Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 21, 2016

SECTION B

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016


AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY


THERE’S A NEW PASTOR AT PAZNAZ!

By Deanne Davis

 Tara Beth Leach, new Senior Pastor of First Church 
of the Nazarene of Pasadena, takes the pulpit for the 
first time this Sunday, May 22nd. She will be meeting a 
congregation who have been waiting almost a year for 
a new hand at the PazNaz helm and who are eagerly 
looking forward to welcoming her. 

 A graduate of Olivet Nazarene University with a BA 
in Youth Ministry, Tara Beth has served in full-time 
ministry in various churches in Upstate New York and 
Naperville, IL as a Teaching Pastor, Women’s Pastor and 
Youth Pastor. She is a regular contributor for the Missio 
Alliance Writing Collectives among other publications. 
She is a published author with a Beacon Hill Press book, 
Kingdom Culture and we’ll be watching for her latest 
book from InterVarsity Press, Emboldened, due out in 
2017.

 Tara Beth is married to Jeff – the love of her life – and 
they have two little boys, Caleb and Noah. Tara Beth and 
her family have chosen Sierra Madre for their new home 
and are counting the minutes till escrow closes on their 
house. Walking through Sierra Madre, she and Jeff fell 
completely in love with our town, as do so many other 
people who walk our streets for the first time. She wanted 
to be able to walk to her new church home and she’ll 
easily be able to do that as PazNaz is just a mile away.

 Tara Beth has truly been called to the ministry; 
specifically, to being a “Fisher of Men.” First Church will 
enthusiastically welcome Tara Beth and her family. She 
is, incidentally, the first female pastor in the long history 
of this 100+ year old church.

 All are welcome to meet Tara Beth and hear her vision 
for her new church home this Sunday, May 22nd. There 
will be one service at 10:30 a.m. PazNaz prides itself in 
being a warm and friendly church and if you haven’t 
visited before, Sunday would be a perfect time to see 
what they’re all about. Complete children’s programs are 
available for all ages and First Church also is delighted to 
offer In His Image, a ministry dedicated to the spiritual, 
physical, and emotional needs of God’s unique children, 
adults, and their families. It is designed to provide 
an environment of acceptance and belonging for all 
individuals with special needs.

 First Church of the Nazarene of Pasadena (PazNaz) 
is at 3700 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., Pasadena 91107. 
626-351-9631.


REMEMBERING OUR FALLEN PEACE OFFICERS


By Joan Schmidt

 Remembering fallen peace 
officers occurs at local, state 
and national ceremonies. 
Peace Officers Memorial Day 
is May 15th, and Police Week 
is the week in which Peace 
Officers Memorial Day occurs. 
This tribute began on October 
1, 1961 when Congress asked 
President John F. Kennedy 
to designate May 15 to honor 
peace officers, and he quickly 
signed the bill. 

 Besides recognizing fallen 
peace officers as a nation, 
special tribute has occurred 
in Sacramento since 1977 
with California Peace Officer 
Memorial Ceremonies. 
There is a beautiful bronze 
monument of three standing 
figures, representing an 
1880’s County Sheriff, a 
1930’s state trooper and a 
1980’s city policemen are 
looking down at a life-sized 
figure of a woman comforting 
a child sitting on a bench, 
representing the grief-
stricken families left behind. 

Locally, the Sheriff’s 
Department begins its tribute 
with the annual three-day 
Memorial Torch Relay Run totaling 339 
miles and stopping at each mainland station. 
On May 21st, Sheriff John Scott accepted the 
torch delivered by various members of law 
enforcement during the 45th Annual Los 
Angeles County Peace Officers Memorial. 
Also in attendance were Supervisor Mike 
Antonovich, Keynote Speaker Los Angeles 
Police Chief Charlie Beck and Hawthorne 
Police Chief Bob Fager.

 Regrettably, the names of the following 
officers were added to the Memorial Wall: 
Sergeant Leonard Luna, Hawthorne Police 
Department: EOW July 8, 2013 from injuries 
when a vehicle struck his motorcycle on 
the I-5 Freeway; Officer Nicholas Lee, Los 
Angeles Police Department: EOW March 7, 
2014, traffic collision while responding to a 
call; Officer Christopher Cortijo, Los Angeles 
Police Department: EOW April 9, 2014, a 
vehicle failed to stop for a red light, crushing 
him and his motorcycle between two vehicles.

Deputy Mike Frantantoni and co-workers 
spend much time on historical research. 
Because of their efforts, these six officers’ 
names were added: Deputy Adolfo Celis, 
LASD, EOW: April 18, 1883, gunshot wound; 
Constable Anton Harnishschfeger, LASD, 
EOW: March 20, 1889, gunshot wound; 
Deputy Constable Anthony Couts, LASD, 
EOW: October 25, 1914, gunshot wounds; 
Consatble John Pilcher, LASD, EOW: June 
4, 1925, gunshot wound; Deputy James 
McDermott, LASD, EOW: August 26, 1931, 
injuries from trying to stop his runaway 
county vehicle; Sergeant Raymond Willis, 
LASD, EOW: April 15, 1957, plane crash 
during search mission.

 Highlights of the May 21st Ceremony 
included the Memorial Torch being brought, 
Sgt. Bryon Ward’s rendition of “My Creed” 
inspired by our Deputy Dave March, a history 
of this year’s honorees, Wreath Presentations 
and the release of the Doves.

