When PTA meetings and parent-teacher conferences don’t seem to “cut it”, when the LAUSD budget can’t allocate funds to make vital improvements in our schools, it is Tomas O’Grady’s prerogative to motivate change through a true grassroots’ effort.
“…something I can do, and we can do, is lead by example, and we have succeeded.” – Tomas O’Grady
5 years ago, when confronted with the option of sending his daughter to the local public middle school, Thomas Starr King Middle School, or taking the private school route, Tomas and his wife, Justine, regarded King Middle School as “simply not good enough”. Dr. Murphy, principal of King Middle School at the time, challenged the two to convert apathy into action, and consequently Friends of Thomas Starr King Middle School was born. The non-profit built one edible garden that began the transformation of a school suffering from a low morale and low API, to a campus full of inspired and motivated faculty, parents, and most importantly, students. The schools API went from 628 to 843 – an API miracle. The experience inspired Tomas to think beyond the changes that could be made at one school and in one community. With that, and with the help of his good friend Leonardo Chalupowicz, EnrichLA was born.
Ireland
EnrichLA’s philosophy of community empathy and hands-on action stems from Tomas’s childhood in Ireland. Tomas O’Grady was born on October 2, 1966 in Cooloo House, County Galway in the west of Ireland, where he and his seven siblings grew up and worked on the family farm. Liam and Rita O’Grady, who inherited the farm from Tomas’s grandfather, insisted that everyone pitch in.
“
My father felt that the principal role as a farmer was to improve the family holding for the next generation. I think that is where I learned about the importance of doing things for the long term, rather than for instant gratification.” – Tomas O’Grady.
As a young boy, Tomas was a dreamer, thinker, and loved to work with his hands. He would spend hours working in the workshop building small wooden tractors for his younger siblings. If Tomas could envision it, he could create it. After graduating from high school, Tomas continued his work as a carpenter in the railway and went to school in the evenings, eventually earning his way to Limerick University to study industrial engineering.
America
In 1990, Tomas made his way oversees to New York and spent a summer working construction. Impressed by Tomas’s work, the company offered a sponsorship for a visa to help launch a work-study program within the company – for a young man who came to the United States with only $80 in his pocket and heaps of energy, a life in New York was a dream come true.
“
It did not seem to matter to anyone how you spoke, how formally educated you were, or where you came from. All that mattered was that you were dependable, a straight talker, and a hard worker.” Tomas O’Grady.
Tomas settled in Hoboken, New Jersey. He lived modestly and managed to save enough money to buy a small, run down property; he renovated the property nightly and on weekends. Ultimately, he managed to purchase other properties and continued renovations, always doing the work himself.
In 1992 Tomas met Justine Tyler who was visiting from Los Angeles, and within the year the couple were married.
“
Tomas was unlike anyone I had ever met before. He had boundless energy, was a voracious reader, an accomplished woodworker, an amazing musician, and had this ability to apply himself to anything. He was always trying to find a better, smarter, more environmentally conscious way of doing things. To be honest, our interest in the environment was borne out of necessity. Tomas was constantly trying to reuse materials to cut down on disposal costs and purchasing new materials. Along the way, we became more aware of how things like this helped the environment.” Justine Tyler O’Grady.
Together they hatched a plan to spend the remainder of their twenties working day and night with a simple goal: retirement by age 30.
“
We are proud of what we have accomplished and that we did it the old fashioned way. We simply bought old, run down brick worker cottages and brownstones, and restored them ourselves with our own hands. Tomas always had a vision of what was possible in these buildings.” Justine Tyler O’Grady
The couple developed a reputation in Hoboken as a principled, straight-talking team.
“
Back then we walked into Havens Savings Bank with little credit history and were given a loan based on our reputation. Reputation, integrity, and straight-talk counted. I think it is what counted the most.” Tomas O’Grady.
