El Papelito ● December 2011/January 2012 ● Page 1

Editor: Kathleen Walker

December 2011/January 2012 A Chapter of National Assistance League®

Message from the President

Dance Champs II is coming on April 15th. The Preview Party will be at the home of Janet Wolfenden on January 28th. Nominating Committee elections will be held in January at the Board and regular meetings. Positions that need to be filled are President-Nominee, VP Personnel, Treasurer, Secretary, Public Relations and Gift Shop Chairman. Please invite your family and friends to help us celebrate our Holiday Luncheon at Fort Mac Arthur on Monday, December 12th. The International Children’s Choir will entertain us at this festive event.

My very best wishes to you and your families this holiday season.

I am looking forward to an exciting and productive 2012.

Happy New Year!

T he Holidays are upon us. Our volunteers are looking forward to a very successful

Gift Shop Holiday Boutique. Opening night was a wonderful way to start the holiday shopping season. Judy Hildebrand, Pat Willett and the Gift Shop Committee did a beautiful job of decorating the auditorium. The Assisteens® helped by serving delicious appetizers. Please encourage your friends and family to visit our Boutique. There is a terrific selection of holiday gifts, decorations and cards. Whether it is collecting canned and non perishable food at this time of year or working on all our other Community Aid Programs, we continue to plan all year to meet the needs of our community. Our Annual Appeal started November 1st. This fundraiser gives an opportunity for the community to help us continue with our Philanthropic Programs. This year our goal is $120,000. Let’s dig deep and help the families in our community. Gwen

Gift ShopGift ShopGift ShopGift Shop Holiday BoutiqueHoliday BoutiqueHoliday BoutiqueHoliday Boutique

Open thru Open thru Open thru Open thru December 30December 30December 30December 30thththth

H o l i d a y L u n c h e o nH o l i d a y L u n c h e o nH o l i d a y L u n c h e o nH o l i d a y L u n c h e o n Monday, December 12Monday, December 12Monday, December 12Monday, December 12thththth

Fort MacArthur Officers ClubFort MacArthur Officers ClubFort MacArthur Officers ClubFort MacArthur Officers Club

Grand BallroomGrand BallroomGrand BallroomGrand Ballroom 11:00 am Social & No Host Bar11:00 am Social & No Host Bar11:00 am Social & No Host Bar11:00 am Social & No Host Bar

Friends and family welcome!Friends and family welcome!Friends and family welcome!Friends and family welcome!

$ $ $ $ 32 per person32 per person32 per person32 per person Choice of Marinated Tri Tip or Vegetarian EntreeChoice of Marinated Tri Tip or Vegetarian EntreeChoice of Marinated Tri Tip or Vegetarian EntreeChoice of Marinated Tri Tip or Vegetarian Entree

Entertainment by the International Children’s ChoirEntertainment by the International Children’s ChoirEntertainment by the International Children’s ChoirEntertainment by the International Children’s Choir

Reservations by December 2Reservations by December 2Reservations by December 2Reservations by December 2nd nd nd nd to Michele.to Michele.to Michele.to Michele. Must have photo ID to park on Fort grounds.Must have photo ID to park on Fort grounds.Must have photo ID to park on Fort grounds.Must have photo ID to park on Fort grounds.

Congratulations to Dr. Lois Velasco

for 15 years of service in the Dental Center.

See page 2

Colleagues

Hallway Holiday

Sale

See page 5

El Papelito ● December 2011/January 2012 ● Page 2

● Mimi Emery, Dental Center Chairman

Spinnakers

• Jackie Woods

H appy Holidays! The time is fast approaching when all the fun and the preparation of the season will be upon us. Our

work to make the Weavers holidays special begins now. We met at Lupe Burson's on November 18th to sort and bundle all of the greeting cards that chapter members have so generously donated. On December 5th, we will meet at Louise Raymond’s house to assemble the goodie bags with homemade breads, cookies and other treats.

