Bits 'n' Pieces

Edgar & James Opens

Goodwill’s new concept store – Edgar & James, A Curated Collection by Goodwill – has opened its doors in Bixby Knolls at 4121 Atlantic Ave.

The specialty store offers urban, industrial and farmhouse chic all in one. To showcase its distinct retail concept, the Edgar & James storehouse and logo are branded differently than existing stores of Goodwill, Serving the People of Southern Los Angeles County (SOLAC). Edgar & James’ store design has an on-trend industrial and urban appeal.

An Edgar & James branded donation center is stationed adjacent to the store. The new store and donation center will be based in the same building space that was previously occupied by Trader Joe’s, which relocated to a nearby shopping center last year.

Bixby Knolls will serve as the second site where an Edgar & James store operates. In March 2016, Goodwill SOLAC opened its very first Edgar & James store in Redondo Beach, which has been well received by local residents, community leaders and the media. The new Edgar & James site in Bixby Knolls has already generated widespread support among the local civic community.

Goodwill SOLAC is a nonprofit organization that transforms donated goods into job training, education and placement services for individuals with barriers to employment. Goodwill SOLAC serves 22 cities and communities throughout Southern Los Angeles County. Goodwill SOLAC’s main facility—located at 800 W. Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach—houses its administrative offices, training programs, processing operations, transportation fleet, LiNKS Sign Language & Interpreting Services, a retail store and its e-commerce operations. To learn more about Goodwill career services or to find your nearest Goodwill store or donation center, visit www.ThinkGood.org.

Pathways Looking for Volunteers

Debbye Shepard recently retired from being a Paralegal at the Orange County Public Defender’s Office. She wanted to do something meaningful with her newly found time and decided to check out Pathways. She was immediately taken with their mission of providing compassionate care to those living with illness and loss.

After training, she was matched up with a client named Junie. Junie had recently relocated from another state and moved in with her daughter. She had to leave her friends behind and even though she had her family, she was very lonely. Statistics show that loneliness is not only difficult to endure but it has been proven to have adverse health risks. Knowing Debbye will visit each week has helped Junie smile again. In fact, Junie told Debbye she is so excited to see her each week that she even puts on lipstick. Junie’s family is thrilled to have someone care about their mom and help her stay socialized and active.

Pathways is a local non-profit who helps seniors stay safe and independent in their homes for as-long-as possible. They are currently looking for additional volunteers who have a heart for seniors and can give 2-4 hours per week. If you are interested, please go to their website at www.pathwayshospice.org and click on Volunteer or give them a call at (562) 531-3031.

DataLB Portal Wins Award

The City of Long Beach has received a 2017 Special Achievement in Geographic Information System (GIS) or SAG Award for its DataLB portal, an innovative application of technology, data collection, and geospatial information visualization. Esri, the global leader in spatial analytics, selected the city from more than 300,000 eligible candidates and presented the award at the annual Esri User Conference in San Diego.

In 2016, the City of Long Beach recognized Open Data as a critical component for improving the city’s overall economic development, citizen engagement and government transparency. In line with this innovative mindset, the City of Long Beach broke new ground and became one of the first cities to embrace Open Data in an interactive and public way through the January 2017 unveiling of DataLB, a collaborative effort between Esri and the Technology & Innovation Department.

“DataLB is an innovative approach that connects individuals, organizations and communities through data and engagement,” said Bryan M. Sastokas, chief information officer. “By leveraging DataLB relationships with this ecology we are implementing a revolutionary way that is truly empowering, and we are very excited to be recognized for these efforts.”

DataLB brings together regional and global data, giving the public a better understanding of what the government is doing through detailed geospatial datasets, and providing information such as where city projects will be funded. This portal integrates data, maps, and charts to tell a story and help the city make more informed data-driven decisions. Additionally, the Application Programming Interface (API) function of the portal allows for the development of new applications.

For more information on how the City of Long Beach is innovating through the application of GIS, visit http://datalb.longbeach.gov.

Saints Host 34th Golf Classic 

Last month St. Anthony High School (SAHS) alumni, parents and community friends spent a day at the El Dorado Park Golf Course in support of the school’s athletic program and raised almost $70,000

As St. Anthony High School and its athletics program wrapped up the 2016-2017 school year, which included three CIF titles for Long Beach’s only Catholic high school, this successful fundraiser proved to be a wonderful way to commemorate a remarkable year.

Keep Your Stress Level Low

Life gives people plenty of reasons to be stressed.

Relationship problems, child-rearing issues, job woes and a lack of money are just some of life’s complications that can weigh people down – and cause health problems.

“It’s difficult to stay healthy and energized when stress is a daily reality,” says Dr. Greg Wells (www.drgregwells.com), author of The Ripple Effect: Eat, Sleep, Move and Think Better.

“Chronic stress can damage your body, threaten your mental health, put a strain on relationships, and take the joy out of life.”

But there’s no reason to surrender to stress, Wells says. He suggests seven techniques that can help you have a healthier “thought life” and recover from chronic stress:

Move your body. Rhythmic, repeated motion is particularly soothing to the mind and body. A long walk, cycling, swimming, or running will all work, but any kind of movement relieves tension, improves circulation, and clears your mind.

Get into nature. Head to the garden, the park, or the woods to lower your blood pressure, strengthen your immune system, reduce tension and depression, and boost your mood. “It’s stunning how good it is for your health to be in nature,” Wells says. “And I recommend you leave the cell phone and earbuds at home.”

Practice yoga or Tai Chi. Therapy, yoga and Tai Chi are good ways to decrease stress and anxiety, increase energy, and boost the immune system. They also give you more stamina—needed in stressful times—and improve the quality of your sleep.

Have perspective. Don’t be so quick to conclude that you “can’t handle” a stressful situation. “This is truly a mind-over-matter opportunity,” Wells says. “Believing that you are strong and resourceful actually makes you stronger and more resourceful.” Don’t give in to negative self-talk about not having what it takes to manage life, he says.

Change the nature of your response. Research indicates that taking an active, problem-solving approach to life’s challenges relieves stress and can transform it into something positive. If you withdraw, deny the problem, or spend all your time venting, you’ll feel helpless. Instead, Well says, be determined to make a change, put effort into it, and plan for better results.

Practice slow, deep breathing. Start applying the power of deep breathing each day. It will make a huge difference. Wells recommends you start small by taking three deep breaths each time you sit down at your desk—in the morning, after breaks, after lunch, and so on. It will help you become more patient, calm, and relaxed.

Block time for single-tasking. Each day, schedule time in your calendar for focusing exclusively on one task. This task should be something that is important to you. “People love to talk about multi-tasking, but while doing several things at once might make it seem as if you are working hard, it’s an illusion,” Wells says. Your body and mind are not designed to work that way and it causes extra stress.

“Ultimately, it’s important to remember that your thoughts have a strong influence over stress levels,” Wells says. “What you choose to think about, or not think about, dictates how your body and mind react to everyday life.”