By 1999 the exhausted couple completed their work; they set down their shovels, hammers, and power drills; they had made enough to live modestly. The couple and their newborn daughter, Eireann Tyler O’Grady, packed up their Honda CRV and drove across the country to Los Angeles.
Los Angeles
Building the Family Home
Freshly arrived to California, Tomas quickly began working on the design of the family home in Los Feliz. Much like in the wooden tractors he built as a boy, if he could envision it, he could create it. The house, modeled after Tara in “Gone with the Wind”, was to be a ‘green’ white house.
In July 2009, the Los Feliz Ledger wrote:
“
If the house seems made to accommodate the family, it’s because it was. Knowing that they would stay in Los Feliz once settled, Tomas and Justine set out to build their dream home from the ground up. Painted white to reflect the heat, the home took four years to construct and is modeled after old Southern plantations, complete with columns that would have made Scarlett O’Hara swoon. ‘I’m a sucker for plantation architecture,’ says Tomas. ‘My friends want to know when I’m getting columns in my car.’ The house, he goes on, is nearly completely green. Solar panels provide heat, rainwater is directed back into the lawn and garden, and a metal roof and industrial fan draw in cool air. His electric bill, he says, averages just $50 a month. ‘I’m very proud of this house,” says Tomas. ‘I put my heart and soul into it’… ‘I’m going to have my wake here,’ O’Grady says, looking around the house he built. ‘I hope you can come.”
Armed with a laptop, a compass, and a copy of The American Vignola, Tomas spent two months designing the home on site. He wanted to “get a feel for the noises, the way the sun set, the views, and the cooler and warmer parts of the site.” Working non-stop for three years, the O’Grady home gradually took shape. Tomas had built a house that utilized every possible innovation to reduce energy and increase comfort.
“
I looked not to modern technology but to the past for ways to reduce energy consumption. I was not willing to afford a huge energy bill moving forward. I was determined to prove that one could enjoy many of the desired luxuries of life without a large carbon footprint.”
Tomas framed the house and installed the standing seam metal roof himself. Whenever a subcontractor seemed subpar, Tomas was not opposed to picking up a power tool and finishing the project himself. The roof reflects the sun, the saltwater pool is heated by the sun, and solar panels provide electricity while rainwater is directed to the garden. The house is an embodiment of Tomas’s personality;
“It’s ambitious in scale and welcoming at the same time,” says Frank Masi, a family friend.
“
If each of us would only sweep our own doorstep, the whole world would be clean.” Mother Teresa.
His home now complete, Tomas set out to make a difference; he wanted to give something back. Eireann began preschool at Neighborhood Nursery School, an outdoor cooperative in Silverlake. Tomas, alongside friend Steve Ronk, built a block house and later a garden in the school’s yard. During his tenure as president of the parents’ association, the school had its biggest fundraising year. Tomas began a sustainability program at the school in which four-year-olds began learning how to compost.
Tomas then revamped the kindergarten area at Franklin Elementary School; he installed a reading garden, planted the playground, and joined the board of Friends of Franklin. The atmosphere at Franklin fostered a diverse and involved community that left ego at the door, and directly contributed to the API of 894 in 2010.
“
We are truly the cheesiest version of the American dream. The U.S. was so good to me that I wanted to give something back.” Tomas O’Grady.
Political Aspirations
Tomas wanted to give back on a larger scale, and in 2011 he ran for the Office of City Council in Council District 4, which at the time covered Griffith Park, areas of Hollywood, and Hancock Park (the district has since expanded to include parts of Sherman Oaks and Van Nuys). He was considered a long-shot candidate, but ran a record breaking campaign, receiving more votes on voting day than any other candidate. Tomas ran his campaign on his record of hard work and integrity, and people took notice.
“Tomas O’Grady, meanwhile, is energetic and likable….(his) background in business, devotion to environmental issues and hard work as an activist in L.A. Unified schools make him the most appealing alternative to LaBonge. The Times endorses O’Grady.”
