Girls Club

Karen S. Kim MEDIA DISTRICT NORTH -- Children at the Boys and Girls Club of Burbank were given a treat Wednesday when a Public Storage Inc. official brought them a trunkful of computers. Armed with four used computers, keyboards and monitors, Les Guttman, vice president of marketing for Public Storage Inc., said, "As we change and update our technology, we hate to waste our resources. Why not put them to good use?" Before Wednesday's donation, the Boys and Girls Club had four working computers to serve the more than 100 children who visit the club in the afternoon.

It is hard to believe that the Boys and Girls Club has been open for almost seven years. It seems like yesterday that the first few neighborhood kids showed up for free popcorn, hot dogs, soda and the ribbon-cutting ceremony on opening day, Sept. 9, 1995. Time flies when you are having fun. That's why the years have quickly flown by for the 2,000 past and present members of the club. I was very proud to be a volunteer and member of the board of directors on that very special day. I would like to thank the Boys and Girls Club and the board of directors for allowing me the opportunity to serve and participate in such a worthwhile endeavor.

Ryan Carter BURBANK -- The Boys and Girls Club of Burbank will receive the proceeds this year from an annual benefit to honor people who have worked to make a difference in their local communities. Proceeds from the annual Beautiful People Awards Celebration will go to the local club, which serves children from the East Valley. The ceremony will be at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Sheraton Universal Hotel, Grand Ball Room, 333 Universal Parkway Terrace, Universal City.

Christos Cremo spent the past two weeks of his winter vacation at the Burbank Boys and Girls Club playing basketball and making friends. The 12-year-old was one of about 150 area children on Friday who spent the last day of their vacation at the club before going back to school on Monday. Christos, who spent the day playing foosball, looked forward to returning to Jordan Middle School. "I can see my girlfriend," Christos said, as he giggled standing next to his friends, who were all girls.

Dan Armel of Pasadena was carrying luggage and shuffling his hurried feet on Tuesday at Bob Hope Airport. “Where’s Vanessa?” he yelled while in line in Terminal A. But he wasn’t just in a typical waiting line, he was also at the gallery opening featuring artwork by children from the Boys and Girls Club of Burbank. Before boarding a plane, Armel said he wanted to compliment Vanessa Orozco, 10, of Burbank on her watercolor painting of May flowers.

Kendall Walbrecht of La Cañada Flintridge and a member of Girl Scout Troop 5921 established a weeklong volleyball clinic for the children of the Burbank Boys and Girls Club as part of her Gold Award project. Walbrecht raised funds by receiving donations from friends and La Cañada Flintridge Girl Scout troops, and holding a fundraiser at New Moon restaurant in Montrose. With the $1,400 she raised, Walbrecht purchased two outdoor tables for the Boys and Girls Club, donated sports equipment and taught children the importance of eating healthy and keeping active.

Children decorate cookies and meet Santa at Burbank Boys and Girls Club annual Christmas celebration.Biting his lip and shifting from one foot to another, 11-year-old K.C. Mattison was having trouble determining his cartoon allegiances on Thursday. But K.C. was in luck. A team of illustrators from the Walt Disney Co. occupied the lounge at the Burbank Boys and Girls Club and were willing to fulfill his every request, from drawings of Gonzo and Chicken Little to a sketch of Winnie the Pooh for his sister.

Credit union takes youngsters to ballgame The Lockheed Federal Credit Union in Burbank donated more than 100 tickets for Saturday’s Dodger game to the Burbank Boys & Girls Club. The game was against the Colorado Rockies. Since 2006, the Lockheed Federal Credit Union has donated more than $4,000 in funds and items to the Burbank Boys & Girls Club, according to the credit union. Magnolia Park beautifies lampposts After the addition of street banners on lampposts in the Magnolia Park shopping district, the neighborhood’s business partnership is looking to add flower baskets to the mix. The adopt-a-basket program allows business owners interested in beautifying the area to choose where their sponsored flower basket will hang and will get their name on a plaque.

