Englander E-News: Here's Your June Events Calendar

COUNCILMEMBER ENGLANDER'S E-NEWS

June 8, 2012

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“Hope” Work Out Day to Benefit St. Jude Hospital...

On Saturday, June 9, CrossFit Body Elite in Chatsworth is holding a fundraising event to help support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Saturday, June 9
10:00 am to 3:00 pm
CrossFit Body Elite
9144 Jordan Ave., Chatsworth

Join your local CrossFit gym and participate in the work out of the day or pledge a donation. All of donated proceeds will benefit St. Jude Research Hospital, where 81 cents of every dollar goes directly to support research and treatment at St. Jude.

For more information, to register, or if you can't participate in the workout, but would like to support St. Jude, visit http://hope.crossfit.com.

Northridge Village Beautification Project Fundraiser at El Rancho...

The efforts of the Northridge Sparkle Campaign to beautify the business corridor on Reseda Blvd. between Nordhoff St. and Parthenia St. in Northridge have evolved into "Northridge Village Beautification." The group is holding "A Night on Broadway," a fundraiser concert at El Rancho Cordillera Del Norte on Saturday, June 9 to raise funds for the revitalization of the Historic Reseda Boulevard Business District.

Saturday, June 9
4:00 pm - silent auction
5:00 pm - show begins
6:30 pm - wine & appetizers
El Rancho Cordillera del Norte
9015 Wilbur Ave., Northridge
$25 donation. Free Parking.

The event features nine great singers (Annie Grimes, Meggan Taylor, Gina Mitchell, Sue Fountain, Joe Green, Dave Berges, Carl Nakamura, Terry Lieberstein, and Northrdige Sparkle's own Andrea Alvarado) led by Charlie Harrison, Music Director of El Rancho. Sponsored by Northridge South Neighborhood Council. 

Seating is limited so RSVPs are required. To reserve, please emailnorthridgebeautification@gmail.com or call (818) 885-0825.

Chatsworth Fine Arts Council Annual Depot Art Show...

Don't miss the Chatsworth Fine Arts Council Annual Depot Art Show on Sunday, June 10 at Chatsworth Depot Train Station. This amazing annual art show has been hosted by the Chatsworth Fine Arts Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to support visual arts in our community, since 1998. Come support the arts in our community and see artwork by local artists.

Sunday, June 10
10:00 am to 5:00pm
Chatsworth Depot 
Metrolink Station
10040 Old Depot Plaza Rd. 
Chatsworth

A wide variety of original art created by local artists in all different media will be on display. There will also be live music, a free kids' art activities booth, and the Whistle Stop Cafe in the train station will be open and serving delicious snacks and refreshments.

For more information, call (818) 772-1639 or email chatswortharts@att.netor visit www.ChatsworthFineArtsCouncil.com.

Free CERT Classes Hosted by Encino Neighborhood Council...

The Encino Neighborhood Council is offering a FREE Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) classe on Monday June 11. All are welcome and registered participants will receive a free disaster preparedness kit (limit one per family, while supplies last). 

This is a great opportunity to get trained in basic first aid, rescue, disaster preparedness and response, and other important skills in the nationally acclaimed CERT course offered by the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Monday, June 11
4935 Balboa Blvd.
Encino

The course is free, but space is limited, so RSVPs are required. To register, please call (818) 817-6998 or email tbarseghian@ucla.edu. 

YMCA's 23rd Annual Kids To Camp Golf Tournament...

Come out for a great day of golf and help raise funds so that North Valley Family YMCA can send kids to summer camp at the North Valley YMCA's 23rd Annual Golf Tournament. 

Monday, June 11
Porter Valley Country Club
19216 Singing Hills Dr., Northridge
9:00 am - Registration, Continental Breakfast, Driving Range Open, Putting Contest
11:00 am - Shotgun start, 4-Person Texas Scramble
5:00 pm - Awards Dinner, Raffle & Auction

Proceeds from the golf tournament provide scholarships to young and at-risk YMCA campers and supports the year-round camping program for more than 1,200 young people. YMCA summer camp creates unique experiences for young people that they will remember for the rest of their lives, and is a positive turning point for many YMCA kids.

For more information, call (818) 368-3231 or visit www.ymcala.org/nv.

Join Northridge West Neighborhood Council's "Clean Sweep" Weekly Clean-Up and Help Make Northridge Shine!

Join Northridge West Neighborhood Council's Clean Sweep community beautification project every Thursday!

Thursday, June 14
South side of Devonshire St. between Tampa Ave. and Corbin Ave.
Park on Tunney Ave., west of Tampa Ave.