The Weavers holiday luncheon will be on December 7th, at the Rolling Hills Country Club. This is a very special day for us as we enjoy the smiles on our guests faces and realize that our service auxiliary has brought something very special to this group of dear people.

We are still working in the Gift Shop and delivering bears. We hope to see a lot of you buying gifts in the shop and Holiday Boutique in the auditorium. The Spinnaker Christmas Party will be Sunday, December 11th, at Jackie Woods’ home. Remember not to eat too many cookies and have a wonderful holiday. Take just a little time to think about all the things for which we are grateful.

Happy 2012!

LOIS VELASCO, D.D.S.

In December, we will honor Dr. Velasco for 15 years of service to the Frances J. Johnson Dental Center.

Dr. Velasco grew up in East Los Angeles, the daughter of a Presbyterian Minister, whose influence

led her into a lifetime of community work. While attending high school in Albuquerque, N.M. she

joined a Dental Assisting Club and volunteered in a rural dental clinic that served native Americans

and Hispanics. Dr. Velasco graduated from Cal State Northridge with a degree in Public Health and

attended USC Dental School on a four-year scholarship. At USC, she volunteered with a mobile

dental clinic serving migrant workers. After graduation, she practiced dentistry in an American Indian

clinic in Compton before joining a new health center in L.A. Because of cutbacks in the County

Health Services, she then spent two years in private practice, focusing on children and specializing in

root canals.

Dr. Velasco joined our Dental Center in 1996. She enjoys working with the highly motivated staff and

dedicated volunteers while doing the community work she loves. She emphasizes dental disease

prevention for the patient and family, along with the much needed dental treatment. She is gratified to see the positive changes in many

of our patients. Some children arrive with much apprehension. Dr. Velasco holds their hands while walking them to the chair and

always gets their permission before she gently goes to work. After their good experiences in our Dental Center, her hope is that

treatment won’t be avoided in the future. Several years ago, Dr. Velasco received training in behavior therapy at UCLA in order to

help tutor her two autistic nieces. She feels this training has also been very useful in managing the behavior of our very young patients

and helping them accept dental treatment.

The responsibilities of her job have increased tremendously in fifteen years. She supervises the work of others and makes sure the

Dental Center is in compliance with ever changing regulatory requirements from the federal, state and local agencies. Dr. Velasco has

established relationships with local dental specialists and public health agencies for the benefit of our patients.

Dr. Velasco met her husband Rick when she was eight years old while their fathers were attending the same seminary. After

completing their education, they were married in 1982 and moved to San Pedro. Rick is employed at Northrop Grumman. She enjoys

snow skiing, cross-stitch, twirling the baton (when the mood strikes) and singing with her guitar-playing husband at La Rambla

Presbyterian Church.

She looks forward to the coming years in the Dental Center and is humbled by the commitment Assistance League has for the work of

caring for the dental needs of children. Dr. Velasco is truly a professional, and we are so fortunate to have her as an integral part of our

service to the community. ● Grace Russell, VP Personnel

Kathy Lewand came to the Dental Center October 28th to speak on infection control, hazard communication, aerosol transmissible diseases and conduct the annual OSHA training for dental personnel. Ms. Lewand presents seminars throughout California. With over 42 years in the dental field, she brings practical experience to her training events.

Dental Center

News

The Dental Center staff and volunteers dressed up for Halloween. The children loved it!

El Papelito ● December 2011/January 2012 ● Page 3

● Judy Fuellborn, VP Membership

Membership Change of Classification: Leave of Absence

Marilynne Stander 11/01/11 to 4/30/12

A t the November meeting, all members received a fan because our members are

"Fan-tastic!" We also celebrated November and December birthdays. Norma Sinay won the drawing for November and her cake was decorated with a Fall theme. Mary Lou Hamblet won the white and silver holiday cake for December. The gift of appreciation was a puzzle symbolizing teamwork and that each of us is an essential piece. The Membership Committee chose Midge Trost as the recipient of the most essential piece. An honor well deserved. From May to October, chapter members worked a total of 19,139 volunteer hours. Welcome back to Miriam Vallarino! Nice to see her smiling face and wish her husband Bolivar good health.

