Archive for August 13, 2013

Whittier sports briefs for Aug. 13, 2013

August 13, 2013 Local News, Sports

Lowdown on the ‘Throw Down’

The Southern California Municipal Athletic Federation (SCMAF) will present “The Throw Down” skateboard contest on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013 at La Habra Skate Park, which is located at Bonita Park, 1250 Fahringer Way. Check-in is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., followed by the first event at 2 p.m.

The event will feature three contests: Park jam, mini bowl and best trick. The fee is $20, which includes entry to all three contests. Each event will be judged with awards for the top three in each age division, which will include under 10, under 14 and under 18.

Registration deadline is Oct. 1. Late registration and day of event will not be accepted. Register at www.active.com.

For more information, visit www.scmaf.org.

Fit for Life

Whittier’s 5K “Fit for Life” Run/Walk, presented by the Whittier Community Foundation and the Whittier Host Lions Club, is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013 at the Whittier Community Center, 7630 Washington Ave.

The event will start with the “Children’s Creepy Crawly,” a timed half-mile dash, at 7:30 a.m., followed by the “Spooktacular,” the 5K run/walk, at 8 a.m.

For more information, call 562-567-9400.

Get in the swim of things

Palm Park offers recreational swimming until Aug. 25. Recreational swimming will also be offered on Aug. 31, Sept. 1 and 2.

The program is scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday through Sunday. The fee is $2. No swimming is slated for Aug. 16, 20 and 23.

An adult must accompany any child under age 7.

For more information, call 562-567-9430 or visit www.WhittierRec.com.

LA Fit Boot Camp

LA Fit Boot Camp will educate on how to live a healthy lifestyle. The program, open to ages 15 and up, will be offered from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, Aug. 14 to Sept. 11, and from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturdays, Aug. 17 to Sept. 14, at Whittier Community Center, 7630 Washington Ave. in Whittier.

Participants should bring a towel, water, tennis shoes and comfortable workout clothes. The fee is $35 for residents and $40 for nonresidents.

For information, call 562-567-9430 or visit www.WhittierRec.com.

Family Fitness and Health

The city of Whittier will offer a family fitness and health class this summer.

Parents can bring their son or daughter to work out together for a healthier and better life. There will be different options available for adults and kids. The same parent and child partners must attend. Child must be at least 8 years old.

One more session is scheduled from Aug. 14 to Sept. 11 at the Whittier Community Center, 7630 Washington Ave.

The fee is $35 for residents and $40 for nonresidents.

For more information, call 562-567-9430 or visit www.WhittierRec.com.

Sports marketplace

The second annual Whittier Sports Marketplace is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, 2013 at York Field, 9110 Santa Fe Springs Road in Whittier.

The event will allow patrons to buy, sell or trade new and used sports equipment.

Take a hike

The Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority is presenting a summer fitness hike from 8 to 10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 17, 2013 at Black Walnut Trailhead, 2345 Fullerton Road in La Habra Heights.

Participants can power walk the hills and walk/jog/run as dictated by the terrain and energy levels. The hike is five miles long. Rain will cancel the hike.

For information, visit www.habitatauthority.org or email Helen Cohen at HillsAlive@habitatauthority.org or call 562-945-9003.

Karate for preschoolers

Children ages 3 to 4 could register for karate classes hosted by Frazier Martial Arts Studio, 759 E. Whittier Blvd. in Whittier.

Two sessions are available: 4:45 to 5:15 p.m. Mondays from Aug. 19 to Sept. 9, and 10 to 10:30 a.m. Saturdays from Aug. 24 to Sept. 14.

The fee is $42 for residents, $47 for nonresidents.

For information, call 562-567-9430 or visit www.WhittierRec.com.

Adults can learn the links

The city of Whittier also offers golf classes for adults.

Students will receive a bucket of balls each lesson, and equipment is included.

Sessions are slotted for 7 to 8 p.m. Mondays from Sept. 2 to 23, 9 to 10 a.m. Tuesdays from Sept. 3 to 24, and Saturdays from Sept. 7 to 28, at La Mirada Golf Course, 15501 E. Alicante Road in La Mirada.

