Carlos Collard ’03
1. Why is community service important to you?
It’s an opportunity to use your gifts to have an instant, positive impact on lives. All of us who were fortunate enough to attend a university have received assistance or support from one person or organization to help get us to where we are today. Imagine if we all used our innate talents to help others do the same.
2. How did you transform the idea into a reality?
It has always been important to me to be active within the community. After leaving Westwood, I was looking for ways to contribute to my new community. I published a newsletter to inform my neighbors of issues affecting us and the city resources at our disposal. A neighbor asked me to help form a certified neighborhood council. I had no clue what he was talking about, but it sounded like something positive.
A small group already had begun work when I joined the effort in December 2003. At my third meeting, I discovered that my neighbor had moved away, and that he had said I agreed to lead the group. To say that I was shocked is an understatement. I was flattered that he had thought that I could lead the effort and moved forward without wavering. I really had no idea what I was getting into.
3. Describe your neighborhood council. South Robertson Neighborhoods Council (SORO NC)?
It’s the South Robertson Neighborhoods Council or SORO NC. Think of it as a hybrid of grassroots activism and a city agency. SORO NC is nestled within a pocket of Los Angeles surrounded by Culver City, Beverly Hills and Mid-City and annually receives $50,000 from the City of Los Angeles to develop, organize, implement and monitor its own events, projects and initiatives. The inaugural board has been in office now for two years. Our volunteer board of 25 is elected by the public, and we get paid with compliments and complaints – the life of volunteer work. We must adhere to established city policies and procedures like any other elected or appointed government body, and we play a prominent role within the city’s decisions-making processes that affect our area. We also enjoy a unique independence that allows us to be creative, innovative and empowering as we strive to serve the collective interest of a diverse community of more than 50,000.
To give you an idea of our diversity, I serve as founding president of a board whose professions range from religion, law, real estate, public sector management, small business ownership, public school administration, entertainment and retirees. We even have a high school student on our board. We formed standing and ad hoc committees that focus on such issues as land use, the environment and public safety. We all share a passion for service to our community.
4. Where did the idea for this organization come from?
We are one of 88 neighborhood councils throughout the City of Los Angeles . The idea of a citywide system of independent and influential neighborhood councils was the centerpiece of the city charter that was approved by voters in 1999 .
5. Why did you choose to serve locally as opposed to a state or national level?
I saw a problem, identified means for improvement and pursued my ideas. I learned from my neighbors that that the community needed help in areas such as youth activities; bridging diverse ethnic, religious and socioeconomic groups; and fighting crime. I knew I could make an impact; that’s how I developed my idea for a block newsletter. I recognized that just that small effort quickly changed the lives of my neighbors. As I became more engaged in the neighborhood council movement, I immediately saw the potential to affect more lives and achieve even broader and more substantial results. That is the true beauty of neighborhood councils – tangible and immediate results by the people.
6. Who are the stakeholders and how do they benefit?
We define stakeholders as individuals who live, work, own property, attend school or are members of congregations or organizations within the SORO NC boundaries. Our board represents all of these groups, and not one group composes a majority of the board. Stakeholders are free to join any of our committees, volunteer in our activities, make presentations and share comments and insight at our monthly meetings.
I am proud of SORO NC because we have leveraged our diversity and freedom to be innovative and responsive in our service. Our activities range from festivals and forums to crisis response. Some of the projects and events we’ve coordinated and implemented include:
- An annual community-wide festival that unifies our diverse community and incorporates our nonprofit, corporate, small business, school and government resources. This year’s event drew about 4,000 people.
- The opening of an electronic waste recycling center.
- Multiple greening projects that have collected thousands of pounds of trash, planted numerous trees and eliminated graffiti.
- Quickly mobilizing community, education, religious and government leaders to coordinate multi-pronged responses to the murders of three youth in our area.
- An election forum for the Los Angeles City Council District 10 candidates.
- A survival expo that provided education on how to be prepared before, during and after a disaster and direct access to associated municipal and non-profit services.
7. Did your background impact what you are doing today?
I could write a whole book on this question. I come from a large multicultural family without a lot of wealth and possessions. But I had the most important thing – support. My parents provided a nurturing environment and supported my ambitions, especially my dream to attend college – a foreign dream to them because nobody in my immediate or extended family had ever gone to college. Although they were unfamiliar with what I was striving towards, they saw my desire to achieve it and embraced it. Now I engage in activities that allow me to help others achieve their dreams, regardless of whether I’m familiar with their ambitions or not.
I am truly blessed to have the life I live today. There were many times in my life when my fortunes easily could have been different. I aim to live life to its fullest and make the most of everyday because I know I have been granted treasures to provide to people in a world that is unfair and unequal. To maintain my focus and desire, at the end of the day I always ask myself “What have you really done today?”
8. What is the most gratifying part of your work?
I don’t even know where to begin. The past two-and-a-half years have been filled with gratifying moments, especially since a lot of our success was preceded by organizational challenges and extreme tests of my management and leadership abilities. But it’s gratifying to know that I am an integral part in building and refining an organization that the entire community, regardless of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, education or work experience can utilize and enjoy for years to come. It keeps me motivated to use my free time to continue to make SORO NC an organization that improves and unites our community.
9. What insights do you have for those who share a passion for community service?
We all have strengths and skills that we can use towards the endeavor of our choice. I’ve been involved with many efforts where just one day, one hour or one phrase of encouragement has made an immense impact.
The following quote from George Washington Carver motivates me and reminds me of my journey. “How far you go in life depends on being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong; because someday in your life, you will have been all of these.”
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