Volume 47, issue 35

2 | A
NEWS | MYBEACHREPORTER.COM THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2023

GOOD
NEWS
FROM THE SOUTH BAY
Running for gun control and
those we’ve lost.......... Page 12
Kiwanis kindness makes 5,000
meetings........................Page 13
Songs spread joy......... Page 16
Glow Ride for CF
goes bi-coastal ........... Page 14
KINDNESS
UNLOCKING OUR COMPASSION
By Lisa Jacobs
lisa.jacobs@TBRnews.com
What’s happening in the next two
weeks in your Beach Reporter, in the so-
cial media world, is called a “takeover.”
Kindness is running the show.
We’re wrapping your regular lo-
cal news with our eighth-annual spe-
cial section where we’re unlocking only
good news and uplifting stories.
And this year — while landslides,
hurricanes, mass shootings and mall
melees dominate local news — we’ve
decided to go even bigger by extending
our Kindness coverage over two weekly
issues.
You’re holding the first of two special
Kindness editions. The second launches
next week, on Sept. 7.
How about that? There’s so much
Kindness in the South Bay, it’s taking
us two issues to fit it all in.
This Kindness revolution began eight
years ago when Publisher Simon Grieve
suggested we produce a special section
that featured the South Bay’s big array
of nonprofits, their leaders and volun-
teers.
As Grieve puts it: Who can disagree
with Kindness?
“It might just be the one thing we all
want to give and to receive,” Grieve said.
“Our communities thrive when Kind-
ness springs to the surface.”
In the rough-and-ready business of
newspapering, we’re not often given the
opportunity to tell the good news. And,
there’s plenty of it in the South Bay.
Over the next two weeks, you’ll read
stories about feeding the hungry, about
comforting those landslide victims and
about the humane sterilization of pets.
You’ll read about a marathoner who
supports gun control, about a chaplain
who counsels first responders and about
longshore workers who raise money for
children’s cancer.
The stories are as varied as the neigh-
borhoods and people in the South Bay.
But, at each story’s core, is the same
simple message:
Kindness makes a difference.
Our editorial team worked hard on
these stories. That includes reporters,
photographers, illustrators and layout
designers. It’s our hope that this sliver
of goodness is inspirational so more
readers get involved and make some-
thing good happen.
Throughout the year, we are sup-
ported through advertising dollars, said
Grieve. And, it takes ad dollars to pull
off the special Kindness editions and for
that, we’re grateful, he added.
“As a free newspaper we rely on your
support,” Grieve said.
Over the near decade we’ve been pro-
ducing this project, we’ve ideated many
ways of illustrating Kindness. A favorite
was the year we showed a drop of water
creating a ripple. It represented that one
simple act — like the homemade birth-
day cards the Hermosa Beach schools
office manager sent to every employee
— can reverberate and create more com-
passion, more empathy, more goodness.
Kindness doesn’t have to be a grand
gesture. It can be simple and small. But
it can start something bigger as it grows
and takes root.
As anthropologist and author Marga-
ret Mead wrote in the 1970s:
“Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world — indeed, it is the only
thing that ever has.”

Fiji pets get help from Redondo Beach couple ...................................... Page 9 South Bay’s largest food bank grew from a passion for women......... Page 10

Cover illustration by Jeff Goertzen Inside page design by Jen San Jose

Want to help? Here’s where to volunteer or donate

ANIMALS
The Lovejoy
Foundation, Inc
lovejoyfoundation.org
A registered nonprofit animal
welfare organization whose focus
is street animals and owner sur-
renders. 1121 West Hillcrest Blvd.
Inglewood, CA 90301
(310) 641-1537
Noah’s Bark
Noahsbark.org
An all-volunteer nonprofit orga-
nization dedicated to rescuing
broken and neglected dogs and
giving them a much-needed sec-
ond chance. We are funded solely
by community support. 1601 N.
Sepulveda Blvd. #518 Manhattan
Beach, 90266 noahsbarkdogs@
yahoo.com
People and Cats Together
(PACT)
Peopleandcats.com
Offering cat and kitten adoptions
and rescue, adoptions take place
by appointment at the present
time. The organization focuses
trap/neuter/release, foster care,
and the bottle feeding of orphaned
kittens as well as feline adoptions.
P.O. Box 133 Redondo Beach,
CA 90277
pactcats@gmail.com
Peter Zippi Memorial Fund
peterzippifund.org
Dedicated to the memory of Peter
Zippi, the fund sponsors medical
treatment, shelter and adoptions
for lost and homeless animals and
provides spay/neuter financial as-
sistance to the community. 1560
Pacific Coast Highway Hermosa
Beach, CA 90254
(310) 379-1264
contact@peterzippifund.org
Roundhouse Aquarium
Teaching Center Hermosa Beach, CA Hermosa Beach Sister City
roundhouseaquarium.org (310) 944-5475 hb-sistercity.org
sabinadrums@gmail.com
To educate people about the The HBSCA established a Cultural
ocean, its marine life and protect- Friends of Exchange Program in 1974 be-
ing the environment. 2 Manhattan Redondo Beach Arts tween the South Bay and Loreto,
Beach Blvd. (at the end of the Mexico. for students, 13-14 years
Manhattan Beach Pier) or PO Box friendsredondobeacharts.org old, to travel and experience a new
1 Manhattan Beach, CA 90267 Enhancing business, residents culture. PO Box 1025, Hermosa
(310) 379-8117 and visitors with a thriving arts Beach, CA 90254
Info@roundhouseaquarium.org and cultural environment. 2600
Armour Lane c/o Jane Diehl, Re- Indivisible Arts
dondo Beach, CA 90278
ARTS &
Indivisiblearts.org
FRBArts@gmail.com
Dedicated to cultivating creativ-
ity, consciousness, and con-
Hermosa Beach
CULTURE Historical Society
hermosabeachhistorical
nection through the arts. The
organization’s goals are fourfold:
to ensure there are art galleries in
Free to Be Me Drum Circle society.org the community; to create a safe
freetobemedrumcircle.com The Hermosa Beach Historical place for youth (especially those
Society exists for the purpose of who feel alone or not embraced
Organizes family-friendly drum
circles to empower and celebrate preserving and chronicling the his- by their peers); to provide all kids
community and life through tory of Hermosa Beach. 710 Pier with access to art classes; and
rhythm and music. Open to people Ave., Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 supporting local artists with re-
of all levels of music expertise who (310) 318-9421 sources, show space, work space,
want to share their spirit through hermosabeachmuseum@gmail. and commission/participation
whatever drums or percussion com structures that are “artist-first.”
they’re using. Redondo Beach, CA/ KINDNESS » PAGE 16
 The Community News Source of the Beach Cities

Thursday, August 31, 2023   FACEBOOK.COM/THEBEACHREPORTER TWITTER.COM/BEACH_REPORTER

EL SEGUNDO
» mybeachreporter.com

HOMETOWN HEROES
Little Leaguers return home to ‘pretty electric’ celebration
By Michael Hixon
mhixon@scng.com
The El Segundo Little League All-Stars got a heroes’
welcome Monday.
Hundreds lined up along Main Street in the afternoon
to show their love for the world champion El Segundo Lit-
tle League All-Star team, which brought back the lauded
title after a close final game over Curacao on Aug. 27 in
South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, that ended with a
walk-off home run.
The team traveled from Los Angeles International Air-
port and made its way to Imperial Avenue.
Then, a short parade of SUV’s, a bus and the El Se-
gundo Fire Department took them along Main Street be-
fore a cheering crowd. White, yellow and blue balloons,
representing the team’s color, lined the street, and sup-
porters waved signs reading “Go Gundo” as the team
members passed.
“I think it’s awesome,” said El Segundo’s Sandi Black
after the homecoming. “These boys worked hard to get
where they are now that they’re world champions.
“It was a big turnout,” she added, “bigger than I thought
it was going to be.”
El Segundo Councilmember Lance Giroux was presi-
dent of El Segundo Little League, which was first formed
in 1954, for three years and on its board of directors for
five years.
Giroux said he has known many of the current play-
ers since they were playing T-ball, and a lot of their older
brothers were playing when he was president. HANS GUTKNECHT — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
With the Little League success and community sup- The El Segundo Little League team is welcomed home Monday after they won the Little League World Series with a
HEROES » PAGE 25 dramatic 6-5 victory over the team from Willemstad, Curacao, in Williamsport, Pa.

El Segundo wins Little League World Series

MANHATTAN BEACH

By Brett R. Crossley
Bcrossley@scng.com
WILLIAMSPORT, PA >> Louis Lappe hit a game-
winning home run in the sixth inning, be-
coming an instant legend and giving El Se-
gundo the Little League World Series title
with a 6-5 win over Curaçao Aug. 27.
El Segundo survived an early loss, over-
came sickness and stood up to the pres- TYLER SHAUN EVAINS — STAFF
sure of playing at the Little League World The Manhattan Beach paddling community
Series to win it all. attended a ribbon cutting for the Catalina
“It’s been a long two months, but it’s Classic Commemorative Statue on Aug. 24
been a loving, wonderful ending to the near the city’s pier.
last two months of our mission,” El Se-
gundo manager Danny Boehle said. “I
think it’s priceless and I wouldn’t give it
up for the world.”
Several players stepped up for El Se-
Classic statue
gundo throughout its run. Two have stood
out a little more than the rest. That con-
tinued Sunday.
commemorates
Brody Brooks and Lappe continued to
play starring roles. Brooks started it and city’s paddling
days of yore
Lappe ended it. TIM NWACHUKWU – GETTY IMAGES
Brooks opened the game with a sin- El Segundo’s Louis Lappe celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off home run
gle and scored as El Segundo grabbed an to defeat the Caribbean Region team from Willemstad, Curacao, 6-5 during the Little
early lead. Lappe ended it with what may League World Series Championship Game at Little League International Complex on
become the most famous home run in Lit- Aug. 27 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Hundreds attended a celebration for the By Tyler Shaun Evains
tle League history. team on Monday on Main Street in El Segundo. tevains@scng.com
“When that pitch came, even before I
hit it, I was like, ‘Oh!’” Lappe said. “I was El Segundo players will return to Cal- to his biggest players in the biggest moment. Manhattan Beach’s paddle boarding
so excited and happy. When I got around ifornia champions of the world. It wasn’t Brooks has been a big reason for El Se- community has set in stone — or rather,
to home plate, I made sure to touch it.” easy, especially in Sunday’s contest gundo’s early success in games. He en- bronze — its mark on the water sport that
Boehle said he thought Curaçao would against the Caribbean champs. tered Sunday’s world championship with has an intimate South Bay history.
likely pitch around Lappe. El Segundo took a 5-1 lead into the fifth five hits in his last two games. That in- The city, along with the South Bay Board-
“My initial thought was they weren’t go- inning, but Curaçao hit a grand slam that cluded a 3-for-3 performance in the U.S. riders Club, cut the ribbon last week on a
ing to pitch to him,” Boehle said. “I wouldn’t tied the game 5-5. Brooks was then handed title game, including a home run. statue commemorating the Catalina Clas-
have pitched to him, but I know him.” the ball as manager Danny Boehle turned LAPPE » PAGE 25 CATALINA » PAGE 25

