2023.03 -- US Storybook 2022 updated 4.14 - Flipbook - Page 67
store that the community is willing to buy into and be a part of. She explains that her
job “just feels different.” For Diana and her employees, it’s about more than folding
shirts or organizing shoes. They’ve found purpose in leveraging their position to be
involved with local organizations, build bridges, and establish connections that feel
safe, and lead to long-lasting and impactful relationships, both inside and outside of
the store.
PeacePlayers LA started partnering with Diana and the local Community Store in
Watts in 2021 and has since worked with over 10 ambassadors. It all started with
ambassadors joining PeacePlayers’ virtual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Event in 2021,
and has since evolved into NCAs becoming crucial volunteer coaches for weekly
in-person programming in locations around Watts. Evan Unrau, PeacePlayers Los
Angeles Director, explains, “Coming out of the pandemic we really saw a staffing
shortage everywhere, it was hard to find coaches who fit our work and were available
for the number of programming sessions we had going on. Our full-time team was
being stretched thin, I was coaching at every session so they really have come in and
saved the day. We typically get 3-4 NCAs at all of our programs so that has really
helped us to have a stronger programming presence with the kids and has allowed us
to increase the number of youth we work with … We support them and they support
us, it’s a beautiful community of beautiful people aligned in mission.”
Not only has PeacePlayers benefited greatly from the partnership but Diana and
the Nike Watts Team also describe their experiences with PeacePlayers as having a
profound impact on them. Through the organization’s core values, Diana has been
inspired in her leadership to see people as people, and “implement as much emotional
depth as I want into things [without being] scared to do it.”
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