JLLA Centennial: Green Meadows Park Building Transformation

Green space, park access, and trees

City of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a citywide benefit) Central LA East LA South LA

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Los Angeles has hundreds of public parks that serve as critical spaces for youth, families, and neighbors to gather, learn, and heal. Many are underfunded and unevenly maintained. In South Los Angeles, the Green Meadows Recreation Center includes a shuttered Early Head Start building that has sat unused since the pandemic. The space is structurally sound but lacks the upgrades needed for safe, community use. Meanwhile, organizations serving foster youth, young parents, and housing-insecure families are facing federal funding cuts, reducing access to programs just as community needs rise. Our project addresses both challenges. We are reviving neglected public spaces in underserved neighborhoods and supporting youth-centered services by creating a new hub for programming, belonging, and joy.

This grant will support the ongoing construction of a vacant Head Start building at Green Meadows Park into a vibrant two-studio dance and cheer facility. Working with LA City Recreation and Parks, and led by a women-owned contractor, Girl Flip Construction, Junior League of Los Angeles (JLLA) is renovating the 2,000-square-foot building with upgraded flooring, lighting, soundproofing, ADA-compliant restrooms, ballet bars, mirrors, and new windows for natural light. The space will also include a book nook and indoor-outdoor activity areas.

We have already completed three full volunteer workdays, with members handling outdoor clean-up, garden planting, privacy fencing, and painting as pre-work prior to construction. Construction began summer 2025 and will conclude by fall. The facility will host free youth classes in dance, cheer, and music in partnership with local nonprofits and schools, including USC’s Graduate Music School. This project is part of JLLA’s Centennial: Legacy of Impact campaign and represents a scalable model for future park renovations.

With over 900 trained volunteers and only a few paid staff, JLLA brings both professional skills and physical labor. Our volunteers show up with shovels, gloves, and project management tools in hand. We bridge gaps left by funding shortages, using hands-on leadership to serve communities across Los Angeles.

This project will convert an abandoned building into a welcoming, active hub for youth and families in South LA. The renovated space will host free community programming including dance, cheer, and music. It will provide safe, consistent, and enriching options for children and teens. It will also relieve pressure on partner organizations that have faced service cuts due to shifting federal funding.

This space will be a model that can be replicated across other parks. It will be sustained through our strong relationship with LA Recreation and Parks. As JLLA enters our 100th year, we are creating not just a building, but a template. This model puts trained volunteers, trusted community partnerships, and flexible response into action. Our long-term vision is a city where underused public spaces are transformed into accessible, joy-filled centers of growth, co-created by and for the people who use them.