Inside
Students swim Catalina
Channel: A team of 12 took on
the chilly 20-mile relay.  PAGE 4
CA101 art exhibit: After
more than a decade, it is last
call for the event.  PAGE 8
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2023
Saving pets from drowning
There are more
dogs and cats on
Taveuni Island
than humans.
By Tyler Shaun Evains
tevains@scng.com
Residents of the Taveuni
island in Fiji couldn’t be-
lieve someone was going to
perform surgery on an ani-
mal, let alone an operation
that would stop cats and
dogs from making babies.
But the rumor proved
true, and it spread up and
down Fiji’s third-largest is-
land.
A retired South Bay
woman and her husband
brought the idea to Taveuni
when they moved to Fiji full
time 10 years ago. The move
not only put a lifetime of
work ahead of them, it also
helped changed a cultural
practice.
In Fiji, overpopulation of
dogs and cats is dealt with
by killing the animals —
often by drowning — when
they overwhelmed food and
water resources. Instead,
thanks to Julie Seidman,
founder of the Taveuni
Animal Lovers nonprofit,
there’s now a demand for
spay and neuter surgeries
among Fijians’ pets.
“The first time I ex-
plained to them what spay-
ing is, they looked at me
like I had three eyeballs
on my face,” said Seidman.
“They’d never heard of such
a thing.” But now, “they’re
not killing them nearly as
frequently as they histori-
cally had.”
Fijian people like to have
pets, according to the Fiji
Sun, but owners let them
roam the streets rather
than keep them in homes
and enclosed yards.
Taveuni has more than
20,000 people and approx-
imately 100,000 dogs and
cats, the veterinarian’s as-
sistant said, the majority of
whom are homeless and ne-
glected.
“It’s always supply versus
demand,” she said, “When-
ever any thing’s overly
abundant, its value de-
flates; with stray animals
everywhere, they become a
nuisance.”
There are no exact fig-
ures on the overpopula-
tion since official research
hasn’t been done, said Scar-
lett Mavor, a veterinarian
at the Pacific Animal Shel-
ter and Hospital (PASH) in
Fiji. But, it’s clear there’s a
problem, she said, as there
are more mouths than food
and care available.
Overpopulation is a big
problem all over Fiji, par-
ticularly on the island of
Taveuni, Mavor said.
Many people in Taveuni
live in rural villages, she
added, They don’t know
how to look after and feed
dogs and often struggle to
feed the human members of
their family as well.
Dogs will continue to
mate and produce babies
regardless of whether
there is space and re-
sources available to do so,
Mavor said. So, when over-
population occurs these
Julie Seidman administers medication to an islander’s pet. Her nonprofit, Taveuni Animal Lovers, controls overpopulation
by spaying and neutering dogs and cats.
Dogs and cats — even those who are pets — roam freely on Fiji. Overpopulation has
been solved by killing the animals. Instead, Taveuni Animal Lovers recruits volunteer
veterinarians to spay and neuter then.
“We’ve put the seed in their head
that animals do actually need care
and medical treatment ... Which is a
huge accomplishment.”
— Julie Seidman, founder of the Taveuni
Animal Lovers nonprofit,
dogs struggle to get fed.
Many end up malnour-
ished and die of starva-
tion, and in large groups,
she added. The dogs are
also more prone to catch-
ing diseases.
Large packs of dogs, the
Fiji Sun reported, instinc-
tively look for food and
shelter and sometimes kill
farm animals, attack peo-
ple, and become targets of
violence themselves for ex-
isting as one of the “too
many.”
But, the “desexing” of
those dogs, and Taveuni
Animal Lovers’ help in
showing villagers they
don’t have to dump or kill
KINDNESS
the female dogs, Mavor
said, is a more human way
to reduce animal numbers
on the islands.
Islanders are at a loss for
how to control the overpop-
ulation, said Seidman, so
they’ve had to resort to un-
thinkable practices.
They’ve dug holes, buy-
ing the animals alive. Or
they’ve thrown kittens and
puppies in trash dumps,
she said.
The most common way,
Seidman said, it to put the
animals in a flour sack,
tie it up and take it to the
beach during low tide.
Then they leave, “the
high tide comes, and that’s
COURTESY JULIE SEIDMAN
it,” Seidman said. It’s so
“they don’t have to think
about it, ‘I’m not taking re-
sponsibility.’”
“They didn’t want to
drown the animals,” Seid-
man said, but they didn’t
know what else to do to
control the population.
Seidman and her hus-
band retreat to Redondo
Beach individually several
times a year “because when
we’re physically not there
(in Fiji,) animals die,” Se-
idman said.
The animal-loving cou-
ple wanted to do something
to help the furry creatures
in Fiji upon moving there,
Seidman said, but did not
know what the extent of
their mission was going to
be, Seidman said.
“We knew when we went
to this island of Taveuni
that there were no veteri-
nary services available at
all,” Seidman said. “What
we didn’t know, was the
villagers kill all their new-
MYBEACHREPORTER.COM
COURTESY JULIE SEIDMAN
born, female puppies and
kittens as their way to
control the animal popu-
lation.”
There are, at most, six
practicing vets on all of
the entire country’s 300
islands, she added, and it
takes a lot of effort for peo-
ple to travel to them.
“We realized we had to
do something to help and
start that” more accessible
animal care, she said.
So, the duo started re-
cruiting volunteer veteri-
narians from around the
world, one at a time, to fly
to Taveuni to spay and neu-
ter the animals. They’ve to
date spayed and neutered
more than 1,200 dogs and
cats who, otherwise, would
have most likely suffered a
violent death.
Initially an out-of-pocket
venture, Taveuni Animal
Lovers now relies on pub-
lic donations, Seidman
said. During trips to the
U.S. they also pick up ex-
cess medical supplies from
veterinary offices that want
to contribute.
W hen the Seidmans
moved to Fiji around 2014,
they built a pseudo-animal
hospital inside their home,
Julie Seidman said.
But, the only people who
brought them pets for care
were Americans and other
first-world country natives.
They could afford to spend
a couple hundred dollars to
take a boat to a bigger is-
land where there’s a vet.
“That was not my goal,
to help those that can help
themselves,” she said. “My
goal is to help those who
have no money or vehicle
transportation; those who
have no other options.”
W hen a cyclone de-
stroyed their in-home
clinic, Seidman, who also
worked in dentistry for
45 years, realized she was
being forced to get to the
work she’d truly set out to
do.
| NEWS   |A 9
“If we’re really going to
help, we’ve got to become
mobile and go village to
village,” Seidman said of
her thought process at the
time.
So she drove to the vil-
lages and set up a camp-
like, makeshif t animal
hospital for the day, do
the procedures and treat
every animal in the vil-
lage for parasites, she
said.
In Aug ust , Taveuni
Animal Lovers went on
its third village outreach
mission of the year, of-
fering free services. The
nonprofit is on track to
complete Seidman’s goal
of spaying 400 animals
in 2023. During a Janu-
ary mission, they spayed
95 dogs and cats; did
132 spays and neuters in
May and will do its final
trip of the year in Novem-
ber.
But when Seidman isn’t
taking her work on the
road, people still walk
across Taveuni, which she
said is like one long road,
to bring their dogs and
cats to see her. The few
buses on the island don’t
allow animals on board,
she said, and some people
come by horse to get their
pets cared for.
However, she also ar-
ra n ges tra nspor t at ion
for animals that can’t be
carried all the way back
home after surgery.
Much like the simple
ways of transportation,
k nowledge of Taveuni
Animal Lovers’ services
spreads strictly through
word-of-mouth, Seidman
said.
To make the most out
of their work, they focus
on spaying female ani-
mals, Seidman said, be-
cause that’s what really
reduces the over-popula-
tion dramatically.
“All it takes is one male
in a village to impregnate
all the other female ani-
mals,” she said, “And then
the population doesn’t
change.”
One female dog can
produce up to 45 puppies
in a year, according to the
Fiji Sun.
Once they get more
time and resources, Seid-
man added, they’d love to
neuter all the male dogs
and cats as well to elimi-
nate their risk of testicu-
lar cancer and lessen ag-
gression.
Seidman also created
a pet adoption program,
she sa id, where she’s
placed dozens of animals
in good homes in Fiji.
And, through the char-
ity she started a program
that teaches students at
primary schools about ba-
sic animal husbandry.
A f ter doing this for
nearly 10 years, Seidman
said they’ve made a sig-
nificant difference
“We’ve put the seed in
their head that animals
do actually need care
and medical treatment,”
Seidman said, “Which is
a huge accomplishment.”
Donate to Taveuni Ani-
mal Lovers at www.taveu-
nia nima llovers.org/do -
nate
10 | A
NEWS | MYBEACHREPORTER.COM
KINDNESS THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2023

