Secretary of State Debra Bowen’s office recently conducted a randomized alphabet drawing to determine the order that candidates’ names will appear on the November 4, 2008 General Election ballots. The results of the drawing are as follows:
1. R 8. H 15. G 22. P
2. X 9. A 16. V 23. U
3. M 10. Z 17. C 24. Q
4. W 11. I 18. K 25. B
5. S 12. D 19. N 26. T
6. J 13. F 20. E
7. L 14. Y 21. O
In accordance with Elections Code section 13112(d), the names of candidates on the ballot are arranged based on the randomized alphabet. This alphabet applies throughout the entire last name of the candidate. If the names of two or more candidates begin with the same letter, their ballot listing order is determined by applying the randomized alphabet to the next letter(s) of their names. If last names of multiple candidates are the same, the random alphabet also applies to first names. The random alphabet drawing took place in the Elections Division within the Secretary of State’s office. Staff members pulled the letters in a lottery-style drawing, with witnesses from the public and the media present.

Residents who want to learn about the foreclosure process and prevention options are invited to a “Foreclosure Resolutions” Workshop on Wednesday, September 3, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 pm at the Neighborhood Resource Center, 425 Atlantic Ave. Representatives from Los Angeles Neighborhood Housing Services will provide information about understanding the foreclosure process and time frames, foreclosure prevention options, understanding a budget, and guidance for determining the next steps. Counselors will be on hand to make individual appointments with participants. This free workshop will be presented in English with Spanish and Khmer translation available. Free parking is available behind the building and on the street. To RSVP or for more information, call (562) 570-1010.

The Long Beach Museum of Art is inviting the public to participate in an online survey addressing topics such as museum programming, membership services and visitor services. Responses from the survey will be used to help guide the museum’s strategic planning process, scheduled for completion in September. The survey, which takes about three minutes to complete, is currently accessible through the museum’s website at www.lbma.org and will be available until Friday, July 25.

Justin Rudd’s Community Action Team is again sponsoring its “Say ‘Cheese’” Amateur and Pro Photo Contest. This summer edition will take place during a 24-hour period, from noon on Saturday, July 26 through noon on Sunday, July 27. The event will culminate Saturday, Aug. 2, from noon to 4 p.m. with a photography exhibit, reception, and awards ceremony on 2nd Street in Belmont Shore, featuring the entrants’ best shots. Entry is free. Participants will e-mail (or burn a disc to turn in) their five best snapshots, and the entries received will be juried. Winning photos will be selected on criteria such as photographic excellence, visual impact and artistic quality. For more information about entering the contest, visit www.justinrudd.com.

Picture This Gallery and Custom Framing is hosting a Frida Kahlo Art & Poetry Exhibit July 29-September 13. An art and poetry reception will take place Saturday, August 2 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the gallery, which is located at 4130 Norse Way in Long Beach. Through the free exhibit, various artists come together to display their own works portraying the famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
For more information, visit www.PictureThisGallery.weebly.com or call Marisol Gomez at (562) 425-4861.

Karen Codman of FSC Securities announced recently that Jeffrey Henderson has joined her staff as office manager and service assistant. Henderson will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the firm as well as assisting clients with all aspects of servicing and maintaining their accounts. “We’re thrilled to have Jeff join our staff,” said Codman. “We first became acquainted with him when he was with the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association and are so pleased that he brings his unique skill set to our firm to enable us to better serve our clients.” The unique skill set to which Codman refers is Henderson’s background in advertising and public relations as well as his organizational skills, having been an organizational consultant for the past two years. Codman added, “We’re also very excited to be able to offer Jeff’s organizational expertise as another value-added service for our clients.”

