2023 Wave Awards. View pics!

Venice Paparazzi rolled out the red carpet for our local teachers at the 2023 Wave Awards. View pics!

The Venice Chamber Hosts the 13^th Annual WAVE Awards Celebration.

Here is a message from Venice Chamber.

On Thursday, May 11^th, the Venice Chamber of Commerce celebrated the 13^th Annual WAVE (We Are Venice Education) Awards, in-person at Westside Vineyard, for the first time in four years! This event honors the hard work and dedication of local educators and each year nominees are chosen based on the selected theme. This year’s theme was, “A Fresh Start.”

With Ruthie Seroussi from the Newhouse Law Group PC as their delightful emcee, the evening kicked off with inspirational speeches from Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park, LAUSD Board Member Nick Melvoin, California State Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, and Venice Chamber President Sunny Bak.

Prior to the main program, Venice Chamber CEO Donna Lasman introduced the creation of a new award, the Joelle Award for Excellence in Education. This award establishes the legacy of Joelle Dumas, founder and head of Ecole Claire Fontaine, founder of the Venice Chamber Education Committee and the WAVE Awards, and member of the Venice Chamber board of directors. As the first recipient, Joelle was recognized posthumously for her life’s work, and her family was present to accept on her behalf. Each year, in addition to the WAVE Awards presented to educators, the Chamber will seek nominations from the community for individuals who best reflect the attributes of its namesake.

The evening continued with moving presentations by principals and colleagues, and acceptance speeches by the award recipients. Cheers, smiles, applause, and laughter erupted throughout the program as praise and experiences were shared.

The Venice Chamber community would like to thank our educators for their unwavering commitment and acknowledge the positive impact they have on our children’s lives.

Congratulations to all the honorees!!!

We are grateful to all that have helped to make this an amazing event.

Thank you also to our event team, and to our sponsors: SoCal Gas, Ecole Claire Fontaine, Google and Nick Melvoin.

About the Venice Chamber of Commerce:

The Venice Chamber of Commerce is an organization of business leaders who actively serve as advocates for the ever-growing Venice business community. Through dynamic networking events and diverse committees, we support the interests of area businesses and contribute to improving the vitality of the local economy; positioning Venice as the “creative soul” of Los Angeles. To learn more about the Venice Chamber, visit www.venicechamber.net.