Answering the call to serve community

How a job at
a maternity
shelter grew into
Community’s Child
By Teresa Liu
tliu@scng.com
Tara Nierenhausen se-
cured a job with compet-
itive salary shortly after
moving to Redondo Beach
from Canada in 2001.
She would be working as
a director at United Way,
one of the world’s largest
privately funded charities.
But she had previously ap-
plied for another job at a
crisis maternity shelter in
the South Bay, and was of-
fered an interview for that
position as well.
Out of courtesy, Nieren-
hausen decided to go to the
shelter in person to “thank
them very much for the op-
portunity,” she said.
While waiting for her
interviewers to show up,
Nierenhausen sat with five
women living in the shel-
ter who were either about
to give birth or had just
given birth.
“These were really lost
and afraid women, so I’ll
just tell you that God kind
of broke my heart,” Nie-
renhausen said. “As I lis-
tened to their stories, I just
thought, I could really help TERESA LIU — STAFF
here. I could really help Tara Nierenhausen, founder and executive director of Community’s Child, stands in front of the nonprofit’s Hope Center on July 27.
these women.”
So she did the interview
without mentioning the sustain themselves by ei- were doing great, she said,
previous offer.
“You can’t just put a band-aid on one area, and ther going to classes, work, but she had lost touch with
After talking with her expect that the families are gonna thrive.” or enrolling in job readi- the last woman.
husband, Nierenhausen — Tara Nierenhausen ness programs. That was until about
turned down the well-paid In addition to housing, 2008, when she showed up
job from United Way and the organization provides with her second baby at
instead accepted an of- trauma counseling to the the front door of Commu-
fer from the shelter, which nity College. After gradua- I knew that my data would interview day to leave the women and arms them nity’s Child, the same year
paid $12 an hour. tion, she enrolled in a pro- determine whether they shelter, Nierenhausen could with life skills, such as re- Nierenhausen launched the
That experience even- gram at Douglas College to kept or lost their children,” no longer keep her emo- sume building and cook- transitional housing pro-
tually led to Neirenhau- teach people with develop- she said. “That was too tions in check ing, so they can learn how gram.
sen creating Community’s mental disabilities. much for me.” During the trip, she to take care of themselves The woman moved into
Child, a South Bay non- “I actually loved that,” Fed up with the pressure, knew she was driving the while becoming good par- the house and left with a
profit that provides tran- she said, “absolutely loved it Nierenhausen sold her com- young mother back to a sit- ents. kinesiology degree, Nie-
sitional shelter, education, so much so that I graduated pany, which she had run for uation rife with drug use “You can’t just put a renhausen said, adding,
food, among others, to with honors and was actu- 18 years. It was around that and “where the lifestyle band-aid on one area, and “that was amazing because
those in need. ally asked to be the valedic- time that she met and mar- was stripping to try and expect that the families she was the reason that I
But, the Redondo Beach torian.” ried a man from Redondo maintain an income.” are gonna thrive,” Nieren- started this.”
resident’s journey of help- Sometime after gradua- Beach. “When I drove away, I hausene said. But it’s the people in the
ing others began long be- tion, her mentor sought her Her marriage took her to drove away broken and in In line with this con- South Bay community who
fore that. help with a family that he the South Bay and to work tears,” Nierenhausen said. cept, Community’s Child have always stepped up to
Nierenhausen, who grew had been assigned through at the crisis maternity shel- “I promised God that day expanded its programs to help, she said.
up in the Canadian city of the Child Protection Ser- ter which helped the vul- that I would do something enhance the mental, physi- W hen the nonprofit
Coquitlam, just outside of vices in Canada. nerable women in the com- better, do something more cal and social well being of needed a proper ty to
Vancouver, always had a Nierenhausen accepted munity. for these women because it needy families in the South house the women, the pas-
passion for helping the less that opportunity, think- But Nierenhausen wasn’t acceptable.” Bay. tor of Calvary Assembly of
fortunate, especially per- ing she would be working wanted to do more than That same day, Nieren- It offers lessons in topics God in Lomita offered to
sons with disabilities. As with parents who had chil- just help the women hausen decided she would such as nutrition, domes- sell them a home at a low
a child, she often brought dren with developmental through pregnancy and build a transitional liv- tic violence prevention, de- rate and practically no in-
home small animals. disabilities. Instead, it was birth. Many of the women, ing program for South Bay pression and English learn- terest. Another donor gave
When she grew older, she the other way around. she said, came from abusive women and children ex- ing. It hosts health, dental nearly $400,000 to pay off
picked up people she found “We kind of piloted backgrounds, with little ed- periencing homelessness. and vision screening. It also the mortgage of the shelter,
sleeping in vans, to the dis- working with parents with ucation. After their babies Her program would give distributes food. she said.
may of her parents. cognitive or mental health were born, they often re- the women two years to de- Since the Lomita-based An anonymous donor
“I would feel bad for disorders and providing turned right back into un- velop themselves. shelter’s inception, more gave Nierenhausen $1 mil-
them because they were them with the training and stable situations, staying at She got together with six than 250 women and chil- lion dollars to open Com-
hungry, and I would want support that’s necessary to the shelter only three to six other South Bay residents dren have come through its munity Child’s Hope Cen-
to bring them home and safely raise their children,” months, she said. and in June 2005, the group doors, Nierenhausen said. ter, which is based in Tor-
feed them and give them she said. In several cases, Nier- formed Community’s Child. The program has an over rance and currently serves
a safe place to sleep,” she Inspired by the experi- enhausen herself took the It took them some time 80 percent success rate, as the organization’s food
said. “My parents went ence, Nierenhausen started women back to where they to locate a house for the which means the women distribution center.
along with the feeding part, her own company, “Part- came from, she said be- shelter, then to renovate have long-term housing “I really think that it
not so much about the safe ners with Parents,” which cause they had no safer and expand it. But even- and sustainable employ- takes a community,” she
place to sleep.” provided counseling and places to go. And that broke tually, with the help of lo- ment when they leave. They said. “I don’t do this by my-
After graduating from educational support to her heart. cal churches, corporations, feel confident and many self.”
high school at 17, Nieren- mentally-challenged par- “They had worked so small businesses and in- have also found some ways That’s why she named
hausen worked eight years ents. hard to change their lives dividuals, Community’s to give back to the commu- the nonprofit, Communi-
at an agency that provided Due to her work with around and end the pat- Child opened its transi- nity, she said. ty’s Child.
group homes for adults child protection, a judge terns associated with being tional shelter in the begin- Over the years, Nie- “I think what people
with children who had se- deemed her an expert wit- victims, with hopelessness ning of 2008. renhausen managed to need to understand is that
vere behavioral challenges. ness, and she was often and homelessness,” Nieren- To be accepted to the track down four of the five our community is only as
Finding the need to learn subpoenaed to give testi- hausen said. program, applicants have women she met at that in- healthy as the people in it,”
more about the topic, Nie- monies in court. W hen it was finally to be drug and alcohol free. terview in 2001. She calls Nierenhausen said.
renhausen studied social “At the end of the day, time for the last of the five They also have to demon- them “my heroes and my For more information,
work at Vancouver Commu- when I was on that stand, women she had met on her strate their motivation to inspiration.” The women see communityschild.org.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2023
How Community’s Child grew to become a South Bay food bank hub
By Teresa Liu
tliu@scng.com
Before 2020, the mission of
the food pantry at Community’s
Child was simple — to provide
nutritious food to impoverished
students in local schools and to
reduce anemia, a condition usu-
ally caused by a lack of iron in
the blood.
Then, the pandemic hit.
With many schools and food
banks in the South Bay closed
due to the stay-at-home order,
children no longer had access to
breakfast and lunch programs.
Phones at the nonprofit started
ringing off the hook said Tara
Nierenhausen, founder and ex-
ecutive director of Community’s
Child. Social workers asked them
to keep the program running.
“So we did,” said Nierenhausen.
“Instead of running in, we ran the
other way to meet the need.”
The nonprofit’s food pantry —
now Community Child’s Hope
Center — which served 220 food-
insecure students weekly pre-pan-
demic, opened its doors to the
community, allowing families to
drive through and pick up their
groceries, she said.
Hope Center went from feeding
a few hundred to feeding several
thousand.
The food hub, which opened in
2017, wouldn’t be here today with-
out the help of an anonymous gen-
erous donor, who gave Nierenhau-
sen $1 million to buy the property.
By the end of 2020, Hope Cen-
ter had fed more than 11,000
households and 37,000 individu-
als in the South Bay. In answering
a need, the nonprofit evolved into
a regional hub that supported all
the other food banks in the area.
“The need was insane,” Nier-
         
        
        
 
   
 
 
 

 

           programs for cancer patients and their loved ones all
 ­
 
 € ‚ ƒ 
  
        • Cancer-Specific Groups
     
      
 

Community’s Child supports individuals who face homelessness or have otherwise fallen on hard times by
offering transitional shelter, physical/mental health care and advanced education. An anonymous $1 million
gift also allowed the nonprofit to open a food pantry/meal delivery service that provides free meals to tens of
thousands of individuals in the South Bay.
enhausen said. “We couldn’t be-
lieve (it).”
Its work caught the atten-
tion of several entities, includ-
ing the South Bay Association of
Chambers of Commerce, which
awarded Community’s Child the
“Nonprofit of the Year” award in
2021 for stepping up during the
height of the pandemic.
At the same time, Commu-
nity’s Child expanded its net-
work to include Food Forward,
   
 
  
 
 
   
  
  
 
 
  

KINDNESS MYBEACHREPORTER.COM
PHOTO BY CHUCK BENNETT
which has been supplying the ty’s Child’s Hope Center became
nonprofit with 14,000 to 20,000 their produce hub, Nierenhau-
pounds of surplus fresh pro- sen said.
duce every week, Nierenhausen In 2022, it provided fresh fruits
said. It solidified its relationship and vegetables to 12,993 individ-
with the Los Angeles Regional uals in the area through the food
Food Bank and connected with banks. The Torrance-based com-
United Way. munity food pantry served 18,307
So in addition to serving hun- South Bay residents and its volun-
dreds of drive-through families teers delivered 398 hot meals to
every week, when 20 other lo- seniors, she said.
cal food pantries in the South “What I don’t think I knew, or
Bay opened back up, Communi- people in the South Bay know, is
FREE ONLINE & IN-PERSON SUPPORT PROGRAM
MS
“ I have never
felt so much
support,
understanding,
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• Individual Counseling
• Educational Workshops • Healthy Lifestyle Classes
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| NEWS   | 11
A
that there are so many people in
need in our own backyard,” said
Cindy Healy, 61, a volunteer at the
organization for six years.
The Hermosa Beach resident
joined Community’s Child shortly
after retirement “to give back to
an organization”, she said. She
began as a driver, delivering 60
bags of food to Torrance Elemen-
tary School every Friday. She also
helped with bagging food and
fundraising.
During the pandemic, Healy
and her husband picked up grocer-
ies from the nonprofit every week
and delivered them to 15 addresses
throughout South Bay.
“In my opinion, I think there’s
more people now that we’re de-
livering to after the pandemic,”
Healy said. “I don’t think people
have really recovered.”
Nierenhausen agreed.
The number of families and se-
niors seeking assistance has gone
up due to inflation and other fac-
tors, she said.
As a result of this increase and
new stores opening up around
its current food pantry address
at 18807 Crenshaw Place, Nier-
enhausen is actively looking for
a new location for Hope Center.
Due to the high demand, there
wouldn’t be enough parking space
for families to pick up their gro-
ceries, she said.
But despite everything, she
plans to keep the hub running.
“Because we really care about
health, and we know that the way
to stay healthy is through proper
nutrition,” she said. “We’re gonna
continue to provide that food to
as many (people as we can). If we
do it that way, we can reach so
many more.”
For more information, see face-
book.com/CommunitysChild.
12 | A
NEWS | MYBEACHREPORTER.COM
KINDNESS THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2023