On June 29 International City Racing (ICR), the City of Long Beach and Long Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau announced that Long Beach was selected as one of the International host cities for the FINA 10 KM Marathon Swimming World Cup to be held on Friday, July 11, and Saturday, July 12, 2009. This prestigious International event brings together the world’s best professional swimmers for a competition tour that encompasses 14 major cities on five continents. Long Beach was chosen as one of only two cities in the U.S. to host a World Cup stop on this action-packed circuit; New York City hosts the event on the East Coast. “This will be the first time since 1927 that a major professional open water race is being held in Southern California. In 1927, George Young of Canada won a $25,000 winner-take-all race from Catalina Island to Long Beach,” said Steven Munatones, a USA open water swimming national team coach and former 25K open water swimming world champion.

The Long Beach City Council recently voted unanimously to uphold the Downtown Long Beach Associates (DLBA) Board of Directors’ recommendation to freeze all assessments voluntarily placed on downtown commercial property and business owners for the 2008-2009 fiscal year. Recognizing the financial difficulties many are facing as a result of a nationwide downturn in the economy, DLBA’s governing body previously voted not to apply the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase, which was 3.7 percent this past year (February 2006- February 2007), to its stakeholders. At a meeting on Tuesday, June 17, the Long Beach City Council considered this request from the DLBA as a formal action for downtown business owners beginning July 1. Further action will be requested of the city council on behalf of downtown commercial property owners in September, which would appear on their 2009 Los Angeles County property tax bills.

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners on Monday, June 16 selected Commissioner James C. Hankla as the next board president, effective July 1. Hankla previously served a one-year term as president in 2006-2007. The Commission also selected Nick Sramek, who was appointed to the five-member Port-governing board one year ago, as its incoming vice president. Dr. Mike Walter, who is currently vice president, was selected as secretary for the coming term. Hankla, a former Long Beach city manager, has served on the Harbor Commission since 2003. Before joining the Commission, Hankla was CEO of the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority for five years, overseeing construction of the $2.4-billion Alameda Corridor. Prior to that, he was the city manager of Long Beach for 11 years. Overall, he has served as a top-level local public official for the last three decades.

The California Community Foundation has awarded $280,000 in one-year fellowships to 15 outstanding emerging and mid-career artists working in painting, photography, collage, drawing, sculpture and multimedia. Four emerging artists each received $15,000 felllowships and 11 mid-career artists each received $20,000 fellowships. “We are honored to help this talented group of artists focus on their creative passion and inspire new audiences,’’ said Antonia Hernández, president and CEO at the foundation. “We are confident they will have a positive and lasting impact on people’s lives.’’ Fellows were selected by a panel of local artists, curators and arts experts from a pool of 432 applicants. To learn more, visit www.calfund.org.

The North Long Beach Community Action Group (CAG) has been recognized with the “Neighborhood of the Year” award at the recent annual conference of Neighborhoods, USA. The Historical Society of Long Beach is proud to be a partner in their work. Together with the Historical Society of Long Beach, CAG created the North Long Beach Archive to provide a permanent home for the photographs, oral histories and other materials they continue to collect.

A team of educators and researchers visiting local schools to help determine whether the Long Beach Unified School District will win public education’s biggest prize, the national Broad Prize for Urban Education, praised schools here for their significant and steady gains in student achievement. The school district last month was named, for a fourth time, as one of five finalists for the prize, which recognizes the best urban school district in the nation. Only one other school system nationwide has achieved this honor more times than Long Beach – Boston, a five-time finalist. “It’s amazing to have been a finalist for four years. What that shows us is clearly there is purposeful strategic work going on,” Broad Foundation spokesperson Erica Lepping (pictured above) said during a news conference at Millikan High School. Long Beach is now competing with four other school districts for the Broad Prize, which will be announced Oct. 14 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

On Monday, June 9, Councilmember Suja Lowenthal led the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency’s demolition of Jack’s Liquor at 256 Long Beach Boulevard, in downtown Long Beach. The 10 a.m. demolition also included the One-Stop Office Furniture Store, High Gain, and Life Steps. The four properties are being cleared to make room for the Downtown Redevelopment Project Area’s Broadway Block project, which will include residential and commercial developments, as well as a public art center. As part of a recent Redevelopment Agency study on its impact on public safety, crime statistics for Jack’s Liquor were obtained from the Long Beach Police Department. According to the statistics, between 2004 and 2007, Jack’s Liquor was the site of 86 violent crimes, 137 narcotics violations, and 375 property crimes; in total, 1,775 incidents were reported at the address during the three-year period.

