Community News

Republican Women

Greater Long Beach Republican Women will hold their monthly meeting on Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Grand, 4101 E. Willow St., Long Beach, with registration at 9 a.m., buffet breakfast at 9:30 a.m.

Guest speaker is Will Swaim, president of the California Policy Center, a journalist for over 30 years, and host of National Review’s weekly Radio Free California Podcast. His topic: “What is Going on in California?” Cost is $30 for members and $35 for non-members.

For a reservation, call Maryann von der Horst at (562) 760-1556 or email vonderhorstm@aol.com.

Memorial Blood Drive

The family of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer in partnership with the American Red Cross presents the Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer Memorial Blood Drive on Jan. 29. Ryan Clinkunbroomer was a fourth-generation lawman who joined the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in 2015.

Dedicated to giving back to his community, Deputy Clinkunbroomer, nicknamed Clink by his fellow officers, was unwaveringly committed to his family and work.

Clinkunbroomer was fatally shot on Sept. 16 while sitting in his patrol car at a traffic light near the Palmdale station at Sierra Highway and East Avenue Q.

Honoring a legacy of service, his family urges community members to participate in the Battle of the Badges blood drive to bolster the community’s blood supply and help save lives. “Our son loved to help others and give back to his community as a Deputy Sheriff,” said Kim Clinkunbroomer, Deputy Clinkunbroomer’s mother. “I can’t get Ryan back, but I can give back and honor his legacy of helping his community.”

Join the Clinkunbroomer family and the Red Cross to honor this hometown hero and donate blood at the upcoming blood drive.

As a special thank you for helping address the emergency blood shortage by donating at a Battle of the Badges blood drive between Jan. 3 and March 31, 2024, everyone who donates will receive a commemorative T-shirt, while supplies last.

To give blood in memory of Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) and use sponsor code deputyryan to make an appointment.

LBCC Receives $4 Million Federal Grant

Long Beach City College (LBCC) will receive a $4 million Postsecondary Student Success Grant (PSSG) awarded by the Department of Education. The grant will fund the new Success and Completion Achievement Network (SCAN) program, which will create a structured support system to help students who did not enroll in college immediately after high school by assisting them to successfully navigate the college system.

This funding builds on the more than $25 billion in funding to historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) and Tribal Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) through the Department of Education since President Joe Biden took office.

Specifically, $18.1 billion has been allocated for MSIs. LBCC is an MSI, with specific designations as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI).

“We are honored to be the only community college in California to receive funding from this important grant,” said Dr. Mike Muñoz, LBCC superintendent-president. “For many of our students, it has been several years, sometimes even decades since they were last enrolled in school.”

LBCC is one of the largest California Community Colleges, and a minority-majority serving institution. Nearly two-thirds of LBCC’s current student population are students who did not enroll in college immediately after graduating high school, often referred to as indirect matriculants (IDMs).

Sixty-five percent of the IDMs identify as Black and/or Latina/o/x. According to LBCC’s annual climate survey, the cost of college can present a major barrier to IDMs, with 58% receiving need-based financial aid. Additionally, 41% of IDMs are first-generation college students.

Through SCAN, LBCC will continue in its efforts to close equity gaps, providing a structured network of support services within a welcoming environment. Other program highlights include:

The creation of a team of Peer Navigators made of IDMs with experience at LBCC to assist incoming first-year IDMs

A summer bridge program and monthly workshops for SCAN participants will be offered both in-person and virtually to provide informational sessions

SCAN staff will be trained in academic advising for indirect matriculant students and educated on their unique, culturally relevant needs

Designated Financial Aid and Enrollment Liaisons that will serve SCAN students

LBCC will also offer exclusive SCAN math and English courses taught by professors who have completed additional professional development, including equity training

The PSSG offers funding designated for the improvement of student outcomes including retention, course credit completion, and four-year institution transfer rates by implementing inclusive, evidence-based activities.

New Parent Information Workshop Series

The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Long Beach Public Library (LBPL) are partnering on a new series of parent education workshops. The workshops, focused on parents of children from 0 to 5 years old, will cover a variety of topics, including special education, early start intervention and mental health and will be taught by local experts who specialize in various fields of early childhood.

This initiative aims to ensure Long Beach families experiencing developmental concerns about their child are connected to services in a timely manner.

The parent information workshops, which will also serve to connect families to resources, kicked off this month. Each workshop will cover a different topic.

Caregivers may attend as many or as few as they would like; no registration is required. The schedule is as follows:

• Supporting Healthy Speech Development – Saturday, Feb. 3 at 10:30 a.m. at Los Altos Library (5614 E. Britton Dr.)
• Supporting Healthy Speech Development – Saturday, March 23 at 11 a.m. at El Dorado Library (2900 N. Studebaker Rd.)
• How to Manage Behaviors – Friday, April 12 at 10:30 a.m. at Dana Library (3680 Atlantic Ave.)
• Harbor Regional Center Eligibility and Intake for Children 3 and Under – Friday, May 10 at 10:30 a.m. at Alamitos Library (1836 E. 3rd St.)
• Encouraging Emotional Awareness & Positive Self-Image – Friday, June 21 at 10:30 a.m. at Harte Library (1595 W. Willow St.)

This Parent Information Workshop collaboration also supports the library’s Dive into Learning program, an early learning initiative that supports early education for children ages 0 to 5 by incentivizing reading and providing school readiness and parent education workshops. People may sign up by visiting www.longbeach.beanstack.org or by downloading the Beanstack Tracker app from the App Store or Google Play.

Recently LBPL launched their Early Learning Fairs, a program series for families looking to enroll their children in an early learning preschool program.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in six children ages 3 to 17 in the U.S. have a developmental delay, disorder or disability. To help these children thrive, it is critical to provide access to developmental screening, assessment and diagnosis of developmental delays. Early screening, along with early intervention, can optimize a child’s development.

The workshop series is supported by Help Me Grow LA, which is a collaboration between First 5 LA and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. In 2022, the City of Long Beach was awarded as one of seven community collaboratives to receive $500,000 over the course of three years as part of First 5 LA’s investment to strengthen and expand referral pathways to better connect families with services and supports to address their child’s developmental concerns. The investment is part of Help Me Grow LA’s effort to improve connections between providers so that every child receives support for developmental concerns.

In October 2023, the DHHS expanded the Long Beach Resource Line to answer questions related to milestones and developments for children younger than five. Through this effort, parents and caregivers can receive information and resources about their child’s development and connect to community services regarding their developmental concerns via an online assistance request form or by calling the line at (562) 570-4246.