Volunteers Sought for Venice YouthBuild Cleanup Friday

Community members are being asked to join 20 students in a street cleanup Friday and a celebration of their upcoming graduation and community service.

The students are part of the Venice YouthBuild program run by the nonprofit Venice Community Housing Corporation. The cleanup will include 10 staffers from Venice Community Housing Corp. and will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a reception afterward at the Vera Davis McClendon Youth and Family Center, the nonprofit said in a press release.

The Venice YouthBuild program provides at-risk youths ages 18 to 24 with opportunities to earn their high school diploma and gain job skills while working on weekly service projects.

Volunteers interested in helping can meet at the Vera Davis Center, 610 California Ave., at 9:45 a.m. and are encouraged to bring their own work gloves. Groups comprised of staff, students and volunteers will be assigned to specific areas for beautification.

Big Daddy & Son's and James' Beach have provided food, but additional donations of food, drinks and cleanup supplies would still be apprecieated.

Venice Community Housing was founded in 1988 to serve low-income members in the Venice community.

Venice YouthBuild is modeled on a national YouthBuild USA program and provides job training, work experience opportunities, leadership development and community service projects, career guidance and individualized instruction at the nonprofit's John Muir Charter School.