U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti Hit Fairfax High to Help Kick Off Volunteer Recruitment Campaign

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, outgoing Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers and U.S. Representatives Adam Schiff and Ted Lieu were among the dignitaries that braved the L.A. heat on Wednesday for a good cause — to attend “Field Day,” a kick-off event for a campaign designed to fill the void of mentors and tutors as public school students head back to classrooms this fall.

Known as Ready Set, the initiative is a nationwide tutor, mentor and service recruitment campaigned created by the CAA Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education in collaboration with service organizations MENTOR, VolunteerMatch, Schoolhouse.world, and federal agency AmeriCorps. The campaign will run through September as it aims to fill the pipeline with volunteers that can be of service to students following a devastating blow to public education due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joining the aforementioned names at Fairfax High School in L.A. were CAA co-chairman Bryan Lourd, MENTOR CEO David Shapiro, former NBA ballers Jason Collins and Craig Smith, Los Angeles Unified Board Vice President Nick Melvoin, CAA Foundation executive Deborah Marcus, Los Angeles Unified Interim Superintendent Megan K. Reilly, Education Leaders of Color CEO Sharhonda Bossier, and actress and social media star Kylie Cantrall.

The day’s program featured remarks from Cardona, Reilly, Melvoin, Marcus, Shapiro and others along with some physical activity for a group of public school students that included some hoops lessons from stars Collins and Smith. More information about the event, instructions on volunteer sign-up and intel on exclusive incentives that will be doled out to those who are of service can be found here.

The appearance by Garcetti comes on the heels of news that he had been appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as U.S. Ambassador to India.