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Holiday coloring contest, more info on page 23.
HOMETOWN
NEWS
Westchester • Playa del Rey • Marina del Rey • Playa Vista
November
your community newspaper • your community • WESTCHESTER • PLAYA DEL REY • MARINA DEL REY • PLAYA VISTA • your community newspaper • your community
Rotary clubs join forces to bring gift of sight to local students For Westchester Rotarian and Playa del Rey resident, Nora MacLellan, there is nothing more rewarding then seeing the looks on children’s faces after they have received a pair of glasses for the first time through Vision to Learn. Vision to Learn is a non-profit organization founded by Austin Beutner and the Beutner Family Foundation with the mission of bringing mobile eye clinics to Title I schools to provide free eye exams and free eye glasses to needy students. MacLellan has worked as the group’s outreach coordinator since the organization’s inception in March of last year and since then has worked tirelessly in promoting the group’s goal of bringing the gift of sight to some of
the approximately 15% of children in public schools who need glasses but do not have them. The non-profit, with its 2 mobile buses in Los Angeles, is now out five to six days a week visiting schools, Boys and Girls Clubs and other organizations throughout Southern California. In a little over a year and a half, Vision to Learn has visited more than 165 schools and organizations, examined more than 12,000 kids and provided more than 9,000 pairs of glasses. According to MacLellan, state law requires school nurses to give vision screenings to kindergarten, second and (continued on page 11) At right: A Vision to Learn staffer poses with a student who just received her glasses.
Community groups work together to promote safety Community groups are working hard to keep the neighborhood safe after a rash of burglaries have occurred in the Westchester and Playa del Rey areas in recent months. With the holidays fast approaching, groups like the Neighborhood Council of Westchester/ Playa (NCWP), the Kentwood Home Guardians and the LAX Coastal of Commerce are looking to bring local residents together to talk about crime and how to lessen the likelihood of becoming a victim. The LAX Coastal Chamber of Commerce will hold a Safety Summit aimed at preventing crime, one person at a time, on Saturday, November 16 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge, located at 7726 W. Manchester Ave. in Playa del Rey. At the meeting, in partnership with the NCWP, LAPD and the Pacific Area Boosters, there will be a meet and greet with local law enforcement, a panel discussion on “Hardening the Target,” a chat with Councilman Mike Bonin and exhibitors specializing in home security and protection. There will also be music
and activities for children. On Wednesday, November 20 at 7 p.m. the Kentwood Home Guardians (KHG) will hold a Neighborhood Safety and Security meeting that is open to the community at the Westchester Fire Station, located at 8900 S. Emerson in Westchester. Attendees will hear from a variety of community members, as well as Senior Lead Officer Ruben Garcia, on protecting your personal safety and your home. The meeting will be followed with a question and answer period. According to the LAPD crime mapping report at www.lapdonline. org, seven homes in Westchester were burglarized between October 1 and November 3 of this year. A burglary is defined as the “entry of a structure with intent to commit theft or a felony.” There were also two incidences of robbery (taking property of another by means of force or fear); 13 incidences of theft; and ten theft or burglaries from vehicles.In Playa del Rey during that same time period, there were four (continued on page 4)
At left: Community members Cyndi Hench (left) and Mary Putnam (right) are working with Westchester Senior Lead officers Chris Richardson and Ruben Garcia to inform the community about how to keep their homes safe.
A look inside your
HomeTown
06 Promenade bets on entertainment to draw visitors 10 Advisory board seeks input on how to spend money at park