Valley Kaiser Workers Donate School Supplies

Kaiser Permanente employees from the Panorama City and Woodland Hills medical centers are giving their time and money to help Pacoima-area students get ready for school. The hospital system’s area finance and human resources employees, including some from the Valley area, filled more than 400 backpacks with school supplies and plan to hand them out to students in need on Aug. 9, said Rob Beltch, vice president of finance operations for Kaiser Permanente Southern California. The employees will pass out the items at a back-to-school event held by nonprofit El Nido Family Centers’ FamilySource Center in Pacoima. The event will be held at Pacoima Neighborhood City Hall at 13250 Van Nuys Blvd. On July 31, Kaiser employees at the hospital system’s Southern California headquarters in Pasadena filled the donated backpacks with items such as pencils, erasers, highlighters, folders and water bottles. A total of about 80 volunteers from various Kaiser locations contributed to the donation drive, with about 35 of those volunteers expected to be at the Aug. 9 event, Beltch said. Participating medical centers included Panorama City, Woodland Hills, the South Bay, Fontana, Bakersfield, Riverside, Baldwin Park and West Los Angeles. “They’ve done everything from raise the money to do the shopping to assemble and put together the backpacks,” Beltch said. Aracelly Godinez, director of the El Nido FamilySource Center, said Kaiser is filling a very real need. “There are people who really have no way to have a new backpack and provide materials for their kids to get back to school,” she said. “Some of them are not working… It’s important for people to understand that there are agencies in the community that are working to help them.” FamilySource Center staff members have been contacting families who use the facility to sign them up to receive backpacks. While the center staff does not expect to have enough backpacks for all attendees, there will be free food and other activities, such as face painting, provided by Kaiser employees. Kaiser will donate about 500 reusable shopping bags with nutrition-focused educational materials, Beltch said. Studios Give to Shooting Victims Film studios Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures are among the many donors who have contributed funds to help those affected by the recent Aurora, Colo., theater shooting during a showing of the movie “The Dark Knight Rises.” The Burbank-based companies are the makers of the film. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper recently announced that Warner Bros., is a contributor to a special fund being collected at GivingFirst.org. By July 27, the fund had reached about $3.2 million, said Karla Maraccini, deputy director of community partnerships for the governor’s office. Others in the entertainment industry donated money, as well. “We are very grateful and encouraged by the support so far for the victims in Aurora,” Hickenlooper said. “The money will help those impacted by this tragedy begin to recover and rebuild their lives.” Caruso Offers Scholarships Real estate developer Caruso Affiliated recently recognized two high-achieving local high school graduates by giving them $10,000 scholarships, company officials said. Caruso Affiliated CEO Rick Caruso presented the Spirit of American Youth Scholarships to high school graduates Roylance Bird and Sierra Katow, both of La Cañada. Two scholarships are offered each year by the company to two students from public schools and private schools in the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys. The students are selected based on their outstanding contributions to their communities as well as their academic achievements. Bird graduated at the top of his class from St. Francis High School and Katow excelled at La Cañada High School, company officials said.