Harmony Householder, 11, and a 5th grader at Hopkinson Elementary, walked in the Susan G. Komen race for the cure in Newport Beach last Sunday, Sept. 27. She was part of team Healthy Hooters, who is led by Harmony’s Grandma Cindy Hinds, pink shirt in photo above, who is a breast cancer survivor. Also shown in the photo is Harmony’s mom, Tracy Hinds. Harmony walked in honor of her grandma, and great-grandma who are both breast cancer survivors. Over the years, team Healthy Hooters has raised just shy of $50,000 for the Susan G. Komen foundation.

Los Alamitos proclaimed October 15, as “Frieda Rapoport Caplan Day.” Mayor Richard Murphy presented Caplan with the proclamation at the Sept. 21 city council meeting, noting Caplan’s “hard work and dedication to the produce industry and the city of Los Alamitos.”
The founder of Los Alamitos-based wholesale company Frieda’s Specialty Produce, Caplan has been a resident of Rossmoor since 1958, and still lives in the same home she shared with her daughters and late husband, Al Caplan.
“I am quite thrilled to be living and working in Los Alamitos,” said Caplan upon receiving the honor. “One of the nice things is that three of our very large clients have their stores in Los Alamitos – Ralphs, Sprouts, and Vons-Safeway. Do not forget to look for your exotic fruits and vegetables!”
To commemorate the occasion, the Los Alamitos City Council will host a free public screening of Fear No Fruit, the Frieda Caplan documentary, on Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Los Alamitos Community Center. Caplan, along with daughters Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins (CEO and COO of Frieda’s Specialty Produce Company), will be present for a post-screening meet-and-greet with the local community.
“[Caplan] is such a champion in her industry, you would not know the things she had done until you come and see the movie,” said Council Member Warren Kusumoto. “It will be a great time for the community to come and see what we have here in our city.” The city of Los Alamitos is also featured in the film.
For more information about the Los Alamitos screening, visit www.fearnofruit.com/screenings
About Frieda’s Inc.
With over 50 years of fresh produce innovation, Frieda’s Specialty Produce continues to change the way America eats fruits and vegetables. Founded in 1962 by Frieda Caplan, Frieda’s was the first wholesale produce company in the U.S. to be founded, owned, and operated by a woman, and is still a family- and women-owned business today. Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 specialty items to U.S. produce departments, including Kiwifruit, Spaghetti Squash, Habanero Peppers, Sunchokes®, Stokes Purple® Sweet Potatoes, Sangria and Fiore Viola Artichokes, and many more. Frieda’s featured program is “Eat One Fruit a Day That Scares You,” which encourages everyone to #FearNoFruit. Connect with Frieda’s on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and at Friedas.com.

When Jaelyn (JJ) Sagen of Los Alamitos was just six years old she was so moved by the sight of a homeless man that she just had to do something to help.
After that, JJ’s lemonade stand was born. JJ is now 11 and every August she sells lemonade and cookies to her family, friends and neighbors from her family’s driveway in Los Alamitos.
Over the years JJ has raised more than $6,000 and she has donated every penny to We Care, a non-profit located in Los Alamitos.
We Care provides supportive services to local families including rent, mortgage and utility assistance as well as food and personal care items. On Aug. 25, JJ set up her fifth lemonade stand, setting a goal of $5,000.  She achieved and exceeded her goal, earning a total of $8,100. In the photograph JJ is shown proudly presenting her donation to Rob Lowenberg, Executive Director of We Care.
JJ’s donation will allow We Care to continue providing needed assistance to local families needing temporary support.

