Mailbag

Volunteer was worthy of News-Press spotlight

We at PATH Achieve Glendale are happy to see volunteers such as Jerry Buchanan (“Upholding his principles,” March 26) get much-deserved credit for their dedication to helping homeless children. A client recently told us that when they came to our shelter, his daughter was performing well below her grade level. During their stay, the regular tutoring provided by School on Wheels helped the girl bring her grades up to better than grade level. By providing that crucial support at a difficult time in their young lives, tutors such as Buchanan make a tremendous difference for the children we serve. We are deeply indebted to the volunteers and to School on Wheels for organizing them to serve our clients.

NATALIE PROFANT-KOMURO

Glendale

EDITOR’S NOTE: Profant-Komuro is the executive director of PATH Achieve Glendale.

Students’ safety key to learning environment

Regarding “Safety not the main school issue,” Mailbag, March 28:

Maybe you never went to school. Maybe you don’t have children. How much can a student learn if the environment they’re in is a violent and dangerous one? Shouldn’t they be thinking about math and science rather than having the fear of acts of violence against them — i.e. beatings, shootings, stabbings, vandalization of their property . . . the list goes on. When I was in school, I wasn’t worried about any of these things. I was thinking about girls and cars.

JEFF HUGHES

Glendale

Firefighters more than their earn salaries

I read a comment that I hope was an April Fools’ joke in the Glendale News-Press. The story reported that Mike Mohill made a comment that firefighters’ salaries were unjustified in the face of relatively few major fire incidents in the city (“Fire dept. critics rebuked,” Wednesday).

Maybe it is because of the quick action of the fire department that the major incidents stay minor. Mohill must be unfamiliar with wildfires that occur in this area, man-made and natural disasters, the mountain rescues, car accidents requiring the jaws of life and the many medical emergencies that the fire department handles.