Mission

Amber Willard DOWNTOWN -- After moving off Brand Boulevard four years ago, the Church of Scientology returned earlier this month. The church's Mission of Brand Boulevard celebrated its grand opening at 222 1/2 N. Brand Blvd. on June 10 with a ribbon cutting. "That's where they started -- Brand Boulevard. It's in the heart of downtown," spokeswoman Pam Shannon said of the church's mission that opened its doors in the city 12 years ago. In 1997, the mission moved to South Glendale Avenue to make room for The Marketplace downtown, where it had been located, Shannon said.

It isn't every day that Don Schoendorfer gets a call from the White House. In fact, the Santa Ana resident had never gotten any calls from the White House, which is why he was skeptical when a woman claiming to be with the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives called and said President Bush wanted to meet with him. This was no prank call -- the president wanted to meet Schoendorfer to commend...

Kenny Carpenter has always been on a mission. From his days as a youth-aged swimmer until he graduated from Crescenta Valley High in 1999 as a 15-time All-American in swimming and water polo and leading the Falcons to CIF Southern Section Division II swim titles in 1998 and 1999, he has been as a focused and sure of himself as an athlete can be. Now three years later, the 21-year-old Carpenter has really been ...

Josh Kleinbaum When Charles Broberg retired from a 30-year medical practice, he could have split his time between the swimming pool and the driving range, like the stereotypical retiree. Instead, he and his wife, Jeanne, tried another typical retiree activity -- travel. But they did it in a very atypical fashion, spending two years in the Ukraine on a Mormon mission. "Instead of sitting around a swimming pool, we elected to do something we believe in and do some good," said Charles Broberg, 68. "We were kind of excited to learn a language like Russian.

Howard DeWitt Swainston   Howard DeWitt Swainston , 84, died peacefully at his Eagle, Idaho home early Tuesday morning, February 22, 2011, surrounded by his loving family.  He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend.   Howard, also known as De, was born December 10, 1926 in Whitney, Idaho to Howard "Slim" and Neva Parkinson Swainston .  He was raised on the family farm.  He developed his musical talent in piano and voice.  Howard was also a high school basketball star pursuing a keen interest of his father.

Katherine Tolford, Enjoy! GLENDALE -- Larry and Sheila Gluck believe there's a Monet or a Rembrandt in everyone. The La Canada Flintridge couple are the founders of Mission: Renaissance, a Glendale-based company that has 18 studios throughout Southern California. A staff of 100 teachers helps spread their mission, that everyone can become creatively literate, to more than 4,000 students a week. "We found a way to get somebody to do things people had said only a few could do," 70-year-old Larry Gluck said.

CLARK Stacy Bayles and Grant Clark have announced their plans to marry this month in the Los Angeles Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The bride-to-be is the daughter of Calvin and Marilyn Bayles of La Crescenta. She graduated from Crescenta Valley High in 1996, attended Brigham Young University, served a mission in Croatia and recently received her bachelor's degree in nursing from BYU. She works in the labor and delivery room in a hospital in Orem, Utah.

Companies form strategic alliance Glendale-based Evergreen Development Co., a full-service real estate development firm, and Green Building Services, a Portland-based sustainable development consulting firm, announced this week that they have formed a strategic alliance designed to provide clients fully integrated green building services. Founded in 1975, Evergreen delivers real estate development. Green Building Services, founded in 2000, is comprised of architects, engineers, interior designers and construction specialists.

Glendale Community College will host the premire of a play written by author Pamela Wells and co-produced by GCC alumni Albert Hartfeld on Aug. 17 in Kreider Hall, 1500 N. Verdugo Road in Glendale. "The Flagg Sisters Secret" is the story of three teenage sisters who are homeless. Abby, Regina and Sarah Flagg are just regular kids until they are faced with living in the streets. The story is about love, loss and compassion, as the three girls struggle with growing up and dealing with life's real problems.

LOS ANGELES - Since the end of last summer, Kayla Montgomery has experienced her share of discomfort. Forced to deal with nagging pains in her hip and both knees, the talented Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy track and field athlete has still managed to flourish in her multiple races. She temporarily brushed aside the soreness Thursday at the Mission League finals at Occidental College and managed to extend her season in several events. “I had to go out there and push myself through the pain,” said Montgomery, who qualified in the 400-meter race with a fourth-place finish in a personal-best mark of 59.02 seconds.