When the name plaques of nine fallen peace 
officers were added to the wall, Sheriff Scott 
heeded the words of Chief Charlie Beck, that 
we never forget those who died in the line of 
duty.

BOSCO TECH’S 2016 BIA MODEL & DESIGN 
COMPETITION WINNERS

Schools from across the San Gabriel Valley 
participated in this annual competition. Bosco 
Tech students dominated the event and took home 
the following awards:

 In the Residential Technical Division, 1st,2nd, 
and 3rd place were won by students from IDEA:

• 1st David Casillas (IDEA)
• 2nd Aaron Sarmiento (IDEA)
• 3rd Fabrizio Castaneda (IDEA)

 IDEA students also swept the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd 
place awards for the Residential Creative category:

• 1st David Casillas (IDEA)
• 2nd Fabrizio Castaneda (IDEA)
• 3rd Aaron Sarmiento (IDEA)

 In the Commercial Technical Division, ACE 
swept the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards.
• 1st Kyle Chiang (ACE)
• 2nd Miguel Sahagun (ACE)
• 3rd Reiley Akkari (ACE)

The Commercial Creative Division was shared 
between the two departments with 1st place going 
to an IDEA student and 2nd and 3rd place went to 
ACE students:
• 1st David Moreno (IDEA) 
• 2nd Silas Flores (ACE)
• 3rd Zachary Solorza (ACE)

In the Structural Division for Bridges, 1st, 2nd, 
and 3rd where again swept by students from ACE.
• 1st Luis Cruz (ACE)
• 2nd Joseph Hernandez (ACE)
• 3rd Adrian Cisneros (ACE)

HOMELESS CHILDREN INITIATIVE 

COLLABORATIVE FORMED

Many people associate homelessness as those we see 
walking through, and sleeping in our community. While 
those are typically who we think of, there is a segment 
of our population that is considered homeless, yet they 
are not reported in the Los Angeles Homeless Services 
Authority (LAHSA) count. They are the students in 
our community. The chronic homeless population is 
increasing throughout the San Gabriel Valley, the LAHSA 
count performed on January 26, 2016 in Duarte observed 
or identified nine individuals deemed homeless. 

 More shocking is the Los Angeles County’s Office 
of Education’s Homeless Education count for Duarte 
Unified School District. Duarte currently has over 100 
students that have self-identified as homeless. The federal 
standards established by the McKinney-Vento Homeless 
Assistance Act, define a homeless student as between the 
ages of 0-22, “who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate 
nighttime residence”. This could include living in a park, 
car, shelter, camping area, doubling up with another 
family, abandonment, emergency shelter, or a runaway or 
pushed out child. 

 When Tina Carey, Chair-Elect for the Duarte Chamber 
of Commerce, learned of these children in April from 
Naelh Othman, Student Support Services consultant for 
DUSD, her first thought was “We have to do something 
for these kids!” After a few phone calls, a new collaborative 
was born. Southern California Gas, Duarte and Monrovia 
Chambers of Commerce, New Life Assembly of God, 
Duarte Unified School District, DLL Technologies, 
Duarte residents, Foothill Unity Center, ChapCare, 
City of Monrovia Public Service, Monrovia Ministerial 
Association, and the City of Duarte Public Safety came 
together at the end of April to kick off the initiative.

 Duarte Chamber Chair Bob Cruz opened the inaugural 
meeting at the chamber offices by highlighting that this 
entity is not meant to reinvent the wheel, or take away 
from any current homelessness efforts throughout the 
region, but is a vehicle to connect the resources currently 
available and have the cities of Duarte and Monrovia 
working together to help educate the community and 
assist in removing barriers to educational for those who 
are in need. The focus is to identify what resources are 
available to help these families and assist in ensuring that 
their needs are met. 

 Ms. Naelh Othman has been a champion for this 
segment of DUSD students for several years. Her role with 
the district has expanded due to the identification and 
assistance needed by our students. Starting with a modest 
goal by the Community Youth Task Force to help, The 
MIT Closet was started two years ago that provides gently 
used clothing. Her new endeavor is to create a DUSD 
Homeless Resource Closet with basic necessities such as 
school supplies, hygiene kits, and more. Not only does Ms. 
Othman coordinate the Closet, she works tirelessly with 
those families in need. “Often these families are going 
through situational homelessness such as an unexpected 
job loss, family status changes, medical expenses or simply 
not able to make ends meet. They are humble in what they 
are needing. It could be as simple as clothes for school or 
job interview, or pencils and paper for them to do their 
school work, or helping fill out a form for aid.” She is 
challenged with trying to identify resources to meet the 
ever changing needs of the homeless students. “It breaks 
my heart to not able to provide something as simple as a 
meal voucher because the resources have dried up. As a 
community we can come together and remove barriers 
to our student’s education.” Her plea is heartfelt and 
shared by those who have joined the Homeless Children 
Initiative. 

 So what are the next steps? We need your assistance. 
We are looking for residents and businesses that could 
aid these students. It could be services, school supplies, or 
meal certificates. We are also looking for resources that 
are out there and building a database that both Duarte and 
Monrovia school districts can access that includes current 
and relevant information. Please contact the Duarte 
Chamber offices at 626-357-3333 or jim@duartechamber.
com if you are interested in joining the collaborative.

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com