The fee is $71 for residents and $81 for nonresidents.

For information, call 562-567-9430 or visit www.WhittierRec.com.

 

No comments

A bonus homily from the Rev. Thomas Boles

August 8, 2013 Faith, Local News

By the Rev. Thomas M. Boles, PhD. dMin. D.D.

Standup comedian and author David Brenner was signing books in a San Francisco bookstore when a young man handed him a newly purchased copy to be signed and said softly, “I want to thank you for saving my life.” Brenner replied flippantly, “That’s OK.” The young man stood his ground and said, “No, I really mean it.”

Brenner stopped signing and looked at him. The man said, “My father died. He was my best friend. I loved him and couldn’t stop crying for weeks. I decided to take my own life. The night I was going to do it, I happened to have the TV on. You were hosting “The Tonight Show,” doing your monologue. Next thing I knew I was watching you and laughing. Then I started laughing hysterically. I realized then that if I was able to laugh, I was able to love. So, I want to thank you for saving my life.”

Humbled and grateful, Brenner shook his hand and said, “No, I thank you.”

Laughter does more than help us escape our problems. It sometimes gives us the courage to face them. As humorous author Barbara Johnson has said, “Laughter is like changing a baby’s diaper. It doesn’t permanently solve any problems, but it makes things more acceptable for awhile.”

Humor is to life what shock
absorbers are to automobiles

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine:
but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Proverbs 17:22

No comments

‘Laughter is Magic’ slated for Sept. 8, 2013

August 7, 2013 Around Town, Local News

In support of the Whittier Pregnancy Care Center on Whittier Boulevard, a fundraiser called “Laughter is Magic” is planned on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2013 at the La Mirada Theater in La Mirada.
Comedians from all over will be gracing the stage, including Clean Comedians, T. Faye Griffin, David O’Shaunessey and Chipper Lowell. These performers have been featured on the Tonight Show, Comedy Union, Storage Wars and Fox Television and have given benefits supporting the Ronald McDonald House, the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association.
The Whittier Pregnancy Care Center seeks to erase the need to seek an abortion as an option to pregnancy. According to the WPCC, about 3,000 babies are aborted every day in this country.

Visit www.LaughinLaMirada.com or call Sheena Boyd at 562-480-6760 for more information.

No comments

Conference for seniors and caregivers set Aug. 10, 2013

August 7, 2013 Around Town, Local News

A free conference for seniors and caregivers, health care professionals, advocates, nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies, businesses and civic leaders is planned for Saturday, Aug. 10, 2013 at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach, 200 South Pine Ave. in Long Beach.
The “2013 Rose Hills Conference for Seniors and Caregivers” runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is sponsored by Rose Hills, the AARP, AppleCare Medical Group, Supervisor Don Knabe, CareMore, Kaiser Permanente, Southern California Edison, aetna and involvecare.
Conference highlights will include expert presentations on topics relevant to seniors, caregivers and health care professionals, free registration that includes breakfast, lunch and educational materials, an interactive resource expo featuring community resources, activities and information, free health screenings, free continuing education for MFTs and LCSWs and information materials provided in English, Spanish and Mandarin.

Register online at www.Conference-RoseHills.com, visit www.Facebook.com/RoseHillsConference or www.Twitter.com/@RoseHillsEvents.

 

No comments

This week’s homily

August 7, 2013 Faith, Local News

By the Rev. Thomas M. Boles, PhD. DMin. D.D.

Two brothers farmed together. They lived in separate houses on
the family farm, but met each day in the fields to work together.

One brother married and had a large family. The other lived alone. Still,they divided the harvest from the fields equally.

One night the single brother thought, my brother is struggling
to support a large family, but I get half of the harvest. With love in his heart, he gathered a box of things he had purchased from his earnings, items he knew would help his brother’s family. He planned to slip over to his brother’s shed, unload the basket there, and never say a word about it.