LOS ANGELES - Vince De Pinto had plenty of confidence entering the final round of the two-round Mission League Individual Tournament on Wednesday. One more solid 18-hole round would enable the St. Francis High senior golfer to be a part of the CIF Southern Section Individual Tournament for the first time in his career. De Pinto punched his ticket into the postseason, as he carded a three-over-par 75 to finish fifth in league at Griffith Park's Wilson Course. “It feels great to be able to move on,” said De Pinto, who entered Wednesday's action atop the leader board after opening with a three-under-par 69 on Tuesday at Lakewood Country Club before finishing with a two-round score of 144. “I knew what I needed to do. “I made a lot of putts for par. The plan coming into the last round was to be aggressive on the first nine holes and see where I matched up with my opponents.

VALLEY GLEN - After proving to be the best team in the Mission League by winning its second league crown in a row, the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy swimming squad was out for individual glory at the Mission League Finals. All together, the Tologs won six of 11 league titles, set five new school and three new meet records, including a league record, Tuesday at L.A. Valley College. Sacred Heart's Kirsten Vose had the finest showing, as she won four league titles and had a hand in all three meet records.

PASADENA - Shortly after being named coach of the St. Francis High golf team last summer, Kyle Ostrom closely examined the Golden Knights' player personnel. Ostrom studied the potential lineup combinations and had an inkling the Golden Knights would be in line to possibly advance to the postseason for the first time since 2008. PHOTOS: St. Francis boys' golf “I knew the guys real well and a lot of it just had to do with maturity on the course,” said Ostrom, whose team picked up a 192-236 Mission League home win against Crespi on Wednesday at Brookside Golf Course No. 1 after clinching a playoff appearance Tuesday.

GLENDALE - Prior to his team's game against L.A. Mission on Tuesday, Glendale Community College baseball Coach Chris Cicuto expressed faith in starting pitcher Angel Rodriguez. That's quite the vote of confidence considering the 2013 Western State Conference South title was on the line. “Glad I was right,” Cicuto laughed, clearly enjoying Glendale's 4-1 victory against L.A. Mission at Stengel Field that gave the Vaqueros their third consecutive WSC South crown. Glendale improved to 24-10 overall, but more importantly 18-4 in conference, two games ahead of second-place Bakersfield with two games remaining.

SYLMAR - Just two days removed from a gritty win at Bakersfield, a fatigued Glendale Community College baseball squad had its six-game winning streak snapped in another Western State Conference South Division road game against LA Mission College. The Vaqueros held a three-run lead in the sixth inning before giving up seven runs in the frame and 11 unanswered to eventually lose to the Eagles, 14-6, Saturday afternoon at El Cariso Park in Sylmar. “We were a little tired,” Vaqueros Coach Chris Cicuto said.

LOS ANGELES - Steve Bergen let his Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy swim team know he isn't the sharing type before its final Mission League dual meet of the season. While Sacred Heart had earned itself a share of the league title with a win over Alemany Tuesday, the Tologs coach told the team in a pre-meet, pump-up speech that he intended to be the sole champion - just like last year - on Thursday. It turned out the Tologs needed little motivation against a considerably smaller Chaminade squad, as they won nine of 11 events and had two of the top-three finishers in all eight of the individual events for a 117-40 victory over Chaminade at Loyola High.

GLENDALE - When the Glendale Community College softball team last saw L.A. Mission College, the Eagles swept the Vaqueros in a doubleheader with pitcher Kelsey Christopherson dealing a no-hitter in the finale. While it was a tough blow for GCC, its confidence wasn't shaken when the two teams faced off again in a Western State Conference Blue Division game Tuesday at the Glendale Sports Complex. The Vaqueros snapped a three-game losing streak with a solid all-around performance in the circle and at the plate that produced an 8-3 win. PHOTOS: GCC vs. L.A. Mission College softball It is Kelsie Ange's line that jumps off the stat book in the game, as the freshman center fielder fell just a double shy of the cycle in a three-for-three day that included a grand-slam, a three-run scoring triple and an infield single.

At the conclusion of the Mission League girls' soccer season, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy came up one goal short of sharing the league crown. Though the Tologs were forced to settle for second, Flintridge Sacred Heart was bestowed the league's highest individual honor. Tologs senior defender Kayla Mills was recently voted the Mission League Most Valuable Player, while senior midfielder Sarah Teegarden was the Mission League Defensive MVP. Joining their fellow Tologs on the all-league honor roll were seniors Savannah Viola and Krista Meaglia and sophomore Hanna Armendariz, who were first-team selections, while seniors Kendall Sandoval and Hailey James, along with junior Dani Garcia, received second-team acclaim.