The Burbank Boys & Girls Club will honor a North Hollywood teen at its ninth annual KidsAuction and Dinner. The event begins at 6 p.m. at the Legends Plaza at Walt Disney Studios, 500 S. Buena Vista St. Tickets are $150 per person and can be purchased at the door. Award recipient Josh Ayala, 16, has been attending the Boys & Girls Club since he was 7. He is vice president of the club's athletic-based program promoting leadership and volunteerism.

Pasta Pomodoro to donate to youth club MEDIA CITY CENTER -- Pasta Pomodoro will launch a monthlong fundraiser beginning Tuesday to benefit the Burbank Boys & Girls Club. For every entree ordered at lunch and dinner Tuesdays through Oct. 26, the restaurant will donate $1 to the youth club. Those participating must present to restaurant staff a flier distributed by the club. For more information, call the Burbank Boys & Girls Club at 842-9333.

As a rule, they don't make fire halls to host children's programming. For almost 20 years, the Burbank Boys and Girls Club has made this arrangement work - a clever re-imagining of a vacant fire hall has provided an educational and social haven for kids ages 6 to 18 outside school hours. It's near the corner of San Fernando Boulevard and Buena Vista Street, right off the Golden State (5) Freeway. The location is great for emergency vehicles responding to fires. It's a terrible location for family programs.

DIRECTV employees recently surprised members of the Boys & Girls Club of the Greater East Valley with the donation of new bicycles. More than 750 DIRECTV employees gathered earlier this month to build more than 140 bikes from scratch and then decorate them with standout accessories including flashy “bling” kits, colorful monkey lights, cool handlebar grips, attention-getting license plates and more. The bikes were given to the children during a surprise presentation at the build site at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Century City.

The Burbank Kiwanis For Fun Car Show and Arts and Crafts Fair is almost here. This 13th annual Car Show will be from 9 to 3:30 p.m. April 29 at Johnny Carson Park, 400 Bob Hope Drive, Burbank. It will feature beautiful vintage vehicles, trucks, motorcycles, live entertainment, goodie bags, opportunity drawings, food, beverages, and arts and crafts vendors. This club serves a great pancake breakfast and a super lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs and the best French fries this side of the Mississippi.

Comprehensive Financial Services, a Burbank-based organization, held a toy drive to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Burbank. On Dec. 10, 160 employees with Comprehensive Financial Services presented the collected gifts. Days later, the Boys & Girls Club welcomed a visit from Santa on Dec. 16. Assemblyman Mike Gatto also paid a visit with volunteers from Bank of America to give away over 150 gifts.    

BURBANK - A 10-time boxing champion, Oscar De La Hoya had to be mean and unrelenting in the ring. But deep down, the athlete has a soft side. A product of youth programs while growing up on the mean streets of East Los Angeles, De La Hoya is more than happy to give up his time and lend his support to the type of programs that helped shape his life. If it has to do with helping young boys and girls, De La Hoya can't resist. "When it comes to helping kids, I am a real softy," De La Hoya said.

A 10-time boxing champion, Oscar De La Hoya had to be mean and unrelenting in the ring. But deep down, the athlete has a soft side. A product of youth programs while growing up on the mean streets of East Los Angeles, De La Hoya is more than happy to give up his time and lend his support to the type of programs that helped shape his life. If it has to do with helping young boys and girls, De La Hoya can't resist. “When it comes to helping kids, I am a real softy,” De La Hoya said.

Kendall Walbrecht of La Cañada Flintridge and a member of Girl Scout Troop 5921 established a weeklong volleyball clinic for the children of the Burbank Boys and Girls Club as part of her Gold Award project. Walbrecht raised funds by receiving donations from friends and La Cañada Flintridge Girl Scout troops, and holding a fundraiser at New Moon restaurant in Montrose. With the $1,400 she raised, Walbrecht purchased two outdoor tables for the Boys and Girls Club, donated sports equipment and taught children the importance of eating healthy and keeping active.

Squiggle by squiggle, the characters of the popular children’s television program “Regular Show” began to take shape Thursday on a dozen drawing tablets splayed out on tables at the Boys & Girls Club in Burbank. “They way the kids think, it is so refreshing,” said Cartoon Network character designer Chap Yaep as he leaned over to offer some guidance to a young artist. “We are used to thinking of stuff in a certain way and then you see a kid and they think of stuff and you are like, ‘Wow, I never thought of that.