The costs of shelter, food and clothing can quickly suck up a budget, especially for economically-challenged families in Southern California where the cost of living is high.
Trips to the dentist for regular cleanings simply don’t make the cut – until a toothache hits, or a painful oral infection.
“Try to sit in a classroom and concentrate with a toothache, and it’s impossible,” says Dr. John Blake, executive director and dental director for the Children’s Dental Health Clinic (CDHC) in Long Beach. “By the time some of these kids reach us, we see chronic infection, abscesses and numerous cavities. It’s our job to get them back to a healthy place.”
The CDHC, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has been serving economically disadvantaged and special-needs children and young adults, ages 0-21, in the Greater Long Beach and South Bay areas since 1932.
On average, it treats more than 10,000 children and young adults a year through 33,000 visits. The main clinic is hospital-based on the campus of the Miller Children’s Hospital at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. The CDHC additionally has a school-based satellite clinic on Santa Catalina Island and a mobile dental clinic that travels throughout the community to offer preventive services, general treatment and oral health education.
Blake says 75 percent of the cases they handle are for general health cleanings and care, but 25 percent are much more complex, and these complex cases seem to be growing. “We are witnessing an overwhelming increase in the need for specialized services, and the list of children waiting for care continues to rise,” said Blake. “There are not enough providers to manage the complex patients – those who are wheelchair-bound, born with cleft palates, cerebral palsy and childhood cancers. Often times these kids need sedation, or to be cleared by a dental team to make sure they do not have infections in the mouth before surgeries and other medical treatments are performed.”
The CDHC then plays the critical role of safety-net resource and dental home for all-inclusive, multi-specialty dental services that can meet all of a child’s treatment needs “under one roof.”
As dental director, Blake has been with the CDHC team for more than 20 years. He started as a volunteer in high school, which inspired him to go to dental school. After college, he opened a private practice, but continued to give at least a day a week to the organization.
In 2003, he joined CDHC full-time and in 2005 he became executive director. Now, he generally spends two days a week doing direct patient care, with the majority of his time devoted to the more complex hospital cases. He is joined by 17 independent dentist contractors who work several days a week for the CDHC, and a total of 35 full-time staff members.
As the case load increases, Blake says the organization will continue to build and leverage partnerships with local health agencies, as well as dental schools in the area, like the University of Southern California, to ensure dentists are prepared to treat complex cases and serve the community.
“We’re close to capacity,” said Blake. “If we had the funding we could easily add three or four more providers, so we’re always working hard to access more grants, corporate giving and individual donations. The goal is really to serve as many kids as we can, giving them the smiles they deserve and a healthy future.”
To learn more about CDHC, visit www.cdhc.org or call 562-933-3141. The CDHC accepts Denti-Cal (Medi-Cal), My Health LA, as well as some PPO insurances. It also welcomes cash patients using a sliding-scale fee payment plan based on income.
Thank you Jennifer for your kind introduction. And AES for your sponsorship of today’s event. We also appreciate all you are doing to provide more sustainable, renewable and reliable energy to our region. The huge investments you are making in Long Beach will not only provide good jobs, but also provide more tax revenue to support local services.
Thank you to Adriana Birdwell for joining us today for the Pledge of Allegiance. I’m so proud of you! It is not easy to get up in front of all these people! Adriana is one of the 140 children who have been safely surrendered in Los Angeles County since 2001. She was born at a hospital in Montebello in 2009 and was the 70th baby to be surrendered. She’s here today with her loving parents—Jill and Darren. Thank you to the Birdwells for opening your arms and hearts, and for being part of my Safe Surrender family.
Thank Pastor Ken Korver of Emmanuel Reformed Church for today’s invocation.
I would like to recognize Long Beach Chamber Board Chair Kristi Allen, and the Chamber’s Board of Directors.
The Chamber staff for making today’s event possible.
My staff…
And of course, my family … My wife of 47 years, Julie…
Thank you all for being here today. This is our 9th annual State of the County. I really appreciate that you continue to show up!
As most of you know, I only have a little more than a year left in office as County Supervisor.
Leaving office is going to leave me a lot of free time.
I’ve thought about becoming a gadfly and signing up for public comment every week at the Board of Supervisors.
But I’ve decided to shoot slightly higher than that…
Since I have you all here right now, I think there’s no better time….
Today, I am proud to announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America!
I already have a campaign logo to get people excited!
With all the fundraisers and speaking events coming up, I’ve expanded my wardrobe.
And to make sure I look the part of President of the United States, I’ve made an appointment to get a real politician hairdo.
I hope you’ll join me as we embark on the road to the White House!
In all seriousness, I think one of the sad parts of the campaign and the 24/7 media coverage is that politicians have become a joke – something to mock.
What should be one of the most noble positions a person can hold – serving the people of our great nation – becomes prime material for the nightly shows.
