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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Universal City TV Station Spreading the Love

KNBC (Channel 4) has been feeling generous this summer. The Universal City broadcaster has started a series of comedy night fundraisers and is also underway on its annual grant challenge, each of which will benefit local non-profits. On Aug. 17, weathercaster Fritz Coleman will perform a standup comedy routine at the Ice House in Pasadena with all of the proceeds benefiting the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission in North Hollywood. The shelter, which serves the Valley’s homeless community, suffered a fire in May that resulted in about $2.5 million worth of damage. The fire destroyed the rescue mission’s family emergency shelter, food pantry, donation processing center and part of its vehicle fleet. At last count, the rescue mission’s Wade Trimmer said it had raised about $550,000 through fundraisers held by groups like the Los Angeles Dodgers and California Pizza Kitchen Inc. “Those monies will go directly to ensuring we can rebuild effectively and take care of the current needs of the families,” Trimmer said. KNBC held a comedy night at the same venue this month that benefited Shelter Partnership, a Los Angeles homeless outreach program. The third comedy event in the series will be held in September for Casa de las Amigas of Pasadena, a recovery program for women with alcohol and drug addiction. The TV station also will wrap up its 21st Century Solutions grant challenge on Aug. 8. The contest is part of a $1.2 million allocation from NBCUniversal Foundation that distributes the grants to the television stations owned by NBCUniversal Media LLC, the station’s corporate parent. KNBC receives $200,000 to be given in increments of $50,000 to two winners and $100,000 to the top non-profit. According to station spokeswoman Terri Hernandez Rosales, the funds are awarded primarily to organizations that demonstrate innovation and are affecting change in their communities. “It evolved from the company’s desire to identify a spectrum of trends, challenges and opportunities facing local, underserved communities, while spotlighting initiatives that can create a conversation about emerging, local social issues,” Rosales said. “Naturally, this program further communicates our station’s commitment to community improvement and helps bring visibility to change-making organizations.” Future Nurses Antelope Valley Hospital Auxiliary has awarded 15 scholarships, each worth $1,000, to high school seniors pursuing a career in medicine. This is the 20th year the awards were given by the volunteer organization at the Lancaster hospital. “One of the greatest contributions we can make as a hospital is to help encourage young people to pursue a career in health care and to live out their dreams,” said Auxiliary President Harriet Lee. “Physicians, nurses, technicians, therapists and others will all be needed to keep up with the growing demand of our community, and it is our hope that many of these students will choose to care for patients in our Valley when they complete their studies.” Antelope Valley Hospital encourages scholarship recipients to apply for employment there once they finish their program of study. The recipients, chosen from a pool of 72 applicants across nine local high schools, have a minimum 3.5 grade point average and live within the Antelope Valley Healthcare District. Stroke Free Dignity Health Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center received $600,000 from UniHealth Foundation to be used for stroke care. The donation is to be distributed over a three-year period to support the launch and sustainability of a program designed to prevent secondary strokes. The grant from the Los Angeles private health care foundation will go toward seed funding, including two new positions for nurses who will offer support and education to stroke patients and families once they are discharged from the hospital. Additionally, the program will offer stroke prevention education to the community such as lectures that are already underway. “Ensuring patients have access to the resources they need to prevent a second stroke is critical to successful recovery,” said Jack Ivie, hospital president, in a statement. “We are grateful to the UniHealth Foundation for their unwavering commitment to our hospital programs and to the overall health and wellness of the communities we serve.” Staff Reporter Stephanie Forshee can be reached at (818)316-3121 or [email protected].

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