That same night, the married brother thought, my brother is
alone. He doesn’t know the joys of a family. Out of love, he decided to take over a basket with a quilt and homemade bread and preserves to “warm” his brother’s house. He planned to leave the items on his porch and never say a word.

As the brothers stealthily made their way to each other’s home,
they bumped into one other. They were forced to admit to what they were doing and there in the darkness, they cried and embraced, each man realizing that his greatest wealth was a brother who respected and loved him.

We make a living by what we get,
we make a life by what we give.

I have shewed you all things, how that so
labouring ye ought to support the weak,
and to remember the words of the Lord
Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to
give than to receive.

Acts 20:35

No comments

Whittier sports briefs for Aug. 6, 2013

August 6, 2013 Local News, Sports

Trail hike

The Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority is presenting a summer fitness hike from 8 to 10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 17, 2013 at Black Walnut Trailhead, 2345 Fullerton Road in La Habra Heights.

Participants can power walk the hills and walk/jog/run as dictated by the terrain and energy levels. The hike is five miles long. Rain will cancel the hike.

For information, visit www.habitatauthority.org or e-mail Helen Cohen at HillsAlive@habitatauthority.org or call 562-945-9003.

Karate for preschoolers

Children ages 3 to 4 can register for karate classes hosted by Frazier Martial Arts Studio, 759 E. Whittier Blvd. in Whittier.

Two sessions are available: 4:45 to 5:15 p.m. Mondays from Aug. 19 to Sept. 9, and 10 to 10:30 a.m. Saturdays from Aug. 24 to Sept. 14.

The fee is $42 for residents, $47 for nonresidents.

For information, call 562-567-9430 or visit www.WhittierRec.com.

Youth golf classes

Children ages 5 to 17 can sign up for beginning golf classes that cover the basic fundamentals as well as strategies and skills. Intermediate classes will include swing training, club selection, etiquette and short game. Students will receive a bucket of balls each lesson, and equipment is included.

Sessions are scheduled Fridays from 6 to 7 p.m. Aug. 9 to 30, and Saturdays from 10 to 11 a.m. Aug. 10 to 31, at La Mirada Golf Course, 15501 E. Alicante Road in La Mirada.

Classes are also slated for Fridays from Sept. 6 to 27, and Saturdays from Sept. 7 to 28.

The fee is $47 for residents and $52 for nonresidents.

For information, call 562-567-9430 or visit www.WhittierRec.com.

Beginning skateboard

Children ages 6 to 17 can register for a beginning skateboarding program offered by the city of Whittier.

The five-class session will run Saturdays from 9 to 10:30 a.m., Aug. 10 to Sept. 7, at Whittier Community Center, 7630 Washington Ave.

The fee is $107 for residents and $122 for nonresidents. Students must wear a helmet, elbow and knee pads, and bring their own skateboard.

For more information, call 562-567-9430 or visit www.WhittierRec.com.

Family Fitness and Health

The city of Whittier will offer a family fitness and health class this summer.

Parents can bring their son or daughter to work out together for a healthier and better life. There will be different options available for adults and kids. The same parent and child partners must attend. Child must be at least 8 years old.

One more session is scheduled from Aug. 14 to Sept. 11 at the Whittier Community Center, 7630 Washington Ave.

The fee is $35 for residents and $40 for nonresidents.

For more information, call 562-567-9430 or visit www.WhittierRec.com.

LA Fit Boot Camp

LA Fit Boot Camp will educate on how to live a healthy lifestyle. The program, open to ages 15 and up, will be offered from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, Aug. 14 to Sept. 11, and from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturdays, Aug. 17 to Sept. 14, at Whittier Community Center, 7630 Washington Ave. in Whittier.

Participants should bring a towel, water, tennis shoes and comfortable workout clothes. The fee is $35 for residents and $40 for nonresidents.

For information, call 562-567-9430 or visit www.WhittierRec.com.

Sports marketplace

The second annual Whittier Sports Marketplace is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, at York Field, 9110 Santa Fe Springs Road in Whittier.

The event will allow patrons to buy, sell or trade new and used sports equipment.

Recreational swim

Palm Park offers recreational swimming until Aug. 25. Recreational swimming will also be offered on Aug. 31, Sept. 1 and 2.