The California Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation (CCRF)–a foundation established in 2007 to improve the quality of lives for children and their families with rehabilitative needs–donated speech therapy equipment to the pediatric rehabilitation department at Miller Children’s Hospital. This year the CCRF is participating in a fundraising campaign called, “Benefiting Kids-Sense-Abilities” to assist in developing a therapy program for autistic children at Miller Children’s Hospital. In its first year the CCRF held a fundraiser called “Giving Children Voices.” The purpose of this campaign was to allow children who are unable to speak independence through devices which are appropriate for their physical and cognitive levels. The CCRF has also provided funding for speech therapists to complete a training program. The CCRF was able to raise enough money to make this a successful program at Miller Children’s Hospital and the only one in our region with these devices. “This allows the speech therapist to help pick the best device and best type of buttons so the patient can be successful in communicating,” said Kimberly BeDell, MD, chief medical director of pediatric rehabilitation at Miller Children’s Hospital.

The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners has announced that Long Beach hit a new 10-year record low for water consumption in May, with use dropping to 8 percent below the 10-year average. Long Beach is six percent below the 10-year average for the entire year. The City of Long Beach has been operating under Declaration of an Imminent Water Supply Shortage since September of 2007.
“What this means is that we’ve essentially moved into a world where even in normal years, we don’t have enough water,” said Kevin L. Wattier, general manager of the Long Beach Water Department. “Without a more aggressive effort to implement extraordinary conservation, among other important longer term, permanent solutions, southern California is currently positioning itself for catastrophic failure in the event of a protracted drought.”

About 100 people attended the fundraiser at Viento y Agua Cafe to buy the solar-powered electrical system for a school in El Pedregal, Nicaragua. The event, sponsored by Los Angeles/Orange County Alternative Energy Meetup Group and Long Beach Spanish Language Meetup Group, raised $3,300 for the solar project. Their next fundraiser will be a green speed dating event in Santa Monica on Sunday, June 15.

California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is concluding its 2007-08 academic year by graduating its largest class ever in its 59-year history. A total of 8,225 students are expected to complete their bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees by year’s end while 1,233 will have earned teaching credentials. “Collectively, this year’s graduating class is perhaps the most successful in our university’s history. Not only will we graduate more undergraduate and graduate students this spring, but the class of 2008 will also have the highest graduation rate of any previous graduating class,” said CSULB President F. King Alexander.

The course for the 24th Annual Long Beach International City Bank Marathon–nationally known for its scenic mix of oceanside views and city landmarks–just got more scenic. California State University, Long Beach, and International City Racing have announced that the full marathon course has been changed to allow participants to run through the picturesque campus, eliminating a lonely stretch on Studebaker Road which was miles 16,17 and 18 of the marathon. The university and campus community is expected to be out in force to welcome and cheer on the 18,000-plus runners as they pass in the 24th Annual Long Beach International City Bank Marathon on Sunday, October 12. The university has exciting plans to have their cheerleaders, pep band, and the school’s mascot — Prospector Pete — welcome runners as they enter campus. For more information on the marathon, please visit www.runlong beach.com or call (562) 427-4606.

The League of Women Voters in Long Beach is honoring Lorraine Brault with the first Annual League of Women Voters’ Making Democracy Work Award. The award honors a community member who has been a leader and actively engaged in hands-on work to keep Long Beach a strong and vibrant place to live. Lori was selected from a diverse pool of nominees from the community and will be honored at the Making Democracy Work Award presentation, which is open to the public, on Tuesday, June 10 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Long Beach Main Library auditorium lobby, 101 Pacific Avenue. For more information about the League of Women Voters and the Making Democracy Work Award, contact Phyllis O’Connor at (562) 438-5478 or visit www.lba.ca.lwvnet.org.

