HOLIDAY SMILES — Volunteer Abby Bracey assists a child at a Christmas party during La Mirada Rotary’s Holiday Shopping event.
HOLIDAY SPIRIT – Rotary Club of La Mirada President John Lewis (l) and Los Angeles County Fire Department Captain Hugo Valdivia from Fire Station 15 assist a local child select new shoes during the Rotary Club of La Mirada’s annual Holiday Shopping Spree at Marshalls.
The Rotary Club of La Mirada sponsored a Holiday Shopping Spree for children at Marshalls on Wednesday, Dec. 7.
Rotarians worked in conjunction with the Norwalk La Mirada Unified School District to identify 40 children in the community to receive special gifts during the holidays. Rotary invested nearly $7,000 in the project for new clothing and gifts for the children. Dozens of community volunteers, including City of La Mirada staff and members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s and Fire Departments, helped the children select clothing items they needed from lists provided by their parents.
Following the Shopping Spree, La Mirada Transit buses took the children to the La Mirada Activity Center for a holiday party. Santa Claus distributed toys to each of the children, and the Chick-fil-A cow, decked out in holiday attire, swayed to Christmas carols. The cow and helpers from the company’s La Habra store brought food for the children.
“The Rotary Club of La Mirada is very busy each year at this time conducting holiday projects to assist families,” says Rotary President John Lewis, a local attorney who is a member of the City’s Planning Commission. “We are very fortunate to have such a great team of community volunteers who support these important projects.”
Rotarians participating in the event included: Project Chairman Hal Malkin; Changhai Ahn; Jeff Boynton; Phil Bracey; Sean Bracey; Steve De Ruse; Russell Hall; Rick Jones; Zurich Lewis; Chris Robinson, MD; Tom Robinson; Terry Smith; Mark Troughton; Lesley Watkins; and Wayne Wong, DDS.
In the days leading up to Thanksgiving Rotarians also donated some $1,000 in turkeys, canned goods and other food items to the Good Sam Pantry at Beatitudes Church in La Mirada. Using grant funds provided by Walmart, Rotarians purchased the food at the Walmart Neighborhood Market at Imperial Highway and La Mirada Boulevard. Rotarians delivered the food to the Pantry, and volunteers distributed it to needy families. Rotarians will make another food purchase and delivery on December 15 prior to Christmas.
The Rotary Club of La Mirada performs a variety of community service projects throughout the year. The group meets on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. at the Sizzler’s Restaurant on Rosecrans Avenue in La Mirada. Visitors are welcome to attend.