On October 24, over 200 guests gathered at The California Endowment in Los Angeles to commemorate a full decade of the Los Angeles Regional Initiative for Social Enterprise (LA:RISE).

LA:RISE is a pioneering public-private partnership that connects the City and County of Los Angeles workforce agencies to employment social enterprises across the region, to help Angelenos access jobs, training, and support. REDF is honored to serve as the LA:RISE lead program manager, and to provide technical assistance to individual partners.

The program has equipped more than 9,500 Angelenos to overcome systemic employment barriers through innovative workforce solutions. LA:RISE has also helped to pave the way for other employment social enterprise partnerships, including the recently-launched CA RISE program.

October’s event, titled “Empowering Futures: A Decade of Impact and Collaboration,” featured a performance by Urban Voices Project, a fireside chat with community workforce leaders about urgent issues facing Angelenos today, and stories from two LA:RISE graduates, Johnny Ramirez and Alexandria Pineda. In his speech, Ramirez shared, “Thanks to programs like LA:RISE, I’m living my purpose by connecting with people. There’s always a way forward, no matter where you come from.”

Many thanks to everyone who joined us to celebrate all that LA:RISE has accomplished. A special thank you to all our partners, particularly the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and the City of Los Angeles Economic Workforce Development Department (EWDD). 

Below, take a spin through a few photo highlights from the event. We’re so proud of what LA:RISE has accomplished in this past decade, and we’re eager to see what this partnership can make possible in the future.