Wishing all members a Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and very Happy New Year. May each of us and our families remain healthy and happy.

Remember...You have the power to change a life.

Holiday Food & Toy Drive

Many thanks to all the members who contributed

non-perishable items for our yearly Thanksgiving

food drive for Harbor Interfaith Services.

We will continue to collect dry goods, canned

juices, sauces, soups and TOYS and BOOKS

for the children served by Harbor

Interfaith until December 17th.

On December 19th, inventory, pricing (for auditing

purposes) and delivery will take place. We need one or two

volunteers to help on this day. Please contact Elaine

James at 310-514-1111 if you can help. The committee

thanks all who contributed to this “giving venture” and we

wish all HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

● Elaine James, Community Aid Chairman

Midge Trost

● Michelle Chaffin

Las Primeras

T hank you to Maria Mistry, Lisa Wong and Tiffany Egan for providing the delicious food

at the November meeting. “Dance Champs” was discussed at the meeting and possible dancers were suggested to represent Las Primeras. Pam Sattler has planned a fundraiser at Total Wine in Torrance with a tentative date of January 11th. The reveal party is scheduled on January 28th at Janet Wolfenden’s home. Our members enjoyed modeling for the Auxiliary Fashion Show along with all the fashions, festivities and meeting members from the other auxiliaries. Tiffany Egan and Erin Rehkemper will be coordinating with Toberman House to adopt a family for the holidays. Further information will be sent out prior to the December meeting.

Gift Shop Manager Pat Willett welcoming shoppers to the Holiday Boutique.

Don’t forget our Post Office for holiday stamps and shipping.

Postage rates will increase

in mid-January.

Buy stamps now and save.

30

Post Office News

El Papelito ● December 2011/January 2012 ● Page 4

Resource Development Our 16th Annual Appeal is officially underway. A well deserved thank you goes to the Annual Appeal Committee for putting together this major fundraising event: Eleanor Boyer, Ghenwa Chahine, Sally Downie, Diane Fisher, Mary Ingrassia, Lisa Jester, Kay Lupo, Gayle Merrick, Bonnie

Nishihira, Midge Trost, Kathy Walker and Nancy Baumgart. Donations are coming in and the donors’ names will be posted outside Michele’s office in early December. This list will be updated often, so please check it. Each donor will receive an official recognition of their gift. However, it will mean so much more if you express your appreciation to your donors personally. They give because of you. Many companies have a matching donation program for their employees. Some of the companies with this program include Northrup Grumman, Wells Fargo, Disney, Edison, State Farm Insurance, Microsoft, Xerox and IBM. Please contact your employer’s Human Resources Department to see if your company will match your donation. I have put a more complete list of companies with programs our chapter has benefitted from in the past outside Michele’s office. Please check the list or call Michele for more information. Thank you in advance to all chapter members for your loyal and generous support that makes Annual Appeal a success!

● Nancy Baumgart, Annual Appeal Chairman

AssisteensAssisteensAssisteensAssisteens

● Jeanette Tramm

El Papelito is now available on our website. You can print it in color at home. Go to our website and enter your user name and password (Michele has that info if you have misplaced it). Click on El Papelito on the front page.

sanpedrosouthbay.assistanceleague.org

El Papelito online

O n October 23rd, the Assisteens hosted their annual Pediatric Therapy Network (PTN) Halloween Party at

Torrance Park. Founded in 1996, PTN is a non-profit children's therapy center, dedicated to providing quality services for children with special needs offering physical, occupational, and speech-language therapies to over 1,230 children each week. The Assisteens have as much fun as the children at this event and look forward to it each year. There are many crafts and activities for the children of PTN, with individual help provided when necessary. We all had fun at this party and the girls are already planning to make next year’s event even better!!

