Blog

A Beautiful Person

2008-12-02T05:14:53Z

Grace, the director of WISE & Healthy Aging, wants this organization to be "the Google of senior services", an information source for older adults. A hip and cool, cutting edge, state-of- the-art kind of deal. She knows that Google is known for paying their employees well, being a great place to work, and have a waiting list of people dying to work there. Grace wants a creative, diverse, and spontaneous staff herself. She's already begun to create the staff of her dreams. One employee that really struck me was Laraine Mestman, the program manager of the elder abuse program.

Laraine's background makes her one of the most interesting people who works at WISE & Healthy Aging. She is an accomplished painter, has a legal background, is a mediator, and travels around the world to compete in rowing. You may ask, how someone with all of that under their sleeve comes to work with elders? Well, even though Laraine has a passion for all of the other activities she does in her free time, she realized that her passion for helping seniors came from her grandma. Once, she was asked to paint a picture in Santa Monica, while a band played. Of course, it was a community activity, but Laraine got up there and created the most beautiful painting: a picture of her grandmother. That piece inspired so many people bearing witness to this artistic creation, that it actually inspired Laraine herself.

She has been working with WISE & Healthy Aging for some time now because she feels that it is important to help the elders lead a healthy, exciting life in their golden years. She primarily focuses on elder woman. She realized that there are many wonderful women out there like her grandma and she wanted to help them out to show her appreciation for what they bring to the world. It is amazing that Laraine can be so dedicated to this organization and still succeed in all of her other activities Laraine.

Laraine is not the only person who has such a unique, well-rounded personality and life. There are many staff members who share similar lifestyles. It's truly inspiring to see how someone can dedicate their lives to the community in such a beautiful way, as well as bring their personal hobbies and methods of living life to the table to share with all. In a way, we should all be Laraine.

Life to the Fullest, Even in Our Later Years

2008-11-28T15:46:52Z

Once upon a time, there were two lonely organizations. They both catered to seniors in the community day-after-day and were doing a good job of it. One day, they were both looking on the web and found that they were just alike. I guess you can say they were one of the lucky cases of online dating. One organization's name was WISE and the other's name was Healthy Aging. After some time, they decided to make it final and get married. If you know a senior, or are one, who would love to gain some independance and live a healthier elderly life, then you should come see the people at WISE & Healthy Aging. Although the main office is located in Santa Monica, there are over 2000 facilities, so there is bound to be one near you.

What this organization offers are many services that cater to the needs and hardships of elders. Since it can become hard for elders to do the simple day-to-day tasks, and handle other mishaps that may come up, WISE & Healthy Aging has many different programs that are designed to make life 100% more comfortable for the "aging."

Funded by AARP, WISE & Healthy Aging is able to do amazing things in an attempt to make life better for the elders. At the Service Center on Pico Blvd., 60 seniors, some at the early stages of various mental and and physical ailments, come to fellowship, do exciting activites, exercises, and more. For those who can't afford it, they don't have to worry one bit because scholarships are available. Another thing that truly struck me about this organization is how commited and involved they are with making sure there is nothing for the seniors to worry about. Another city-funded section of this organization is the adult aid. They do in-home visits to make sure things are in order. They offer daily money management for those who can't do it themselves and help getting bills paid on-time. Their outreach in these efforts are inspiring to me.

There are so many more ways in which WISE & Healthy Aging help the community. To see how you can get a loved one, or yourself involved, just check out the website. It's never too late to have a productive, exciting life!

Working For Justice In Our Communities

2008-11-27T02:47:23Z

The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles is the biggest and yet frontline law firm for more than 2 million low-income people in the the Los Angeles area. They have four Self-Help Legal Access Centers: Inglewood, Long Beach, Santa Monica, and Torrence. They hold legal clinics in chuches, schools, public housing developments, and senior centers.

LAFLA is a place that people turn to when there is a threatening situation involving their shelter, job security, livelihood, health and well-being. This shows how dependable LAFLA is. They serve over 14,000 clients annually, and assist 55,000 other individuals through referrals, education and other services. Am I the only that's amazed? Well, here's a story of a patient that was helped incredibly by LAFLA.