Tomas ran his campaign out of his home, organizing an impressive grassroots effort that brought out everyone from high school students, teachers, parents, and activists. Though Tomas missed the 5% margin necessary to instigate a run-off, he considers the experience a valuable one.
“I was able to meet so many enthusiastic, caring, and good-natured people in this city. I heard directly from them what their concerns were and how they envisioned our city improving. It was inspiring.” – Tomas O’Grady
EnrichLA
Missing out on the City Council seat in 2011 did not dissuade Tomas from continuing to give back to the broader Los Angeles community. After having installed the garden at Thomas Starr King Middle School, and seeing the immeasurable benefits this simple addition had on the school and surrounding community, Tomas set out to make that a reality for ALL Los Angeles Schools.
Through EnrichLA, Tomas and his dedicated team are able to affect change in schools from the South Bay to the Valley, and from the West Side to the San Gabriel Valley. In the last 3 years, EnrichLA has built over 60 school gardens and green spaces in some of Los Angeles’s most in-need communities. These spaces contribute to improved air quality, encourage environmental stewardship, and offer children in urban communities exposure to the natural world. These gardens transform dreary, industrial school campuses into welcoming, bright, and inspiring spaces.
Instead of learning by way of computer screens and whiteboards, the unique EnrichLA Garden Ranger Program offers students a hands-on experience while learning a skillset they will carry all their lives. Students plant seeds and seedlings within their own schoolyard, tend to and harvest these fresh fruits and veggies, and finally prepare a healthy snack in their outdoor kitchen. Many times children are shocked to find out where their food actually comes from; through this program, they develop a hands-on connection with the source of their food, and with that are more likely to consume and enjoy these foods.
“Our goal is to have young kids appreciate whole foods so that by appreciating it, they’re not drawn to french fries and hamburgers.” – Tomas O’Grady.
Tomas remains an advocate for change beyond the scope of building school gardens. “Publicworx” projects offer green alternatives to Los Angeles infrastructure. Tomas has been a fundamental partner with publicworx in rebuilding the Hyperion Glendale Bridge as a pedestrian and cyclist-friendly roadway and not a “highway over the river”. In collaboration with RAC design build, the Landbridge at Figueroa campaign centered on expending the demolition funds to refurbish the official historic landmark as a park and pedestrian walkway.
Lopez, Steve. “Do Parents Let School Districts off the Hook by Paying for Basics?”
Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2014. Web. 04 Aug. 2014.
Ireland
EnrichLA’s philosophy of community empathy and hands-on action stems from Tomas’s childhood in Ireland. Tomas O’Grady was born on October 2, 1966 in Cooloo House, County Galway in the west of Ireland, where he and his seven siblings grew up and worked on the family farm. Liam and Rita O’Grady, who inherited the farm from Tomas’s grandfather, insisted that everyone pitch in.
“My father felt that the principal role as a farmer was to improve the family holding for the next generation. I think that is where I learned about the importance of doing things for the long term, rather than for instant gratification.” – Tomas O’Grady.
As a young boy, Tomas was a dreamer, thinker, and loved to work with his hands. He would spend hours working in the workshop building small wooden tractors for his younger siblings. If Tomas could envision it, he could create it. After graduating from high school, Tomas continued his work as a carpenter in the railway and went to school in the evenings, eventually earning his way to Limerick University to study industrial engineering.
America
In 1990, Tomas made his way oversees to New York and spent a summer working construction. Impressed by Tomas’s work, the company offered a sponsorship for a visa to help launch a work-study program within the company – for a young man who came to the United States with only $80 in his pocket and heaps of energy, a life in New York was a dream come true.
“It did not seem to matter to anyone how you spoke, how formally educated you were, or where you came from. All that mattered was that you were dependable, a straight talker, and a hard worker.” Tomas O’Grady.
