Charities

President Bush noted on June 26 at the national conference of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives that his first executive order was to establish that office. The White House program has improved relationships between the federal government and religious charities. But many people say there should be a church-state separation and that the program should be shut down. Should this program be kept by the next president?   No, it shouldn’t.

Thanks for making car show a success I want to personally thank the city of Glendale for helping the Jewel City Kiwanis' 13th annual car show be a big success. Even though we had to postpone it due to the rainy weather, it all worked out better than we could have hoped. The silent auction, raffle, food sales and vendor booths all did a brisk business. The car owners had a great time showing off the fruits of their labors. The guests enjoyed a gorgeous sunny day while admiring almost 300 beautiful cars.

Jewel City Knitters Guild of Glendale was founded on Valentine's Day 2003 as a chapter of the Knitting Guild Assn. The local organization's mission is education, philanthropy and creativity. It has more than 25 active members who knit and crochet items for more than 20 local, national and international charities. This summer, the local group embarked on a Charity Challenge Project to knit and crochet items for the charities listed below. They made baby items for premature and ailing newborn babies at LAC+USC Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Olive View UCLA Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Huntington Memorial Hospital.

Maggie Doud, 68, retired recently after working for many years as an executive assistant. She participates in numerous charity organizations and programs because she thinks it?s crucial to help others in need. She said she believes everyone is capable of giving something back to the community by setting aside a chunk of time. ?Anyone can do it,? Doud said. ?All you need is a willing heart.? She has an optimistic view on life, she said, and she enjoys making everyone laugh.

Charity fundraisers are not uncommon. However, it is uncommon that the event organizers outdo the participants. Newport Beach's Ed Eaton, founder of 123 Loan, a mortgage company based in Aliso Viejo, held a charity golf tournament in July to raise money for two local nonprofit organizations. The event brought in $46,000, which was split between the Someone Cares Soup Kitchen and Mika, two Costa Mesa charities. After issuing a check to each organization for $23,000, Eaton and his wife surprised the beneficiaries by presenting each of them an additional $30,000 check from the Eaton Family Foundation.

Before there was hip-hop, there was car-hop, a style of service that has all but disappeared, with one happy exception. Every Friday and Saturday night, you can find it at Bob's Big Boy restaurant In Toluca Lake. The place is swell. Teeny boppers and hep cats, squares and swing daddies can all be found there enjoying the same diner fare that Bob's has been dishing out since 1949. The building has been preserved in its original form earning it recognition as a Historical Place of Interest.

Planning a donation drive in the wake of a national disaster can be a major logistical headache. It can be a cinch, however, if everything falls right into your lap. For Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, founder and executive director of the Festival of Children Foundation, the latter occurred. Actress Beth Broderick, known for her role as Aunt Zelda in television's "Sabrina, The Teenage Witch," is starring in the comedy "Bad Dates" this month at the Laguna Playhouse.

o7The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced last month that it would reimburse religious groups that have supported relief and recovery efforts in hurricane-ravaged areas of the South. The move has sparked controversy on both sides. Civil libertarian groups have said it would be a violation of the separation between church and state. Some religious groups have said taking government money would make the church beholden to the state. Should the government reimburse religious groups for their relief efforts?

Dressed in black and white prisoner's garb, Irrelevant Week founder Paul Salata found himself in the slammer Thursday. Salata was one of 15 local professionals who were hauled into a makeshift jail Thursday at the Tommy Bahama Cafe and Emporium. Once in custody, the convicts had their mug shots taken and were allowed to call friends and ask for "bail," which was donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Assn. After he was processed, Salata said jokingly that he has been arrested "a couple times here but a lot of times elsewhere.

When George Namkung took a trip to Tanzania last August, he didn't have a philanthropic agenda. His to-do list, although ambitious, resembled that of a regular tourist: Visit another continent (Namkung's sixth), climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, see jungle animals. Along with three partners and seasoned hiking guides, Namkung reached the top of the 19,340-foot mountain after six days of eight-hour climbs. But before leaving the East African country, Namkung visited a preschool in the school district nearest Mt. Kilimanjaro.