With community service central to the development of our participants as citizens and leaders, the Riordan Fellows work with various non-profit organizations and schools as part of their annual community service project. The Riordan Fellows Program Community Service Project has a rich heritage. Over the history of this program component, the Riordan Fellows have delivered fantastic results as described below.

Each class is responsible for raising the funds to complete their projects and contribute to the Riordan Fellows Legacy Scholarship Fund. If you are interested in sponsoring a future Riordan Fellows event, please contact riordan.programs@anderson.ucla.edu. Sponsor packages include, but are not limited to website recognition, multimedia recognition at the event, and speaking opportunities.

To learn more about the class of 2012 events and projects, please visit our events page.

2012 Events and Projects

Casino Royal
This year, instead of the Wine Gala, the Riordan Fellows class of 2012 decided to host a Casino Royal Night. Though the Wine Gala has been an annual event since 2005, the fellows wanted to shake things up a bit by testing the waters with something completely different.

"This past year, my class decided to replace the Wine Gala with Casino Royal.  I think if you surveyed each member of my class, everyone would tell you that this decision was a good one.  The event was classy, fun, high profile and allowed us to bring in more than $45,000, including corporate sponsorships.  I'd most certainly suggest that this event be continued in the future."

Ivan Carrillo
Riordan MBA Fellow 2012 

Comedy Night
Held at the world renowned venu, The Comedy Store, Comedy Night not only featured a range of incredibly talented comedians, but as the event attracted more than three-hundred guests, Comedy Night was also a unique networking opportunity for all in the comfort of a casual, social environment.

"I think this event was a success.  I enjoyed the venue as well as the comedians.  I actually recognized two of the surprise comics who are super famous.  I would say that this is one of my favorite events and I would definitely recommend more fellows to come out to Comedy Night."

Yury Adamov
Riordan MBA Fellow 2011

Parent Information Session
The Parent Information Session provides the parents of Riordan Scholars with detailed information about preparing for college.  This information ranges from the differences between the higher education systems, resident hall/student life, and financial aid.  These sessions are held in both English and Spanish.

"Parents overall thoroughly enjoyed the workshops.  Every parent stayed after to thank us and continue the conversation.  The attendance was outstanding, the parents were engaged, we had knowledgeable presenters, and the topics were right on key.  I personally built instant relationships with parents, specifically around the issues concerning undocumented students.  I think the workshops were a success and I commend Riordan for developing a program that engages parents." 

Edgar Chavez
Riordan MBA Fellow 2012

One-to-Many (OTM) Fun Day 
The OTM Fun Day is characterized as a networking extravaganza for Riordan Fellows, Mentors, Scholars, and Alumni. The Fun Day featured a myriad of games, performances and prizes. The event also granted all attendees the time to socialize in a casual, park environment. Most importantly, Fun Day granted mentors the opportunity to organize an event and simultaneously enhance mentor/mentee relationships.  

"I felt that Fun Day was a very successful event, we had the largest ever turn out, at just over 150.  This was also the first year we made a big push to get alumni and their families to come out, which led to great networking and reconnecting.  The park location, food, and activities were fun and most people stayed until the end.  We accomplished our objectives of having strong attendance, participation in games, lots of prizes to give away (every person walked away with a prize!) and many alumni and Scholars' families in attendance.  Many of the mentors managed to get our Scholars out to the event, and meeting their families helped solidify bonds.  My mentee came out with her family and it was a lot of fun to play games with them and talk about how excited the family was for her to attend college in the upcoming year.  I would definitely say it is one of my favorite events.  It was a great way for people to relax after the busy weeks of the fellowship that month and planning Casino Night.  I recommend that more mentor/mentee pairs as well as alumni come out to the event more often"

Tina Hossain
Riordan MBA Fellow 2012 

2010 Events and Projects

Wine Gala
With the presence of countless esteemed guests, (including co-founder of the Riordan Programs, William Ouchi), the 5^th Annual Wine Gala honored Morenike "Nike" Irvin and Jeffrey D. Kabot. Nike Irvin is a current trustee of the Riordan Foundation, a Riordan Programs board member. Nike also served as former executive director for the Riordan Programs. Jeffrey Kabot is an advisory board member of the Riordan Programs. He has served as the Riordan Scholars Stock Market Leader for over thirteen years. In addition to honoring the accomplishments of Nike Irvin and Jeff Kabot, the event included activities such as exquisite wine tasting, networking and a sensational silent auction.

Comedy Night
Held at the world renowned venue, The Comedy Store, Comedy Night not only featured a range of incredibly talented comedians, but as the event attracted more than three-hundred guests, Comedy Night was also a unique networking opportunity for all in the comfort of a casual, social environment.

Restaurant Nights
Through the fusion of fun, food and fundraising, restaurant nights granted the Fellows (and guests) the opportunity to spend quality time with one another, while simultaneously generating revenue for the program through the generosity of employees of different restaurants. Two examples of restaurant night locations included El Torito and the California Pizza Kitchen. Furthermore, the first held Northern California restaurant night took place at San Francisco's Mr. Smith's.

