Bits 'N' Pieces

Sister-Pride Program

Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride, Inc. are proud to announce that they are partnering with California State Senator Ricardo Lara, to move their Sister-Pride Program forward with Sydney, Australia.

This year Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride board voted unanimously to create a Sister-Pride Program with Sydney, Australia. The adoption comes at a crucial time for Australia, as they prepare to bring gay marriage equality to a vote for their residents this year. Senator Ricardo Lara, who represents the 33rd District in California where Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride is located, met with the organization to help initiate the program. “I am so proud to have one of the nation’s largest LGBTQI Pride events in my district and to partner with them as they move forward in making their mark in supporting Marriage Equality internationally,”  Senator Ricardo Lara said.

Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride is a year-round operation that maintains permanent office space, employs one full-time staff and continues the tradition of giving back to the community each year. Over the past 33 years, Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride, Inc. has grown to become a large philanthropic organization. They have gifted more than one million dollars back into the community with grants and scholarships, participation and contributions to several events, as well as organizations in the region.

Long Beach Pride Festival and Parade has become the second largest revenue generating event for the City of Long Beach. The Long Beach Pride Festival and Parade now attracts over 80,000 participants over the two-day event. The Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride is inclusive and strives to promote an environment that is free from prejudice and bias. The 34th Annual Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride event will be held on May 20th and 21st at Marina Green Park. For more information log onto www.longbeachpride.com or call (562) 987-9191.

Lucky 13 Dinner Giveaway

Buono’s Authentic Pizzeria in downtown Long Beach is celebrating 13 years in business by treating one lucky table to dinner every night during March.

Tables from two to 20 have the opportunity to have their entire guest check comped (entire table must be on one guest check). Checks at the end of the meal will be presented to guests with a sealed envelope to be opened on site to see if they’ve won the free dinner for their table. Additional prizes will also be offered inside the sealed envelope. The free dinner opportunity will be offered March 1-31, only at dinner and only at the downtown location.

Chances of winning the nightly free dinner for the table is approximately one in 25.

“We were looking for a unique way to celebrate our ‘Lucky 13th anniversary, and to say thank you to the Long Beach community at the same time,” Buono’s owner Frank Buono said. “Giving our loyal and new guests an opportunity to win dinner on us every night in March was a fun way to do it.”

Winning tables are encouraged to share photos on social media using the hashtag #BuonosLucky13, and will also be shared on Buono’s social media platforms to promote the anniversary celebration.

Miller Children’s Receives $7,500 Grant for Students

Being in the hospital can take a toll on one’s responsibilities and personal life, including missing work or cancelling plans with loved ones. But for pediatric patients, hospitalization can mean falling behind in school.

As a way to help school-aged patients stay on track with their education, The Bandai Foundation awarded a $7,500 grant to expand the Hospital School Program at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach, for a cumulative total of $78,000 in donations to the hospital. Established in 1995 by Bandai America Incorporated, The Bandai Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to supporting charities that improve the environment in which American families and children live and play.

As a part of the Child Life Program – a program that focuses on making the hospital experience a more positive one for children of all ages – the Hospital School Program provides educational support and instruction for patients who have extended or recurring hospitalizations from classroom teachers.

The Child Life Program has two credentialed hospital school teachers who assess what grade level patients are at and where they are within that grade level. After the assessment is complete, they work with parents and schools to provide homework to the patients while in the hospital. In cases where homework cannot be obtained from either parents or schools, hospital school teachers have access to a library of resources within the hospital they can use to create lesson plans.

Similar to regular teachers, the hospital school teachers instruct from Monday to Friday, and their sessions range from 30 minutes to an hour depending on how the patients are feeling. Each instructor visits more than 100 patients a month and provides instruction based on each patient’s educational needs. Funding from the grant will allow the Hospital School Teachers to further increase their number of hours and patients served.

Trump Is Doing An ‘Outstanding Job’

During the Feb. 18, Rossmoor-Los Alamitos Republican Women Federated club meeting, members graded President Donald Trump’s first month in office. Overwhelmingly, 97 percent believe the president is fulfilling his campaign promises and 92 percent graded the president either an “A” or “B” for how his administration has performed.

“Several members even gave President Trump an A+ for both his first month in office and how he is following through on campaign promises,” said Publicity Chairwoman Robin Itzler. “This coincides with other national polls that show Republicans are extremely pleased with President Trump’s overall performance.”

“The mainstream media doesn’t understand Donald Trump, but his supporters definitely do,” added President Nancy Hathcock, pointing to the Feb. 18 rally in Melbourne, Florida. “The mainstream media kept saying Donald Trump was going back to campaign mode when in reality President Trump was speaking directly with the American people.”

For more information about the Rossmoor-Los Alamitos Republican Women Federated club, email: RossLARepWomen@aol.com. The club’s membership is growing as more like-minded women and men become involved to support President Trump to Make America Great Again.

Advisory Council Members Sought for Seniors

The Greater Long Beach Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) is seeking business leaders, nonprofit agency personnel, volunteers, and those interested in the fields of aging or volunteerism to serve on its advisory council, a core group that provides the RSVP program with divergent perspectives and active assistance from the larger community.

New appointments are now being considered for one-year terms. The council meets monthly to advise and/or assist in the following areas: project assessment, volunteer recruitment and recognition, generating community awareness, and measuring project accomplishments.

RSVP is a federally-funded program sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and the Alpert Jewish Community Center.  The mission of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Greater Long Beach is to stimulate and expand participation of people over 55, retired and semi-retired, in voluntary services.

For information about submitting an application, due no later than March 31, call RSVP Director Gayle Ehrenberg at (562) 426-7601, ext. 1013 or (562) 506-2801.

Youth for Voters’ Rights

There’s a new group at California State University, Long Beach, dedicated to transforming the government of the United States into a true representative democracy - that will nurture, rather than oppress - that will help, rather than harm - those who elect it.

Newly approved as an official student organization at CSULB, the Youth for the Voters’ Rights Amendment (Y4VRA) is composed of students who are concerned about what is happening in America and who want to do something about it.

A diverse, integrated, non-partisan group, these students are united by their focus on the United States Voters’ Rights Amendment (USVRA) – a comprehensive electoral solution that not only provides the right to vote, but also addresses the various issues that interfere with the ability of the people to vote effectively. These include voter registration and suppression, paper ballots, voting holidays, popular elections, campaign financing, gerrymandering and conflicts of interest; however, the USVRA goes much further.

By requiring the government to tell the truth to the people and by providing the means to educate voters about their civic responsibilities, the Amendment allows the people to make political policy for themselves and to select responsible representatives who will implement their policies. 

Cognizant of the vast power of the opposition, the political strategy of the USVRA is to obtain enactment and ratification of the amendment through a mass, nonpartisan, political movement led by the nation’s young people.

The first course of action for the new Y4VRA student group is to increase campus membership. Ultimately, they plan to reach out through a viral social media campaign to other students across the nation. The recent demonstration of the power of the new media to organize millions of women to march in Washington, DC and in other cities across America provides encouragement to the students in reaching their ambitious goal.

Weekly meetings provide students with a neutral, safe place for political discussions, regardless of their beliefs. Meetings are held at the Student Union in Room 305, 2:30 p.m. on Thursdays. All CSULB students are welcome to attend.

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