She’s running for Sandy Hook Promise

Gun control advocate will
compete in New York City
Marathon in November
By Tyler Shaun Evains
tevains@scng.com
Kaitlyn McQuown hated running when
she was growing up.
She didn’t excel at cross country
throughout college, she said. She dreaded
the meets and practices.
But the Manhattan Beach resident has
since reframed what running means to her,
falling in love with the activity for a bigger
reason than herself.
At first, running was a way to care for
her own mental health after she graduated
from college and tried to find her way in
the world.
“I had severe anxiety,” McQuown said,
“And started running to offset that and
take the edge off a bit.”
She was working at a nonprofit, The
Painted Turtle, at the time, which allowed
her to run her first half marathon for char-
ity. That began to make the tedious sport
worth it for McQuown.
Now she’s making it mean even more.
McQuown is about two months into
training to compete in the New York City
Marathon in November. She’s fundraising
for Sandy Hook Promise to raise aware-
ness of gun violence and urge policies that
champion gun control.
The cause hits close to home.
It was Memorial Day weekend 2014, her
freshman year of college. McQuown was
home from UC Santa Barbara. One of her
roommates was a member of the sorority
whose house a gunman targeted on May 23
that year before turning the gun on him-
self.
McQuown’s roommate, fortunately,
wasn’t there when shots rang out during
what became known as the Isla Vista Kill-
Manhattan Beach’s Kaitlyn McQuown holds photos of six lost in the 2014 UC Santa
Barbara Isla Vista killings. McQuown will run the New York City Marathon in November to
address the need for continued gun violence prevention.
ings. But six of their peers lives were cut
short that day.
And because she and her roommate sur-
vived, McQuown has since lived more in-
tentionally in honor of those students: Ve-
ronika Elizabeth Weiss, who was in her
grade and lived one building over from her;
George Chen; Chengyuan “James” Hong;
Weihan “David” Wang; Katherine Breann
Cooper; and Christopher Ross Michaels-
Martinez.
“If one thing would’ve changed, it
would’ve gone down really differently,” Mc-
Quown said, nine years after the tragic in-
cident.
PHOTO BY CHUCK BENNETT
McQuown didn’t know the victims per-
sonally, but after seeing photos of them,
she said “it feels like they were the type
of people I could see myself being friends
with.”
So she’s honoring the six the best way
she knows how — advocating for what hap-
pened to them to stop happening to others.
“After the shooting, it became very obvi-
ous to me that community (at UCSB) was
so special,” McQuown said. “It felt like peo-
ple really took care of each other after that;
everyone had a sense of comradery.”
Running the New York Marathon is a
bucket list item that McQuown’s happy to
“This is constantly in
the news; every time
a shooting happens, it
brings back the memories
that impacted me. ...
It seems like it’s not
getting any better, (but)
continuing to get worse.”
— Kaitlyn McQuown
cross off, she said. She thought she’d never
do anything like this 20 mile jog again.
“The farthest I could run is a half mar-
athon, but I signed up to do” double that,
she said.
But her running goal posts have been
shifting to times and distances beyond
what she once thought she could accom-
plish. She now envisions herself seeing
more of the world through marathon run-
ning, she said.
“I didn’t gel with being in competition
with other people on my team,” McQuown
said, “But now that I’m an adult choosing
to do this by myself, it’s not something im-
posed upon me, it’s become a me versus me
thing. The only one I have to beat is past
versions of myself.”
She channeled her energy, frustration
and grief over gun violence into making
change so fewer people moving forward
will have to feel like she did.
“I felt I could put that somewhere where
it could do something instead of being up-
set, watching the news over and over,” Mc-
Quown said.
Then, it all aligned. McQuown was one
of the 30 out of more than 100 applicants
who got spots on the Sandy Hook team.
“It worked out perfectly,” she said. “I re-
ally wanted to run this marathon.”
Her goal is to spread awareness about
PROMISE » PAGE 20

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2023
100,000 hours of service and $1 million
Hermosa Beach
Kiwanis simply
‘gets stuff done’
By Michael Hixon
mhixon@scng.com
The Hermosa Beach Kiwanis
Club was chartered on Feb. 22,
1926 — and has continued its ser-
vice to the community nearly 100
years later.
On July 26, the organization
celebrated its 5,000th meeting.
The Hermosa Kiwanis, an off-
shoot of Kiwanis International,
has 40 active members, whose vol-
untarism helps support nearly 60
charities, said current President
Rick Koenig. It also and provides
scholarships to local students, he
said — including $75,000 worth
in 2023 alone.
“Our club has many tentacles
and touches hundreds of lives,”
said Koenig, a 23-year member.
“With millions of dollars and
hundreds of thousands of service
hours that go directly back into
the community over the years, it
really means something.”
The Hermosa Beach Kiwanis
Club, according to its website,
has provided 100,000 hours of
community service and raised
and donated more than $1 mil-
lion over the past decade alone.
This includes $350,000 to various
local charities; $200,000 to Her-
mosa Beach schools; $300,000
in scholarships; $100,000 to na-
tional charities; and $120,000 to
local sponsored youth.
The Kiwanis sponsors vari-
KINDNESS
PHOTOS BY MICHAEL HIXON — STAFF
The Hermosa Beach Kiwanis Club, founded in 1926, celebrated its 5,000th meeting last month. The club’s
40 members has “many tentacles and touches hundreds of lives.”
Circle K Club for college students
at El Camino College; and the Ak-
tion Club for adults with special
needs.
With money raised from its an-
nual holiday tree lot, the Kiwanis
also supports the Hermosa Beach
Museum, the St. Patrick’s Day Pa-
rade, Hermosa Beach Sister City
Association and much more.
Cathy McCurdy, current Build-
ers Club advisor and Youth Ser-
vices director for Kiwanis, do-
President Rick Koenig, Hermosa Beach Rotary Club President Todd nated $10,000 to the Hermosa
Saks, and upcoming Hermosa Beach Kiwanis President Glenn Menard, Beach Foundation Memorial
who will be installed in October speak at the event. Scholarship Fund during the
club’s 5,000th meeting on July
26. The Hermosa Beach Rotary
ous organizations, including the Middle School; Key Club for teens Club also attended that milestone
Builders Club for Hermosa Valley at Redondo Union High School; meeting
Thank you, volunteers
and community services!
We are grateful for your
dedication and kindess!
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
OAP VOLUNTEERS
GRAM MAKERS
WITH GRATITUDE,
MB PARKS & REC OLDER ADULTS PROGRAM
www.manhattanbeach.gov/oap
MYBEACHREPORTER.COM | NEWS   | 13
A
The fund was created more
30 years ago for members or
others to contribute to provid-
ing scholarships for graduating
seniors from Mira Costa and
Redondo Union high schools
in memory of family or friends
of Kiwanis, McCurdy said in an
email.
“Our board usually distrib-
utes between 5% and 10% each
year to graduating seniors rec-
ognizing their community ser-
vice during their high school
years,” McCurdy said.
“Many of (my husband’s)
friends sent money to this fund
in lieu of flowers after his pass-
ing. We currently have about
$60,000 in this fund.”
Her husband, Richard “Dick”
McCurdy, bequeathed $10,000
in his trust to the memorial
fund when he died in Decem-
ber 2022. Cathy McCurdy said
she has set up the same be-
queath in her trust to provide
ongoing funding for scholar-
ships.
Richard McCurdy was a long-
time supporter of Kiwanis and
the sister city organization, and
was a founding boardmember
of the Hermosa Beach Educa-
tion Foundation. He was named
Hermosa Beach’s Man of the
Year in 2000.
Kiwanis, meanwhile, will in-
stall Glenn Menard as its new
president on Oct. 7, Koenig said.
“Kiwanis is like a family,”
Koenig said, “where we work
together for a common cause
and get stuff done.”
For more information, visit
hermosakiwanis.org.
ROTARY
C.E.R.T.
14 | A
NEWS | MYBEACHREPORTER.COM
All wheels were welcome at the 9th Annual Glow Ride for Cystic Fibrosis at Hermosa Beach on Aug. 12.
Lighting up the night and hearts in the CF fight
9th annual Glow Ride raised $66,000 to support Claire’s Place Foundation
By Lisa Jacobs
lisa.jacobs@TBRnews.com
Organizers made a big,
colorful scene earlier this
month with a fluorescent
fundraiser.
And, for the first time,
they did it on both coasts.
It’s was the ninth an-
nual Glow Ride for CF. Peo-
ple rode or pulled brightly
decorated wheeled vehicles
— bikes, skateboards, baby
carriers — to raise money
for Claire’s Place Founda-
tion Extended Hospital Stay
Grant Program, surpassing
its $50,000 goal and raising
$66,000.
In Hermosa Beach, par-
ticipants traveled 3.4 miles
from the Hermosa Beach
Pier to the Manhattan
Beach Pier and back.
In Boston, they rode or
pedaled along the Boston
Harborwalk to the Boston
Aquarium and back.
The annual event is the
brainchild of Redondo
Beach’s Claire Wineland,
a fierce advocate for cystic
fibrosis research who died
at 21 from the disease in
2018, following a double-
lung transplant.
Wineland’s openness on
YouTube about cystic fibro-
sis and her raw honesty
about its toll captured the
heart of the nation.
KINDNESS THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2023
PHOTOS BY GIL CASTRO-PETRES
This year has been a
tough one for the cystic fi-
brosis community, said
Claire’s mother and her
namesake foundation’s ex-
ecutive director Melissa
Yeager.
The foundation is expe-
riencing a record number
of grant requests for par-
ents and family members
seeking assistance while a
loved one is hospitalized,
she added.
“The funds we raise at
the Glow Ride help keep a
roof over their heads and
their lights on, alleviating
the stress of paying bills
while experiencing an ex-
tended hospital stay due
to this life-threatening
illness,” Yeager said.
In her daughter’s own
words, an oft-repeated
ph ra se by W i nela nd:
“Death is inevitable. Liv-
ing a life we can be proud
of is something we can
control.”
Wineland’s legacy as am-
bassador for the ride con-
tinues to be carried out by
Massimo Armato, an eight-
year-old living with cystic
fibrosis. His mother is Sta-
cey Armato, a former Her-
mosa Beach City Council-
member.
For more information
about Claire’s Place, visit Stacey Armato (at right), former Hermosa Beach city councilmember, glows it up during this month’s event. Armato’s
clairesplacefoundation.org. son Massimo has become an ambassador for Claire’s Place Foundation in its efforts to provide support to CF families.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2023
KINDNESS MYBEACHREPORTER.COM | NEWS   | 15 A

