The Siegel Group, a real estate development firm in Studio City, supports PADRES Contra El C & #225;ncer, a Los Angeles based nonprofit organization committed to improving the quality of life for Latino children with cancer. CEO Stephen Siegel was recently elected to the board of directors of PADRES, where he is actively involved in fundraising and educational efforts to help promote the services the organization provides to children and their families. Based in North Hollywood, PADRES Contra El C & #225;ncer brings together children, families, healthcare professionals and community leaders to foster understanding about children with cancer and discover effective methods for treatment. PADRES remains the only Latino organization of its kind operating within the United States. All PADRES programs, activities and services, while oriented to the Latino community, serve childhood cancer patients from all races and ethnic origins. No family is turned away. Last year’s Gala in Universal City raised nearly $1 million. On hand to speak at the event were Eva Longoria of “Desperate Housewives” and retired cyclist Lance Armstrong, a cancer survivor. This year’s event will be held Oct. 18 at The Lot at 7200 Santa Monica Blvd. in Los Angeles. GEC Events Company Donates Free Entertainment to Local Communities Chatsworth-based GEC Events an innovative corporate and community events concept design firm announced that it will donate its Street Team to local Valley events to provide free, family-oriented entertainment. In an effort to give back to the local community, the GEC Street Team will offer a one hour free show with music, fun games and exciting prize giveaways valued at more than $ 1,000 to help raise money for worthy causes around the Valley. GEC Events will additionally provide promotional assistance for local community events via its monthly newsletter, and encourages family-friendly and community-improvement-minded organizations to apply for consideration for the GEC Street Team’s free entertainment initiative. For more information, visit GEC Events on the Web at: www.GECEVENTS.com or contact them by phone, (818) 769-5139. Dole Food Co. Fights Children’s Hunger The Dole Food Company has donated more than a quarter-million pieces of informational nutritional literature to the international charity, Children’s Hunger Fund (CHF). CHF will include the Dole publications with their “Food Paks” 20l lb. boxes of staple foods which are delivered to families in need. The informative literature is the result of research conducted through the Dole’s Westlake Village-based Nutrition Institute, which has a goal to “feed the world with knowledge” through nutrition research and education initiatives. The distribution of Dole nutritional information publications is expected to become “the beginning of a long-term relationship with the Children’s Hunger Fund to meet the needs of a segment of the population that currently lacks the proper resources,” according to Monica Spiro, Dole’s coordinator of corporate communications. The Children’s Hunger Fund is recognized as one of the most cost-effective charities in America and to date has distributed more than $700 million in relief aid to about 70 countries. Antelope Valley Hospital Offers Free Flu Shots Antelope Valley Hospital is offering free flu shots to qualified seniors at the Palmdale Fall Festival Oct. 13 and 14. The festival is at Marie Kerr Park next to Rancho Vista Boulevard and 30th Street West. Shots will be administered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. To qualify for shots, individuals must meet the following guidelines: – 65 or older – Suffering a chronic illness, such as certain pulmonary diseases, and kidney and metabolic disorders – Resident of a nursing home or other long-term care facility – Caretakers of a person with one or more of the above health conditions. “We don’t know what to expect from this flu season,” hospital CEO Edward Mirzabegian said. “Last year was a relatively mild season, but every year is different.” “We encourage everyone to get a flu shot,” Mirzabegian continued, “but especially those who are most susceptible, such as senior citizens.” Community to Help with Pacoima School Math Program The Discovery Charter Preparatory School in Pacoima is hiring a fulltime math coach to work with faculty and students, and will implement Math Mondays, said Matthew Macarah, school founder and CEO. Community and business leaders will help with the project. The move came about due to students’ disappointing math scores on the 2007 Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR). Discovery Charter hopes to have all its students attain or exceed their grade level’s STAR benchmarks. The school plans to invite business and community leaders to support the program as speakers, mentors and coaches. “This is about community and establishing goals that are achievable,” Macarah said. “We promote a college-bound culture for our students, that is, after all, a numbers game. To win at this, there is no way around it. They have to do math.”
