Running for YoungLives
We would like to sincerely thank Dennis Kaiser and the Sun Newspaper for the publicity that was given to “YoungLives” (Teen Moms) a few weeks ago.
We would also like to thank the residents of Seal Beach, Sunset Beach, Rossmoor and Los Alamitos for their generous contributions.
We had about 24 participants run the marathon/half marathon and who collectively raised over $16,000 for this nonprofit.
One of the teen moms, Zuly Gonzalez, ran her first half marathon.
Congratulations Zuly! What a wonderful story to be able to share with your two-year-old daughter Vyanni one day.
Thank you,
Fred and Tamara Cianciolo
Seal Beach
Congress and the law
Despite what Earick Ward writes, the President did not rewrite the ACA to exempt Congress and its staffs from the law.
The Office of Personnel Management, TheHill.com, Politifact.com, National Review, Factcheck.org, and Brookings.edu, all have information that states that Congress and its staff are all required to bythrough the exchanges.
Susan Barrett
Rossmoor
Valentine’s Day spirit is alive and well
Thirty-five years ago, Interval House opened our doors in a little house on the hill in Seal Beach that belonged to former mayor Norma Gibbs.
In the years to follow, the residents of this small, idyllic seaside town, along with Huntington Beach, Long Beach and all of our surrounding areas, have continued to extend their love and support to thousands of women and children who have come through our shelters seeking refuge from broken homes and broken lives.
Last Thursday, immediately after the Seal Beach Sun published its article, “Shelter’s Sweet Valentine’s Plan,” Interval House once again experienced an outpouring of love from our wonderful community.
It is with heartfelt gratitude that we thank all of the residents who reached out to Interval House and helped us to share the spirit of kindness and love with our shelter residents this Valentine’s Day.
First United Methodist Church of Seal Beach adopted a lovely mother and her extraordinary son and daughter. The family visited the church this past Sunday, and they left filled with love and gratitude for the wonderful experience of meeting such generous and caring people.
The young boy, who dreams of being an engineer, even had the opportunity to bond and learn from some of the members who have been engineers themselves.
The church is adopting this deserving family, and their assistance and expressions of love have already made a huge difference.
There is also the wonderful Judy Miller, a long-time, 80-year old Seal Beach resident who says she remembers when Interval House first opened our doors in 1979. “The article touched my heart,” she says. Judy adopted Elvia Duran and her family, who we profiled in last week’s article, and has expressed her desire to continue supporting the family beyond Valentine’s Day. Speaking with Judy warmed the hearts of all of our volunteers and staff here at Interval House.
To know that there are such loving people like Judy here in our community is touching and inspiring beyond words.
And then there’s Sharon Gottlieb, owner of Cold Stone Creamery on Main Street in Seal Beach, who has contributed generously to a lovely Valentine’s Day ice cream party for the wonderful kids at our shelter, and Brownie Troop 683 from Lowell Elementary, who are putting together delightful gifts for our families.
We would like to thank each and every one of our Valentine’s Day supporters, as well as our entire community for helping to nurture a small, grassroots shelter that began over 35 years ago, sharing immeasurable love and loyalty that has helped us grow into one of our nation’s most comprehensive life-saving programs for victims of domestic violence and their children.
Please know that there are several more families who have not been adopted, and there’s still time to show your love this Valentine’s Day. If you would like to send in a donation or a gift for our families, we will make sure that they are received.
Donations to help Interval House residents may be sent directly to: Interval House, P.O. Box 3356, Seal Beach, CA 90740. For more information or to make special arrangements, please call Carol Williams at (562) 594-9492, extension 222.
Carol Williams
Executive Director of Interval House
Keep the faith in the U.S. actual Constitution
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”
No, this is not in reference to President Obama’s “if you like your doctor” whopper.
While decrying Theresa Sherrin’s [actual] Constitutional protection of the right to free speech, Ms. Clara Alvarez references a [phantom] Constitutional right to a “separation of Church and State.”
I’ve searched and searched my copy of the US Constitution and cannot find any such reference.
The reference of “a wall of separation between Church & State” is found in a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists, in which Jefferson affirms their “right to conscience” and reaffirms their First Amendment protections that government will “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
Jefferson is concurring with their right to worship, without interference from government, NOT a prohibition of their “faithful” participation in civil society.
In fact, the same year that the US Constitution was ratified, the Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance, which includes Section 14, Article 3, which states “Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.”
Are we to presume that Congress wished to preclude “people of faith” from governmental affairs AND at the same time advance the precepts of Religion, Morality and Knowledge?
Anyone who has been to an event at the PAC, on the Los Al High campus knows full well that the school had long ago outgrown the facilities capacity to serve its event needs.
The School Board sought a nearby venue that would serve its capacity requirements.
They found it in the form of Cottonwood Church.
There is no “evil plan” to proselytize religion to an unsuspecting public.
If one finds the symbols within the facility offensive, I suggest that they are being overly sensitive, and/or, have an agenda of their own, that they are trying to force on the people of Seal Beach, Rossmoor, and Los Alamitos.
Freedom of Religion, and of Conscience is still a Constitutionally protected right. At least for the time being.
God help us (yes, God) if we allow Secular Progressives to cow us into relinquishing our Constitutional rights, in the name of Political Correctness.
Earick Ward
Seal Beach
Response to response
I thank Cathy Goldberg for her response to my article “When a soldier comes home.”
I generally always write my own material but in this case I found an article on the Internet that was from an “unknown source” that contained a good message.
I also stated it was not written by me.
I only added all the sentences that started with the word “Try,” to give emphasis to each of the “original” statements.
At first writing, I hesitated at including “the political/congressional” statements at the end of the article. I admit to not verifying them, but felt they were part of what someone else had written so I included them before verifying the truth in them. I apologize for this oversight.
Bill Thomas, Columnist
Rossmoor
The opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor are not necessarily those of the Sun. The Sun welcomes Letters to the Editor. Letters should be 300 words maximum. Letters should be e-mailed, signed by the author and include the author’s address and phone number (the latter two are for verification, not publication). The Sun reserves the right to accept, edit, or reject letters for any reason. Unless otherwise indicated, all letters sent to the Sun are understood to be intended for publication. E-mail letters to: dennis@sunnews.org.