The program is scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday through Sunday. The fee is $2. No swimming is slated for Aug. 16, 20 and 23.

An adult must accompany any child under age 7.

For more information, call 562-567-9430 or visit www.WhittierRec.com.

Adult golf classes

The city of Whittier also offers golf classes for adults.

Students will receive a bucket of balls each lesson, and equipment is included.

Sessions are slotted for 7 to 8 p.m. Mondays from Sept. 2 to 23, 9 to 10 a.m. Tuesdays from Sept. 3 to 24, and Saturdays from Sept. 7 to 28, at La Mirada Golf Course, 15501 E. Alicante Road in La Mirada.

The fee is $71 for residents and $81 for nonresidents.

For information, call 562-567-9430 or visit www.WhittierRec.com.

Lil All Stars Tee Ball

Children will have the opportunity to learn the basic fundamentals, rules and organization of tee ball.

The first three weeks will be broken into skill drills such as batting, throwing, catching and positional play, along with team concept. The final week will be a scrimmage to imitate a game situation. Parents must stay at park for the entire class. Participants should bring a glove.

Classes are slated Saturdays from Sept. 7 to 28 at Michigan Park, 8228 Michigan Ave. in Whittier.

Youngsters ages 3 to 4 can register for either the 8:30 or 9:20 a.m. session, while children ages 4 to 6 can sign up for either the 10:10 or 11 a.m. class. The fee is $50 for residents and $55 for nonresidents.

For information, call 562-567-9430 or visit www.WhittierRec.com

No comments

Interfaith Food Center faces financial struggle

August 6, 2013 Local News

Interfaith Food Center Executive Director Amy L. Catt sits behind cramped quarters on June 28, 2013 at the antiquated office at 14545 Leffingwell Road in Whittier. The 20-year-old program feeds about 1,200 families every week and is moving to spacious digs in Santa Fe Springs with a grand opening planned for Aug. 21.

