LA84 celebrates 40th anniversary with block party

LA84 Foundation celebrated its 40th Anniversary with a block party on National Day of Play, closing the street of West Adams Boulevard between Cimarron Street and St. Andrews Place.

Parents and children walked to the event, ready to play soccer, basketball, volleyball, wall tennis, scooters and jump rope. It was a humid 78 degrees in sunny Los Angeles but at any given time between 10am and 3pm there were at least 200 people passing by and viewing the booths while kids played on West Adams street, which was closed off to traffic for the event. 

Different organizations were invited by LA84 to have a booth and give free goodies to attendees, including grocery bags from Kaiser Permanente, backpacks and assorted items as well as information on how to continue a healthy lifestyle. 

LA84 supports youth sport and public education about the role of sports in positive youth development. 

“[Sports are] about being able to pick yourself up when you fail and show up the next day,” Natalie Mahdesian from Servicon Cares said, “it’s about having that sense of security and commitment to something beyond yourself.”

On stage between performers, Councilmember Heather Hutt, representing District 10 in Los Angeles, delivered a plaque to LA84 for their work on National Day of Play. 

California State Senator Josh Newman talked about the Recess Bill, which requires elementary students to receive at least 30 minutes every day of free unstructured time to play and socialize. Teachers are no longer allowed to punish students by taking away recess time. 

After the presentations, the last performance of the day was East L.A. band Las Cafeteras, who closed their set with their version of “La Bamba Rebelde.” They also performed “El Chuchumbé,” “La Sirena” and “Cumbia de mi barrio” from their new album “A Night in Nepantla.” 

Many people came walking to the event because they live close by. Gisela Dominguez, 30, who attended the block party with her mother, said she works with autistic kids and sees these types of events as a good thing for the community.

Miriam Martinez, 40, assisted the event with her husband and two-year-old daughter. Martinez said they decided to come “because it’s in the neighborhood and it’s free, so we said ‘let’s go!’” 

Abraham Hernandez, team member of Angel City Football Club (ACFC) said they were invited to have a booth at the play day event and decided to participate. 

LAFC, the L.A. Galaxy and other sports organizations also participated in the event with booths and fun activities for the children in attendance.