CLUB GIVES KUDOS TO DISABLED VOLUNTEERS.Byline: Stacy Brown Daily News Staff Writer Ronnie O'Haver meticulously handles his maintenance assignment at the Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. Boys & Girls Club Girls Club is a 2002 American television series created by David E. Kelley, who was also it's producer and executive producer. Only two out of a total of thirteen episodes created were broadcast on Fox Television in the United States and Global Television in Canada. , cleaning spills and mopping floors with an almost delightful vigor. For eight years, O'Haver, 26, has been a member of the Easter Seals Easter Seals is an international charitable organization devoted to providing opportunities for children with physical disabilities. See
``Ronnie and his friends do very special work,'' said Gabriella Osorio, a life skills coach at the Boys & Girls Club. The special work done by O'Haver and seven others was rewarded last week as club officials handed out appreciation plaques to the participants. ``They are at the club Tuesdays and Thursdays and this experience allows them to learn prevocational pre·vo·ca·tion·al adj. Of or relating to instruction given in preparation for vocational school. skills and it gets them more acquainted with the community,'' said Jennifer Frost, an Easter Seals spokeswoman. Frost said the Easter Seals training program helps clients to live independently, become involved in community life, and work in mainstream jobs. ``Because clients can have a wide variety of disabilities, Easter Seals creates individualized in·di·vid·u·al·ize tr.v. in·di·vid·u·al·ized, in·di·vid·u·al·iz·ing, in·di·vid·u·al·iz·es 1. To give individuality to. 2. To consider or treat individually; particularize. 3. programs for each person to help ensure success,'' she said. Along with O'Haver, Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, residents Mario Hidalgo Hidalgo, state, Mexico Hidalgo (ēthäl`gō), state (1990 pop. 1,888,366), 8,058 sq mi (20,870 sq km), central Mexico. Pachuca de Soto is the capital. , Christopher Bassett, Wendy Chase, Pedro Partida, Antonio Ruelas, Tracy Stearn and Andrea Hansen all received awards for their work in general maintenance, cleaning, envelope stuffing and other chores. ``The awards gives them a sense of accomplishment,'' Osorio said. ``They feel really good about it because they've never gotten anything like this before,'' she said. Osorio is assigned as a life skills coach to each of the participants and Friday the group celebrated their success with a picnic in Santa Clarita Park. ``The picnic was great and it was Andrea's (Hansen) birthday so it was special,'' Osorio said. Frost said the mission is to provide local services that help adults and children with disabilities live with equality and dignity. She said that in the past, the public often associated Easter Seals only with children with physical disabilities, such as ``the youngster in the wheelchair.'' ``Easter Seals is much more inclusive, serving both adults and children with nearly every kind of physical and developmental disability developmental disability n. A cognitive, emotional, or physical impairment, especially one related to abnormal sensory or motor development, that appears in infancy or childhood and involves a failure or delay in progressing through the normal ,'' Frost said. Organizers said 96 percent of money raised through the Easter Seals program stays in local communities and the organization spends 86 percent of all donated money on direct client services. The program also provides community safety and awareness, the use of public transportation, self care and monitoring, financial management, use of basic community resources, membership in community-service organizations and job skills, Frost said. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1--Color) Ronnie O'Haver and Mario Hidalgo are among members of the Easter Seals Adult Day Program to receive Boys & Girls Club awards. (2) Ronnie O'Haver and Mario Hidalgo tidy up Verb 1. tidy up - put (things or places) in order; "Tidy up your room!" clean up, neaten, square away, tidy, straighten, straighten out make up, make - put in order or neaten; "make the bed"; "make up a room" around the Santa Clarita Valley Boys & Girls Club center. Hans Gutknecht/Daily News |
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