Dear Editor,

Hi, name is Amy and I am a high-school junior attending Harvard-Westlake School in North Hollywood.  I think my friend Jennie contacted you already about Simply Savant and it’s goal this year to create camp and build a library, and she told me to email you the specifics, so here it is!  A few years ago my friends from various high-schools and I established a nonprofit organization to provide aid to those in need of help and to provide higher education for those who aren’t as lucky as we are.  We call ourselves “Simply Savant” and since then have participated as well as organized various fundraising and community service events.

Our most important project this year is a camp.  This summer my friends and I plan to open up a non-profit camp for kids less fortunate than us to have an opportunity to learn.  Split into 2 sessions, each 3 weeks long, it will begin in late June and end in early August.  Camp Savant will be supported by the Boys and Girls Club of Pasadena and will be bouncy castle for sale completely planned and organized by our group.  Every Sunday, we meet to discuss funding issues, the curriculum and handbook, the admissions process, everything that will make this dream a reality.  Simply Savant’s members will be responsible for teaching the students about 3 different core classes as well as a few extracurricular activities.  Camp Savant will be open to students from grades six through nine and will include the three A’s: academics, arts and athletics. The camp will be held in the Boys and Girls Club facilities.

At the same time, we are also fundraising and collecting books from our respective communities to build a library on the Boys and Girls Club campus.  So far, we have raised money through garage sales, TV Taping, and restaurant fundraising programs.  The money we receive goes toward purchasing supplies for the libraries bookshelves, paint, books…etc.  We hope to finish our first library by the end of this month.  On May 23 Simply Savant is going to build its very first library in Pasadena with the help of kids from the Boys and Girls Club.  Our goal is to build a total of 50 libraries in southern California.   It would be an enormous contribution to our cause if your newspaper could help us to spread the news.  Any amount of information that can give interested parents a heads-up about the camp or let people know about our library and need of book donations would be wonderful!  Thank you very much for your time and if you have any questions, please ask!

Sincerely,

Amy Zhang

Email: zhangaixi@yahoo.com

Dear Editor:

The American Legion Auxiliary is long known for support of our communities and our veterans. A year and a half ago I wrote about the American Legion Auxiliary’s involvement in “Operation Mend”, another opportunity to help our wounded soldiers returning home with serious facial injuries by providing access to the country’s best plastic and reconstructive surgeons in the private sector. On May 15 on Channel 4 World News Tonight there was a segment on this wonderful program at UCLA, started with a man named Ronald Katz, a well-regarded inventor, who although not a veteran himself has always had a deep affection for the military through the eyes and talent of his father, a WWII USO performer, Mickey Katz. Having provided the lead gift for the new Fisher House at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, Katz made a visit in August 2006 and after touring the hospital and seeing the faces blown away by IED’s, he was determined to help out way he could. On returning home he talked the Director of Plastic Surgery and others into going to Brooke Medical Center to see what could be done. Although the Army Hospital was doing great work for these wounded soldiers, they could not provide the level of plastic and reconstructive surgery that UCLA could, so a partnership was formed. By the fall of 2007 logistics had been worked out so that the first patient arrived from Brooke Medical Center. Katz did not stop with making “Operation Mend” happen. His Foundation helps families with uncovered costs such as lodging. The doctors, nurses and support staff for these surgeries volunteer their time. The American Legion Auxiliary, since getting involved, has donated $4,500 because the nation’s veterans are their foremost concern. Donations are always welcome for costs of the surgeries and that is where everyone can help. Checks should be made payable to “The UCLA Foundation” and earmarked “Operation Mend”, Fund #617640, Division of Plastic Surgery”, and mailed to the attention of Adrienne Walt, Director of Development, Department of Surgery, 10945 La Conte Ave., Suite 3132. Box 951784, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1784.

Margaret L. McIntosh, San Gabriel