The Wright Race 5k

Green space, park access, and trees

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

As a career educator I have professional and formal learning experiences with the issues that we seek to address. I have previously served as a teacher, an athletic director, and head football coach in similar communities across the country creating the intended impact on a smaller scale. Since moving to California I have been the Founding Business Operations Manager for KIPP Compton Community Upper School where I was able to apply my community development expertise to integrate the new middle school with prominent leaders and organizations in the City of Compton. I have since developed a team of partners in South LA who are ready to impact communities directly with projects centered around wellness and community development. So now, instead of impacting communities through schools, we will impact communities directly.

The Wright Race 5k is a Community Impact Project that can be transformative to communities because it will bring people together and empower them in targeted ways. Each race will include beautification efforts whether the event is based in a park or a school. There will also be a cleanup with a fruit and vegetable garden installation. When possible, murals will be installed but at minimum inspiring images and affirmations will be included. We bring entire communities to celebrate educational achievements and aspirations while exposing the community to locally owned businesses to give owners a chance to reintegrate with their community. Each garden installation comes with a sustainability log that helps the community play an active role in improving their own access to healthy food options.

When successful, LA County will have transformed their parks and school green spaces to be functional components of the communities they serve. Children will grow up with gardening and growing their own food as a common fact of their life which transforms the way generations think about food and ultimately make decisions about what they eat. LA County will become more health conscious and inviting to habits of wellness in communal spaces. Communities will also become more supportive of themselves economically. We will teach the impact and processes necessary to circulate your dollar within your own community.

We will measure success by the amount of scholarship funds raised at each event, completed gardens and food production estimates, family satisfaction with beautification efforts, and overall satisfaction of all participants involved including racers and volunteers. We will know that we are successful when communities and their leaders reach out to us to bring our transformative project to them. We want to build functional gardens in as many parks as possible in LA County.

The Collextive Group - Fiscal Sponsor
Dennis Wright A&T - Event Organizer, Logistics, Partnerships, Operations, Strategy
City of Compton Recreation Dept - Host (for inaugural and subsequent events in Compton)
Bevida Wellness - Wellness Director, Garden Restoration, Garden Sustainability Plan
What's ya Vibe? - Director of Intentional Aesthetics