On Thursday, September 29, the Long Beach Post hosted an event to honor young people from around the city who are doing great things to better their community and beyond. Out of hundreds of nominations from our readers, judges chose 40 winners, representing a range of professions and activism. The Post will be profiling each honoree in the coming days.
Daryl James, the 34-year-old executive director of Rebuilding Together Long Beach (RTLB), was called “inspiring” by his nominator, and his fans see him as a dedicated professional who has gone above and beyond the vision for RTLB.
Unanimously selected by the board of RTLB in 2012, James works to revitalize the community through renovating low-income, individual, veteran and family housing. During his tenure, the nonprofit has even made its mark on the national scene, receiving numerous honors and recognition from locally elected politicians as well as national nonprofit, for profit, and government organizations.
James believes the key is in working as a community revitalization partner.
“Where our resources or expertise may fall short, we pride ourselves in our ability to seek out and find those individuals and organizations who can bring the resources and expertise needed to address the issue at hand,” James said. “As such, our success in delivering on our mission is largely dependent on the extraordinary efforts of individual volunteers, donors and strategic partners within the community.”
He said it’s not simply about how the nonprofit can give back to the community, but how it can provide opportunities for the community to give back to itself to eventually build a foundation within the community for meaningful, sustainable and positive change.
James hopes his award as a 40 Under 40 winner will bring attention to the work RTLB has done over the last 25 years.
“My hope is that it serves to be more than just recognition of that work, but also as a call to action for the work that remains to be done in the next 25 years, as we all face some serious challenges and risks to the healthy, safe and affordable housing conditions that are the foundation of the Long Beach community that we all love and serve.”