(Los Angeles, CA) Children’s Bureau is now offering two virtual ways for individuals and/or couples to learn how to help children in foster care while reunifying with birth families or how to provide legal permanency by adoption. A live Zoom Orientation is scheduled on February 17th from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM hosted by a Children’s Bureau team member and a foster parent. For those who want to learn at their own pace about becoming a foster and/or fost-adopt parent, a PowerPoint orientation is available. To R.S.V.P. for the live orientation or to request the PowerPoint orientation, please email rfrecruitment@all4kids.org or call 800-730-3933.
Due to the COVID-19 situation, Children’s Bureau has canceled all in-person foster care-adoption resource parent orientations.
The current health crisis has accelerated the need for foster and foster-adoptive parents to help local at-risk youth stay in their communities. In Los Angeles County alone, the foster care population exceeds 33,000 children with 200 of those foster children waiting for an adoptive family. Many of these children are siblings in need of families who are willing and able to keep them together. In fact, Children’s Bureau turns away at least 10 sibling sets weekly due to lack of families. Older children are also in need of families.
“Being a foster parent lets you help someone in their time of need. You’re the support system for a child and for their parents,” says Brittany, who with her husband Jeremy, foster-adopted two sibling children. The couple has three biological children and knew that fostering was something they wanted to do. “Children’s Bureau has been there to help get us through the challenging times and to celebrate the special moments, especially when the adoption of our two children was finalized,” Jeremy added. Watch Brittany and Jeremy’s story here.
Children’s Bureau welcomes every individual regardless of race, age, religion, disability, marital status, ethnic background, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression to become a resource for children. Qualifying families receive training and support throughout their journey. For questions and/or to get started, call 800-730-3933 or click here to complete a quick inquiry form.
Since 1904, Children’s Bureau has been a nonprofit leader in protecting vulnerable children through prevention, treatment and advocacy. The agency helps 50,000 at-risk children and parents each year throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties with services that include school readiness, parenting classes, family resource centers, support groups, mental health counseling, foster care and foster-adoption and more. Foster Care and Adoption Programs are available in Kern, Orange, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles counties. To learn more about the agency and/or its foster care and adoption program, visit all4kids.org.
Licenses: 197805422, 197800281, 197805428
The Santa Monica Democratic Club and the Culver City Democratic Club will host (via zoom) a Sheriff Candidate Debate. Alex Villanueva, Eric Strong, Cecil Rhambo, Eli Vera, and Robert Luna have confirmed attendance.
Link to RSVP:
Santa Monica Democratic Club February 23 Meeting (google.com)
Sponsored jointly by the Sanitation Districts and Los Angeles County Public Works
The Household Hazardous Waste and Electronic Waste Collection Program (HHW) gives Los Angeles County residents a legal and cost-free way to dispose of unwanted household chemicals that cannot be disposed of in the regular trash.
Click this link for more information including what items are permissible for disposal.
The Culver City Book Festival is returning to Culver City and the Wende Museum of the Cold War (10808 Culver Blvd, Culver City) after a two-year break, due to the pandemic. The Book Festival received a Special Event Grant from the City of Culver City and is co-sponsored by the Culver City Arts Foundation, Vagabond Books, Beyond Baroque, Village Well Books & Coffee, in addition to the Wende Museum and will take place on Saturday, February 26, 2022, from 11 AM to 4:30 PM. The Book Festival, which highlights work from small press publishers, creates a platform for lesser-known talents to showcase their literary works, from poetry to novels. Authors are able to engage directly with the community of both avid readers and budding authors alike!
Festival Highlights
- More than 20 individual small book presses attending and exhibiting
- A number of literary workshops and readings (both in-person and virtually) throughout the day, including:
- An interactive Zoom international poetry reading
- A poetry writing workshop
- A Zine/Chapbook making workshop with Beyond Baroque
- A world premiere live reading of the new anthology Reimagine America (Vagabond)
- Virtual festival tours will also happen throughout the day
The day will finish up with a special group reading by FlowerSong Press at 7 PM at Village Well Books & Coffee (9900 Culver Boulevard, Culver City). Additional programming to be announced.
Participating Small Press Publishers
Book Presses include:
- Beyond Baroque
- World Stage Press
- Red Hen Press
- Tia Chucha Press
- FlowerSong Press
- Paper Press Books
- Golden Foothills Press
- Finishing Line Press
- What Books Press
- Dryland
- Not a Cult Press
- Rose of Sharon Press
- Hinchas de Poesia Press
- Anti-Racist Action Press
- Green Tara Press
- Spectrum Publishing
- Los Angeles Poet Society
- Community Literature Initiative
- Culver City Historical Society
- Vagabond
Helpful Information
Follow @CulverArts, @villagewellcc, and @wendemuseum on social media to keep up to date on news from the Book Festival including performances, presentations, and more.
