, Katie Larkin, Aya Miyama, Lisa Sari and Kendall Fletcher! And another thank you to the entire LA SOL organization! Your involvement has been invaluable and we look forward to our continued work together!

**Click the players names above to see player profiles and the LA SOL webpage**

• Pictures: Top: Group shot of Braddock students and SOL players (from left to right) Stephanie Cox, Lisa Sari, Aya Miyama, and Katie Larkin
• Left: Stephanie Cox showing off her moves to Tyanni with Alexa looking on in amazement!
• Right: Katie Larkin looking down field with Lisa Sari right on her heels.
• Bottom: Aya Miyama high fives her team after a successful game!