That really bothers me. As someone who has made a career in government, who has been honored to serve – I know what a difference we can make in people’s lives. From the seemingly mundane, but critical, tasks of road repair, trash collection and building inspections, to fighting fires, performing surgeries and protecting our most vulnerable – people absolutely depend on the work we do.
One of the reasons I have never been interested in national politics and why I love working at the local level, is that we don’t – well, we can’t—get involved in the silly games they play. We can’t threaten to shut the government down. We can’t filibuster for hours on end – YOU can’t do those things either in running your business.
And politicians wonder why the public doesn’t trust them!
What happens in this environment is that you score points by being bombastic. You make headlines for being outrageous. It turns government into the latest reality show.
I have to be honest…I had my own run-in with reality TV earlier this year. You might have heard about a little mid-week fireworks show at midnight on a Tuesday in Marina del Rey. Yes, the Kardashians decided to throw a party. As you might expect, I heard from many local residents, some of whom thought we were being bombed. It sounds funny now, but imagine waking up to that! The next day, I found myself on TMZ with Khloe….
My point is that all of this headline-grabbing and sound-bite seeking is easier than addressing our real problems. That’s where things get messy. Because solving problems requires compromise. Solving problems requires an authentic look at facts that we might not like. Solving problems is just plain hard work.
To take the easy way out, there seems to be a culture of what I will call “The Don’ts.”
Don’t change your mind.
Don’t make mistakes.
Don’t change course.
And above all, don’t vote against your party.
Come on people – how can we deal with issues or get anything done if we box ourselves in like that? At every level of government, people should expect us to solve problems. I think that is why my constituents hired me!
Nowhere is that more important than at the local level. Here at the County, as the ultimate safety net, people depend on us because they have reached the end of their rope – financially, physically or mentally.
Affordable Housing
Let me give you a couple examples on issues that are being discussed across the country: Affordable Housing and our Jail System.
Both Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles have been in the news for making large financial commitments to address the growing homeless issue and lack of affordable housing that is facing our entire region.
Let me be clear – I know how hard it is for people to rent or own a home or apartment in Los Angeles County. Time and again in my career I have put resources behind housing programs for families, veterans and others in the Fourth District.
As this issue is getting a lot of publicity right now, big numbers are being thrown around to combat the problem — $100 million for homelessness, $100 million for affordable housing – which makes for great headlines. But what happens after the headlines – will we really be able to get that level of resources to the people who need it?
As I have told you before, the County has a $28 billion budget. Many people probably think –what’s a couple million? Or even a $100 million, in that big of a pool? Well, it’s critical that you understand that over 80 percent of that budget is allocated for us – by the Federal and State governments. In other words, they give us money and we run their programs and services. That leaves relatively very little wiggle room on the rest of our budget. And as you might imagine, there are a lot of demands on that money, and our priorities can and do change over the long-term as new challenges arise.
Last month, my colleagues proposed a $100 million for affordable housing – a ramp up of $20 million each year over the next five years and then $100 million per year in perpetuity. WOW – that made some headlines!
I suggested a different plan that mirrors what we had with the former Redevelopment Agencies or RDAs. It was a formula that set aside a percentage of our revenues. While this funding may fluctuate a bit, a percentage is guaranteed today and going forward. Now I get that $100 million sounds a heckuva lot more dramatic. But using a formula would not tie the hands of future Boards, as priorities and needs change.
When I raised questions about the sustainability of an annual $100 million allocation, I was asking where we are going to get the money, now and in the long-term. Unfortunately, some people assumed I raised the question because I am a Republican and therefore I must not care about affordable housing. Nothing could be further from the truth! There is no Republican or Democrat way to get someone off the street and into a home. I just don’t want what I call “Field of Dreams” spending – where we build it now and hope the money comes.
I want our commitment to be real and sustainable and I think the formula I proposed, while it would change a bit year to year, would have put our money where our mouth is. Bottom line: I don’t want to be one of those entities that makes promises that sound good at a press conference– but are promises that we can’t keep.
Jails and Diversion
Another issue being addressed by municipalities across the United States is how we manage our prison population. The United States is the biggest jailer in the world. We have 5 percent of the world’s population, but more than 20 percent of the world’s prison population. Clearly we are doing something wrong.
Simply locking people up, many of whom have mental health issues or addiction problems, is obviously not going to help them. Diversion efforts to provide services and rehabilitation are being tested across the county and showing some good results.
Here in Los Angeles County, we absolutely must replace our jail facilities, which are not only outdated, but are not safe for inmates or our staff. Over the last couple years, the Board hired a few consulting firms to give us their professional opinion. Sheriff McDonnell and his staff also weighed in. Ultimately, the Board approved a jail bed number lower than what was recommended, and allocated $60 million of one-time funds for diversion programs and another $14 million on-going. The hope is that diversion programs will decrease the need for more jail beds. But even the DA said that the diversion program is not a jail reduction plan.