Karen Codman of FSC Securities has been awarded the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) designation from Fiduciary360, an organization offering training, tools and resources to promote a culture of fiduciary responsibility and improve the decision-making processes of fiduciaries. The AIF designation signifies knowledge of fiduciary responsibility and the ability to implement policies and procedures that meet a defined standard of care. The designation is the culmination of a two-day course and examination. Codman, a resident of Norwalk, is an investment advisor representative for Karen Codman, FSC Securities in Long Beach. For more information on Codman, call (562) 728-5800 or visit www.karencodman.com.

Joan Van Hooten, executive director of the Arts Council for Long Beach, has announced that she will retire from her position effective August 1, 2008. “After nearly eight years with the organization, I look forward to exploring life as an enthusiastic retiree and committed arts supporter,” she said. Justin Hectus, president of the Arts Council’s board of directors, cited Van Hooten’s years of service during a period of dwindling city funding for the organization. “Joan worked tirelessly to support the Arts Council’s nationally recognized programming and the arts community in general at a time when city support dropped from $1.75 million to $600,000,” Hectus said. “Most rewarding to me is that the Arts Council remains a robust organization despite severe reductions in city funding,” said Van Hooten. “As local funding declined, we’ve found ways to support the arts through private philanthropy and other government sources.” The Arts Council for Long Beach will conduct a comprehensive search to find a qualified candidate to take a leadership role for the organization.

Members of Long Beach Emblem Club 106 celebrated their club’s 62nd birthday on May 17 at the Bellflower Long Beach Elks Lodge in Bellflower. Five past presidents–Maggie Berck, Lynette Nixon, Mary Lou Clinton, Sharon Eidinger and Glenda Walls–were in attendance, and each told about their year as president. While the club during some of its past years had memberships in the hundreds, today it has only 98 members. They are, however, a dedicated group of ladies who contribute to more than 30 worthwhile projects in the community.

It’s A Grind has announced the launch of its “One Harvest Coffee” Program, a humanitarian business relationship between It’s A Grind coffeehouses, their roasters and independent coffee estates from around the world. Coffees included in The One Harvest Program are of exceptional quality and produced by families with amazing stories of success and hardship. The goal of One Harvest is to create a long-term, plentiful supply chain for these excellent coffees, while improving the quality of the workers’ lives by paying a fair market price. Moreover, growers benefit in other ways, such as receiving medical grants and loans to plant more crops. These programs are supported through the purchase of One Harvest coffee, at It’s A Grind locations nationwide. For more information about the company, visit www.itsagrind.com.

Newsweek’s newly released annual rankings of America’s top high schools include six schools in the Long Beach Unified School District, a record high for the district. The annual list represents only the top 5 percent of all public high schools in the United States. Joining the list of elite schools for the first time are Long Beach’s Millikan High School and Catalina Island’s Avalon High School. Returning to the list this year were Poly High School, Wilson Classical High School, Renaissance High School for the Arts, and the California Academy of Mathematics and Science (CAMS).

Last April, the Community Hospital of Long Beach (CHLB) auxiliary honored member Janet Pierson with its Annual Recognition Award. Janet joined the auxiliary in 1999 and, since then, has donated 1900 hours to CHLB. The luncheon also marked the 51st birthday party of the auxiliary. The auxiliary membership committee meets and takes recommendations from its members, and then selects one person each year to be honored. The luncheon was held in the CHLB auditorium where Pierson was presented with a plaque and bouquet of flowers.

Community Hospital of Long Beach (CHLB) Foundation announces the nearly sold out 26th Community Classic Golf Tournament at Recreation Park Golf Course, 5001 Deukmejian Drive, on Friday, June 6. This year’s tournament will honor Emmanuel “Dr. Mike” Vasilomanolakis for his service and dedication to the hospital. Tournament fees are: $325 for each golf participant or $1,300 for a golf foursome; after May 15, the fees increase to $350 per golfer and $1,400 for a foursome. Fees include a day of golf with cart, tee prizes, breakfast, food on the course and one reservation for the auction and dinner. The auction and dinner will be held this year at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach beginning at 5:30 p.m. For individuals who want to only attend the dinner, the cost is $125 per person and the deadline to make reservations is Friday, May 30.