KINDNESS IS THE GREATEST GIFT

We are dedicated to serving our community by contributing donations throughout the year to
various community and philanthropic organizations. We love being able to rally behind groups that
serve the South Bay and also hold a special place in our hearts. Our roots in the community run
deep and we so are so proud to support these life-changing organizations

Health Sports & Education Community & Environment

Breast Cancer Awareness Month • Dig 4 Kids • Amigos Unidos
• Avon Breast Cancer Walk • Beach Cities Sports Youth Flag Football • Girl Scouts of Manhattan Beach
• The Alzheimer’s Project • El Segundo High School Aquatics • Boy Scouts of Manhattan Beach
• Swim with Mike • Manhattan Beach Little League • The Navy Seals Fund
• Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation • Mira Costa High School Basketball, Volleyball, • P.S. I Love You Foundation
• Cancer Support Community, RB Soccer & Performing Arts Programs • Richstone Family Center
• Tour de Pier • Redondo Union High School Baseball, • Sandpipers
• South Bay Mo Bros Basketball, Water Polo, Volleyball and Music • Surfrider Foundation
• The Movember Foundation Programs • Heal the Bay
• Exceptional Kids PTD • Torrance-South Bay YMCA
• Grandview Elementary School PTA • Leadership Manhattan Beach
• Pacific Elementary School PTA • South Bay Police & Fire Memorial Foundation
• Robinson Elementary School PTA • Puttin On Productions
• Pennekamp Elementary School PTA • Manhattan Beach Grand Prix
• Hermosa Valley PTA
• Hermosa View PTA
• Manhattan Beach Middle School PTA
• Meadows Elementary School PTA
• Hermosa Beach Education Foundation
• Manhattan Beach Education Foundation
• Palos Verdes Education Foundation
• Sketchers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk
JEN CASKEY GROUP
info@jencaskeygroup.com
@jencaskeygroup
310-200-5900
Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Number 01991628. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed
reliable but has not been verified. Changes in price, condition, sale or withdrawal may be made without notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footage are approximate.
16 | A
NEWS | MYBEACHREPORTER.COM
KINDNESS THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2023

Bringing back fond memories through song

By Michael Hixon
mhixon@scng.com
“My Way” was a hit
song for Frank Sinatra
back in 1969, and soon
became one of his stan-
dards and best-known re-
cordings.
More than five decades
ago, many of the residents
at Sunrise Senior Living,
in Hermosa Beach, would
be around the age Clay
Abrams is now — 25 years
old.
Abra ms, a Redondo
Be a ch r e sident , f i r s t
started singing standards
like “My Way” for the se-
niors at Sunrise in 2021.
“When I was about 18,
I heard Frank Sinatra
and I just started imitat-
ing him,” Abrams said.
“It’s a passion that hasn’t
stopped.”
Abrams performs his
passion regularly at Sun-
rise Hemosa, as well as
Brookdale Senior Living
in Torrance.
“My favorite song to
perform would be ‘My
Way ’ because they all
know it and they all love
it,” Abrams said, “and it
always just makes them
have such a poignant re-
action.”
Susan Mclaughlin, ac-
tivities and volunteer co-
ordinator at Sunrise, said
Abrams “puts smiles onto
our resident’s faces.”
“His per formance
brings back fond memo-
ries of the past for most of
the residents with songs
from Frank Sinatra and
others,” Mclaughlin said.
“(It) warms my heart to
see smiles and hear sing-
ing from our residents
when Clay is performing.”
Abrams said what he
loves about the music of
that era, specifically the
energ y and swagger of
Sinatra, is that the songs
are “packed w ith har-
mony and with stories
and messages.”
“It’s more than just be-
ing able to connect to a
d i f ferent generat ion,”
sions are always a high-
light at our house with
our immediate family, as
well as extended family
and friends.”
W hen he attended El
Camino College, he took
a big band class in 2017,
led by saxophone player
and band conductor Da-
vid Sills.
The band, for which
he also played trombone,
gave him the first oppor-
tunity to perform live.
They later performed at
PHOTO BY AXEL KOESTER
the iconic The Lighthouse
Clay Abrams performs songs by Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra at Sunrise Senior Living of Hermosa Beach. He started in Hermosa Beach and
performing at senior centers in 2021. It’s not just about the music, said Abrams, he also stays and chats. LightSpace Studios West
in Gardena.
“It’s more than just being able to connect to a different generation ... Abrams also performed
I found that there’s so much in the music that can be appreciated as at the North High Per-
forming Arts Center in
opposed to music that came out more recently.” Torrance in August 2022.
— Clay Abrams, a 25-year-old Redondo Beach resident Abrams first began vol-
unteering for seniors as a
Mira Costa junior when
Abrams said, “I found Abrams said, adding that “Any time I hear Frank playing for senior homes,” he played checkers with
that there’s so much in the it “always gets them in- Sinatra or Tony Bennett, S a n d y A br a m s s a i d , a 93-year-old resident in
music that can be appre- volved.” it brings back memories,” “though they were in their Hermosa Beach. After his
ciated as opposed to mu- Sunrise resident Lynn said Bronstein, who has 80s.” chess companion died, he
sic that came out more re- Bronstein, 78 years old, lived at Sunrise for more “It’s more or less a leg- called Bingo at the center
cently.” called Abrams an “im- than two years. acy,” Clay added. while still in high school.
W hen he p er for m s pressive young man.” Abrams, meanwhile, Ron Abrams, Sandy But for Abrams, it’s not
for the seniors monthly, “He sings ver y well grew up in a musical fam- Abrams’s husband and just about performing.
whether its Brookdale and the audience always ily on his father’s side, Clay Abrams’s father, has “I always stay for an-
Senior Living or Sunrise, seems to enjoy him,” according to his mother, played drums since high other hour and just talk
Abrams said, he makes it Bronstein said. Sandy, who is also her school and there were al- to people and hear their
an interactive experience, Bronstein was born the son’s manager. ways drums and a piano stories,” Abrams said.
getting the residents en- year World War II ended His grandfather played played at home, the ma- “I find that most of the
gaged w ith songs like and a year before Sinatra’s bass and trumpet to earn triarch said. people that love the mu-
“Pennies from Heaven,” debut album “The Voice money during law school, “Clay picked up drums sic are people that have
which was first released of Frank Sinatra” was re- Sandy Abrams said. Clay at age 2 and didn’t stop have seen Sinatra live,”
in 1936 by crooner Bing leased in 1946. Bronstein Abra ms’s g ra ndfather, playing until he realized he added, “and they they
Crosby and Georgie Stoll grew up listening to the great-aunt and great-un- he could sing after high are always so apprecia-
and His Orchestra, but icon, but also is a fan of cle also played in a band school,” Sandy Abrams tive to have someone who
later recorded by many the other Rat Pack mem- together for fun up until said. “He regrets not be- is bringing that style back
others, including Sinatra. bers and musicians of that a few years ago. ing interested in piano and breathing fresh life
“ It ’s a n a n t h e m ,” era. “T hey too ended up as a kid. Family ‘jam’ ses- into this music.”

COMMUNITY &
increase their engagement in our Hermosa Beach, CA 90266
Kindness Beach community. PO Box 362, Hermosa
Beach, CA 90254
info@mbcerta.org