School Ghoul Los Alamitos 10k, 5k, and Kids Festival of Races is a district-wide event that raises awareness of the importance physical fitness and helps to raise funds for the Los Alamitos Education Foundation.
Gus Quinonez, the founder and race director of School Ghoul, had a desire to create an event that emphasizes fitness and a sense of community. As a three-time American record holder in long distance road racing and former Olympic Trials qualifier he has a passion for running.  His determination to design the perfect course and his experience in competing at the highest level has brought elite athletes from all over Southern California.
“School Ghoul Los Alamitos 5k Run was started with the desire to give back to our amazing community.  After my son, Kai, was diagnosed with aplastic anemia in 2010, we had an outpouring of support from our community.  I wanted to bring the run back to Rossmoor to say thank you to our wonderful friends and neighbors.  Our committee is completely staffed by volunteers and 100 percent of the net proceeds goes directly to LAEF. The day after School Ghoul Kai’s Make A Wish to be an Anaheim Duck is being fulfilled. He will be skating with the Ducks on Opening Night!“
The run: Flat and fast, out and back, through the scenic tree-lined streets of Rossmoor. Cash prizes and Brooks merchandise will be awarded for top runners.  Medal and event t-shirt will be given to  each participant. This fun community event also includes a Kids Festival of Races and Costume Contest.  Prizes and trophies will be awarded for various categories. Razor scooters for first place boys and girls in each category.
The event:  Music, Community Expo, Ghoul Zone – where kids can participate in fun, Fall carnival games and also a pumpkin patch.  The Boy Scouts will be flipping pancakes for a Ghoulishly Great Pancake Breakfast starting at 8:30 a.m.
Location: Rush Park, 3001 Blume Drive, Rossmoor, 90720
On-site registration for the event opens at 7:15 a.m. at Rush Park.
Packet Pickup Expo: Come to  pre registration and packet pick up at Rush Park auditorium on Saturday, Oct. 10 from 3 – 6 p.m.
School Ghoul Los Alamitos on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SchoolGhoul5kRunForOurSchools
School Ghoul website: www.SchoolGhoulLosAlamitos.com.You can help. For sponsorship opportunities or Community Expo Vendor’s inquiries, please contact Laurie Beverage at 949-294-4238 or at info@sg-la.org or visit online at www.SchoolGhoulLosAlamitos.com
Volunteer opportunities are available.  Please visit online at www.SchoolGhoulLosAlamitos.com for sign up information.

An open house retirement party with the public, past and present board members will be held for longtime “We Care” Executive Director Marty Thompson on Sunday, Oct. 18 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church located at 11600 Los Alamitos Blvd. in Los Alamitos.
We Care, a non-profit agency located in Los Alamitos, provides supportive services for local families including rent, mortgage and utility assistance as well as distribution of food and personal care items.
During her 19 years at the helm of WE CARE, Marty has assisted hundreds of families who are at risk of becoming homeless. Marty is well known and respected by local church and community leaders for her tireless dedication to families and children in need.
Marty’s prior careers in banking and finance along with her life-long commitment to community volunteerism with the PTA, Boy’s and Girl’s Scouts and National Charity League, allowed her to successfully lead WE CARE into the 21st century.
Marty said she has loved every minute of her 19 years at WE CARE.
Her retirement time will be spent with family and friends, gardening and creating stained glass pieces.

Three students from Los Alamitos High School qualified for the National Merit Semifinals. They are Danielle Beaudreau, Mark Kim, and Ashley Willingham.  Semi-finalists are students who scored in the top 1 percent of students who took the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) nationwide in fall 2014.
According to information provided by the National Merit Scholarship organization, approximately 16,000 of the 1.5 million students who participated in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the PSAT in October 2014 were recognized as National Merit Semifinalists.  To become a Finalist, the student must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test (PSAT).
From the initial 16,000 Semifinalists, about 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalist level, and will be notified in February 2016 of this designation. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skill, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.

Take the auto show experience to the road at the 2016-Model Orange County International Auto Show with more than 100 vehicles to test-drive. From hybrids to luxury sedans, 16 manufacturers will offer ride and drive opportunities at the Anaheim Convention Center Thursday, Oct.15 through Sunday, Oct. 18.
Licensed drivers are invited to get behind the wheel of the latest vehicles from Acura, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Jeep®, KIA, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Ram, Toyota and Volkswagen.
Back by popular demand, Camp Jeep® Anaheim returns to the Orange County International Auto Show. Professional 4×4 drivers will take passengers on a thrilling adventure along an off-road test track in a collection of all-new Jeep® models including the Wrangler Unlimited, Wrangler Rubicon, Cherokee Trailhawk and Grand Cherokee. The rugged test track will thrill passengers with an 18 foot high, 35 degree hill climb up the iconic Jeep® Mountain, teetering, extreme three-wheeling across an 8 foot high, 50 foot long Trail Rated Pass, and adrenaline-inducing terrain that simulates fallen logs.
Additional test drives scheduled for the Orange County International Auto Show include:
Acura Test Drive
Chevrolet Test Drive
The Chrysler Drive – including Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Fiat vehicles
Ford Test Drive
Ford F-150 Test Drive – includes a demonstration of towing capabilities
Honda Test Drive
KIA Test Drive
The Lexus Driving Experience
Mazda Test Drive – including the all new Mazda Miata MX-5
Mercedes-Benz Street Drive – new this year.
Nissan Test Drive
Toyota Test Drive
Volkswagen Test Drive
Individual test drive times, may vary, please visit www.AutoShowOC.com for more details.
More than 500 of the newest vehicles, an Exotic Gallery, concept cars, crossovers, alternative fuel vehicles and more will transform the Anaheim Convention Center into an auto show mecca for this annual event. Car lovers and their families are invited to get up-close and check out all the latest rides in a non-selling environment, sit behind the wheels, inspect engines, kick tires and experience the latest automotive technology.
The Orange County International Auto Show will be open to the public Thursday, Oct. 15 through Sunday, Oct. 18, at the Anaheim Convention Center, located at 800 W. Katella Ave. in Anaheim. Show hours are Thursday, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday, from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Follow the signs for convention center parking, located on West Street, just south of Katella. Admission is $12 for adults and $10 for senior citizens (62 and older) and military (w/any DOD ID). Children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. All attendees will receive a free one-year subscription to Motor Trend magazine (a $12 value) with each online ticket order or box office purchase. For additional information, visit www.AutoShowOC.com or follow www.facebook.com/OCAutoShow, @OCAutoShow on Twitter and @OCAutoShow on Instagram. Hashtag: #OCAutoShow.