Religion Newswriters invites all working journalists, regardless of beat, to apply to its Lilly Scholarships in Religion program. The scholarships give full-time journalists up to $5,000 to cover the cost of taking college religion courses. The scholarships can be used at any accredited college, university, seminary or similar institution. Journalists can take any course they choose as long as it is in the field of religion. Scholarships cover tuition, books, registration fees, parking and other costs. Online and travel courses are also included (as long as travel costs are a part of the curriculum). This year’s scholarship application deadlines are July 1 and Oct. 1. Scholarships must be used within three academic quarters of their award date. Only full-time journalists working in the general circulation news media are eligible. Complete information about the Lilly Scholarships in Religion program is available at http://www.rna.org/scholarships.php. For questions, contact Amy Schiska at (614) 891-9001 ext. 3# or Schiska@RNA.org.

Officials at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) have announced the selection of Stan Skipworth as the new chief of university police at the campus following a national search to fill the position.
With more than 17 years of police experience in higher education and another eight years of municipal police work, Skipworth has been a member of the CSULB University Police Department for eight years, serving as lieutenant, captain and, most recently, acting chief. Additionally, over the last eight years, he has taught courses for the California Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST). “Cal State Long Beach has an exceptional police department, and we have every confidence that Stan Skipworth will continue to build on its respected reputation,” said Mary Stephens, vice president for administration and finance at CSULB.

The American Red Cross Greater Long Beach Chapter (GLBC) is has announced youth volunteer Anne Marie Chua as the Volunteer of the Month for April. Anne Marie is a junior at Long Beach Polytechnic High School and is a youth volunteer in the Youth and Young Adult Services. She started volunteering in July of 2007 when she volunteered every day at the Safe Kids Camp. During the school year, she stayed active by helping plan and decorate for the Holiday Project, Holiday Dance and Casino Night fundraisers as well as recruiting new volunteers to help with these fundraisers. “Anne Marie is not only a great volunteer” said Youth Services Director Lakia Pearson, “but an outstanding student. She is extremely dedicated to her work and her friends can count on her to help out whenever needed. For information regarding volunteering at the American Red Cross, Greater Long Beach Chapter, call (562) 595-6341, ext 261.

In August of 2007, Long Beach entrepreneurs Keith Lewis and Peter Dopulos saw a need for local writers wishing to publish their stories and poetry. Out of that need Flask and Pen was created. Flaskandpen.com is an online literary magazine that accepts submissions of stories, poetry and the occassional editorial from aspiring writers to accomplished authors. “It’s amazing how we have grown,” says Dopulos. “We started out with a few friends that are aspiring writers and the only people visiting the site were friends and relatives.” Recently, the site surpassed 25,000 visits. Each month a phrase or word is selected as the topic of the month to inspire writers. Flask and Pen has also produced The Flask and Pen Project, whereby the editors select an inspiration for a story and each week a randomly selected author contributes a chapter. The first Project was completed in January and the current Project is approximately half complete. Both can be viewed on the site at www.flaskandpen.com. For more info, email info@flaskandpen.com

Operation Jump Start (OJS) is a nonprofit mentoring organization with the mission to help underprivileged Long Beach high school students go on to college. OJS matches each of its students with an adult mentor for a period of five years; from the eighth grade all the way through high school. While in OJS, the student and mentor teams participate in several activities together, such as college tours, educational workshops, culture activities and community service activities. Outside of the OJS activities, mentors and students are able to spend time together on their own doing activities of their own choosing such as going for walks, visits to the beach, cafes, museums, etc. All of the students served by OJS are economically disadvantaged and the first generation of their families to go to college. One-hundred percent of OJS students graduate from high school, and 97 percent attend college. To find out more, contact Samantha Lang at Slangojs@aol.com or (562) 988-2131, or visit www.operationjumpstart.org.