FROM PAGE 2
618 Cypress Avenue,
Hermosa Beach, CA
(424) 383-3164
info@indivisiblearts.org
Manhattan Beach Historical
Society
manhattanbeachhistorical.com Preserves
and promotes the heritage of Manhattan
Beach. Museum in Polliwog Park showcas-
es town history. Sat/Sun 12-3. FREE. 1601
Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach,
CA 90266 Mailing Address: PO Box 3355
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 historian@
manhattanbeach
historical.com
Redondo Beach
Historical Society
Dedicated to the preservation of Redondo
Beach history, the organization conducts
monthly meetings. The Historical Soci-
ety’s museum, called the Morrell House, is
located in Dominguez Park at 200 Flagler
Ln. in Redondo Beach and is open the first
and third Saturday of every month from 11
a.m. to 3 p.m. PO Box 978, Redondo Beach,
CA 90277
(310) 379-6409
BUSINESS
LEADERSHIP
Friends of Senior & Scout
Community Center
thescouthouse.org
We are a nonprofit organization dedicated
to raising funds to design and construct
an inter-generational community center
for today’s youth and our growing senior
population at the site of the current Scout
House in Manhattan Beach. PO Box 3628,
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
thescouthouse@gmail.com
Kiwanis Club
Hermosa Beach
hermosakiwanis.org
Kiwanis is a global organization of volun-
teers dedicated to changing the world, one
child and one community at a time. Virtual
meetings only at this time. 2515 Valley Dr.,
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
(310) 318-7000
Leadership Hermosa Beach
leadershiphermosa.org
Leadership Hermosa Beach’s goal is to
educate and inspire individuals so that
they may have the tools and knowledge to
info@leadershiphermosa.org
Leadership
Manhattan Beach
leadershipmb.org
Leadership Manhattan Beach is a com-
munity based organization that works
to create and empower local leaders and
strengthen our community as a whole. PO
Box 3046 Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 l
eadershipmb.org/contact-us/ form for
contact
Manhattan Beach
Chamber of Commerce
manhattanbeachchamber.com Advocates
on behalf of business, promotes local busi-
ness, and serve as your local agent for busi-
ness development. 425 15th St. Manhattan Soroptimists International of
Beach, CA 90266
(310) 545-5313
info@manhattanbeach
chamber.com
Manhattan Beach Community
Emergency Response Team
(CERT)
MBcerta.org
An all-volunteer organization for disaster
preparedness and emergency response.
Citizens helping neighbors and our city.
Drop Box #1 400 15th St. Manhattan
Manhattan Beach
Rotary Club
mbrotary.org
Brings together business and professional
leaders that volunteer in Manhattan Beach
and abroad to support education and job
training, provide clean water, combat
hunger, improve health and sanitation, and
eradicate polio.
North Redondo Beach Business
Association
nrbba.org
The NRBBA brings together businesses
to help North Redondo Beach businesses
grow. 1525 Aviation Blvd. #171 Redondo
Beach, CA 90278 info@nrbba.org
Manhattan Beach
simanhattanbeach.org
Soroptimists International of Manhattan
Beach is an international organization of
business and professional women who work
to improve the lives of women and girls. PO
Box 3485 Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(424) 225-2050
simanhattanbeach@
soroptimist.net
KINDNESS » PAGE 20
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2023
KINDNESS MYBEACHREPORTER.COM | NEWS   | 17
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When the Peartree Lane landslide destroyed homes in July, city workers were put to the test. Instead of spreasheets and reports, they became experts in logistics ... and hugs.
‘They’ve been angels,’ City workers give comfort
By Donna Littlejohn
dlittlejohn@scng.com
Jessica Slawson was hav-
ing dinner out with family
at about 6 p.m. on Satur-
day, July 8, when her work
phone unexpectedly rang.
It was Rolling Hills Es-
tates Assistant City Man-
ager Alexa Davis with the
news that would turn so
many lives on the Palos
Verdes Peninsula upside
down this summer.
“There was some crack-
ing and movement go-
ing on at Peartree Lane
and evacuations may start
soon,” Slawson said of
the message that was re-
layed to her. “And we had
to quickly get to City Hall
and mobilize.”
Slawson, a 8-year city
management analyst who
was raised in the South
Bay, would be up much of
that night.
She, along with other
city workers, made and
ser ved coffee, brought
in take-out dinners and
snacks as at least a dozen
stunned homeowners filed
into the council chambers.
They were up until mid-
night as many of their
home began their slow
slide toward what was a
steep canyon.
Those city workers be-
came residents’ immedi-
ate counselors, resource
advisors — and, mostly,
listeners.
“There were so many
questions that I couldn’t
provide” answers to im-
mediately, Slawson said.
“It was really just sitting
down and talking to them,
asking, ‘Are you OK? Do
you have anyone you can
call?’”
W hat was a sudden,
massive landslide, or land
shif t, immediately de-
stroyed 12 houses in the
gated community on Peart-
ree Lane, giving residents
only minutes to grab what
they could and evacuate as
quickly as possible.
The homes were lean-
ing and crumbling, with
of of them eventually fall-
ing more than 20 feet into
Jessica Slawson, a management analyst for the city, was among City Hall employees who
worked late into the night to help residents in Rolling Hills Estates.
Randy and Rina Troy view the remnants of their house
on Peartree Lane in Rolling Hills Estates, destroyed in a
landslide in July.
a canyon below.
It left those residents in
shock, for the most part,
grappling with the possi-
bility of losing most every-
thing so suddenly.
“We had staff available
and sitting with the fam-
ilies coming in, some peo-
ple had things in their
cars,” said Slawson who
was credited by Davis as
going above and beyond
when it came to assisting
families.
Chairs were brought in
for folks to sit for as long
as they needed.
KINDNESS
BRITTANY MURRAY — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
needed to be found and
secured, something city
officials were busy doing
throughout that first eve-
ning.
There were tears and
immense stress and con-
fusion.
There also were mo-
ments of respite.
“We had one family
come in with their dog,”
Slawson said, adding they
were the first to come in. “I
said, ‘Hi buddy,’ and they
PHOTO BY AXEL KOESTER said that was (actually)
his name. They came in
so overwhelmed and here
was this little dog sitting
on their lap.”
It was probably around Davis credits Slawson
midnight before the place with helping to organize
cleared out. the emergency response
Randy Troy, a Peartree team, working with Los
Lane resident whose home Angeles County officials
was pancaked by the land- to put them in touch with
slide, during interviews specific residents.
never failed to mention “She worked hand-in-
city workers. hand with (the) County
“The city, they’ve really OEM (Office of Emergency
been angels to us,” Troy Management) for logistics
said, adding that it was and reached out to local
readiness with a hug that community organizations
meant the most to him and to invite them to be there.”
his wife Rina, in the early For three days, Davis
days. said, Slawson, who de-
In the immediate after- scribes herself as a “be-
math, hotels and lodging hind-the-scenes” person,
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2023
BRITTANY MURRAY — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
COURTESY OF THE CITY OF ROLLING HILLS ESTATES
From left, Rolling Hills Estates Management Analyst
Jessica Slawson, Assistant City Manager Alexa Davis
and City Manager Greg Grammer staff the table of the
Local Assistance Center that was set up in the landslide
aftermath by the County Office of Emergency Management
through the coordination of Slawson.
was instrumental in co- city workers exhausted but
ordinating the immediate newly inspired, she said.
assistance to help the resi- “The devastation was
dents impacted. difficult to watch,” Slawson
“We’re hoping our team said. “Sometimes things
can bring a little light in can just happen out of no-
that personal recovery,” where. And it’s hard to
Slawson said, noting the think about the losses that
Red Onion and other res- people experienced. It was
taurants supplied dinners very emotional.”
for several days as fami- But, she added: “It’s def-
lies gathered to figure out initely left me with a sense
their next steps. “It’s amaz- of the importance of (pro-
ing to see the resiliency of viding direct) community
the community and the support, especially from a
outpouring of support for local city.”
the families.” And Buddy? He became
While Rolling Hills Es- something of a City Hall
tates is a “small, close com- regular, showing up with
munity,” she said, this has his owners at the dinners
helped City Hall and the the city sponsored for dis-
residents become much placed residents through-
closer. out the weeks following
“I’d never met any of the disaster.
those people before,” she The dinners provided
said. “This was more than by area restaurants were
just a phone call for city times when families and
staff members, it was liter- city workers could gather
ally seeing somebody just for fellowship, updates and
minutes after they’ve lost to share any new informa-
everything and working tion on the recovery pro-
with residents every day.” cess.
Far from the typical “Who’s not going to love
work days filled with writ- this little guy?” Slawson
ing and analyzing govern- said of Buddy being part
ment reports, planning of those gatherings.
city and park events, and “(Everyone) had lost so
carrying out other back- much but it was almost
ground administrative like (Buddy’s owners) were
tasks, the intense, hands- coming back just to let us
on call to duty left many have a little pet therapy.”
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2023
KINDNESS MYBEACHREPORTER.COM | NEWS   | 19
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Dive N’ Surf
504 N. Broadway, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 372-8423
Open Mon-Fri 10-6, Weekends 9-6
20 | A
NEWS | MYBEACHREPORTER.COM
Kindness
FROM PAGE 16
Volunteer Center
South Bay
Volcenter.org
1230 Cravens Ave.
Torrance, CA 90501
(310) 212-7997 or
(562) 590-8844
vcprogramsinfo@gmail.com
Women’s Council of Realtors
South Bay
wcr.org
Assist the advancement of women as
professionals and leaders in business, the
industry and the communities they serve.
(800) 285-2955
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Growing Great
1736 Family Crisis Center and
South Bay Community Service
Center
1736fcc.org
Dedicated to offering shelter, support and
rehabilitation to the victims of domestic
violence, runaway and homeless youth,
victims of human trafficking, homeless
families, homeless and at-risk veterans,
unemployed adults and transitional-aged
