Statement from City Year LA Executive Director, Dr. Sandra Cano, Amid Wildfires

Statement from Dr. Sandra Cano, Executive Director for City Year Los Angeles: Empowering Los Angeles Youth and School Communities After Wildfires

City Year Los Angeles, in the wake of recent wildfires, reaffirms commitment to student healing, serving LA youth, and recovery

Los Angeles, CA (January 15, 2025) – Today, in response to the devastating wildfires that have impacted students and school communities throughout Los Angeles, Dr. Sandra Cano, Executive Director for City Year Los Angeles, issued the following statement:

“City Year Los Angeles has always been an organization rooted in the school communities that we serve throughout our beloved city. Every day, City Year LA AmeriCorps members serve as mentors, tutors, and role models in school communities, helping students in under-resourced schools overcome obstacles and achieve their full potential. As LAUSD students have returned to school this week, our City Year LA AmeriCorps members returned with them, committed – as always – to serving Los Angeles youth during this difficult time. 

In times of crisis, City Year LA AmeriCorps members have consistently risen to the occasion. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Los Angeles, City Year LA AmeriCorps members pivoted to provide virtual learning support, ensuring students stayed connected to their education amidst unprecedented challenges. 

Now, as wildfires have left students, families, and schools in urgent need of stability, support, and hope, City Year LA is mobilizing our AmeriCorps members as a powerful force for rebuilding and renewal. Our City Year LA AmeriCorps members are back in school communities, assisting schools in reopening and creating welcoming environments for displaced students, leading student enrichment programs, and providing academic and emotional support to students struggling with trauma.

Our City Year LA AmeriCorps members’ commitment to the communities they serve is a powerful reminder of the impact we can have when we come together, especially in moments like this.

I’d like to extend my deepest gratitude to our staff and our City Year LA AmeriCorps members who have risen to the occasion to provide Los Angeles students with comfort and safety during what has been an uncertain time. Thank you for being the pillars of support that our students can count on, and for your commitment to students across Los Angeles as we begin to recover and rebuild, together.”

About City Year

City Year is a trailblazing, youth-powered organization with a dual mission: expanding educational opportunity for students furthest from opportunity and developing diverse leaders through national service. Research shows the more time a student spends with a City Year AmeriCorps member serving as student success coach, the better the student outcomes-academically and emotionally. A public-private partnership, City Year is a proud member of AmeriCorps, operating in 29 U.S. cities with international affiliates in the U.K. and South Africa. Today, 37,000 alums continue to lead and serve where they live and work. Learn more about City Year: www.cityyear.org, lnstagram and Linkedln.

MEDIA INQUIRIES

Athena Martinez, amartinez9@cityyear.org | (323) 439-4951