The Los Alamitos Youth Baseball Bronco team that won the Bronco World Series recently was officially recognized by the City of Los Alamitos this week at the monthly council meeting. Coach Tony Hooper introduced the team and said the World Series title is the first since 1983. The team went undefeated all throughout the tournament, which was played from Aug. 7-10. They started the tournament out strong with a blowout 11-0 win over a team from Brownsville, Texas, and they would end up outscoring their opponents 27-10 throughout the tourney. This isn’t the first time the team has been recognized by Los Alamitos. A few months ago the team was recognized for prevailing in a tourney in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Since mid-July, the Los Alamitos High School Cross Country team has been practicing together, forging bonds, and fidgeting at the metaphorical starting line. On Sept. 5, after briefly fidgeting at the literal starting line, the Griffins raced for the finishing times, individual medals, and team scores they had been working to earn all summer long. A week after their Sept. 5 meet at The Great Cow Run at Cerritos Regional Park, the team donned their “Los Al XC” running singlets for a second time at the Laguna Hills Invitational.
Of course, these were the first two high school three-mile races for Los Al’s group of freshman girls and boys, and they performed like excited but seasoned runners. The top five scorers for the freshman girls in both meets were Milani Rivers, Amber DeMarco, Victoria Hansen, Heather Dollins, and Madison Garcia. Milani Rivers led the female freshman crew in both races. She placed 11th out of the 231 runners in her race at the Great Cow Run while also running the third best Los Alamitos girls’ time of the day with 19:58. Rivers admitted to being a bit intimidated by the numerous hills on the Laguna Hills course, but she still placed 15th out of 141 runners in the freshman girls’ race, thus stringing together two amazing performances. The top five freshman boys for Los Al have been Klaus Quinonez, Joshua Williams, Harrison Smith, Nick Van Meter, and Lachlan Keller. Quinonez has been another revelation for the team, first placing 13th out of 285 in the freshman boys’ race and then 5th out of 189. His times have placed him in the top five Los Alamitos male runners on the team this year. After setting his personal best of 17:07 at the Great Cow Run, he allegedly ate an entire pizza before continuing to cheer on his teammates in the other races.
A significant percentage of returning runners for Los Al improved their times from last year. An excellent sophomore boys’ team highlighted by Dean Yacoubian, Ryan Watts, Michael Tuttle, Jacob Taylor, and Jared Berryman are meeting their goals and exceeding expectations. Meanwhile, sophomore Brandon Bandley has run the top time on the entire Los Alamitos team in both weeks. The sophomore girls have also excelled, earning plaques for their top-3 team finishes at both meets! Leading this class of runners has been Delaney Sanacore, Delaney Falsken, Bronsyn Ledgard, Sophia Craig, Lauren Kussler, Annie Bliss, and Victoria Hyde.
Upperclassman team captains Constantine Banez and Kyle Lira have been leading the boys’ varsity team to improvement as a group in order to jump ahead of league rivals and achieve a top-3 team finish in Sunset League in order to advance to CIF Prelims. Juniors Andrew Stumpf, Isaac Banez, and Luke Deal hope to contribute to the goal as they continue to establish themselves among the top-7 runners on the team. The girls’ varsity, led by team captains Nicole Bliss and Sarah Enyart as well as fellow juniors Malia Rivers and Aspynn Carr, is working hard to repeat as league champions. At the Great Cow Run, the Los Alamitos girls’ varsity team finished ahead of Sunset League rivals Edison, Fountain Valley, and Huntington Beach, but the numbers indicate a tiny degree of separation. League Finals promises to be a thrilling spectacle.
Community supporters and aspiring runners are more than welcome at the remaining races. Go Griffins.