View More Photos

Yet it is moving to new, spacious digs

By Tim Traeger
Editor
411whittier.com
WHITTIER – Federal sequestration is taking food out of the mouths of the area’s neediest people. Literally.
Funding for the Interfaith Food Center on Leffingwell Road has been drastically cut, meaning the 250 families served daily by the center are in jeopardy of slipping off the food assistance grid.
“Because of sequestration, we are not getting any federal funding this year. Usually, we get around $40,000 in federal funding money from SEMA. This year they haven’t released anything because of sequestration, so we haven’t gotten any RFPs (request for proposals) to get the money,” lamented Amy L. Catt, the center’s executive director. “And this week is the end of our fiscal year. So we haven’t had funding for the last half of the fiscal year which means we’ve had to come up with money from other places. On top of the move. So on top of trying to get the money to do the move, we’ve also lost that funding, money strictly for food purchase. So we’ve had to take the funding that we’ve had for, say, general operating costs to keep the doors open and have funneled it into food because that’s our mission.
“We want to make sure that this group of vulnerable people are getting the nutritious food that they need. It’s been a tough one for us. The (Whittier Host) Lions Club is helping out a lot, but I still need something so I can open my doors.”
Catt, 53, said the center opened about 20 years ago when a coalition of churches came together to help feed the poor. Now the center is its own non-profit, non-denominational entity.
“So we’re not directly associated with any church or religion. We just kept the Interfaith name because it is people from every faith coming together,” Catt said. Husband Steve has a recruiting company. Son Robert volunteers at the center, so does daughter Christie.
Whittier as a rule is a generous, giving town.
“All the nonprofits in Whittier are also connected. They get to know each homeless person, their particular situation. One of their first referrals is to Ted (Knoll) at First Day. If they need more meals, they will be referred to Dottie at St. Mathias Episcopal Church,” Catt said.
“In the nonprofit world we all try and help each other out like with the Whole Child and their housing program. We all try and work together. We’re all helping the same people,” Catt said. The center has four paid employees. Everyone else is a volunteer. On a typical day, 20 to 30 volunteers man the stations. In the main warehouse, produce comes from L.A. Regional Food Center like carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, artichokes and the like. The staples are put into bags for distribution to clients, who come in the front door and check in. “If there’s a birthday, the client gets a cake, if we have it,” Catt said.
“These are Friday volunteers and these are Friday pickup people,” Catt said on June 28, 2013. “They’ve built a relationship among themselves.” Other food staples include eggs, milk, cheese, cereal, canned goods and more. There’s even a sack lunch program for the homeless.
“Our population is low-income families in Whittier and La Mirada. We just recently expanded into Santa Fe Springs with our move,” Catt said.
Families go through a registration process to verify they live in the area and fall within income guidelines. Basically for a household of one, the income can be no more than $1,438 a month, Catt said.
“Everybody falls below that.”
The good news? Interfaith is taking a spacious building at 1819 Burke St. in Santa Fe Springs. City Manager Thadeus McCormack has arranged for bus service, as has 4th District Supervisor Don Knabe. The center will grow from about 4,000 square feet to about 6,800 square feet through funding from the BCM Foundation, Parsons, the Ahmandson Foundation, the Green Foundation, the Geunther Foundation, the Rose Hills Foundation, Jim and Karen Shepard and a host of others.
There is a grand opening planned for Aug. 21.
“We’re having separation anxiety because we’re used to being on top of each other,” Catt said. “It’s a little scary. It’s really hard for me not to jump up and down when I see this place.”
For Program Director Veronica G. Hernandez, 36, the biggest benefit to running the center for the last eight years is its people.
“It’s making a difference. Food is so important. Every time it just brings joy to people,” Hernandez said.
That sentiment was echoed by volunteer Richard Harms, 87. “The best part is all the friends. One more thing, though. They appreciate you to death.” After 28 years working for the U.S. Postal Service, Harms said giving out yogurt, milk, juice, sausage, eggs and cheese is just part of the daily routine.
The battalion of mostly older volunteers collect slightly dated “close to code” foodstuffs from a plethora of area grocery stores, seven days a week. The center also collects from the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. The USDA gives canned food that can go to anyone, whether they’re registered or not with the center.
Catt said the Great Recession has bumped the number of families helped on a weekly basis to 1,200.
“We’ve almost doubled the number we’ve been helping in the last four years,” she said.
For administrative assistant Nancy Diaz, a 10-year employee from Pico Rivera, the best part of the job is coordinating the annual kids’ summer camp.
“I would say helping the people. Seeing them get back on their feet. I compare them to my own life. It makes me a little more appreciative of what I have in my life.”
The center runs like a factory. A large, compassionate factory.
Touring the new center compared to the old one on Leffingwell brought smiles to Catt’s compassionate face.
She said in addition to daily food distribution, the center will also offer advice from the Intercommunity Counseling Center, there will be an area for purely homeless clients, a bathroom, a service area and an office for the warehouse manager.
“Isn’t this amazing?” Catt said surveying the 4,500-square-foot warehouse space at the new Burke Street location. “We will create a sorting and cleaning area to meet Department of Health guidelines. Pre-prep sink and food prep sink. We don’t prepare any food, but go through it and sort it.”
Construction on the interior warehouse will be done by general contractor Jeff Hutchison. “He recommended a few good Christians who are willing to help us out. He’s been wonderful,” Catt said.
In addition the Whittier Host Lions Club donated $25,000 to buy two walk-in refrigerators and a phone system.
The center is leasing the new building from Dan McColl, son of the trust owner.
“They’ve been really helpful on rent. They’ve given us a couple months’ free rent. They’re putting in the carpeting and the tile in the office space and helping us stripe the parking lot,” Catt said. “We will have a nice large break room for the volunteers to congregate. We will also use the space for various community events and the Intercommunity Counseling Center and the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice, who sends an attorney once a month for family law consultation and sessions with clients.”
Tim Traeger is former editor of the Whittier Daily News. Contact him at ttraeger@411whittier.com, phone 626-646-7352 or follow him on Twitter at @411whittier.com

No comments
  Recent Entries »