As 2021 comes to a close, we're reflecting on all that the LA2050 community has accomplished over the last 12 months. While the pandemic might have kept us six feet apart (or more!), it's clear that so much more brought us together. Here are some of our favorite moments:

We celebrated and uplifted Los Angeles through the continued challenges of COVID-19. In March, you nominated 80 incredible individuals who stepped up to serve our communities during the pandemic to be honored as Safer at Home Heroes. Over the past six months, our new “Fave Five" series spotlighted 30 local social impact leaders and their favorite places and spaces in Los Angeles. We also designed a corresponding “Happy Birthday, LA!" e-booklet honoring the City of LA's 240th birthday in September.

We launched our eighth My LA2050 Grants Challenge – a record-breaking success! We received 320 incredible submissions with ideas for a brighter future and highlighted the trends in our annual report. During the voting period, we implemented new strategies including providing finalists with a stipend of $1,000 to “get out the vote" and launching our site in Spanish for the first time. We were inspired to see 25,000 of you cast 80,000 votes in support of the finalists, resulting in the allocation of $1 million to our 25 winning organizations. One of our favorite moments? Telling our five $100,000 winners and catching their excited reactions on film!

We amplified opportunities to make an impact in LA through donating, gifting, and volunteering. On Giving Tuesday, thanks to your generosity, we raised a total of more than $30,000 in just 12 hours for 55 nonprofit organizations from our My LA2050 Ideas Archive. We also published our annual LA2050 Holiday Gift Guide, featuring 38 impactful, conscious, and locally-made products perfect for gifting to any Angeleno (or to yourself, we won't tell). And, throughout the year, we shared more than 75 volunteer and service opportunities.

We offered resources for those interested in deeper engagement with LA's social impact sector. Over the past year, we posted more than 720 social impact job openings on the LA2050 Jobs Board. We curated maps of LA to help us get to know our region better together – from important sites of local women's history and LGBTQ+ history to our favorite hiking trails and interesting parks. And, at a time when connecting took on new meaning, we highlighted more than 520 virtual and in-person events in our newsletter for you.

We continued to build our incredible LA2050 community, together. Our work to make LA the best place to LIVE, LEARN, CREATE, PLAY, and CONNECT is only possible because of YOU! To stay engaged as we move into 2022 together, be sure to connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook and subscribe to the LA2050 Newsletter.