Again, I want to be very clear. I absolutely support diversion efforts aimed at rehabilitation and reducing recidivism. But recent laws like AB 109 and Prop 47 have put a lot of pressure on our jail system. Some of the advocates seem to want to let everyone out. But frankly there are some bad dudes out there who simply belong in jail.
We don’t know how successful our diversion programs are going to be, so we need to be flexible, and prepare for the long-term. I know that doesn’t play to the advocates and doesn’t draw applause. But we cannot create public policy based on wishful thinking and ideology. We cannot cater to the soundbite, we must play the long game.
We are responsible for how taxpayer dollars get spent. We are responsible for the fiscal health of the largest county in America. Again, we cannot do “Field of Dreams” spending – picking a dollar figure and hoping the money will come. Future generations expect us to be more accountable than that.
I’m not whining and this isn’t about getting my way. But when we look at huge issues like affordable housing, diversion, minimum wage, wage theft – we are talking about helping those who need it most. Throwing money at these issues without a sustainable plan isn’t fair to those we are trying to help, or to those who have put us in office to fix these problems.
I think you can tell how concerned I am about this. LA County weathered the last recession because of prudent budgeting and a good relationship with our unions. We even received the highest credit ratings we’ve ever had. We worked hard for that! It’s important for our residents because we are able to borrow money at a low cost for infrastructure projects and to provide the services that our constituents demand.
Before I get into some specifics on those types of projects, let me show you some highlights from this past year. (show video)
The Bucket List Update
I told you a couple years ago that I had a Bucket List of things that I wanted to complete before I left office. With all the money being spent right now, I am very focused on measurement and accountability. So I’d like to show you my report card on our progress:
Community Centers
I’m pleased to report that all three community center projects have been completed! In 2014, we opened one in Hacienda Heights and this year, we completed the projects in Rowland Heights and South Whittier. These are beautiful facilities that I’m really proud of – they make a huge impact in our communities – for residents of all ages!
Community Health Clinic
One of the issues the County faces in delivery healthcare is that too many people enter our system in the most expensive way – through the doors of the emergency room. With the launch of the Affordable Care Act, we are more than ever focused on preventive care. However, access to preventive care has been too limited in the eastern part of my district.
Last year I told you we would be opening a clinic in Hacienda Heights this year. Unfortunately, the project had some delays because they decided to move locations to a more central area. So I don’t get an ‘A’ on the Bucket List Report Card on that one yet, but I’m really looking forward to it opening soon.
Rancho
As you know, one of the County facilities I am most proud of is Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey. For more than two decades, it has been named one of the top rehab hospitals in the country by US News and World Report. It is an amazing place. If you ever feel like you are having a bad day, head over there and see the miracles the patients and doctors, nurses and staff accomplish each and every day.
This year, we launched Rancho Rising 2020, a $418 million desperately-needed, state-of-the-art renovation. The first phase of construction, scheduled for completion in 2016, will give us a new Wellness & Aquatic Therapy Center. The second phase includes some seismic safety and facility renovations, and a new outpatient facility, which will be completed by 2020.
Another exciting development with Rancho this year was the culmination of years of effort to expand our partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Legislation finally passed which will provide quicker access to care for veterans who experience long wait-times at VA facilities. It allows veterans to choose non-VA medical facilities and have access to services closer to their homes. If the VA can’t meet the needs of our Vets, we’ve got the capacity, we’ve got the skills, and we’ve got the will! I’m so pleased we are finally moving forward!
LAX Connector
And the project I probably most want an “A” – public transit to the front door of the airport! This is a complex project and I am trying to be patient!
The environmental reviews are underway, a design firm has been selected and has begun their work, and we are aggressively seeking FTA support so that we can accelerate the project to 2023. It was originally scheduled for completion in 2028. Actually, I don’t care about an “A” on this project – I just want to be around to see it!
Junior Golf
Over the years, we have held 31 Knabe Cups for local boys and girls high school teams. As I mentioned last year, I would like to establish a Junior Golf Academy to encourage young people from all walks of life to start playing golf. We reached an agreement with the City of Norwalk to lease their 9-hole course. Just last week, we approved a contract with an operator. We plan to break ground in January and have everything up and running by June 2016.
Libraries
The last construction project on the Bucket List is my Operation Libraries program. We are investing $45 million in libraries in my district. Some of our facilities are inadequate and we have kids waiting in line to get in after school.
Earlier this year, we broke ground on the new South Whittier Library and the Lomita Library Annex – and just last weekend, a new facility in Los Nietos. La Mirada is working on a $4 million remodel and project designs in Artesia have been approved for work beginning next spring.
While I know some people think libraries are a thing of the past, they have evolved into learning centers for people of all ages. The investments we are making go beyond brick and mortar, and focus on digital upgrades to make our facilities relevant for people of all ages. We have never been busier and I’m thrilled that we have the ability to invest significant resources in the communities which need it most.
