Park AwardsPast Park Heroes: Where Are They Now?
Park Heroes come from every corner of L.A. Some are fulltime employees. Others are volunteers. All have a “can-do” attitude and community spirit to spare. PFP has honored scores of heroes since our first Parks Celebration in 2002, and will recognize a new class at the Oct. 6 dinner. Meanwhile, we looked back on three previous honorees to see what they’ve been doing since their recognition.
Don Johnson was honored in 2004 for decades of nurturing talented youngsters and giving them an opportunity to perform in South Los Angeles parks. “You would be surprised how many kids have talent but don’t get a chance to share it.”
Instead of organizing talent shows, where participants compete for prizes, Johnson created showcases with no winners or losers, only performers. He named his effort Family Productions to give kids from broken homes a feeling of support and safety.
During the 1990s, Johnson has a string of successes when he put together Tyrese, Brandy, Ray J and Lisa Tucker with record producers and talent scouts. “A lot of kids got ‘discovered’ and are millionaires today.”
Johnson has worked for the County Dept. of Parks and Rec for almost 40 years. He remains based at Ted Watkins Park. His July showcase was a tribute to Michael Jackson. The next event will be in February. “I will keep doing this until God calls me.”
Albert Gomez was also honored in 2004. During summers, Gomez produced summer concerts and movies in Duarte’s Pamela Park. The recreation supervisor did everything from negotiating with banks to engineering sound at the concerts. “I wear a lot of hats.”
Being named a Park Hero opened doors for Gomez, who was soon promoted to Recreation Manager in East Agency. The area stretches from Pasadena to Whittier, and from East Los Angeles to Covina.
In 2005, Gomez used federal funds for juvenile crime prevention to organize parenting classes in Salazar Park. During the past four years he has extended the program to six parks in the East Agency. Some parents who went through classes now volunteer in the program.
“When people think about recreation, they have a stereotype of us giving out balls and keeping track of equipment, but we do so much more.”
Greg Thomas was honored in 2007 for his work as a CLASS – Clear and Safe Spaces – Parks Coordinator for the City of Los Angeles. At the time, Thomas was in charge of a mentoring program for 50 boys and 50 girls. The young interns went hiking, snowboarding and on other outdoor activities, but the program’s foundation was a weekly series of academic classes.
“Success was measured by how many kids participated, how great the program’s impact was on them, and how they were affected academically and socially.”
Thomas was recently named Senior Facility Director for Watts Housing Centers, and has been helping lead People for Parks’ South L.A. Initiative. From his base at Nickerson Recreation Center, he revived a community garden, is about to launch a second season of a character-building basketball league at Markham Middle School, and is helping reorganize programs at several local parks into a more effective cluster.
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