The California Community Foundation and The Eisner Foundation honored L.A. Goal last week for their outstanding service to the community at the 2011 Unsung Heroes of Los Angeles Awards, an event celebrating the power and impact of philanthropy in the city. L.A. Goal received The Joan Palevsky Award for Outstanding Nonprofits in the Arts.
“Our art programs are important, just as important as educating the community about the abilities of people with developmental disabilities. We expect our members to provide that education through their art and their words,” Executive Director Petite Konstantin, MPA, told the crowd. “We hope we can show the community that there is a magical reciprocity that happens when people with developmental disabilities include us in their lives, and when we include them in ours.”
Konstantin was joined on stage by Lisie, a part-time, paid artist and mentor with the Culver City-based nonprofit. For the artists at L.A. Goal, the art we make is more than a pretty picture. Our art has become the bridge that gives us increased self esteem, the ability to talk to people and the key to leading independent lives,” Lisie told to the audience. “On behalf of all the artists at L.A. Goal, I thank the Eisner Foundation and the California Community Foundation for recognizing that we are capable.”
Presenting the awards were Jane Eisner of the Eisner Foundation; Antonia Hernandez, Esq., president and CEO of the California Community Foundation; Sheldon M. Stone, chair of the California Community Foundation; and celebrities Eva Longoria, Chandra Wilson, Patt Morrison and Maulik Pancholy.
L.A. Goal provides opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities to increase their independence and employability through educational, vocational and recreational programs. Its art and outreach activities educate the community about the abilities of people with disabilities.
Pictures and video footage from the ceremony are available at