Tomas settled in Hoboken, New Jersey. He lived modestly and managed to save enough money to buy a small, run down property; he renovated the property nightly and on weekends. Ultimately, he managed to purchase other properties and continued renovations, always doing the work himself.
In 1992 Tomas met Justine Tyler who was visiting from Los Angeles, and within the year the couple were married.
“Tomas was unlike anyone I had ever met before. He had boundless energy, was a voracious reader, an accomplished woodworker, an amazing musician, and had this ability to apply himself to anything. He was always trying to find a better, smarter, more environmentally conscious way of doing things. To be honest, our interest in the environment was borne out of necessity. Tomas was constantly trying to reuse materials to cut down on disposal costs and purchasing new materials. Along the way, we became more aware of how things like this helped the environment.” Justine Tyler O’Grady.
Together they hatched a plan to spend the remainder of their twenties working day and night with a simple goal: retirement by age 30.
“We are proud of what we have accomplished and that we did it the old fashioned way. We simply bought old, run down brick worker cottages and brownstones, and restored them ourselves with our own hands. Tomas always had a vision of what was possible in these buildings.” Justine Tyler O’Grady
The couple developed a reputation in Hoboken as a principled, straight-talking team.
“Back then we walked into Havens Savings Bank with little credit history and were given a loan based on our reputation. Reputation, integrity, and straight-talk counted. I think it is what counted the most.” Tomas O’Grady.
By 1999 the exhausted couple completed their work; they set down their shovels, hammers, and power drills; they had made enough to live modestly. The couple and their newborn daughter, Eireann Tyler O’Grady, packed up their Honda CRV and drove across the country to Los Angeles.
Los Angeles
Building the Family Home
Freshly arrived to California, Tomas quickly began working on the design of the family home in Los Feliz. Much like in the wooden tractors he built as a boy, if he could envision it, he could create it. The house, modeled after Tara in “Gone with the Wind”, was to be a ‘green’ white house.
In July 2009, the Los Feliz Ledger wrote:
“If the house seems made to accommodate the family, it’s because it was. Knowing that they would stay in Los Feliz once settled, Tomas and Justine set out to build their dream home from the ground up. Painted white to reflect the heat, the home took four years to construct and is modeled after old Southern plantations, complete with columns that would have made Scarlett O’Hara swoon. ‘I’m a sucker for plantation architecture,’ says Tomas. ‘My friends want to know when I’m getting columns in my car.’ The house, he goes on, is nearly completely green. Solar panels provide heat, rainwater is directed back into the lawn and garden, and a metal roof and industrial fan draw in cool air. His electric bill, he says, averages just $50 a month. ‘I’m very proud of this house,” says Tomas. ‘I put my heart and soul into it’… ‘I’m going to have my wake here,’ O’Grady says, looking around the house he built. ‘I hope you can come.”
Armed with a laptop, a compass, and a copy of The American Vignola, Tomas spent two months designing the home on site. He wanted to “get a feel for the noises, the way the sun set, the views, and the cooler and warmer parts of the site.” Working non-stop for three years, the O’Grady home gradually took shape. Tomas had built a house that utilized every possible innovation to reduce energy and increase comfort.
“I looked not to modern technology but to the past for ways to reduce energy consumption. I was not willing to afford a huge energy bill moving forward. I was determined to prove that one could enjoy many of the desired luxuries of life without a large carbon footprint.”
Tomas framed the house and installed the standing seam metal roof himself. Whenever a subcontractor seemed subpar, Tomas was not opposed to picking up a power tool and finishing the project himself. The roof reflects the sun, the saltwater pool is heated by the sun, and solar panels provide electricity while rainwater is directed to the garden. The house is an embodiment of Tomas’s personality;
“It’s ambitious in scale and welcoming at the same time,” says Frank Masi, a family friend.
“If each of us would only sweep our own doorstep, the whole world would be clean.” Mother Teresa.
