Toys

For the 17th year, the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Station Volunteers will begin a toy and food drive on Thanksgiving weekend. They will place more than 40 collection barrels at schools, churches and businesses around the Crescenta Valley to collect toys and nonperishable food to give to needy Foothills families. "Just because this is an affluent area doesn't mean there aren't needy families here," said Sheriff's Deputy Cole Speer, who acts as the station's volunteer coordinator.

The sound of thundering basketballs echoes throughout the Glendale YMCA's large gym every Saturday morning. Some 150 youngsters, ages 5 to 13, are members of the Junior Lakers League, a sports program that the YMCA is looking to expand. The YMCA hosted an all-star game and pizza party on Dec. 15 to reach out to the community and bring attention to the camaraderie and sports training it offers to the youth of Glendale, said Mineh Petrosian, assistant sports director of the league.

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE -- A group of high school students are showing they care in an international way. The Glendale-Crescenta Valley Youth Group -- made up of students from Glendale, Hoover and Clark Magnet and Crescenta Valley high schools -- put together Monday night a "Friendship Chest" of toys, school supplies and personal hygiene products Monday that will be sent to needy children in Bosnia. "We decided to pick a place that, as long as I know, has been in need," said Narine Galudzhyan, a group advisor.

Rosemont Middle School students donated over 2000 canned food items to the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Station for their annual Toy and Food Drive. Sheriff deputies arrived at the school on Monday and loaded the cans onto a truck to be delivered to their toy and food staging area. "We made this part of a class competition," said Krista McMillian, a teacher at Rosemont. The can drive was part of Rosemont's inaugural School Spirit program that began in September. Throughout the school year Rosemont's Associated Student Body have sponsored various competitions that pit the seventh graders against eighth graders including tug-of-war contests and bobbing for apples.

Nothing could keep the New Horizon Family Center from their mission to deliver thousands of toys to needy families Saturday — not even the downpour of rain that swept over the buildings' courtyard throughout the day. As part of their 12th Annual Holiday Toy Give-Away, New Horizons officials had loaded the halls of the center's gymnasium with donated toys for children of all ages, and nearly 100 community volunteers turned out Saturday to...

Susan Fuller was like many shoppers on Friday at the grand opening for Babies ?R? Us on Los Feliz Boulevard. The expectant mother slowly pushed a cart of baby clothes and accessories down narrow aisles, as she eyed shelves stocked with strollers, furniture and other items. ?I used to have to go to the Van Nuys [Babies ?R? Us] one to get all this stuff, but it?s much more convenient coming here,? said Fuller, a Glendale resident. ?I?ve been very impressed with them. The selection is smaller, but hands-down they have the best customer service.

Many children already have written and revised their Christmas wish lists by December. But what about those children who don't expect to get a single gift, much less a whole list full of presents? Those are the children the Glendale Fire Department will be collecting toys for from now until Christmas Eve as part of the Spark of Love Toy Drive. This will be the 12th consecutive year GFD has joined ABC7 and Sav-On Drugs for the Spark of Love Toy Drive. Firefighters at all Glendale stations will be accepting new, unwrapped items to give away this year.

It’s been pointed out to me that in writing last week’s column about the proliferation of vehicles parked in our neighborhoods these days, I didn’t give enough attention to a chief culprit in the battle for pavement: recreational vehicles. The RV category includes dirt bikes, ATVs, “quads,” jet skis or personal watercraft, fifth wheel trailers and the ever-popular Toy Hauler. You’ve seen Toy Haulers in driveways, parked at the curb, on front lawns, in side yards, and of course, rolling down practically every highway in the land — most likely towed behind a massive 4X4 pick-up truck or some other sort of massively manly vehicle that burns testosterone by the gallon and flips a one exhaust pipe salute to any mention of global warming or carbon footprints.