Tragedy

An open letter from the Doulas Association of Southern California:

Dear friends,

By now many, if not all, of you have probably heard about the tragic Christmas Eve shooting in Covina, California. The child who was shot when she ran to see 'Santa' at the door is the daughter of a Doulas Association of Southern California member, Leticia, of Prima Doula.

DASC wants to do something for this family. If you are able to make a donation, DASC will match your donations up to a total of $1000 -- we hope there will be more donations than we can match. Donations can be made through PayPal to Treasurer@dascdoulas.org.

This is such an unbelievable tragedy. In addition to her daughter having been shot in the face, Leticia lost her parents and 3 siblings (and their spouses). We've also learned that 13 young people were orphaned in this tragedy -- there is no amount we can raise that would be too great.

Donations can also be made by check written to DASC and sent to:

DASC c/o
Margie Levy
6927 Rubio Ave.
Van Nuys, CA 91406

Checks should be made out to DASC, but PLEASE put "Leticia Fundraiser" in the memo section to be sure that it is directed to the family.

In the doula spirit,

tracy hartley, CD(DONA)
DASC President
www.dascdoulas.org

NYE family sleepover at the Aquarium!

December 31, 2008 - January 1, 2009
5pm - 7am

Cost: $70 per guest, $60 per Aquarium member
Ages: +5 years
RSVP: (562) 951-1630

Ring in 2009 with the fishes!

You will start a new tradition when you bring your family to the Aquarium for a very memorable New Year's experience.

The Aquarium of the Pacific invites families to ring in the New Year with the fish during the New Year's Eve Family Sleepover. Guests observe the animals' nocturnal behaviors, learn more about them, and even touch some. Participants get to feed fish, watch a 3D film, and sleep in front of one of the exhibits while counting down to 2009. Refreshments include a pizza dinner, as well as snack, breakfast, and sparkling cider. Everyone takes home an Aquarium T-shirt.

See the Floats before New Year's Day

December 28-31, 2008
Schedules vary by location - see below

Admission: $7 for any two visits, children 3 and under are free. Advance tickets are available through Sharp Seating Company at (626) 795-4171

Experience the magic of the Rose Parade floats before New Year's Day! To see some of these magnificent floral floats in their final stages of preparation for the Rose Parade, visit any of our four locations. You will see a variety of fruit, seeds, bark, grasses and of course, breathtaking flowers being applied to the floats by hard working volunteers as well as experienced professionals.

Located at the Rose Bowl Stadium:

* Rosemont Pavilion
700 Seco St., Pasadena
* Brookside Pavilion (accessible to mobility-impaired viewers)
Lot I - South side of Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena

Schedule:
December 28 and 29: 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
December 30: 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
December 31: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Located in Pasadena:

* Rose Palace
835 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena

Schedule:
December 28, 29 and 30: 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
December 31: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Located in Irwindale:

* Irwindale Pavillion
Exit from the 210 Freeway at Irwindale or travel north on Irwindale and follow event signs

Schedule:
December 28 and 29: 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
December 30: 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
December 31: Not open to the public .

NORAD tracks Santa

Ho ho ho!

Treecycling

After the holidays, residents are urged to participate in the "Treecycling" tradition by dropping off their trees at several parks throughout the City of Long Beach from December 26 to January 9.

In addition, residents with City refuse service can leave their trees out where trash is normally collected by 7:00 am on Saturday, January 10, and those trees will be Treecycled automatically.

All decorations and stands must be removed, and trees over 12 feet tall must be cut in half.

The following Treecycling sites are open from December 26 to January 9, Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm:

CSULB Recycling Center
5800 Atherton Blvd.
east of Bellflower Blvd.

North Police Substation
4891 N. Atlantic Ave.
at Del Amo Blvd.
(enter on 46th St.)

Fire Station No. 14
5200 Eliot St.
at Colorado Ave.

City Operations Center
Environmental Services Bureau
2929 E. Willow St.

Bixby Park
1st St. at Cherry Ave.

Cesar E. Chavez Park
Golden Shore at 4th St.

Houghton Park
Myrtle Ave. at Harding St.

Hudson Park
Hill St. at Webster Ave.

Stearns Park
Corner of 23rd St. and Roycroft Ave.

Veterans Park
28th St. at Pine Ave.

Wardlow Park
Monlaco Rd. at Rutgers Ave.

For more information, visit the City of Long Beach's Environmental Services Bureau website at www.longbeach-recycles.org or call 562.570.4695.

2009 State of the City

Tuesday, January 13, 2009
6pm

Carpenter Center
California State University, Long Beach
6200 Atherton St. (near Palo Verde)

Free
RSVP: Attendees can reserve their tickets by calling 562-570-5089 or through www.StateofLB.com.

The State of the City is an important part of the civic process. Public engagement is critical to a healthy and vibrant government and maybe even more so during these challenging times. And for the first time in several years, the State of the City will be open to the public for free.

First Night - Fullerton

“First Night” is the city’s annual New Year’s Eve party, offering family-oriented, alcohol-free activities at numerous locations in the streets, sidewalks and buildings in Fullerton’s historic downtown.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008
7pm - midnight

Free
Historic downtown Fullerton (near Wilshire and Harbor)
(714) 738-6545

New this Year: Ice Skating Rink - A new feature in this year’s festivities will be the addition of an ice skating rink for visitors to show off their fancy footwork on the frozen stuff.

While admission to all the “First Night” activities is free, a fee of $2 to $7 will be charged for the children’s rides.

A variety of food booths will be selling items throughout the evening, and most downtown restaurants will be open and are within walking distance of the “First Night” festivities.