Smart centerpiece

There is no end to the swanky soirées thrown in the name of charity in Los Angeles. But to attend one that turns the decorations into lunch the next day for underprivileged kids? That's a welcome approach, and exactly what the Los Angeles Leadership Academy did last week with the centerpieces from its annual fundraising dinner.

The dinner honoring Ben Silverman, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, was a sellout event at the University of Southern California's Town and Gown building. But rather than decorate to please the television industry-heavy crowd, the Leadership Academy put the needs of its students smack dab in the center of the table with overflowing baskets filled with beautiful fresh fruits and veggies.

The food was used the next day in the all-from-scratch breakfasts and lunches the school offers students every day. The brainchild of former Hollywood scribe and civil rights attorney Roger Lowenstein, the Leadership Academy opened in September 2002 and the L.A. Unified School District charter school has expanded a grade a year. It now offers a full secondary school curriculum on two campuses: a junior high school with 210 students located at 668 S. Catalina St. in Koreatown, and a high school serving 177 students located at 234 East Ave. 33 in Highland Park. Most students qualify for federally-subsidized meals. From the school's inception, Lowenstein had worked to raise student awareness of nutrition by offering a salad bar and fresh-made meals in the Leadership Academy's cafeteria. Feed the body as well as the mind, Lowenstein says, if you want to change lives.

-- Corie Brown

-- Photo by Leah Fischer

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