youth, and other low-income community
members in need of assistance. Mailing
address: 21707 Hawthorne Blvd., Suite 300
Torrance, CA 90503 (this is not the shelter
location)
(310) 543-9900
E-mail via form: www.1736fcc.org/contact
Joan’s Wish List
Joanswishlist.org
Joan’s Wish List is dedicated to stopping
the generational cycle of violence, one
shelter at a time. The organization provides vices. 6505 Wilshire Blvd Ste. 200 Los
essential support to domestic violence
organizations for survivors to rebuild their
lives, build productive relationships to end
the cycle of violence.
(213) 443-3251
info@joanswishlist.org
EDUCATION & YOUTH
Allcove Beach Cities
Allcove.org/centers/beach-cities
A center for youth ages 12-25 to get free
or low cost mental, physical and sexuall
health services, as well as offering a calm (310) 684-3577
and inclusive place for teens to read,
paint and socialize. 514 North Prospect
Avenue, Suite 400, Redondo Beach, CA
90277(
310) 374-5706 or text 741741 for free
24/7 support from the Crisis Text Line
info@allcove.org
Boy Scouts Manhattan Beach,
Troop 840
troop849.org Joinup@troop849.org
Boy Scouts Redondo Beach,
Troop 788
boyscouttroop788.org
Builds character, life skills, citizenship,
outdoor skills, and personal fitness for
boys 11 to 18. Redondo Beach, CA
info@boyscouttroop788.org.
Boy Scouts Redondo Beach,
Troop 586
Builds character, life skills, citizenship,
outdoor skills, and personal fitness for
boys 11 to 18. Charter Organization: VFW
Post 2828 Meetings: Riviera United
Methodist Church 375 Palos Verdes Blvd
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
James Leight, Scoutmaster,
(424) 247-3826
James.e.leight@gmail.com
Promise
FROM PAGE 12
not just gun control, she said, but preven-
tion methods, which Sandy Hook Prom-
ise focuses on. The organization, for exam-
ple, has programs teaching students K-12
how to spot warning signs and to empower
KINDNESS
Count on Me Family Foundation
countonmefoundation.org
The Foundation’s mission is to empower
and inspire children in need whether they
are medically fragile, economically disad-
vantaged, or developmentally challenged.
2711 N. Sepulveda Blvd., #460 Manhattan
Beach, CA 90266
info@comff.org
El Camino College Foundation
elcaminocollegefoundation.org
The El Camino College Foundation sup-
ports all ECC students by providing an
affordable and accessible educational
experience. 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Tor-
rance, CA 90506 Foundation Office,
Room 161 Scholarship Office, Room 160
(310) 660-3683
Foundation@elcamino.edu
growinggreat.org
To empower children to make healthy
food choices through hands-on science
and garden education. 2711 N. Sepulveda
Blvd. #279 Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 939-9911
info@growinggreat.org
Hermosa Beach Education
Foundation
hbef.org
Creating awareness, commitment and fi-
nancial support for continued educational
development of the students and teach-
ers of the Hermosa Beach City School
District, thereby ensuring competence,
competitiveness and creativity through
community, corporate and private sector gradesofgreen.org
involvement.
admin@hbef.org
JVSLA (Jobs. Vision. Success.) East Holly Ave. El Segundo, CA 90245
jvs-socal.org
Free job training and job placement ser-
Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 761-8888
askus@jvs-socal.org
King Harbor Boating Foundation rine life by refurbishing The Roundhouse
waterfronteducation.org
To educate students, community mem-
bers, businesses, and organizations about
ocean waters, along with safe boating
practices. 107 W. Torrance Blvd., Suite www.roundhousebeautification.
100 (Mailing address: PO Box 10003,
Torrance CA 90505 Redondo Beach, CA
90277
learn@waterfronteducation.org
King Harbor Youth Foundation
khyf.org Promotes youth sailing in
Southern California. 280 Yacht Club Way, (310) 451-1500
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(424) 373-3440
director@khyf.org
Manhattan Beach Education
Foundation
mbef.org
A community driven organization, which
supplements state funding for programs
that inspire learning, enrich teaching
and promote innovation and excellence.
325 S. Peck Ave. Manhattan Beach, CA
90266
(310) 303-3342
communications@mbef.org
Redondo Beach Educational
Foundation
rbef.org
We inspire our community to invest in
RBUSD schools so that every student
can develop knowledge and skills that go
beyond what public funding alone would
achieve. Mailing address: 407 N. Pacific
Coast Highway, Suite 310, Redondo
Beach, CA 90277 Main office: 3401
Inglewood Avenue, #B, Redondo Beach,
them to speak up when they see something
suspicious, potentially stopping gun vio-
lence before it actually happens.
“A shooting will happen, people will
rally around it, then there will be some
legislation,” McQuown said. “But the pre-
ventative work is needed.”
The shooting at UCSB impacted the way
McQuown votes for policies and elected of-
ficials, she said, and how she interacts with
CA 90278
(310) 954-2004
contact@rbef.org
Riviera Hall Lutheran School
rivierahall.org
Students at Riviera Hall in Pre-K through
8th grade build character, integrity, and
academic success in a nurturing environ-
ment. 330 Palos Verdes Blvd. Redondo
Beach, CA 90277
(310) 375-5528
info@rivierahall.org
Saint Sebastian Sports
Project Los Angeles
saintsebastianproject.org
Our mission is to provide increased op-
portunity for Catholic school students to water
participate in school sports. We are cur-
rently serving 65 under-resourced schools School). Members
in Los Angeles PO Box 1711, Manhattan
Beach, CA 90267
(310) 880-9226
Guardian@saintsebastianproject.org
South Bay Adult School
southbayadult.org
We offer a wide variety of adult educa-
tion, GED preparation and career pathway
classes in a safe, healthy, and supportive
environment. 3401 Inglewood Ave. Re-
dondo Beach, CA 90278
(310) 937-3340
ENVIRONMENT
Grades of Green
An environmental education non-profit
focused on inspiring and empowering stu-
dents to care for the environment. 1730
(310) 607-0175
info@gradesofgreen.org
Harrison Greenberg Memorial
Foundation
roundhousebeautification.com
To honor Harrison’s appreciation for ma-
Aquarium and to support other education-
al programs/organization that will inspire
children
E-mail via contact form at
com/contact
Heal the Bay
healthebay.org Heal the Bay is making
Southern California coastal waters and
watersheds, including Santa Monica Bay,
safe, healthy and clean. 1444 9th St.,
Santa Monica, CA 90401
E-mail via contact form at
https://healthebay.org/contact/
Hermosa Beach Friends of the
Parks
hbfop.org Preserves, improves and pro-
motes the use of Hermosa Beach parks
and recreation programs. 710 Pier Ave.,
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
(310) 913-4164
info@hbfop.org
Immortal YOU Foundation
immortalyoufoundation.org To enhance
the quality of life for working individu-
als and families, by fostering neighbor-
hood youth programs, sports and cultural
events, and improving family living condi-
tions.
Manhattan Beach
Botanical Garden
mbbgarden.org
Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden’s
dedicated volunteers teach water con-
servation for the home landscape, as well
as how to install and care for our local
California native plants in a manner that is
people daily. And, she said, she seems to
be talking about gun control all the time.
“This is constantly in the news; every
time a shooting happens, it brings back the
memories that impacted me,” McQuown
said. It seems like it’s not getting any bet-
ter, (but) continuing to get worse.”
California already has pretty strict gun
regulations, she added, but unnecessary vi-
olence can still happen.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2023
fertilizer-free, pesticide-free and herbi-
cide-free. The garden also provides a safe
environment for birds, butterflies, insects,
and other wildlife. 1236 N. Peck Ave. (in
Polliwog Park), Manhattan Beach P.O. Box
1156, Manhattan Beach, CA 90267-1156
(310) 546-1354
E-mail via the contact form at
www.mbbgarden.org/contact-us
Pea Patch Community Garden
Association
peapatchcommunitygarden.org
A 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation with
the mission of providing South Bay resi-
dents with the opportunity to grow their
own food and flowers. Garden members
have access to a raised bed plot, tools and
at one of three different sites on lo-
cal elementary school campuses (Pacific,
Pennekamp and Meadows Elementary
can also participate in
donating food to a local bank.
(626) 355-2630
peapatch411@gmail.com
Surfrider Foundation
surfrider.org Dedicated to the protec-
tion and enjoyment of the world’s oceans,
waves and beaches. 942 Calle Negocio No.
350 San Clemente, CA 92673
(949) 492-8170
info@surfrider.org
TeachingGreen
teachinggreen.org The mission of Teach-
ingGreen is to enable a sustainable future
for life on Earth through comprehensive
and empowering environmental education
for all. It is also the home of South Bay
Eco Kids Nature Camp, which aims to get
kids outside into nature, and motivate and
empower them to take care of it.
(310) 372-7484
kjacecko@teachinggreen.org
HEALTH &
WELLNESS
American Foundation for Suicide
Prevention
afsp.org/la
Raises awareness, funds scientific
research and provides resources and aid
to those affected by suicide.(424) 327-
7101 lrocque@afsp.org National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline: Call 988 or text TALK
to 741741
info@afsp.org
Asbestos Disease Awareness
Organization
asbestosdiseaseawareness.org
Dedicated to preventing asbestos expo-
sure, eliminating diseases, and protecting
asbestos victims’ civil rights. 1525 Avia-
tion Boulevard, Ste. 318 Redondo Beach,
CA 90278
info@adao.us
Beach Cities Health District
bchd.org
One of the largest preventive health
agencies in the nation, serving Hermosa
Beach, Manhattan Beach and Redondo
Beach since 1955. 514 Prospect Ave. Unit
102, Redondo Beach, CA 90278
(310) 374-3426,
Opt 1 communications@bchd.org
Cancer Support Community
South Bay
cscsouthbay.org
Free online and in-person programs of
emotional support, education and hope
for people with cancer and their loved
ones. 2601 Airport Drive, Suite 100 Tor-
rance, CA 90505
(310) 376-3550
info@cscsouthbay.org
KINDNESS >> PAGE 22
For example, she said, the Isla Vista
shooter underwent numerous interven-
tions, including mental health care, but
he was still able to legally buy a gun.
But her efforts leading up to, on and be-
yond Nov. 5 will hopefully eradicate that
from the future.
Donate to McQuown’s NYC Marathon
Sandy Hook Promise fundraiser at fund-
raisers.hakuapp.com/kaitontherun.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2023
KINDNESS MYBEACHREPORTER.COM | NEWS   | 21
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CANINE KINDNESS
AT PET HARBOR
Kurt and Judy are happy to be
supporters of Pet Harbor the
premiere private pet rescue
organization serving the south bay
beach cities and beyond.

