DAILY NEWS PEOPLE : FREDDA HAMILTON.Byline: - Sharon Cotal Fredda Hamilton's friends think she's a little ``quirky quirk n. 1. A peculiarity of behavior; an idiosyncrasy: "Every man had his own quirks and twists" Harriet Beecher Stowe. 2. .'' Hamilton has been known to walk up to complete strangers and ask if there is anything she can do to help. She collects food for needy people in her neighborhood, she's learning sign language so that she can communicate with the hearing impaired, and every time she sees a police officer she stops to express her gratitude for what they do. ``I don't think we give law-enforcement officers enough credit,'' Hamilton said. ``They put their lives on the line for us every day, and I just want to show my appreciation.'' Her friends just roll their eyes and say, ``Well, at least you'll probably never get a ticket.'' Hamilton is a single parent and works full-time, but she still finds time to help out in her community, because she says she wants to make her little corner of the world a better place. ``I watch the news,'' Hamilton said, ``and there is so much pain and suffering in the world today. There's not much I can do about most of the world's problems, but I do what I can right here where I live.'' AGE: 47 RESIDENCE: Calabasas BORN AND RAISED IN: Born in Bryan, Texas Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 65,660. It is the county seat of Brazos CountyGR6 , and raised in Waco, Texas For the Branch Davidian siege in Waco, Texas, see . For other uses of "Waco", see Waco (disambiguation). Waco (pronounced: /ˈweɪkoʊ/) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. ; she moved to Calabasas in 1992. OCCUPATION: Customer service representative at Falcon Cable. MARITAL STATUS marital status, n the legal standing of a person in regard to his or her marriage state. : Divorced. CHILDREN: Aaron, 17, and Lauren, 12. VOLUNTEERISM: Hamilton is a ``cuddler'' in the neonatal unit of the Queen of Angels Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, formerly known as Queen of Angels-Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, is a hospital in Los Angeles, California, USA. The hospital has 434 beds. History Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center was founded in 1924. . She helps take care of the newborns so that the nurses are able to concentrate on the high-risk babies, or just take a break. She also volunteers her lunch hour every day as chairwoman for the Las Virgenes Unified School District Las Virgenes Unified School District (LVUSD) is a K-12 school district in north-west Los Angeles County, USA consisting of 14 public schools in the cities of Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Westlake Village, and several small portions of the West Hills section of Los Angeles. Technology Foundation. She calls large companies asking for donations of money or equipment for the district. When Hamilton's daughter wanted to join the Girl Scouts Girl Scouts, recreational and service organization founded (1912) in Savannah, Ga., by Mrs. Juliette Gordon Low (1860–1927). It was originally modeled after the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, organizations created in Great Britain by Sir Robert Baden-Powell during , Hamilton signed on as a troop leader. She helps the girls earn their badges, takes them on outings and sets up guest speakers. ``We tell the girls to try to do at least one good deed every day, and I try to do that as well,'' she said. Hamilton is also a member of the Junior League of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , an international women's service organization devoted to volunteerism. HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED?: ``I had a serious illness several years ago, and I thought, `What if I died today? What would my obituary say? What have I done for others?' When I found out that the illness was not life-threatening, I realized that I had a second chance to live a better life.'' WHY DO YOU VOLUNTEER?: ``When you are doing something for other people, you always feel so appreciated and needed. You don't always get that at work or at home.'' GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: ``I recently obtained an MCI (1) (Media Control Interface) A high-level programming interface from Microsoft and IBM for controlling multimedia devices. It provides commands and functions to open, play and close the device. (2) (Microwave Communications Inc. grant for $10,000 to purchase technology for the school district. Also, I convinced (comedian-TV star) Sinbad to be our foundation spokesperson. I think he's a great choice, because both grown-ups and kids like him.'' GOALS FOR THE FUTURE: ``To see that my children become accomplished and successful, but more importantly that they learn to give back to their community. I would also like to see the LVUSD LVUSD Las Virgenes Unified School District (Calabasas, CA) Technology Foundation become more well-known so that we can raise more money for the schools.'' ROLE MODELS: ``My parents were great role models. My father was a principal for over 40 years, and my mother was a teacher. They did a lot of work in our community (Waco). Dad was a Sunday school Sunday school, institution for instruction in religion and morals, usually conducted in churches as part of the church organization but sometimes maintained by other religious or philanthropic bodies. In England during the 18th cent. superintendent and president of the housing authority for many years. After my father died, instead of just giving up on life my mother has written two books. I really admire her for becoming an author.'' FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: ``Going to plays at the Deaf West Theatre Founded in 1991, Deaf West Theatre Company has become a cultural institution serving as a model for deaf theatre worldwide. It is noted for being the first professional resident Sign Language Theatre in the western half of the United States. in L.A. I've taken sign language lessons and so has my daughter. We enjoy the plays, and it's a good opportunity to practice our skills.'' WHAT WOULD BE A PERFECT DAY FOR YOU?: ``I would like to win the lottery. I would set up the Fredda Hamilton Foundation, and people could call me and tell me what they need, like people who are homeless, experiencing domestic violence or just in need of technology. The foundation would want every child in the L.A. area to have a computer. I really feel that technology and education will be the cause of the 21st century. I would want 100 percent of the money to go to people in need.'' CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Fredda Hamilton Gus Ruelas/Daily News |
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