The Second Annual Culver City Book Festival is a family-friendly event that will be held both indoors and outdoors following all COVID-19 safety protocols. For more information, please contact Culver City Arts Foundation representative Jim Clarke at jimbclarke@gmail.com or (310) 775-1664. Parks Recreation and Community Services Supervisor Darren Uhl can be reached at darren.uhl@culvercity.org or (310) 253-6655.
In celebration of Women’s History Month in the month of March, LA County Library is hosting a ‘Women in Comics’ Virtual Program honoring the achievements of women in history. Renowned comic book guru Scott “Diablo” Marcano discusses the history of female comic artists and their works, the evolution of iconic characters, the changing role of women in the industry, and how girls can get started in the arts. For adults. Click here for more information
Virtual event, Tues, March 22, 4pm – 5 pm. Go to https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/6271329 to register
LOS ANGELES (March 22, 2022) – It’s officially spring! As the weather warms up and the latest COVID-19 surge continues to slow, many people are looking forward to meeting up with family and friends. At the start of this new season, the American Red Cross encourages Angelenos to play an important role in helping save lives by making a blood or platelet donation, volunteering or donating as part of their spring plans.
Every eight minutes, generous donations enable the Red Cross to respond to a disaster in the U.S. when help can’t wait for families who need emergency shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance. So far in 2022, Red Cross volunteers have helped nearly 60,000 people after more than 15,900 home fires across the country.
On March 23, Red Cross Giving Day, unite with thousands of compassionate people by donating at redcross.org/givingday. Volunteering helps change the world, providing comfort and care to those who need it most in the face of emergencies. Every 2 seconds someone in your community may need blood, rolling up a sleeve ensures the blood supply can be replenished.
The Red Cross is grateful to the hundreds of thousands of individuals who have rolled up a sleeve to give in early 2022. It’s important to remember donated blood has a limited shelf life, so supplies must be constantly replenished. In the days and weeks ahead, it’s critically important to maintain a readily available blood supply. Donors can make an appointment by downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
While getting back into the stands to watch the home team play this spring, donors can join a team of their own – Team Red Cross! As a thank-you, all who come to give April 1-18 will receive an exclusive Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last.
Thurs, March 24 – April 10, 2022, Melrose Ave, Los Angeles CA 90046. 1pm – 6pm, Thurs – Sun.
Vellum LA, Los Angeles’s premier art gallery for NFT-backed digital art, has done a remarkable job bringing together a traditionally digital community in-person, uniting collectors and NFT-enthusiasts at their space on Melrose. Now, in pursuit of furthering their outreach and expanding their impact, the gallery has partnered with Artsy, the leading global online art marketplace, to present a truly unique collection of works that benefits Girls Who Code. Curated by Artist and Writer Mieke Marple and Vellum LA’s Sinziana Velicescu, Artists Who Code is a selection of NFT backed generative artworks by women and non-binary artists. Responding to the public perception of the NFT world as a male-dominated space, the exhibition foregrounds the central role and major impact women and nonbinary creators have in digital art and technology. In pursuit of true community building and in honor of Women’s History Month, a portion of the proceeds from the auction will be donated to the non-profit Girls Who Code, in line with Artsy’s mission to empower women and non-binary creators during women’s history month.
Artists Who Code will be on view in person from March 24th to April 10th at Vellum LA’s Melrose Gallery. The works will be available for auction on Artsy’s site from March 22nd to April 5th.
Written by Lisa Sanaye Dring with Rogue Artists Ensemble, directed by Sean Cawelti, stunt coordinator; Celina Surniak, puppet design by Jack Pullman and Emory Royston. Featuring J. Stephen Brantley, Tyler Bremer, Daniel Cuasay, Kelsey Kato, Zach Kumashi, Sarah Kay Peters, Corey Rieger, Abigail Somera, Miles Taber, Moll Wilson
‘Happy Fall’: A Queer Stunt Spectacular is an original highly immersive theatrical experience about a queer closeted stuntman’s journey to discover himself in a world of faux masculinity, unmasking the importance and danger of being true to oneself. ‘Happy Fall’ is based on true-life stories and direct testimonies, and illuminates issues of racial and cultural identity in Hollywood. The full production, set for a premiere in 2024, will come to life as an interactive stunt show, with life-size puppets, special effects and death-defying physical acts.
This reading will feature puppetry, stunt demonstrations, and talkbacks with the artists. Saturday’s morning reading will feature complimentary coffee and donuts to be enjoyed before the performance begins and will be followed by a FREE stunt workshop!
New play reading Performances: Fri, March 25, 2022 at 7.30pm
Sat, March 26, 2022 at 11am (arrive early to enjoy coffee & donuts)
Sign up to attend, tickets start at $5
RVSP to free stunt workshop, Sat, March 26, 2022 at 2pm
Hot Tip: If you’re attending the 11am performance and staying for the workshop, be sure to bring a little snack or picnic for yourself to partake in between activities.
Location: Veterans Memorial Building, Garden Room, 4117 Overland Avenue, Culver City, CA 90230