Established in 1960 and looking more like a doggie

day care center you find the dogs busy running,
playing and socializing in a comfortable, safe and
loving environment for all homeless and neglected
dogs that come through their doors. The animals
are evaluated and given vaccinations, microchips,
dental care, grooming, spayed and neutered.
Everything they need no matter the cost. The
devoted staff work tirelessly to care for the pets
and to provide a pleasant atmosphere for them
and the prospective adopters. Do not miss the
canine casitas providing indoor and outdoor living.
Dogs are placed locally after receiving a
completed application and a home visit prior to
the adoption. This process is all about the perfect
match.

Pet harbor is funded entirely by private

donations. Cash or PayPal at
tinyurl.com/donate2petharbor

Also welcome are necessary items such as blankets, towels, pet toys, canned food
and laundry detergent.

Call 310-324-6600 to begin the adoption process, meet the staff, tour the facility,
and find the perfect addition to your family. Tell them Kurt and Judy sent you!

Realtor Associate Broker

310.200.5280
KURT ALLEN kurt.allen@compass.com
JUDY D'ANGELO 310.429.6478
judydangelore@gmail.com
DRE# 01005087 DRE# 00547116
22 | A
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Kindness
FROM PAGE 20
Chemocessories
chemocessories.org
Chemocessories creates personalized
sets of accessories, including jewelry,
scarves and turbans for women with
cancer 1116 Eighth St Unit C, Manhattan
Beach, CA 90266
chemocessories@gmail.com
Claire’s Place Foundation
Clairesplacefoundation.org/
Claire’s Place Foundation provides heart-
felt assistance to the families of chil-
dren and to individuals diagnosed with
cystic fibrosis. It also works to heighten
awareness and provide education, skills,
financial and emotional support to af-
fected families. 2110 Artesia Blvd, Box
819 Redondo Beach, CA 90278
Melissa@clairesplacefoundation.org
Giving Purpose
Givingpurpose.org
A mental health and societal healing
nonprofit dedicated to helping people
feel worthy. Its founder, Cathy Caple-
ner, launched the organization in 2020
with the ‘YOU ARE ENOUGH’ billboard
campaign. Her goal is to get YOU ARE
ENOUGH billboards in every state across
the country.
(310) 938-3158
cathy@givingpurpose.org
Jimmy Miller Memorial
Foundation
jimmymillerfoundation.org
Provides an ocean therapy/surfing pro-
gram to Wounded Warriors, veterans and
at-risk youth. 2711 Sepulveda Blvd. #331
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(424) 290-1953
volunteer@jimmymillerfoundation.org
Monique Powers Beauty
Boutique
moniquepowers.com Volunteer makeup
artist for the American Cancer Society’s
“Look Good, Feel Better” program. Do-
nates brow hero brushes for women who
have lost their eyebrows due to cancer
treatment. 2455 W 190th Street, Suite H,
Redondo Beach, CA 90278
(310) 869-8383
NextStep
nextstepfitness.org
NextStep is a paralysis recovery center
that offers state-of-the-art equipment,
certified trainers, and cutting-edge
therapies. 4447 Redondo Beach Blvd.
Lawndale, CA 90260
(310) 363-1698
info@nextstepfitness.org
Ourtism
Ourtism.com
Founded for Autistics by Autistics, our
mission is to listen, empower and validate
adults, teens and their families in a safe
community where skills and tools are
shared to build purposeful, meaningful
and harmonious lives. 149 Palos Verdes
Blvd. Suite B, Redondo Beach CA 90277
(310) 375-1997
info@ourtism.com
Our Village
ourvillageslc.org
Provides evidence-based social skills
groups to kids, teens and young adults
with autism, ADHD and social anxiety.
3858 W Carson Street #120 Torrance, CA
90503
hello@ourvillageslc.org
Pants Off Racing, Inc.
pantsoffracing.com
Pants Off Racing is dedicated to help-
ing those affected by pancreatic cancer.
They provide resources and direct sup-
port to others. 624 24th Street Hermosa
Beach, CA 90254
pantsoffracing@gmail.com
Prostate Cancer Awareness
Project
thepcap.org
Generate funds for research and preven-
KINDNESS
tion of prostate cancer, and for the re-
habilitation of prostate cancer survivors.
Also creates fundraising events that will
generate funds for early detection and
awareness of breast cancer prevention.
1601 N Sepulveda Blvd., #376 Manhat-
tan Beach, CA 90266 E-mail via contact
form: https://thepcap.org/contact
Richstone Family Center
richstonefamily.org
Helping to prevent and treat child abuse
and trauma. 13634 Cordary Ave Haw-
thorne, CA 90250
(310) 970-1921
rfcinfo@richstonefamily.org
Run for Myles
runformyles.com
An organization dedicated to preserv-
ing the parks and trails of Rancho Palos
Verdes in honor of longtime Palos Verdes
resident Myles Helm, a dedicated mara-
thon runner who died in 2022. The non-
profit hosts a yearly 5K/10K run through
the seaside streets that Myles called
home. 46 E Penninsula Center Dr., #390
Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274
Runformyles501C3@gmail.com
South Bay Family Health Care
sbfhc.org
A nonprofit that has provided low or no
cost quality medical care in the South
Bay since 1969. 23430 Hawthorne Blvd.,
Ste. 210 Torrance, CA 90505
(310) 802-6177
South Bay Mo Bros
southbaymobros.com
Dedicated to making a positive, everlast-
ing impact on the face of men’s health
through events and fundraising efforts
in “Movember.” The South Bay Mo Bros,
a local Movember team since 2009, will
be hosting a maximum of 64 teams / 128
players for its inaugural Beach Cornhole
Tournament November 18. (RSVP on the
website.)
info@southbaymobros.com
Walk with Sally
walkwithsally.org
Walk With Sally provides free mentoring
support programs and services to children
of parents, guardians or siblings who have
cancer or have succumbed to cancer. 840
Apollo St., # 324 El Segundo, CA 90245
(310) 322-3900
info@walkwithsally.org
Wounded Warriors
woundedwarriorproject.org
To foster the most successful, well-
adjusted generation of wounded service
members in our nation’s history.
(877) 832-6997
woundedwarriorproject.org/contact-us
HOUSING AND
HOMELESSNESS
A Bed of My Own
Abedofmyown.org
Our mission is to support the employ-
ability of homeless and near-homeless
women and their children. 703 Pier Ave,
Ste. B 309, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
(424) 206-0603
Family Promise of the South Bay
familypromiseosb.org
Family Promise of the South Bay helps
newly homeless families achieve housing
stability by providing short-term shelter,
meals, case management, and extraordi-
nary hospitality. 2930 El Dorado St.,
Torrance 90503 (310) 782-8196
office@familypromiseosb.org
First United Methodist Church of
Torrance
firstumctorrance.org
One of our most important outreach
ministries is a luncheon for the home-
less and needy on the fourth Saturday of
each month. 1551 El Prado, Torrance, CA
90501
(310) 328-3242
Email via contact form: https://first
umctorrance.org/contact-us
Habitat for Humanity
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2023
habitatla.org everything from childbirth preparation
Bringing people together to build homes,
communities and hope. 18600 Crenshaw
and baby care basics to infant CPR and
Mommy & Me classes. It also offers
Blvd., Torrance, CA 90504 breast pump rental as well as private
(310) 323-4663 lactation consultants and counseling.
(310) 798-9000
info@habitatla.org
Mail@MotherNurtureNetwork.com
HUMAN SERVICES
National Charity League,
Hermosa/Manhattan
Beach Cities Toy Drive nationalcharityleague.org/chapter/south-
beachcitiestoydrive@gmail.com bay
Brings together local volunteers to
National Charity League aims to fos-
gather, wrap and distribute holiday toys ter mother-daughter relationships in a
to deserving South Bay charities and philanthropic organization committed to
churches. community service, leadership develop-
facebook.com/beachcitiestoydrive ment and cultural experiences.
(714) 966-1005
Friendship Foundation
info@nclonline.org
friendshipfoundation.com
The Friendship Foundation provides pro- Neptunian Woman’s Club
grams for children and young adults with neptunians.org
special needs in an inclusive environment.
Dedicated to volunteerism and the rais-
2108 Vail Ave. Redondo Beach CA 90278
ing of funds in support of charitable,
(310) 214-6677 educational, cultural and civic services.
info@friendshipfoundation.com 920 Highland Ave. Manhattan Beach, CA
90266
Friendship Foundation Campus neptunianwomansclubmb@gmail.com
friendshipfoundation.com/campus
Opening in mid-2025, the campus will be PFLAG Manhattan Beach /
a safe and inspirational learning environ- South Bay
ment for individuals with special needs PFLAGManhattanBeach.org
to explore their interests and engage in
Building a culture of inclusiveness, en-
vocational training and life skills. 850 S.
gagement, and equality for the LGBTQ
Inglewood Avenue Redondo Beach, CA
community within the South Bay. 1721
90278
Artesia Blvd Ste. E Manhattan Beach, CA
campusinfo@friendshipfoundation.com 90266
info@pflagmanhattanbeach.org
Golden Heart Ranch
goldenheartranch.org
PS I Love You
Golden Heart Ranch provides young psIloveyoufoundation.org
adults with intellectual and developmen-
Helps at-risk youth through social and
tal disabilities opportunities to reach their
emotional learning programs, enrichment
fullest potentials and enjoy meaningful,
programs and community outreach. 1732
satisfying and joyful lives. We are an in-
Aviation Blvd., Ste. #130 Redondo Beach,
clusive community where all young adults
CA 90278
learn, work and create lifelong friendships
in a supportive and caring environment. (310) 420-4717
703 Pier Ave, Suite B 194 Hermosa Beach, patricia@psiloveyoufoundation.org
CA 90254
rose@goldenheartranch.org Sandpipers
sandpipers.org
Happy Hats for Kids Sandpipers is a 100% volunteer women’s
happyhatsforkids.org organization that is dedicated to serving
Uplift the spirits and bring happiness and the needs of the entire South Bay com-
smiles to hospitalized children with can- munity through a variety of charitable
cer and other life-threatening illnesses by and philanthropic programs. PO Box 72,
shifting their focus away from discomfort Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
and pain through bilingual, educational, (310) 374-1748
fun, interactive activities; provides holi- secretary@sandpipers.org
day cheer/themed handmade Happy Hats
to children and families unable to spend Skechers Foundation(Friendship
their holidays at home. 923 Van Ness Foundation/Circle)
Ave, Torrance, CA 90501(310) 787-0970 skechersfriendshipwalk.com
info@happyhatsforkids.org
Strengthens communities through our
greatest asset: children. Invests in
Journey of Faith
organizations dedicated to embracing
Journeyoffaith.com/
individuals with special needs, improving
Our outreach program offers wraparound education and empowering disadvantage
care for families engaged with DCFS (De- youth. 330 S. Sepulveda Blvd. Manhattan
partment of Children and Family Servic- Beach, CA 90267
es). Wraparound care includes supplying
tangible goods, driving kids to meetings, (310) 318-3100 x1186
moving/building bedroom furniture, and friendshipwalk@skechers.com
everything in between. All of our outreach
efforts are open to the community to par- South Bay LGBTQ Center
ticipate in. 1243 Artesia Blvd., Manhattan southbaycenter.wixsite.com/southbay
Beach, Ca 90266 (424) 327-6500 lgbtcenter/
info@journeyoffaith.com To provide a focal point for Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Transgender and Queer people
MA Center LA in the South Bay and surrounding areas.
amma.org Community center and out- 16610 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance 90504
reach organization founded by spiritual (310) 328-6550
leader Mata Amritanandamayi (popularly southbaylgbtcenter@gmail.com
known as “Amma”) 128 S. Catalina Ave.
Redondo Beach, CA 90277 South Bay Food Initiative
(310) 295-1852 southbayfoodinitiative.com
info@la.macenters.org A nonprofit that helps provide food to
local populations through donations,
Moose Lodge 1873
volunteering and more. 1401 Artesia Blvd.,
mooseintl.org Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
An international organization dedicated southbayfoodinitiative@gmail.com
to caring for young and old, bringing com-
munities together and celebrating life. Ten Thousand
The lodge also offers activities for indi- Villages South Bay
viduals and families, from holiday parties, villagesredondo.com
dances, sports, themed dinners and live
A nonprofit, fair trade store that is part
entertainment. 516 North Pacific Coast of the global maker-to-market movement
Highway Redondo Beach, CA 90277
that addresses economic injustice and
(310) 379-7909 empowers makers in developing coun-
lodge1873@mooseunits.org tries by selling their ethically-sourced
handcrafted wares 1907 S. Catalina Ave.,
Mother Nurture Network Redondo Beach, CA 90277
mothernurturenetwork.com (310) 465-1600
A resource for pregnant and new moms redondobeach@tenthousandvillages.com
to find support, education and help with