Jimmy, a paranoid schizophrenic, living in his one-room studio in Santa Monica for 11 years who has the benefit of a Section 8 voucher. Unfortunately, he is visibly disabled with a number of both physical and mental disabilities as well. Due to all of this, the building managers at his home "disliked" him for being obnoxious when knocking on their door or is unable to instantly pick up small objects he drops in the hallway because of his loss od mobility. This led to the management issuing a 3-day notice to quit because he burned his dinner and the smell was offensive. The landlord also terminated Jimmy's Section 8 contract with the Santa Monica Housing Authority. An attorney from the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles argued that Jimmy had disabilities under state and federal Fair Housing Laws, but management kept refusing to reinstate the contract. This was totally unfair to Jimmy because he would then have to pay the full price with all the dissabilities. So then the Legal Aid Foundation collaborated with the Housing Rights Center and soon prepared litigation and discovery began and a demand letter was sent to the landlord insisting that Jimmy's Housing Authority contract be reinstated. In a blink of an eye, the landlord requested a new contract for Jimmy.

LAFLA to the rescue!

One of these incredible helpful attorneys is Karla Barrow, Managing Attorney of the office. She has been with LAFLA for nine and a half years. Straight from Law School to Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. Karla began as a staff attorney doing government benefits. She was a patient's advocate back in Law School which represented individuals who had been picked up on 72-hour psychiatric holds. "Through this experience, I realized how insensitivities to culture, race, mental illness, gender, language, socio-economic status, etc, greatly influenced a person's access to our legal system," Karla stated. "I am very happy here, and proud of the work we do and of the clients we serve."

Visit www.lafla.org for more information.

Operation Health: Part Two

2008-11-26T00:57:39Z

The Venice Family Clinic

Venice Family Clinic started in 1970 by founder Dr.Rossman. He began meeting with local Venice residents. He was joined later by the co-founder Dr.Davidson. Together they were able to borrow a space at the UCLA-Venice Dental Center in the evenings. Their clinic grew from a small storefront, all-volunteer operation to the biggest free clinic in the country.

"Many people in Los Angeles work hard, do not earn a lot of money, and do not have health insurance as part of their work. It is important that this group of people often called "the working poor" have a place to obtain quality health care services. The Venice Family Clinic is a medical home for many people who otherwise would have no place else to turn," said Elizabeth.

There are more then about 2,000,000 people in the Los Angeles county with low incomes and no health insurance, and that's why our county needs Venice Family Clinic. I think everyone should be able to have health care because everyone needs it, so they CAN be healthy and get what they need. It's not always our fault that we get sick. Things happen.

Venice Family Clinic has an excellent staff and volunteers who do more then what they have to do and to help others receive high-quality care in a place that is great and friendly. Their services let people continue to work, go to school, and of course live healthy lives and not live sick lives. Thanks to this, many people can avoid high medical bills that can lead to them becoming bankrupt or even homeless. And even other places like Kaiser Permanente are helping out.

"A $575,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente of Southern California to Venice Family Clinic is helping to make quality health care more accessible to the uninsured in Los Angeles," said Timothy.

Saving one's life

2008-11-22T00:51:58Z

If you haven't yet visited Family Service of Santa Monica/Vista Del Mar; don't hesitate. They offer therapy, counseling, and other family services at a low cost. What's better than cheaper prices? They don't only have one location but two, Santa Monica and Vista Del Mar. Attention students, if you attend at McKinley Elementary, John Muir Elementary, or Santa Monica High School it's totally FREE! Taking advantage of these great programs especially when needed, can save one's life.

Like 15 year old Maria. She was in and out of mental hospitals for drugs, alcohol, and self- mutilation by cutting and burning. She suffered from depression and had attempted suicide. To top it all off, her mother was ill with cancer and her prognosis was not good. Maria and her 16 year old brother were sent to live at Vista Del Mar. In the beginning, it was very difficult because she did not want to be there. But after a time, she gradually began to heal, making connections with the associates and residents. After three difficult years, Maria began to live at the Vista Transition Home. After everything, she overcame her demons and decided to join the Army. After that, she hopes to go into the field of international relations, her college major. "I had been getting progressively worse," she says. "If I hadn't been placed in Vista, I might not be alive today."

