Gifts from the Heart

Alliance Seeks Volunteers from Many Professions to Take Students to Work for a Day
Whether Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow or not, employers across Santa Clarita will see theirs on Friday, February 1st, during the Eleventh Annual National Groundhog Job Shadow Day, hosted locally by the Santa Clarita Valley School & Business Alliance.  Throughout Santa Clarita, students will spend a half-day shadowing scientist’, firefighters, graphic designers, doctors, architects, teachers, government employees and a myriad of other professions in order to experience the workplace firsthand.

On behalf of the club, I would like to extend our wishes for a happy and healthy New Year and thank you, the wonderful people of Santa Clarita Valley for all the help that you have extended to the Jim Tindell Family via our club.  Your donations and support has been just awesome, and I know that I speak for the family when I say, Thank You. 

The Holiday Season is coming to an end and we can relax and take some time to reflect on all the fun parties we attended, friends we reconnected with, family we visited, and all the food we ate.  Time to think of the new resolutions we’ll try to keep.  But before you know it, Valentine’s Day is around the corner and the pressure is on again to find that perfect meaningful gift, once more, right after the holidays!

Blue Star Mothers of the Canyons have been chosen by Unitarian Universalists as the recipient of the Third Sunday Special Collection for the month of January 2008.  The Blue Star Mothers will use the gift to assist with postage for their “Hearts and Hugs from Home” boxes to be mailed to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan in time for Valentines Day.

he Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons has received a statewide award for its design.  Architect Jim Spencer of NTD Architecture was awarded a 2007 Community College Facility Coalition Professional Design Award for his work on the Center.

B & R Gallery offers a number of books for browsing and enjoying at the gallery, as well as for purchase.  They feature top artists, such as Howard Terpning, Morgan Weistling, Bev Doolittle, William S. Phillips, Pino, James Christensen and other top artists.

So you’ve eaten all you can eat over the holidays and spent all that you can spend.  Now you sit and wonder what would you like to try different this year?  Have you thought about making more time for yourself?  Have you thought about the time spent/wasted waiting in lines, on hold, trying to figure out your cell phone bill, re-dialing after a dropped call? 

The Santa Clarita Valley is very fortunate to have fulltime resources now available for our growing population of people with disabilities.  LETMESAIL (an acronym for Lifestyle Enrichment Through Meaningful Exercise, Social Activity and Independent Living) has launched the next phase of its’ organizational development in order to better serve individuals with special needs in our community. 

The holidays have come and gone and once again it’s time to put away the decorations and set your sights on following through with those New Years resolutions.  Like many of you I have pledged the standard “I am going to eat better this year, get more exercise etc.”

Today’s home entertainment systems, from modest to sophisticated, all have one thing in common, the remote control.  How many different remotes do you have sitting on your coffee table?  Do you have to perform a carefully orchestrated sequence of button presses just to watch a DVD?  How often have you grabbed the wrong remote just to change the channel?  Wouldn’t you rather have one remote that can do it all and make your system easier to use?

Are you or someone you love recouping from an addiction or a mental disease? Are you looking for advice, information and comfort during your journey of regaining a new and healthy you? We at Serenity Stop want you to know that you are not alone and we would like to help.

Ever wondered why so many people these days use text messaging?  Because it’s a quick, easy and efficient way to get that information across.  It may seem intimidating when you see it done at warp speed by a third-grader, but it really is easier than you would initially think.  Cell phones have an entry mode that predicts what you want to spell.  The average text message takes only seconds, compared to several minutes for the average call. 

As 2007 comes to a close, we would like to say a special thank you to all of our wonderful customers for their support all year long.  We would also like to take this opportunity to say a special thanks to the wonderful firefighters and our law enforcement during our most recent fires here in the Santa Clarita Valley.  We really learned a lot during the fires.  We shared so many stories with our customers about the experiences they had during this time. 

Selling beads has been a family business for Gayle Joy, owner of Beads ‘n Other Needs, for over 40 years. Gayle grew up with a love and appreciation of beading and the ever-changing fashions in jewelry and beadwork and enjoys helping her customers develop the skills and the passion for beading. Gayle feels strongly about reaching out to the community as well, donating to the Michael Hoefflin Foundation and The Painted Turtle annual event and advertising with local schools and charities.   

Being in the art gallery business for more than 25 years I have seen many customers give their friends and family members a work of art or some framed special memento for the holidays.  Art is a very personal gift, and giving the right piece to a loved one or someone special really can make their holiday unique.  Art is a gift that lasts, retains its value and can be enjoyed for many years to come.

Oprah loves this product; so does Larry King.  What is it you ask?  It’s XOCAIä Healthy Chocolate.  Most Americans tend to think of chocolate as nothing more than a sweet candy treat.  Well, I am here to tell you that chocolate is no longer just a quick fix for your sweet tooth.  XOCAIä (pronounced “sho-sigh”) Healthy Chocolate is made from a combination of the world’s two greatest super foods – raw cacao and the acai berry.  Both raw cacao and the acai berry from the Amazon are powerful antioxidants.

One woman was able to teach the old beauty industry some new tricks after unleashing a line of pet beauty products.

People’s relationships with their pets have truly evolved.  Pet owners comprise over 63 percent of the American population and sales for pet products and services have grown steadily, reaching $2.4 billion in 2005.  But even with all of the trendy sweaters and doggie rain boots, entrepreneur and dog lover Renée Ryan knew that something was missing.  Even her fashionably savvy Boxer, Austin, needed a little refresher between shampoos.  He was a rescue, and with a past of abuse and broken trust, it was difficult to get him to a groomer.  Ryan came up short on many a shopping trip, finding shampoos and conditioners but nothing to care for Austin’s coat between washes. 

The 2007-2008 Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital Guild Silver Rose Debutantes were presented to the Santa Clarita Valley during a special tea.
On the menu were tasty hors d’oeuvres and finger sandwiches, fantastic desserts, and high emotions as eleven seniors were given a silver medallion by members of their families.  The medallion, a traditional silver rose emblem, will be worn by the debutantes at the 2008 Silver Rose Ball.