TV Show
This year, we said goodbye to legends like David Letterman and Jon Stewart, and said hello to new TV titans. But I’m proud to say the constant through all this change has been my TV show– Dialed-In with Don Knabe!
Since starting the show in 2013, we’ve filmed over 30 episodes. This year we took the show on the road and filmed at the newly restored Hall of Justice with Sheriff Jim McDonnell. Just last month we filmed an episode at Rancho Los Amigos. And every year around the holidays, we profile three local non-profits which are making a huge difference in supporting people in need in our community.
We have some more great shows planned for the coming year, including a trip up to Sacramento. Stay tuned!
NACO 2016
I want to add one last project to this year’s update, something I have been working on for a few years now. Los Angeles County is part of a nationwide organization called the National Association of Counties. Together, the nation’s 3,068 counties lobby the federal government on issues impacting all counties – urban, rural, large and small.
Each year NACO convenes a national event for all its members and supporters. The locations are determined a few years in advance and I have been pushing for an event in Los Angeles County for years. I am so pleased that next year’s event will be held right here, in this building, in late July. It will bring together nearly 3,000 county leaders, booking over 9,000 local hotel room nights, and contributing between $5-7 million to the local economy. I want to thank Steve Goodling and the team at the Long Beach CVB for all of their support.
Of course, I don’t just want it to take place in Los Angeles County – I want it to be the biggest and best NACO has ever held! We are currently developing plans to make this a really special event. Let me show you how we are doing so far: (show video). This is going to be huge for Long Beach!
Protecting the Most Vulnerable
Child Sex Trafficking
Perhaps the two most important issues I have worked on – and if I have a legacy I would want at the top — are Child Sex Trafficking and Safe Surrender.
Since we met last year, we have continued our aggressive efforts to end the exploitation of young girls in our streets.
We worked with law enforcement on a set of new protocols for when they come in contact with the victims of this horrific crime. Now, rather than being taken into custody like they were in the past, we get them wraparound services … mental health, physical health, education, job training – everything they need to move forward with their lives.
We tested the protocols in Long Beach and Compton and the results have been terrific. Before, nearly 75% of the girls would run—probably back to their scumbag pimp. Now, thanks to immediate and intense engagement with wrap-around services, only one out of 38 juveniles ran in the first 72-hours after they were rescued. That is an amazing statistic and a giant leap in the right direction.
I am proud of the work we have done to provide services to the victims and to increase the penalties for the pimps. The one piece that has been missing is the demand side. We should not call those who buy young girls for sex anonymous “johns.” Let’s call them what they really are: child rapists.
I am currently working on a County ordinance that would lead to the launch of a john-shaming campaign. Much like the Top 10 Child Support Deadbeats of a few years ago, my intent is to publicize the names and faces of those convicted of buying young girls for sex. This is something Long Beach Prosecutor Doug Haubert has already launched in Long Beach. I am confident that programs like this can have a huge impact on ending this exploitation.
There is no such thing as a child prostitute!
Safe Surrender
On a happier note, I am thrilled to announce that 2015 has been the most successful since we launched Safe Surrender in 2001. 16 lives have been saved so far this year. That brings the total to 140! Again, I want to thank Adriana for joining us today for the pledge. She is an incredible reminder of how important this program is.
Earlier this year, we celebrated the 125th Safe Surrender with a very special event in Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles. We invited all of the families to join us to plant a special Garden of Life, recognizing all the children who have been saved by the program.
Sadly just last week we heard news of a fetus abandoned in a dumpster in Hawthorne. While we have achieved so much this year, this situation reminds us that we still have a lot more work to do. No shame, No blame, No names.
Charitable Organizations
I want to thank the Chamber for its support of my Safe Surrender Scholarship program, which we announced here two years ago. $40,000 of the proceeds from today’s event will help fund the program. Soon enough, Adriana will be ready to head to college!
Again this year, the Chamber will also continue supporting two local non-profits which are very important to me – US Vets and Ronald McDonald House. US Vets is the nation’s largest non-profit provider of services to veterans facing challenges in their transition back to civilian life. Last month we dedicated 80 more units of housing at the Villages at Cabrillo for the homeless, some of whom are vets and their families. I want to thank US Vets for their support of our efforts. Would Brenda Threatt of US Vets please stand…
And Ronald McDonald House, which provides temporary housing for families of seriously ill children who are receiving treatment at Miller Children’s Hospital and other local medical facilities. Would Jen Moore, Jill Rosenberg (and Ron Piazza) from Ronald McDonald House please stand?
Steve
As you know, I am shortly entering my final year as Supervisor of the Fourth District. Obviously that brings up a variety of thoughts and emotions. One thing is that I won’t have to ever eat chicken again! But seriously, perhaps my biggest concern is what happens to the programs we have been working on for twenty years.