Little organizations like these help people from the bottom of their hearts, which is a blessing. If you need more assistance call 310.458.7737.

Call now!

The Mission: Operation Health

2008-11-20T00:26:43Z

The Venice Family Clinic

Venice Family Clinic was founded in 1970 by founder Phillip Rossmen and co-founder Mayer B. Davidson. Venice Family Clinic's Mission is to provide FREE health care for people in need. They provide health, mental health, dental, child development services to people with low incomes, no health insurance or with public health insurance like MediCal, Medicare, and Healthy Families.

Venice Family Clinic treats people with respect and they have excellent services. They have primary health care like medication, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care and even laboratory tests. The list goes on forever. Don't get take the word free for granted. Venice Family Clinic is actually a very good place to go. I can say because I've been a patient for quite awhile. The doctors there are great and very kind as well as their nurses and other staff. The place always has people there from all ages and they have almost everything you'll need. But remember it's a clinic not a hospital, so if you break an arm or if you get a heavy burn don't plan on going there. And they're also a very organized place. I know it's not the biggest place but it's big enough. They have teen services offered at SAMOHI, Culver City High, and the Robert Levine Family Health Center. Venice Family Clinic is a great place to go if you need it. I would reccomend it.

If you want to know more about the Venice Family Clinic, you can visit them at Venice FamilyClinic.org or just by calling 310-392-8636. They're open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm at the 604 Rose Avenue. And all other locations Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. And the school-based clinics have their own special hours.

Thank you Elizabeth Forer for this interview. She has been working for Venice Family Clinic for 14 years. And she said, "I enjoy working here because each day I get to meet and work with fantastic volunteers and staff who share their good ideas, support and encourage me in my work and who collectively accomplish this very important work. I also know that each day we provide care to 400 people who otherwise would have no place else to turn."

Thank You.

Dedication to Our Community

2008-11-17T19:42:57Z

So many times we hear of people that dedicate their lives to things that are truly important to them. But what makes something important in a person's life... something like a theatre? For Bambi Martins, the Morgan-Wixson theatre captured her heart the second she saw the play "The Great Horn Spoon."

It was like any other day when she decided to chaperone her daughters 4th grade field trip to the Morgan-Wixson theatre. They saw the play "The Great Horn Spoon," written by Sid Fleishman, that took place during the Gold Rush. As they watched, they realized that there were kids they knew in that play and wondered how they became a part of this play. Over the next couple of months, Martins received emails about auditions for the Morgan-Wixson theatre, but constantly deleted them. After some time, Martins realized it was that same place her daughter and her had watched that magnificent play. She encouraged her daughter to audition. Although she did not get a part in the play, rather then being discouraged, something about "this place" made her want to keep trying and gave her the drive to do so.

Time passed and still she did not get any parts in a play. She still wanted to be involved in the theatre, so she began to work with the lights for the stage. She loved it! Right after that experience, she finally landed a part in the fall musical, 42nd Street. Bambi realized that the type of environment the Morgan-Wixson provided was such a family atmosphere, which was why her daughter was encouraged to keep trying.

Of course after her daughter was so heavily involved in the theatre, Bambi grew interested as well. Lucky for her, Morgan-Wixson theatre is always looking for new volunteers, because volunteers are the only reason the theatre still stands today. Martins started out taking tickets, then hemming costumes, and working in the snack bar during intermission. She saw how everyone around her was truly dedicated and wanted even more to be involved. "I started to get more involved because when you are at the theatre, you feel you are with family. There is nothing but a true feeling of mutual admiration and a common thread that we are all vested in the theatre and want to make it a better place, a theatre for the community," Martins stated. Bambi Martins now is working towards advertising for this upcoming season and finding more ways to connect the community to the theatre.

"We welcome all to come and become part of our family!" said Bambi Martins

A Masterpiece

2008-11-13T21:08:01Z

There are many events and stories that have helped Donna Sternberg to create the most beautiful dances, but there is one that really sticks out in her life.

In 2006, Donna Sternberg was able to be in-residence in Costa Rica with five other artists. She was the only dancer surrounded by visual artists; she could not help but be inspired. She became close to a painter, Kathy Packer. Donna and Kathy thought that it would be an excellent idea to collaborate and create a piece with a painting and a dance choreographed by Sternberg.