Picture This Gallery & Custom Framing is calling for artists of all media to submit art work with an obvious image of Frida Kahlo for a show that will run July 29 through September 13. An artist reception, poetry reading and music performance will take place Saturday, August 2 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The submission deadline is Friday, July 18 at 6 p.m. For more information about the show, call (562) 425-4861 or email PictureThis Gallery@gmail.com.
El Dorado Nature Center is seeking volunteers for its trail steward program. After completion of the two-session training program, trail stewards walk the trails and are the eyes and ears of the center, helping the public stay safe. Also, they share with visitors information about the wonderful history and wildlife that make El Dorado Nature Center a treasure in Long Beach. Trail steward volunteer training classes meet on Saturdays, June 7 and 14, from 9 a.m. until noon at the nature center, located at 7550 East Spring Street. Call Susan Ettinger at (562) 570-1749 for more information or to register. For stewards to gain all the benefits of the program, attendance at both training session is required.

One Signal Hill resident and two Long Beach residents graduated from Azusa Pacific University in the San Gabriel Valley in the school’s spring commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 3. Signal Hill resident Craigston P. Robbins graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies, Long Beach resident Whitney Leigh Patterson received a Bachelor of Arts in business administration, and Long Beach resident Alicia Michele Story graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in liberal studies. They were joined by more than 1,200 graduates at the ceremony. Featured in Time magazine and ranked as one of the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review, Azusa Pacific is a comprehensive, Christian, evangelical university known for excellence in higher education. For more information, call (800) 825-5278 or visit www.apu.edu.

Researchers at UCLA and the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System are seeking adults, ages 18 to 55, who have been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), for a new study testing the impact of psychological interventions on the treatment for IBS. Researchers will explore whether psychological approaches can help with factors that aggravate IBS symptoms, which may lead to more effective treatment. IBS affects 15 to 20 percent of Americans and causes discomfort in the abdomen, along with diarrhea and/or constipation. Stress may aggravate symptoms. During the six-month study, volunteers will be randomly selected to participate in one of three interventions: IBS stress management, designed to reduce stress and learn relaxation skills; IBS symptom management, targeted at helping patients identify thought patterns that may induce IBS symptoms; and IBS educational training, arming volunteers with educational materials and background on the physiology of IBS. The interventions will consist of 10 weekly individual one-hour meetings with a psychologist. A physical exam will take place during the initial visit, as well as a psychological evaluation. The study is funded by the National Institutes of Health. For more information, call (310) 478-3711, extension 43470.

Donald E. Barr was named Elk of the Year for 2007/2008 for Lodge #888 in Bellflower. Born on March 2, 1930, in New London, Iowa, Barr entered the U.S. Army in 1951 and served for two years. He later worked in construction in Ventura for the N.W. Kellogg Company. In 1954, he went to work for Douglas Aircraft, from which he retired in 1993. Barr was initiated into #888 on September 15, 1960. He donates yearly to the Elks National Foundation, of which he was chairman for four years. He has served on the door prize committee, the pallbearer committee and the breakfast crew committee, as well as for numerous other functions.

Long Beach’s El Dorado Nature Center staff has welcomed the arrival of two baby great horned owls. A pair of owls living along the Center’s two-mile trail produced the two baby owls, and a raptor specialist assessed the health and age of the newly born owls, estimating they are about six weeks old and are beginning to branch, the first step in the process of learning to fly. The Nature Center staff is closing access to parts of the two-mile trail for the next few weeks for the safety of patrons as well as the owls. Once the baby owls jump from the nest and are on the ground, the parents will attack anyone who comes near them. These birds are the largest owl species in North America (with a wing span of almost six feet and talons that are strong enough to pick up a small dog). In addition, Federal law protects nesting raptors and makes it illegal to interfere with their breeding. For updates on the two-mile trail closure, call (562) 570-1745. For information about El Dorado Nature Center programs, visit www.LBParks.org.