At 8:00 am the crew will review the game plan with free refreshments provided by Northridge West Neighborhood Council. Bring gloves if you have them, sunscreen,a sunhat and appropriate shoes for outdoor work. Northridge West Neighborhood Council provides the refreshments and tools.

For more information contact Jo Ann Phillips at (818) 304-4989 orjaphillips1@yahoo.com or visit www.NorthridgeWest.org.

Volunteer or Donate to Operation Gratitude...

Volunteer or donate to help Operation Gratitude assemble and ship care packages to our troops serving overseas. Operation Gratitude is a San Fernando Valley-based non-profit organization that has sent over 775,000 care packages to bring letters of support and the comforts of home to U.S. military personnel serving in war zones abroad.

They hold major assembly and shipping drives every spring and winter, and volunteers and donations are needed year-round.

Weekdays
Mondays & Fridays, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays, 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Weekends
Saturday, June 16, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Sunday, June 24, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Saturday, June 30, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Gourmet lunch trucks sell a variety of delicious food for lunch in the parking lot from 12:00 pm to 12:30 pm, and the truck operators each donate 10% of all proceeds to Operation Gratitude. This activity qualifies for Community Service Hours.

Anyone over 12 years old can volunteer, but anyone under 16 years old must be accompanied by an adult. If you would like to volunteer please send an email to OpGratVolunteer1@yahoo.com with the subject “Operation Gratitude Volunteer.” To make a donation, visit https://www.operationgratitude.com/donate/.

Valley Village Showtime Fundraiser to Benefit Developmentally Disabled Adults...

Valley Village is holding its "Showtime!" Garden Party & Luncheon on Saturday, June 23 to raise funds for its programs and services for develomentally disabled adults in the San Fernando Valley.

Valley Village is a Winnetka-based non-profit organization that provides family-style care homes and therapeutic day programs for 400 developmentally disabled men and women. To learn more about Valley Village, visit www.valleyvillage.org/index.html.

Saturday, June 23
Sheraton Universal
333 Universal Hollywood Dr.
Universal City

Showtime! is a fun, elegant opportunity to mingle, sip champagne, and shop at trendy boutiques. At 12:00 pm, there is a sit-down luncheon with entertainment by a top-name stand up comedian, and an auction with prizes including trips, collectible items and more. The event MC will be George Pennacchio, entertainment reporter for ABC7 Eyewitness News. 

Tickets are $85 and RSVPs are required by June 15. To purchase tickets online, or to learn how to donate to Valley Village or donate auction and raffle items, click here. 

For information, please contact Jenny Daniels Freese at (818) 587-9480, or by email at showtime@valleyvillage.org.

New Horizons 5K Walk...

Join New Horizons for their Fifth Annual Walk on the Horizon 5k Walk to benefit developmentally disabled people in our community on Saturday, June 23 at Woodley Ave. Park.

Saturday, June 23
Registration - 7:00 am
Run - 8:30 am
Walk 9:00 am
Woodley Park
6350 Woodley Ave., Van Nuys
Map - http://g.co/maps/uuhvv

Take a little walk, or run, and make a big difference for New Horizons’ programs for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The event will feature a 5k run and a non-competitive walk around Woodley Park in Van Nuys, followed by an awards celebration with food, and live music by the band Arrest My Sister.

For 57 years, New Horizons has empowered individuals with developmental disabilities such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy and autism to fulfill their dreams.

For more information on Walk on the Horizon, or to register, visitwww.newhorizons-sfv.org/walk or call John Thornton at New Horizons(818) 221-0644 or email jthornton@newhorizons-sfv.org.

Grand Opening and Free Rides for the Public on the Canoga Ave. Orange Line...

The Metro Orange Line Extension — a four-mile addition to the popular Orange Line busway — will open to the public on Saturday, June 30 with community celebrations and free rides for the public from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.

In addition to free rides for the public all day, the grand opening will include community events at the Chatsworth and Canoga Stations. Chatsworth Depot will have a country/western theme, while the Canoga Station will feature eco-friendly booths, food trucks and other fun activities.

Saturday, June 30
10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Chatsworth Depot Metrolink Station
10446 Old Depot Plaza Rd.
Enter at Devonshire St. between Canoga Ave. and Owensmouth Ave.

Canoga Station
Canoga Ave. & Victory Blvd.
Woodland Hills

We have supported and worked on the Canoga Ave. Orange Line Extension from its inception in order to offer fast, safe, convenient public transit and make the entire regional public transit system more available to Northwest Valley commuters, while alleviating traffic congestion and pollution. 

