A UCLA banner in the rotunda at City Hall on UCLA Day in Downtown L.A.
Two outstanding UCLA community service programs were lauded for their "exemplary commitment to improving quality of life in Los Angeles" during a ceremony at L.A.’s City Hall on Oct. 17, when Chancellor Gene Block presented them with 2013 UCLA Community Program of the Year Awards. The awards are given by UCLA Government and Community Relations.
 
The First Star UCLA Bruin Guardian Scholars Summer Academy received the Catalyst Award for its efforts in helping young people in foster care — of whom there are 22,000 in L.A. County alone — to develop the skills and the aspirations needed to work toward a college degree.
 
The Riordan Programs at the UCLA Anderson School of Management earned the Landmark Award for 25 years of work in providing high school students from diverse backgrounds with leadership and management training through educational workshops, mentorship by Anderson M.B.A. students and community service.
 
The evening ceremony concluded the 10th annual UCLA Day in Downtown L.A., which brought UCLA leadership and Bruin Caucus volunteers together with Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles City Council members and members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
 
Garcetti and key members of his staff met that morning with Block;  Assistant Vice Chancellor Keith Parker and Executive Director Felicia Brannon of UCLA Government and Community Relations; and Edward Leamer, director of the UCLA Anderson Forecast. Members of the L.A. business community met during lunch with Block and Leamer, whom the mayor recently named to his Council of Economic Advisors.
 
Discussions ranged from UCLA’s valuable contributions to the community, to future collaborations to address job development, education and other important issues.
 
For more information, visit the UCLA Government and Community Relations website.