I thought long and hard about who I wanted to fill this seat next because it is so important to me. I am proud to endorse my Senior Deputy, Steve Napolitano for Supervisor of the Fourth District. I know he will continue much of what we talked about today – fiscal responsibility, non-partisan problem solving and protecting the most vulnerable. Steve has been with me for ten years and understands the importance and complexities of local government. He served as a Councilman and Mayor of Manhattan Beach. As a former mayor myself, I know that this hands-on experience is crucial to dealing with the everyday needs of our constituents. Representing me in eight Fourth District communities, Steve has shared my commitment to delivering top service to all of our residents.
Steve will be ready to lead on day one – he has been involved in virtually every aspect of our operations and has the experience, knowledge and vision to serve Los Angeles County. He’s a smart, talented leader with great integrity, and I hope you will join me in supporting him!
Close
I’ve spoken today about “The Don’t’s” of our current political environment. The unwillingness to work together, to admit mistakes, to see facts and change course – and, with the national election right around the corner, the intense and combative partisanship. All of this is so divisive and contributes nothing to solving problems.
Let’s not celebrate that behavior. This county, this state, this country is too big and too great to stand around and shout at each other. Politics, my proud profession, should be the “art of compromise” rather than yelling “sell-out” every time you have to give a little to get a little. We can have unity without uniformity. We can disagree without being disagreeable.
Politics is the process of making decisions amid different opinions. It involves conversation, listening, and balancing valid, but competing, ideas. It’s not about pointing fingers and being bombastic.
As Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Complaining about a problem without proposing a solution … is called whining.”
And it most certainly isn’t leadership.
I was reading about a young entrepreneur recently who said, “Leadership does not need to be dramatic, fist in the air and trumpets blaring. Leadership comes from integrity — that you do whatever you ask others to do. Just by providing a good example as a parent, a friend, a neighbor — we can make it possible for other people to see a better way to do things.”
Every day, each of us can make a choice to jump on the bandwagon of division. Or, we can choose to be a builder:
A builder of families, of neighborhoods, of communities.
And most importantly, we can commit to being a builder of bridges… not walls.
From my family to all of you, however you celebrate the holidays, may you enjoy a beautiful season of blessings, and a prosperous and healthy New Year.
May God bless you, may God bless our troops, and may God continue to bless the United States of America!
Val Lerch recalls the first time volunteers raised funds to organize a Veterans Parade in Long Beach – more than 18 years ago.
“We actually passed a hat around at our first meeting, and people donated dollars and change,” said Lerch, who has been a part of the parade committee every year and is this year’s chair. “We had a small, but passionate group, and we were committed to bringing something to Southern California to honor and recognize our local vets.”
Today, the Long Beach parade is a premiere Southern California event, drawing upwards of 25,000 parade attendees, and an estimated 200-plus entrants.
The 19th Annual Long Beach Veterans Parade, to be held on Nov. 7 with a 10 a.m. start, runs from Atlantic Ave. to Harding to 56th St., and typically takes about two hours. The organizing team is especially excited to feature two special centenarian grand marshals to lead the festivities.
ADC Clifford Chaffee, born in 1915 in Kansas, moved to Long Beach as a boy and attended Franklin Jr. High and Poly High before joining the United States Navy in 1933. He served in World War II in the aircraft service at Roy Namur Island, repairing damaged planes from various aircraft carriers and battle groups. He also served during the Korean conflict on the USS Essex aircraft carrier. He retired and transferred to the Fleet Reserve in 1954 and was a member of the Fleet Reserve Association for 74 years.
Allan Kobrick, the other grand marshal, was born in 1915 and raised in New York. He enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and helped establish a Navy base in Bahia, Brazil. He obtained the rank of Yeoman First Class before his honorable discharge in 1945. He moved to Long Beach in 1948 and worked as a printer until his retirement in the 1980s.
“Both of these men gave so much to their country to protect us and our rights,” said LA County Supervisor Don Knabe. “I love this annual parade as a way to recognize the tremendous service and sacrifices of all our veterans, and I’m especially excited to see these two special men celebrated for their service and commitment to our country and community.”
Lerch notes that through the years, veterans have come up to him to express their gratitude for the parade and the recognition it brings to our servicemen and women.
“After our very first parade, a Vietnam vet told me this was the very first time he was honored for his service,” said Lerch. “Vets from that era never really received a warm welcome home, and he took great pride in being able to participate in this particular parade. It’s important we honor the individuals who gave their time and lives to protect our country – and I’m glad the City of Long Beach is doing its part to recognize our vets in Southern California.”
Last week, federal authorities in partnership with local law enforcement conducted a nationwide anti-child sex trafficking crackdown. In 135 cities stretching from Atlanta to Seattle, officials conducted stings in places frequented by the men who buy and sell young girls for profit, ultimately rescuing 149 children and arresting 150 pimps and traffickers.