The Musette Academy for Music and the Arts in Los Alamitos recently held its ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the official opening of the music school’s doors. Laura Dickey, Musette Academy owner, soft-opened the school a couple months ago, but the ceremony on Sept. 17 was a kick start to invite the local community to join.
“We’d like to help local students get musically and artfully connected,” said Dickey. Musette offers instruction in piano, guitar, strings, woodwinds, brass, music theory and music composition.
Also offered is tutoring in math, science, English, and general homework help. For more information call 562-546-2079 or visit their website at www.musetteacademy.com.
Dickey is a nationally certified teacher of music through the Music Teachers’ National Association.

Los Alamitos Unified School District recently announced Ms. Elvia Galicia as the new Director of Fiscal Services.
Prior to joining Los Alamitos Unified, Ms. Galicia was Assistant Director of Fiscal Services for Paramount Unified School District for the past 10 years.  She comes to Los Al with more than 17 years of experience in school district finance. Galicia received her Bachelor’s degree from Cal State Dominguez Hills in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting.
Galicia is passionate about her career in finance and is committed to making sure the District’s resources are used to provide students the opportunity to receive a quality education and to provide them with unlimited possibilities.
Galicia resides in the city of Artesia with her two daughters, one a senior in college and the other a senior in high school.  She loves to watch her girls play soccer and has been an active sideline cheerleader for both since they were five years old.
Galicia said, “I am excited and honored to be part of the Los Alamitos Unified family and look forward to an amazing future here in Los Al.”

Every year the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 716 of Los Alamitos sends high school students to Girls State.
Through a separate fundraiser by President Cindy Mayfield, this year the club was able to send a male student to Boys State.
Girls and Boys State teaches students the political process of government, running for office, city structure and campaigning.
At State, the students live in mock cities with hundreds of other students from all over California, all the while building lifelong relationships.
Kevin “Casey” Navarro from Long Beach Poly was the male student chosen for Boys State.  Navarro won $500 for the best essay response to the question, “what does ‘Liberty and Justice for All’ mean to me?” Navarro first won at the Unit level, then at the District 29 level, which is Orange County, and then at the Department level, which is the State of California.
Those who attended the Girls state were Clair Sierna from Rosary Academy, Leslie Aguirre ofWestern High, Abigail Chermila of Los Alamitos High and Baylee Shiltman of Pacifica High.
The students said it was a life changing experience.

On Friday, Sept. 18, online university Trident University International organized an event to support Operation Gratitude, which is a non-profit, volunteer organization focused on lifting the spirits and meeting the evolving needs of the military and first responder communities.
This is a cause close to the hearts of the entire Trident community, as students who are active duty, veteran, dependents, or in the National Guard make up 79 percent of the University’s currently enrolled population.
A group made up of Trident staff, faculty, alumni, students, and members of the general community created and collected a total of 1,063 letters.
In attendance was Assemblywoman Young Kim, California Assembly District 65, and a representative of California State Senator Bob Huff’s office. Both thanked the Trident community and acknowledged the importance of military and veteran outreach events such as these.
“Trident, with 22,000 military alumni, has had a long-time relationship with the U.S. Armed Forces, educating men and women of each branch of the services using its unique student-centered pedagogical model. In addition to providing items of need to military personnel, Operation Gratitude gives us a unique opportunity to convey to these men and women that the entire Trident community cares about them and the service they are performing for our great nation,” said Esmeralda Silva, Vice President of Outreach and Strategic Alliances.
Operation Gratitude sends over 150,000 care packages each year to deployed troops, veterans, new recruits, wounded soldiers, and their caregivers.
These packages, which are highly sought after by recipients, contain food, personal hygiene products, entertainment items, and homemade articles, all of which are meant to ease the emotional burden of being separated from loved ones.
Trident was founded in 1998 and is regionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Senior College and University Commission.

The 3^rd Annual Cypress Women’s Conference was held on Thursday, Sept. 18 at the Cypress Community Center.  The event was well attended by state and local political leaders, members of our community, businesses, and students from Cypress College, Cypress High School, Oxford Academy, and Kennedy High School.

On Aug. 22, the Eagles Nest Clubhouse at the Navy Golf Course in Cypress California had the great honor of hosting Mr. Manuel Salazar’s 100th birthday gala.  His beautiful family, along with many friends from came to celebrate this special day. Salazar was elated to also receive a special birthday wish from President Barack Obama and his lovely wife, Michelle. Salazar was born on Aug. 21 in 1915 in Chihuahua, Mexico, to Gregorio and Adela Salazar. The couple also had five additional sons and one beautiful little girl.