His home now complete, Tomas set out to make a difference; he wanted to give something back. Eireann began preschool at Neighborhood Nursery School, an outdoor cooperative in Silverlake. Tomas, alongside friend Steve Ronk, built a block house and later a garden in the school’s yard. During his tenure as president of the parents’ association, the school had its biggest fundraising year. Tomas began a sustainability program at the school in which four-year-olds began learning how to compost.
Tomas then revamped the kindergarten area at Franklin Elementary School; he installed a reading garden, planted the playground, and joined the board of Friends of Franklin. The atmosphere at Franklin fostered a diverse and involved community that left ego at the door, and directly contributed to the API of 894 in 2010.
“We are truly the cheesiest version of the American dream. The U.S. was so good to me that I wanted to give something back.” Tomas O’Grady.
Political Aspirations
Tomas wanted to give back on a larger scale, and in 2011 he ran for the Office of City Council in Council District 4, which at the time covered Griffith Park, areas of Hollywood, and Hancock Park (the district has since expanded to include parts of Sherman Oaks and Van Nuys). He was considered a long-shot candidate, but ran a record breaking campaign, receiving more votes on voting day than any other candidate. Tomas ran his campaign on his record of hard work and integrity, and people took notice.
“Tomas O’Grady, meanwhile, is energetic and likable….(his) background in business, devotion to environmental issues and hard work as an activist in L.A. Unified schools make him the most appealing alternative to LaBonge. The Times endorses O’Grady.”
Tomas ran his campaign out of his home, organizing an impressive grassroots effort that brought out everyone from high school students, teachers, parents, and activists. Though Tomas missed the 5% margin necessary to instigate a run-off, he considers the experience a valuable one.
“I was able to meet so many enthusiastic, caring, and good-natured people in this city. I heard directly from them what their concerns were and how they envisioned our city improving. It was inspiring.” – Tomas O’Grady
EnrichLA
Missing out on the City Council seat in 2011 did not dissuade Tomas from continuing to give back to the broader Los Angeles community. After having installed the garden at Thomas Starr King Middle School, and seeing the immeasurable benefits this simple addition had on the school and surrounding community, Tomas set out to make that a reality for ALL Los Angeles Schools.
Through EnrichLA, Tomas and his dedicated team are able to affect change in schools from the South Bay to the Valley, and from the West Side to the San Gabriel Valley. In the last 3 years, EnrichLA has built over 60 school gardens and green spaces in some of Los Angeles’s most in-need communities. These spaces contribute to improved air quality, encourage environmental stewardship, and offer children in urban communities exposure to the natural world. These gardens transform dreary, industrial school campuses into welcoming, bright, and inspiring spaces.
Instead of learning by way of computer screens and whiteboards, the unique EnrichLA Garden Ranger Program offers students a hands-on experience while learning a skillset they will carry all their lives. Students plant seeds and seedlings within their own schoolyard, tend to and harvest these fresh fruits and veggies, and finally prepare a healthy snack in their outdoor kitchen. Many times children are shocked to find out where their food actually comes from; through this program, they develop a hands-on connection with the source of their food, and with that are more likely to consume and enjoy these foods.
“Our goal is to have young kids appreciate whole foods so that by appreciating it, they’re not drawn to french fries and hamburgers.” – Tomas O’Grady.
Tomas remains an advocate for change beyond the scope of building school gardens. “Publicworx” projects offer green alternatives to Los Angeles infrastructure. Tomas has been a fundamental partner with publicworx in rebuilding the Hyperion Glendale Bridge as a pedestrian and cyclist-friendly roadway and not a “highway over the river”. In collaboration with RAC design build, the Landbridge at Figueroa campaign centered on expending the demolition funds to refurbish the official historic landmark as a park and pedestrian walkway.
Lopez, Steve. “Do Parents Let School Districts off the Hook by Paying for Basics?” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2014. Web. 04 Aug. 2014.