C e l e b r a t e L A

For Immediate Release

National Volunteer Recognition Week Began With a Tremendous Celebration Today (27) at The Rose Bowl in Pasadena , California, During CelebrateLA 2008

The Volunteer Center of Los Angeles-Assistance League of Southern California's (ALSC) First Annual CelebrateLA 2008 Honored LA's Finest Volunteers

One of the Largest Volunteer Events of Its Kind in the Nation, CelebrateLA 2008 Took Note and Recognized Outstanding Volunteers in Los Angeles County

Los Angeles, CA (April 27, 2008) National Volunteer Recognition Week began with a tremendous Celebration today (27) as The Volunteer Center of Los Angeles-Assistance League of Southern California (ALSC) hosted the inaugural CelebrateLA 2008 to show appreciation for Los Angeles County residents who gave their time to nonprofit organizations over the past year. "We should honor people and we should make them celebrities," noted Jim Leahy, executive director of the Volunteer Center of Los Angeles-ALSC.

Held at the Rose Bowl, celebrities, musical acts and CelebrateLA 2008 luminaries alike honored and recognized the volunteer contributions made by thousands of men and women in Los Angeles County.

Some of today’s big winners included Sony Pictures for Organization of the Year (Health-Human Services category); CVS Caremark All Kids Can for Organization of the Year (Philanthropic category); Emergency Medical Services Reserve of the Pasadena Fire Department for Organization of the Year (Emergency and Disaster Response category); Good News Foundation (Media & Entertainment category) and Devonshire Volunteer Surveillance Team (Government/Legal Services category).

With event support by Conciertos America Events, Guitar Center and Music Connection Magazine, CelebrateLA 2008 featured live music, speakers, booths, and heightened awareness about the need for volunteers and clearly demonstrated the message that Los Angeles County is a helpful place. C elebrities presented CelebrateLA awards as LA's hottest musical guests such as Mara, Small Mercies, We are Lions, Cristian Castro, Orgullo Cafe, Linda Lopez, Ahui and Nydia Rojas rocked the Main Stage.

Admission was FREE, while activities on the day of the event included live concerts, arts & crafts, awards, carnival games, giveaways, prizes, information booths and much more.

For more information regarding CelebrateLA 2008, please visit www.vcla.net and click on the CelebrateLA banner, or www.myspace.com/celebratela.

Volunteer Center of Los Angeles - ALSC is a service of Assistance League(R) of Southern California.

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