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GIVING IT THE OLD COLLEGE TRY
An important part of the PESA team, undergrads got creative during the pandemic in order to continue their support of the CBO
Running an organization is no easy feat. To do so successfully you must have excellent leadership skills, and be organized, innovative, adaptable and, most importantly, dedicated to your cause. Simona Vishnevsky, President of PESA LMU, used each of these skills to successfully grow PESA LMU during its second year of operation and navigate the challenges of virtual communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
PESA LMU is a club branch of Parents, Educators/Teachers and Students in Action (PESA) that is based at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. The organization was founded by then-student Brian Gilmartin during the summer of 2019 and aims to provide students with volunteer and internship opportunities as well as serve as a base for PESA in West Los Angeles. In the club’s inaugural year it recruited more than a dozen dedicated members, brought Judge David S. Wesley to campus to speak about transformative justice and held a fundraising campaign for the Museum of Tolerance. 
 
Even with the COVID-19 lockdown, Vishnevsky and PESA LMU’s executive board devised new ways to recruit members, keep club members engaged and ensure the organization was successful. “Unlike in other years," says Vishnevsky, “we did not have the opportunity to promote our club in person. LMU students know that setting up a booth at the LMU Experience Festival for incoming freshmen or participating in the service organization recruiting events helps build membership immensely. Instead, we had to take to Zoom to host virtual informational sessions which drew smaller crowds than the typical in-person tabling events do.”
 
Perhaps counterintuitively, Vishnevsky and PESA LMU were able to expand the opportunities available to student members despite being restricted to a virtual format. "Throughout the year, PESA LMU members took part in tutoring, creating and presenting education programs and facilitating and proctoring Teen Court sessions, and many of our members took part in PESA's first-ever semester-long internship program," says Vishnevsky of student involvement with PESA LMU. 
 
PESA LMU's fundraising efforts this past year also required significant adaptation. "We have had to get more creative with our fundraising efforts," says Vishnevsky. "Selling donuts on campus was no longer an option" to raise money to donate. PESA LMU worked collectively as an organization to brainstorm new ways to fundraise effectively and safely. "Throughout the year we created flyers and marketing materials that could be distributed and create buzz on the Internet. One of the ways we did this was by creating bingo punch cards that members posted on social media stories. These bingo cards allowed individuals who donated to the fundraiser to post the card on their story and get the word out about the fundraiser to even more people." This new strategy enabled PESA LMU to donate $1500 and purchase 200 gifts for PESA's Holiday Toy Drive in December. More recently PESA LMU used this same strategy to raise funds for the Antelope Valley’s under-funded Challenger Middle School's library.

Looking towards the future, Vishnevsky plans to continue PESA LMU's fundraising efforts, outreach programs and working with the Teen Court program. One thing she hopes PESA LMU will be able to reintroduce to its agenda post-pandemic is bringing distinguished speakers to Loyola Marymount University's campus to lecture about transformative justice. "We hope to host numerous events for students, faculty and staff next year," says Vishnevsky, “as we continue our mission to educate, advocate and mentor.”

It’s passionate and committed people like Vishnevsky and her fellow club members who enable PESA to succeed in its multifaceted mission to support our community’s youth. If you’d like to learn more about how you can join in that effort, contact PESA today.
If you’d like more information or to support PESA’s many social and educational initiatives, please contact us.