While in the beautiful area of Costa Rica, they often went walking and exploring the beautiful landscape that surrounded them. Inspired to have a deeper connection to the environment, ideas came along nicely for their "to be" masterpiece. In the end, the painting resembled many aspects of the beautiful nature of Costa Rica and Donna performed an hour and ten minute dance to the painting. It turned out just as they suspected... as a masterpiece.

It's an example of Donna's passion for dance; she has been able to relate to and dance to many things that people would not expect. This is what makes her great!

An Enjoyable and Rewarding Experience

2008-11-11T08:14:24Z

The Verdi Chorus doesn't just bring wonderful music and a great experience for everyone, but also brings a message through the music. To many of the singers in the choir, the music they sing and perform for people has so much more meaning, and has so much more significance to their lives, than for other singers in other groups. These singers and performers give a special experience to live audiences.

One specific live performance in front of about 1000 people at a church in South Central, alongside other churches choirs and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, was a very rewarding experience for the musicians. They were able to offer hundreds of people, not just music like other churches, but an operatic experience very different from most. With practice and experience, the chorus has become very unique and is able to perform for big audiences. These musicians don't only sing from their voices, they sing from their hearts. They are always very happy to share this experience with others.

It's always a touching experience when you can, not only hear beautiful music, but when you can feel it. The Verdi Chorus can offer this very engaging operatic experience.

WCIL Works

2008-11-11T03:31:22Z

Westside Center for Independent Living

In 1976, a small group of people who had disabilities who had actually been rejected by the school of the University of California, Berkley due to its physically inaccessible programs, decided to start an independent living center in the westside of Los Angeles and obtained funding from the Department of Rehabilitation and other generous groups. The same year that they started WCIL and served their community, their dream came true.

Thirty-two years later WCIL is still up and running. Now they are receiving different resources from different sources like: federal, State, city, corporate, and individual. WCIL is a proud recipient of a Santa Monica City Grant.

WCIL serves people who have all types of disabilities like physical, mental, learning, visual, substance abuse, etc.They offer different types of programs.

These programs include, Assistive Tech, Benefits Counseling, System Change, Peer Counseling, Information and Referral, Client Assistance Program, Personal Assistant Referral Registry, Home Access Program ( which is only for Santa Monica residents), and VIVA Employment Program.

All these programs are very useful to those who need them and Santa Monica is greatful to have a program like this to help those in need.Today, WCIL is one of 208 Independent Living Centers throughout the United States, and 29 in California.

You wanna know more about WCIL?

For more information about this program check out WCIL.org or call the WCIL West Los Angeles Office at 310-394-9871. WCIL is open Monday through Friday in West Los Angeles or in Santa Monica by appointment by calling 310-394-9871x420. West Los Angeles is located at 12901 Venice Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90066. And Santa Monica is located at 1527 Fourth St. Suite #250 Santa Monica 90401.

Thanks to the employees of WCIL: Jim Andrews who has been with WCIL for 19 years, Lalie Alvarez who has been apart of WCIL for 4 years, and Julie West who has been with WCIL for 6 years.

One's Passion...

2008-11-06T20:54:01Z

When a simple activity that you love to do, turns into an addiction, I guess you could say that it is your passion. Donna Sternberg discovered dance as hers when she realized she wanted more than to just dance in prestigous dance companies, but start her own program. Sternberg's desire to share her passion of dance with the rest of the world inspired her to begin "Donna Sternberg and Dancers." In her organization she works with dancers who perform throughout the year to share a message of connection and human growth through movement.

DS&D has just about every kind of workshop: master, informal, and educational. If you feel as though you are a "top notch" dancer you are more then welcome to try out for the company or take some masters workshops, but if not, there is always some way you can get involved. Donna Sternberg's dancers perform in many shows in many different locations and are very well-known. It has been said that their work is exquisite!

The purpose is to inform the community about the purpose of dance and how it has so much to teach us about one another. Through Donna Sternberg and Dancers, that message is being spread in an excellent way.

For information on shows click on Donna Sternberg and Dancers above to view them.