Here in Los Angeles County, the taskforce, working in collaboration with the Sheriff’s Department, Long Beach Police Department, County Probation, Children and Family Services, and nonprofits, rescued three juvenile victims and arrested three pimps. Thanks to the work of our law enforcement heroes, three children who were brutally manipulated into a life of exploitation and abuse are now on the path to a better life, and three scumbags are off the streets and sitting in jail.
A few years ago, those three girls would have been arrested and charged with prostitution and treated like criminals. Now, as our understanding of this horrific crime has evolved, we are treating them as victims and providing them with the services they need to escape their life on the streets. There’s simply no such thing as a child prostitute!
This week, the No Such Thing campaign is coming to Los Angeles County. I’ll be joining Rights 4 Girls, the California Endowment, L.A. County Sheriff Jim McDonnell and other local leaders at the Hall of Justice as we take a united stand against stigmatizing victims of child abuse and rape as prostitutes. We stand for the 149 children who were rescued this week by the FBI and for all the victims of this horrific crime in Los Angeles County. Their lives depend on it.
With Halloween festivities and costume parades filling the calendar, L.A. County locals are reminded they can enjoy a family-friendly event at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (CMA) on October 24 in San Pedro.
The 10th annual CMA Sea Scare marks the beginning of a host of holiday activities the Aquarium will feature throughout the fall and winter months.
“It really is one of the best Halloween parties around,” said Margo Kennedy, CMA staff member. “Last year we attracted over 2,500 people, and everyone enjoys the creative activities and displays we put together.”
The event, held from 7:00pm to 10:00pm, offers party-goers the opportunity to see the Aquarium in a different light as it plays up the underwater world with a Halloween theme, and offers up some bioluminescent craft fun. Those who attend are welcome to wear a costume, trick-or-treat throughout the evening, and enjoy spooky stories, dancing and carnival-style games.
Aquarium Members get a special early entry into the event at 6 p.m. All guests are encouraged to get their tickets early, as the event usually sells out. Pre-sale admission is $5 for adults and $1 for children, day of event admission is $7 for adults and $3 for children, and Aquarium Members are free with valid membership card. Pre-sale tickets are available for purchase at the Aquarium’s Gift Shop or online at www.cabrillomarineaquarium.org, processing fees may apply online.
The Aquarium will transform again in early November when an aquatic, Christmas forest is set up in the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium Gift Shop for the holiday season. The event will feature 20 aquatic–themed Christmas trees and nautical–related gifts.
“For those who haven’t visited the Aquarium in San Pedro, it is a treasured gem,” said LA County Supervisor Don Knabe. “The Aquarium is such a special place for our youth to learn about the wonders of the ocean, how to care for our environment, and get inspired about science and discovery.”
The aquarium is open to the public and displays local marine life of Southern California, with hours on weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. Visit www.cabrillomarineaquarium.org for more information or call (310) 548-7562.
Children Today, a Long Beach-based nonprofit dedicated to providing childcare services to young babies, toddlers and preschoolers who have experienced homelessness, abuse or neglect, has provided a nurturing environment to some of the community’s most vulnerable for nearly two decades.
With two centers, Play House West and Play House North, the organization has leased spaces from local churches to ensure there is a place for young children to receive care when families are in transition.
But this fall, the group will get its own permanent home designed especially for them – everything from the paint colors to the outdoor play areas have been customized for the kids of Children Today.
“It’s gorgeous, just beautiful,” said Executive Director Tonya Burns. “There’s so much natural light, cheerful colors and a wonderful outdoor space with room for a vegetable garden, trees and plants to attract butterflies, and lots of room for the kids to play.”
EcoHouse, which will replace the other two facilities and allow all teachers and students to be under the same roof, has been in the works for several years. Scheduled to open in December, this new state-of-the-art preschool and daycare will combine all the organization’s best practices at a single site, and additionally increase the group’s capacity from 64 to 75 children.
The new childcare facility will feature an infant wing, toddler classroom and preschool room, and will continue to offer a 1:8 teacher-to-child ratio, allowing the staff to really assist the young kids, often suffering from a lack of stability and routine in their lives.
“The children we serve have lost a home, or perhaps have escaped a domestic violence situation, or they’ve come to us from some other disruptive event,” said Associate Director Elia Rocha. “One of our biggest principles is to establish a relationship that is consistent and predictable – not just for the kids, but for the parents as well. We want the kids to feel safe, and we want to parents to know their kids are being cared for as they work to get their lives in order.”
Children Today is a referral-based system supported by the City of Long Beach. Some families rely on the childcare needs for just a week or two, while others stay for longer stretches, typically four to six months.
“Having a safe place to drop their kids off allows the parents to attend job training, or treatment programs, or interview for work,” said Rocha.