Fundraisers
As the Riordan Programs completely embraces creativity, fundraisers granted Riordan Fellows the opportunity to actually create ways to generate funds. Examples of such creativity involved inviting friends and guests for bowling at Lucky Strike, and working concession stands at the Rose Bowl.

Parent Information Session
The Parent Information Session was developed and implemented by the Riordan Fellows Research Team CSP. The Parent Session provided detailed, college preparatory information to the parents of Riordan Scholars. This information ranged from the differences between the higher education systems, resident hall/student life, and financial aid. Sessions were held in both English and Spanish.

One-to-Many (OTM) Fun Day
The OTM Fun Day is characterized as a networking extravaganza for Riordan Fellows, Mentors, Scholars, and Alumni. The Fun Day featured a myriad of games, performances and prizes. The event also granted all attendees the time to socialize in a casual, park environment. Most importantly, Fun Day granted mentors the opportunity to organize an event and simultaneously enhance mentor/mentee relationships.

2009 Events and Projects

A Night of Laughs at the Laugh Factory
Becoming an annual Riordan tradition, the Fellows held a comedy night at the Laugh Factory in hollywood. The event was held to a packed audience of current fellows, alumni, and supporters of the Riordan Programs.

Riordan GALA
The Riordan Fellows honored the work and dedication of Linda Baldwin, Assistant Dean of The Anderson School of Management. The event included wine tasting and a silent auction.

Restaurant Nights
Open to Fellows, Alumni, and supporters of the Riordan Programs, Restaurant Nights provided numerous opportunities for friends to get together. A portion of the group's bill would benefit the Riordan Scholars.

"One to Many" Mentor Program (OTM) Fun Day
The annual One to Many Fun Day was planned by the OTM UCLA Mentor Group. The festivities of the day included a barbecue at UCLA Recreation Center for the Riordan Scholars and their mentees.

2008 Events and Projects

A Night of Laughs at the Laugh Factory
The Fellows began their fundraising efforts with a night of laughs at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood. The event was held on January 24, 2008 to a packed audience of current fellows, alumni and friends of the Riordan Programs.

Networking/Social Night
The class of 2008 hosted a night of networking at the V Lounge on February 21, 2008.

Riordan GALA
The Riordan Fellows honored the achievements of co-founder Professor William Ouchi at the GALA. The evening included wine tasting, a slient auction, live entertainment and salsa dancing. The event took place at the Hilgard Mansion on April 26, 2008. All contributions from the GALA went towards scholarships and a northern California college tour for the Riordan Scholars.

"One To Many" Mentors Fun Day
The annual fun day was planned by the OTM UCLA Mentor group. The day included a barbecue at the UCLA Recreation center for the Riordan Scholars and their mentees. Participants enjoyed a day of games and prizes.
The Saturday Business Academy OTM mentors hosted a field trip to the Claremont colleges. The field trip included a tour of the college campaus, an admissions workshop, lunch and games.

2007 Events

A Night of Laughs at the Laugh Factory
The Riordan Fellows Class of 2007 hosted a comedy night on Thursday, January 11th at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood. With over 250 people in attendance, the night was filled with great comedy and lots of laughs!
"One to Many" Mentors Fun Day
The OTM Mentors group at UCLA hosted a barbecue event at Mar Vista Park for Riordan Scholars and their mentees. Participants enjoyed a day of games, prizes, and fun.

The OTM Mentors group at Saturday Business Academy hosted a field trip to UCLA on March 24th for their participants. The field trip included a tour of the campus and a college admissions workshop.
Kings Hockey Game
Los Angeles Kings face the Vancouver Canucks on March 29th.
Wine Tasting/Silent Auction
Celebrating its 20th Anniversary the Riordan Fellows Class of 2007 is set to host a Wine Tasting and Silent Auction Benefit on April 28th, 2007 at the Tom Bradley Room in Los Angeles City Hall. All contributions from the benefit will go towards scholarships, health care outreach, and SAT workshops.
Live Healthy! Healthcare Fair
The Riordan Fellows Program along with Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar will host the 2nd Annual “Live Healthy” Fair. The Health Fair will be held on April 28th, 2007 at the Lucille Beserra Roybal Youth and Family Center in the community of Boyle Heights. The Mission of the “Live Healthy” Fair is to provide an underserved Los Angeles community with access to health-related resources through workshops, exhibitions and demonstrations that focus on health improvement.