Las Profesionales

● Pam Robinson

Members of Las Profesionales are delighted to welcome Beverly Woulfe to our auxiliary. Bev is currently office manager/partner of Duncan Shoemaker & Associates, LLC (Marine Surveyors and Consultants). She has worked in various areas of finance and accounting since 1974 including as a controller in the financial/banking industry. Bev is on the Board of Directors of

Social Vocational Services, a private not-for-profit service agency that provides supportive services to Californians with developmental disabilities. Her hobbies are arts and crafts, reading and movies. She has two wonderful grandsons who live in Illinois. During the October meeting, we enjoyed a lovely fashion show arranged by Janet Pettler and presented by Kate McKenna of South Bay Pendleton in Torrance. Modeling the elegant clothes were members Janice Cannady, Phyllis Weissman, Chris Danella, Lauren Windisch, Judy Shafer, Ann Drinkward and special guest member, Frank Stirling, Robin's husband. Many thanks to all who participated for a delightful event.

Pediatric Therapy Network Halloween Party

Las Profesionales models at

Auxiliary Fashion Show

El Papelito ● December 2011/January 2012 ● Page 5

DonationsDonationsDonationsDonations

�

In Memory of:In Memory of:In Memory of:In Memory of:

Bob BrownsonBob BrownsonBob BrownsonBob Brownson

Paul MasonPaul MasonPaul MasonPaul Mason

Arlene NelsonArlene NelsonArlene NelsonArlene Nelson

Flora WoodbridgeFlora WoodbridgeFlora WoodbridgeFlora Woodbridge

● Cheri Davis, Donations Chairman

...to ALL THE VOLUNTEERS who have worked long and

hard to make our 2011 year

a successful one.

“Bouquets to you...”

Colleagues

Gwen SlaterGwen SlaterGwen SlaterGwen Slater

THANK YOU!

Maturity brings a new meaning to the holiday season. It isn't about the gifts, as it was in our youth, but the love of family and friends that fulfill our

wishes for a happy holiday. May you enjoy and celebrate with all those that you so deeply treasure.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Las Abejas Reinas

• Sandy Jackson

El Papelito articles due

January 10th

• Suzie Hart

December 2nd

10 am Board Room

Hotel on the Corner of Hotel on the Corner of Hotel on the Corner of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and SweetBitter and SweetBitter and SweetBitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Book Club Please bring your suggestions for

next year’s selection of books

to this meeting.

Gayle Merrick 310-831-9748

Directory

change

T he Colleagues were thrilled with the Auxiliary Fashion Show held on the

26th of October. The hard work of Joan Matthews and Mary Lou Ballentine was rewarded by the wonderful models who showcased some of the most fantastic outfits, as well as by the members who purchased the merchandise. The appetiz-ers and desserts were plentiful and the evening was a tremendous success! We thank all who participated and attended. It was fun meeting members of the other auxiliary groups and hearing what they do. As usual we are busily sorting and organizing for our biggest fundraiser, “Trinkets and Treasures Sale”, which will be held in March.

Colleagues Hallway Holiday Sale

Featuring

gently worn clothing and accessories.

Thursdays: December 1,8,15

Fridays: December 2,9,16

Monday: December 19

Tuesday: December 20

Hours: 12 pm to 4 pm

Chris Peterson e-mail: teddypeterson1@gmail.com

�

Please let Michele know if there are any changes or updates for the directory.

El Papelito ● December 2011/January 2012 ● Page 6

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Assis tance League o f San PedroAss is tance League o f San PedroAss is tance League o f San PedroAss is tance League o f San Pedro ----South BaySouth BaySouth BaySouth Bay 75 years o f Community Serv ice75 years o f Community Serv ice75 years o f Community Serv ice75 years o f Community Serv ice

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