Charities

With more than one in 10 people here without a job, clearly, many of us this holiday season have less to be thankful for. The signs of this “Great Recession” are everywhere — storefronts are sputtering as people cut their spending, more people are clamoring for government-subsidized housing, more children are crowding the doors of nonprofits as their households lose one or both incomes, and demand for bill assistance has skyrocketed....

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.

The Glendale Memorial Health Foundation sponsored its 22nd annual Evening of Wine & Roses, presented by Woodbury University on Sunday at the hospital. Chairman Larry Cimmarusti Larry Cimmarusti and wife Amalia were gracious hosts at this ?An International Soiree? as they welcomed more than 700 supporters, a record high, in the lighted patio in front of the hospital entrance. Guests were encouraged to mingle at the silent-auction tables, indulge in restaurant, bistro and coffee stations and dance to the sounds of Splash.

GLENDALE — A lack of funds, not a lack of love, doomed what would have been the 26th annual Love Ride. Organizers of one of the largest one-day motorcycle charity events in the world announced Thursday that it had been canceled due to poor ticket sales and other financial worries. “The numbers were scary dismal to where we thought, ‘Gee, this thing is going to bomb,’” said Oliver Shokouh, Love Ride founder and the owner of Glendale Harley-Davidson, which organizes the ride.

Richard Gohl has focused his adult life on public service. It?s a process he was born with, he said, and it?s something he has taken a lot of pride in for most of the last 60 years. Born in St. Louis, Gohl moved to Glendale in 1938. After spending three years in the service and one year at Compton Community College, Gohl attended the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. He received his degree in 1949, started his practice in Glendale three years later, and 2009 marks his 57th year as a chiropractor here.

What happens if you covered your arm with a bag of Crisco oil and stuck it into a bucket filled with ice? You would feel nothing, like a sea lion in the cooler waters of the North Pacific. Do you think you can get yourself out of an alligator’s mouth? Well, too bad because at 3,500 pounds, the force of its bite is equivalent to that of a car landing on top of you. Those are some of the things that Glendale resident Anne Beckner learned while preparing for the L.A. Zoo’s World Music Night on Tuesday evening, which focused on animals from all over the world.

GLENDALE — Mike Boyd felt helpless when he watched news reports of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. “I would look at the news every day and see kid, after kid, after kid dying,” Boyd said. “I felt so much for our U.S. troops who were dying.” Instead of wondering what he could do to help the troops, Boyd went into action. He founded a series of “American Soldier Thank You” concerts to help raise funds for military personnel. “It was something I needed to do for them, knowing all the things they have done for us,” said Boyd, the founder of Burbank-based Singboy Productions.

Jeraldine Saunders believes she is an angel. Her life policies are to always be honest, always help people and never cheat people, she said. Author of the book “The Love Boat,” which later became a top-rated television series for about 10 years, Saunders drew inspiration from her time as a cruise director. She was the only female director in the world at the time, she said, working seven days a week, 11 months a year for 10 years. Coordinating all onboard activities provided her myriad story lines for her book, she said.