2006 Projects

A Night of Laughs at the Laugh Factory
This year's comedy night featured a night full of laughs and entertainment.
Kings Hockey Game
Los Angeles Kings faced the Minnesota Wild.
Wine Tasting/Silent Auction
The Riordan Fellows capped off fundraising efforts with their Wine Tasting and Silent Auction benefit at the Beverly Hills Women’s club. The money raised by the fundraising team will helped support scholarships, SAT workshops, and mentorship events.
Live Healthy! Healthcare Fair
The class of 2006 signature Community Service Project was the Live Healthy! Healthcare Fair held at Animo Inglewood Charter High School. The event provided students and their families with valuable information about living a healthy life, both emotionally and physically.

2005 Projects

Project FUTURE – a college/career fair that reached over 500 high school students at Foshay Learning Center
20th Anniversary Celebration Research Group – presented a project plan for this year’s upcoming event
The Riordan Programs Fun Day – successfully planned and executed the Graduation Session in May 2005
Fundraising Team – raised over $10,000 to finance other CSPs and contribute to the Legacy Scholarship Fund
Marketing Team – assisted other teams with strategies and created the Spring 2005 Riordan Reporter
Database Management Team – collected and scrubbed data on our over 1500 Riordan Programs alumni

2004 Projects

Inspiring Creativity: An Evening for the Arts
Mission: Raise funds for Inner-City Arts, a not for profit performing and visual arts education program in downtown Los Angeles, to provide more students the opportunity to participate in the program
Solicited auction items from local and national corporations for silent benefit auction at the historic Argyle Hotel in West Hollywood in April
Raised over $10,000 for Inner-City Arts

United Friends of the Children Mentorship Luncheon
Mission: Provide the youth of UFC the opportunity to make their first steps into the professional world and continue their education by offering a mentorship luncheon
Held a full day of educational workshops and networking opportunities for the participants at UCLA
Mentors were Fellows and their colleagues, friends, and family.

2003 Projects

Project FATE (Fellows Aspiring to Educate)
Mission: Provide underrepresented students and their parents the opportunity to learn and understand the requirements for college and the procedures for securing financial aid
Held a full day informational session at Jordon High School located in the community of Watts in South Central Los Angeles (Co-sponsored by Kraft and Wells Fargo).

Safety Awareness Day
Mission: Educate children and their parents on the importance of safety awareness
Co-hosted by the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation and State Senator Martha Escutia
Over 200 parents and children attended the event that included safety information, raffles, give aways, safety booths, and a martial arts presentation

2002 Projects

15th Year Anniversary
Mission: to plan an event commemorating fifteen years of encouraging individuals from diverse backgrounds to pursue careers and graduate level education in business. Honoring the founders, volunteers, past and present Riordan Fellows & Scholars for contributions to the success of the program.

Whittier Senior Center
Mission: Make a lasting impression on fellows so as to incorporate social responsibility as part of their lives.
Goals: Intergenerational exchange and learn about one another while having fun.

2001 Projects

Peace 4 Kids
Goals: Produce a day-long event to increase awareness about Peace4Kids. Raise money for such an event as well as making a considerable donation to the Peace Camp fund. A fundraising event at the Laugh Factory raised $5,500. Money was also raised by auctioning donated goods at an Ebay site, which Peace4Kids can use for future fundraisers.

Los Angeles Youth Supportive Services
LAYSS Team focused on building sustainable and scalable business processes to support continued LAYSS service and expansion. Committees included fundraising, marketing program, and development of a volunteer application process. The fundraising campaign brought in over $4,500.

2000 Projects

Dome Village
Mission: Improve the economic and social well-being of the members the Dome Village community through seminars that included job search information, access to resources, computer training. A final one day event to celebrate the accomplishments of the project was also planned. The day included health information, local vendors, food and entertainment and the unveiling of the new, state of the art "Cyber Dome." The Riordan Fellows raised $10,000 in revenue through Laugh Factory fundraiser and a car sale donated by a Fellow. Of that amount, $2,000 was donated to The Riordan Programs.

Para-Los Ninos
One day event "Community Resource Fair" in which over 30 local community agencies were invited to participate in disseminating information. Additional agencies involved Para Los Ninos, La Fayette Community Center, and Building up Los Angeles. The class raised over $3,000 in revenue through "Fellows Bachelor & Bachelorette Auction". In-kind donations were received from LMU, Smart & Final, and others. Part of the money collected was donated to the Riordan Programs.

1998

i.Quest
Organized a day of life-skills workshops for juniors at Eagle Rock High School including personal finances, money & banking, ethics, interview and presentation skills, the internet, and college life. Raised $5,600 in revenue for the project from company sponsors and other fundraising efforts. In-kind donations were received from over 20 companies. Throught these efforts, three $500 scholarships were awarded and a new HP printer was donated to The Riordan Programs office.

1997

A Place Called Home
Raised over $5,500 for a community youth center’s participation in the Los Angeles marathon
Helped kids participate in 5K race on marathon day, a motivational evening/movie night at the center
Donated fax machine for Riordan Programs Office

1996

Destination UCLA at Manual Arts High School
Conducted a college fair at an urban high school that included UCLA admissions counselors/motivational speakers, 1-on-1 mentoring.