The development of Signal Hill’s Water Well #9 has been progressing as scheduled. The actual drilling operation is complete and all the well casing is in the ground. The city is currently test pumping to evaluate the well and aquifer characteristics. The test pumping will also determine the production capacity of the well. All preliminary results indicate that this well will be a productive one.

Jason Farsai, a senior industrial design major at California State University, Long Beach, has garnered some attention with his design concept of an Internet-connected coffee mug, which he calls the “Yuno PC.” He came up with the connected coffee mug concept as part of a class assignment during the fall semester and entered the design into the Next Generation PC Design Competition. Now, the “Yuno PC” is among the finalists being considered for the contest’s top awards, which will be announced later this month.

The Wrigley Area Neighborhood Alliance monthly meeting will be tonight at 7 p.m. at the Jackie Robinson Academy, 2750 Pine Ave. This month’s speakers are Debbie and Tom Hennessy for Operation Kids, Terry Tibor of The Aquarium of the Pacific and Steve Meyers for Pacific Baptist Church. Free parking and child care available. Contact Jill Hill at (562) 599-1822.

“Sweet Alice” Harris, the executive director of Parents of Watts in Los Angeles, addressed the audience at last Saturday’s Long Beach Girlfriends Conference, which offered lecture sessions and workshops to parents and their daughters to help strengthen parenting skills with practical tips on safety, finance, and decision-making. Harris presides over more than 15 programs that operate on shoestring budgets, combining contracts and support from community businesses. Councilmember Suja Lowenthal and Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster were among other speakers at the Bixby Park event.

Jose Lee, a Long Beach resident, has qualified as a member of the 2008 Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), the Premier Association of Financial Services Professionals. The award is presented by MDRT to those achieving the highest standards in life insurance and financial services as established by MDRT.

The Greater Long Beach Chapter of the American Red Cross announced the March Volunteer of the Month is professional photographer Cheri Kinley. For the fourth consecutive year, Kinley donated her time to take professional portraits of each of the chapter’s Hometown Heroes and to photograph the ceremony at the breakfast awards event. Setting up a makeshift studio in the chapters call center, Kinley made appointments in advance to take the portraits of each hero. “Her cheerful demeanor and professional expertise were very welcome and appreciated,” said Chairwoman of the Board of Directors Candice Stacy. “Her photos made us look our best,” she said.

May 6 is the new deadline to submit applications for the Long Beach League of Women Voters Making Democracy Work award. The nominee should be a woman between 50 and 65 who has made a significant contribution to the Long Beach/Lakewood/Signal Hill community. For full details and an application, go to http://lba.ca.lwvnet.org, or call (562)438-5478 (Phyllis) or (562)438-3912 (Pat). Anyone can make the nomination – a friend, associate, or the nominee herself. The award will be presented at the Long Beach Main Library on June 10 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Dr. Brock Johnson (right) received the prestigious Presidential Service Award on April 15, 2008 for his community and volunteer service. The award was presented to him by Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster at the city council meeting at Long Beach City Hall. Johnson and his wife Lilian are the owners of Above & Beyond Chiropractic, located in Bixby Knolls. Johnson is a chiropractor who specializes in neurological rehabilitation and created a new treatment for brain, nerve, and spinal joint function at a 90 percent recovery rate. Realizing that there are people in need who cannot afford the services of a doctor, a large portion of his practice is devoted to treating low-income families.

The Long Beach Fire Department recruit firefighter’s class of 2008 will participate in a graduation ceremony Saturday, May 3 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the LBFD training center located at 2249 Argonne Ave. in Long Beach. The ceremony will be the culmination of 16 weeks of hard work, discipline, and dedication to learning the job and responsibilities of a Long Beach firefighter.

For the ninth consecutive year, the Women and Philanthropy program at California State University, Long Beach has awarded scholarships to re-entry students. This year’s recipients include: Michelle Del Aguila; John Dinsmore, who received the Dr. Katherine White Memorial Scholarship; Diego Jarrin; Binh Nguyen ; Tracy Ponce, who received the Long Beach Soroptimist Scholarship; Janet Rapaport; and Duke Rescola.