Meals on Wheels: The Beginning

2008-11-05T02:40:21Z

Wanna know more about Meals on Wheels?

Well, Meals on Wheels started in the cold days of January in 1954 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Requested by the Philadelphia Health & Welfare Council and funded by a grant from the Henrietta Towe Wurtz Foundation. Margaret Toy was a social worker in Philadelphia's Lighthouse Community Center who lead a program to provide care for home-bound seniors and other people who would otherwise go hungry. Many of the people that were in the program were people that didn't require hospitalization but people who needed a helping hand.

At the time, most volunteers were high school students; they prepared, packaged, and delivered the food to the elderly and disabled people in their community. The daily delivery had a hot meal for lunch and dinner, and a cold sandwich with milk and different side dishes at times. To cover the cost, and maintain the elder's sense of dignity, the program charged 40 to 80 cents per day based on the person's ability to pay.

The delivery was very efficient. The elders would sometimes complain to the volunteers if the meals got to them a few minutes later then scheduled. If the Lighthouse program never existed then Meals on Wheel wouldn't have either.

AN ARTIST'S AMBITIONS

2008-11-04T07:11:46Z

What is something that can affect any of us? No matter your age, if you're tall or short, if you're skinny or have a little bit more to love? Vision loss.

Vision loss is a very common and managable problem. About 14 million Americans deal with this on a day-to-day basis. It affects them at home, at school, and at the work place.

At the Center For The Partially Sighted (CPS), they have made it their mission for more than 30 years to assist people of all ages with impaired sight.

As a child, CPS founder Sam Genensky was given the wrong eyedrops which caused him to go blind. He opened the Center because people would only get assistance if they were totally blind. He didn't think this made sense. Since the majority of the people were visually-impaired, they could be assisted with optical or electro-optical aids.

One client, who is visually-impaired, loves to draw pictures. So the people at CPS gave him the chance to keep his artistry alive; they showed him how to use a CCTV. It looks like a computer, and at the bottom you place whatever you want to see on the screen. It can be a newspaper, a book or something else. For this young man, it was a piece of paper. It magnifies what you put on it and pops it up on the screen. Truly, this was a dream come true for the young man.

They have much more equipment that can assist those who are visually-impaired, such as hand-held cameras, head-mounted cameras, computer software, mounted telescopes. All which can be found at the CPS office, which is located on 112301 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 600.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

VISIT www.low-vision.org

Sharon Greene and Her Colleagues

2008-10-31T01:28:28Z

I spoke with Sharon Greene who is a Social Work Training Director. Greene has been working at St. Johns Child and Family Development Center for over five years and has had numerous experiences of helping children and families grow and develop positively.

Sharon Green is a licensed clinical social worker and is the social worker training director at St. Johns Child and Family Development Center. Similar to all the staff at St. John's Child and Family Development Center, she works at St. Johns CFDC because she whole-heartedly believes in the mission of the Center which is to provide innovative, multidisciplinary, quality mental health services to children, young adults, adults, and families. The center supports her and her colleagues by providing trainings and other activities in order to provide the best of care to their clients. Greene and her colleagues constantly encourage empowerment, growth, and adaptive behaviors that enable their clients to succeed in their family, school, and vocational/life choices. At the Center, they are committed to providing humanistic, responsive, culturally-sensitive services to a diverse population.

Sharon says she enjoys going to work every day and appreciates her dedicated colleagues and the work they do in the community.

The Homeless

2008-10-29T02:07:13Z

Lawrence grew up in South Central where drugs and gangs are prevalent in the community. Lawrence soon became a serious cocaine and heroin addict, and was in and out from jail. When he came out, he had nothing; he was homeless. For 15 years,he was homeless and one day heard about place called Chrysalis where he could get help. He found a place where he could discuss his problems with other people. He finished the Chrysalis classes on Job Preparation, Computers, Stress Management, Goal Planning, Worker Health and Safety, Money Management, Relapse Prevention and Putting the Bar Behind you. "I got the support and tools I needed to give myself another chance at life," said Lawrence. He has been working full-time as a courtesy clerk at Vons and is doing big things.

For more information about Lawrence please go to changelives.org