Meanwhile, the staff at Children Today, who have been trained to recognize and work with kids who have experienced trauma, ensure the young child’s social, emotional, physical and educational needs are met. Within the first few weeks of enrollment, an individualized plan is developed based on a child’s unique history and interests, and the primary caregiver works to nurture a relationship that is safe and secure.
They eat meals together, play, and make sure basic needs – like toileting, hygiene and napping – are met.
“In situations like these, we often see kids acting out,” said Rocha. “But we are trained to recognize the trauma and figure out what the child is trying to communicate, not just focus on the behavior.”
Rocha and Burns both agree EcoHouse will be a fabulous move for the organization, and are delighted with the finished product Marsha Nasaify, a Children Today board member, has brought to life.
“This new facility is going to bring so much joy to these kids in need,” said Burns. “And these children are definitely deserving of a little sunshine.”
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 14 years since the horrific events of September 11, 2001. I will never forget the day our world changed forever.
I will never forget the heroism of brave police officers and firefighters rushing into the unknown to help save the lives of fellow Americans.
I will never forget the determination and selflessness of rescue workers working day and night at Ground Zero and the Pentagon.
I will never forget the courage of our troops—many of whom sacrificed family and themselves in honor of keeping our country and democracy safe.
Whether you are a survivor, a family member of a victim, military veteran, first responder or someone who watched the day unfold on the TV, September 11th will always be a part of our lives and its impact is still felt 14 years later.
Please take a moment today to pay tribute to all those we lost on 9/11, and to the men and women who continue to sacrifice everything to protect our country and liberties we enjoy each day.
God bless our troops. God bless our first responders. God bless the United States of America. We will never forget.
Nonprofits are known for serving their communities, but who serves the nonprofits when they need a little guidance and support?
Running a nonprofit in 2015 is serious business. There’s the ongoing need to fundraise, create marketing plans, manage a board of directors, budget and build out sophisticated technology infrastructures.
Similar to a new business, more than 30 percent of new nonprofits go under within two years. The passion may exist, but a solid nonprofit business plan is needed to survive and thrive.
To help, the Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership (LBNP) was formed in 1993 by a small group of community leaders and nonprofit professionals who believed in the importance of a strong, well-supported nonprofit community in Long Beach.
Today, the organization serves about 500 nonprofits annually in over 35 cities throughout Southern California. In Long Beach alone, there are 2,000 nonprofits. In LA County, it is estimated there are 42,000 – all of varying size and supporting diverse causes big and small.
“Our primary goal is to build up the capacity of nonprofits so they can enable change,” said Linda Alexander, executive director of LBNP. “They serve such a vital role within our communities, but it is important they too have a support system and can invest in their own leadership and strategic plans.”
Alexander, who took over as executive director a year ago, has spent the past several months interviewing 200-plus leaders and fundraisers in the nonprofit world to learn more about their needs in this post-Great Recession era of giving.
“While we’ve discovered that charitable giving is finally slightly up, we’ve seen the giving is actually going to fewer organizations, but at higher dollars,” said Alexander. “Now, more than ever, there is a huge emphasis on how nonprofits tell their stories effectively, so they can convince givers to invest in and support their particular cause.”
LBNP delivers a number of high-quality, cost-effective programs to provide training, promote collaboration, enhance resource development and aid in capacity-building for the full range of nonprofit organizations. It offers referral and consulting services, networking opportunities, and a full schedule of year-round, educational seminars and workshops – both online and in-person.
One of the organization’s signature programs is the Nonprofit Leadership Institute, which accepts 15 to 20 participants each year for an intensive 10-month journey.
“We really noticed a need for the emerging leaders – managers and directors already working in the space and poised to take over high-profile roles in the future,” said Alexander. “Our program helps those middle leaders grow and we take them through the entire ecosystem of the nonprofit world.”
Each month, the cohort participates in a full-day session on various topics ranging from technology to accounting to working with the board of directors. The group then breaks away for homework in between their in-person meetings, and receives mentorship from seasoned leaders and experts throughout the year.
“The Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership facilitated the critical resources and support that I needed for further development as a working professional in the nonprofit sector,” said Lindsay Gervacio, a recent grad of LBNP’s Nonprofit Leadership Institute Emerging Leaders Program. “Plus, Families in Good Health benefitted from the Partnership’s resource pool of consultants, enabling us to build on our work as an organization.”
The Emerging Leaders Program is a big commitment, but Alexander notes nonprofits can call LBNP anytime for support. The small team of four is well connected and eager to offer ideas, make connections and strengthen LA County nonprofits however then can.
“I’m proud to support an organization that gives so much to help others serve their communities,” said Supervisor Don Knabe. “The Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership is a helping hand that extends across Los Angeles County and touches the lives of so many people.”
To learn more about LBNP, visit their website at lbnp.org or call 562-888-6530. LBNP is available to service and support nonprofits throughout LA County.