The busway will feature four new stations at Sherman Way, Roscoe Blvd., Nordhoff St. and Chatsworth Depot Metrolink Station. New platforms are being added at the Canoga Station. An elevated crossing at Lassen St. will keep the busway safely separated from the railroad tracks. All stations will include beautiful public art. A beautiful bikeway and pedestrian path landscaped with native, drought-tolerant plants will run parallel to the busway, and will connect to the long bike and walking path along the Orange Line. There will also be a new park and ride lot at the Sherman Way Station and additional parking at Chatsworth Depot.

To see photos of the Metro Canoga Orange Line Extension under construction and for more information, visit www.metro.net/projects/orangeline.

Canoga Ave. Orange Line Extension Construction Updates...

Metro is now working seven days a week including some evenings. Paving, utility, traffic signal and other work is being done on each street along Canoga Ave. from Vanowen St. to Devonshire St. Some traffic disruptions and congestion can be expected until the entire project is completed.

Canoga Station Park & Ride Lot Closure
In preparation for the grand opening of the Metro Orange Line Extension, the Canoga Station Park & Ride Lot will be closed for re-construction through Friday, June 15. 

For further questions, please call (818) 701-2827 or emailmolextension@metro.net.

Call for Submissions - Artwork Made By Local Artists for a District 12 Art Exhibition...

The Council District 12 office is putting out a call for submissions of artwork by Northwest Valley artists to be part of a community art exhibition in our Community Service Center in Chatsworth.

We will display the artworks for up to six months. There is no cost involved, and the artists will receive 100% of any sales of their artwork. The works will be by artists living or working in Council District 12 in the San Fernando Valley, and they will be related to the unique culture, landscape, people, places and life of our community or the City of Los Angeles as a whole.

If any artist wishes to donate proceeds from the sale of their work to support the arts in our community, our office will match the donation. For more information, call Semee Park at (818) 882-1212.

If you are an artist in the Northwest San Fernando Valley, please submit your work for review! Click here to see the guidelines and the entry form. 

33rd Annual Devonshire PALS Golf Tournament...

Save the date for the 33rd Annual LAPD Devonshire PALS (Police Activity League Supporters) Golf Invitational on Monday, July 9. This great day of golfing raises funds for Devonshire PALS, which provides valuable after-school programs to give at-risk youth positive alternatives to gangs, drugs and crime. The PALS Youth Center in Northridge offers sports, mentoring and homework assistance to kids while building positive relationships between the Police and the community.

Monday, July 9
7:30 am- Registration
Porter Valley Country Club
19216 Singing Hills Dr., Northridge

The $200 registration fee includes breakfast, lunch and dinner, hole-in-one prize opportunities, golf cart, entry for raffle prizes, awards and goodie bags.

For more information, call (818) 349-1706.

A Year of Emergency Preparedness...

On January 17, the 18th anniversary of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, we kicked off our Year of Emergency Preparedness in Los Angeles.

Throughout 2012, we will be working on legislation, programs and public awareness efforts to help the residents of Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley be prepared for natural or man-made disasters.

Every week, our newsletter will feature a new item in an Emergency Preparedness Checklist. These are simple steps that everyone in Los Angeles should take in order to be prepared for any disaster. If you follow each item on this checklist, you will be highly prepared at the end of the year.

Week 21: Emergency Tools for Your Car
It's a good idea to keep a seatbelt cutter and glass-breaking tool in your car in case of emergency. If an earthquake, flood, wildfire or other major disaster strikes, becoming trapped inside your car could be deadly. There are many low-cost tools available that would enable you to quickly and easily cut through your seatbelt and break the car window to allow you to escape. To see examples, go to http://tiny.cc/zfdkfw.

To see our printable Emergency Preparedness Checklist, with every week's entry, click here or visit our website at www.CD12.org.

Fire Department's New 'LAFDmobile' Smartphone App to Stay Up to Date on Emergency Information...

Our Legislative Deputy Alexis Marin covers the Public Safety Committee for our office, and she reports this week on a great new tool offered by the Fire Department (LAFD) to help the public stay up to date on emergency and public safety information.

The LAFD has launched LAFDmobile, a FREE app for your iPhone and Android smartphones that consolidates all of LAFD's information and updates for the public into one easy-to-use program.

Created and funded by a veteran Firefighter to support the "LAFD Everywhere" initiative, LAFDmobile is designed to put timely and trusworthy information into the hands of L.A. residents.

The items listed include LAFD Alert, LAFD Scanner Radio, LAFD's Twitter and Facebook postings, LAFD's Photo Gallery and much more, all in one list, available on your phone.

To download and start using the LAFDmobile application on your iPhone or Android, simply go to http://www.widgetbox.com/mobile/app/lafd-mobile. There are easy-to-follow instructions on the website.