Laguna Beach Seniors’ Needle Arts Guild held its annual holiday gift wrapping party, the culmination of their Friday afternoons spent knitting and crocheting scarves, hats, shawls, children sweaters, dresses and lap blankets.
Their handiwork is donated to local groups and special causes such as Glennwood House, Human Options, Friendship Shelter, Hoag Hospital Newborn Nursery, and veterans or those with terminal illnesses.
Join the group by calling The Susi Q Center at 949.497.2441. All yarn for the projects is donated and no experience is necessary.
Fundraiser Aids Abuse and Trafficking Victims
Children affected by abuse and trafficking in Thailand will be the beneficiaries of a 6 p.m. fundraiser Thursday, Dec. 17, organized by local Tricia Lyn Scott at Art Sellers Gallery, 1294 S. Coast Highway, #B.
The goal is to raise $20,000 for HUG Project, a Thailand non profit that last year helped 42 boys and 18 girls with counseling, medical care and legal counseling, says its annual report. “Hug” is a northern Thai word that means love.
Heather Askew, a U.S. case manager living in Chiang Mai for the last five years, will speak about conditions in Thailand and answer questions regarding donations.
A silent auction will feature work from local artists and donations from Laguna Beach vendors. Handmade crafts from Thailand will also be available for direct purchase.
Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served. Admission is free, although donations are highly encouraged.
Band Launches its First Membership Campaign
The Laguna Concert Band has launched their first annual membership campaign.
Despite its 15 years of music making and collaboration with the arts community, it remains a “hidden jewel,” said Executive Director Craig Gordon.
Those who join this year will be forever listed as founding donors. Information about membership levels and benefits can be found at: lagunaconcertband.com.
Collaborators Write 1,000 Christmas Cards
The American Legion’s Legionnaire Treasurer Diane Connell has enlisted the help of local philanthropist Rosalind Russell, know as the “Goat Lady,” to write Christmas cards to 1,000 military personnel.
“If they can serve us on the ground in danger,” said Russell, “I knew the least I could do was write them as my way of action in appreciation for their service.”
Russell’s R Star Foundation provides resources, such as goats, to remote villages in Nepal. Recently the foundation’s work has centered on rebuilding those villages that were destroyed in two earthquakes last spring.