Textbooks are great, but when you really want to dive into science, nothing beats a great exhibit or hands-on learning lab.
Each year, thousands of elementary and middle school students come to Hacienda Heights Youth Science Center (YSC) to discover the excitement of science and technology through classes and programs designed to promote learning through interaction.
Kids dive into 3D printing, plant seeds, design model green cities, build solar car racers, dissect squid and reuse soda pop bottles to soar beyond.
“Our classes feature teachers who have a specialty and real enthusiasm in particular areas of the sciences, so they’re able to go deeper into different science, technology, engineering and math specialties,” said Patricia Smith, long-time YSC volunteer and retired science educator. “We don’t just read about marine biology, we go to the tide pools. We play with Lego robotics. We learn how to construct buildings to withstand disasters.”
While many of the classes take place during the summer months, YSC additionally offers after-school programs and serves as a site for local teachers to enrich their own classroom science activities and curriculum.
The fun comes with playing with the materials, ultimately getting young students to work their minds and problem-solving skills to come up with solutions to change the world.
“We really work on arming our kids with science notebooks, teaching them to do investigative research and experiment,” said Smith. “We show the kids how science and technology work together, and how we can move ideas to inventions.”
In addition to the classes, YSC is opening an on-site science room at Bixby Elementary School, scheduled to open in fall 2015.
“It’s a work-in-progress,” said YSC Chairman of the Board Ron Chong. “Through grants and donations, we want to keep adding to it and hope it will be a wonderful place to feature exhibits and labs to bring science to life.”
Chong, who has also had a role with YSC for more than 25 years, said the real joy comes when he hears stories of students who learned to love science after interactions with YSC.
“Just a few weeks ago I had a mom share that her son left YSC to go on to be a star student in middle school, valedictorian in high school this past June and will now attend Stanford to study (Molecular Biology).”
The interest, Chong said, started with YSC.
“The Youth Science Center has really been a step ahead of our national agenda to grow the sciences,” said Don Knabe, LA County Supervisor. “Today, we’ve all heard the importance of getting our kids STEM-ready to enter the workforce of tomorrow, but YSC has been offering our young people opportunities to be hands-on for decades – what a gift for our community.”
To learn more about the Youth Science Center, visit http://www.youthsciencecenter.org. The on-site Center is now located at Bixby Elementary School, 16446 Wedgeworth Drive in Hacienda Heights and is open on Tuesdays through Fridays from noon to 4 p.m. To visit, please call ahead (626) 588-7818.
In the midst of Long Beach’s bustling city, hundreds of kids discover nature each summer, sometimes for the first time.
If only for a week or two, they set aside their electronic gadgets, the video games and television shows to focus on gardening, hiking, science and cooking.
Camp Fire Long Beach, hosted at the organization’s five-acre facility near Carson Street, provides local children a nature-based camp experience. Each week, campers focus on a unique theme, but are always exposed to enrichment activities aimed at helping them find a greater appreciation of teamwork and the environment.
“It’s a wholesome atmosphere,” says Shirlee Jackert, executive director of the Long Beach program. “Parents love that their kids have a chance to cook over the campfire, learn silly songs and meet positive role models in our college-aged counselors.”
Camp Fire’s Urban Forest at Camp Shiwaka hosts two separate day camp programs that can often overlap. One includes a Thursday overnight. The second camp is the Backyard Bunch with nine one-week sessions. The resident camp program is Camp Wintaka held in the San Bernardino mountains for second- through eighth-grade students during July, providing kids with a true “home away from home” experience.
“Beyond the exposure to nature, what I really enjoy seeing is kids accepting each other and being campers together,” said Jackert. “Everyone wears the camp T-shirt and is expected to work together; you help in the camp, carry things and partner as a team.”
A new audience to the campsite this year includes adults from the Downey-based Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, which caters to individuals who have endured a life-changing illness, injury or disability.
“We just started partnering with Camp Fire to do programming for our patients and participants to give them different nature and sensory educational experiences, team-building activities and challenge experiences,” said Rebecca Bershtel, recreational therapist from Rancho Los Amigos. “We’ve seen great success already, and it’s healthy to get our patients enjoying the outdoors, seeing they can still enjoy the smells of a campfire and even the obstacles of a challenge course.”
Jackert said the accessibility of the three-quarter mile ADA Discovery Trail is welcoming to all who want to enjoy nature and habitats, campsites and magic circles, cookouts and a challenge by choice on the high and low courses.
“We’re a special place in Long Beach,” said Jackert, who has been associated with Camp Fire for more than 20 years. “Kids and adults leave here with special memories and a new appreciation for the outdoors.”
To learn more about Camp Fire, call 562-0421-2725 or visit www.campfirelb.org. While the summer season is nearly over, parents and children can learn more about the traditional club programs after school and winter and spring day camp programs and challenge course programs outings.
