TORRANCE TRIBUNE April 23, 2015 Page 5 If Crisis Strikes, You Risk: • Losing Control • Additional Stress on Your Family • The Loss of What You Spent a Lifetime Building Proper Planning Allows You: • Maintain Control of Your Assets for the Family’s Sake • Give Control to Those you Trust, When You’re not Able • To Afford Long Term Care Costs • Keep Your Family’s Business Private This Workshop covers frequently asked questions and misconceptions on: • WILLS & TRUSTS • ASSET PROTECTION • PLANNING FOR DISABLED CHILD OR LOVED ONE • MEDI-CAL QUALIFICATION FOR NURSING HOME CARE Join Us For A Free Workshop Call (310) 782-6322 to register. Law Offices of R. Christine Brown, APC “The Estate Planning Essentials” Thursday, May 14, 2015 from 3:00 to 5:00p.m. Reservations Are Required – Seating is Limited 21151 S. Western Avenue, Suite 153, Torrance, CA 90501 – There is no cost or obligation for the Workshop Life is Complicated Enough, Protecting Your Family Shouldn’t Be Untimely death or disability is tragic for your loved ones. If Crisis Strikes, You Risk: • Losing Control • Additional Stress on Your Family • The Loss of What You Spent a Lifetime Building Proper Planning Allows You: • To Maintain Control of Your Assets for the Sake of The Family • Give Control to Those you Trust Most, When You’re not Able • To Afford Long Term Care Costs • Keep Your Family’s Join Us For A Free Workshop Call (310) 782-6322 to register. This Workshop covers frequently asked questions and misconceptions on: • WILLS & TRUSTS • ASSET PROTECTION • PLANNING FOR DISABLED CHILD OR LOVED ONE TerriAnn in Torrance The Little Free Library in Torrance By TerriAnn Ferren Photos by TerriAnn Ferren Reading a book can be comforting, informative, interesting, and fun. Listening to someone read conjures up cozy times with parents, grandparents, teachers, babysitters, or friends. Yes, I know we are living in a digital age where it’s difficult finding young people enjoying a book - I mean a real book with pages and a cover, as opposed to checking a cell phone for a tweet or integral. But the young are not the only culprits ditching the book for the kindle or reading app. Call me old-fashioned, but there is nothing like reading a book with real pages you turn as a story unfolds. Up until today, we had six libraries scattered throughout our fair city of Torrance. Now we have seven. Little Free Library, located in the lobby of the Torrance Police Department is now open for business. How did this come about and why is the library located in the Police Department? As we all know, our own hometown hero Louis Zamperini loved to run from an early age and if you read Laura Hillenbrand’s book of Louis’ life, Unbroken, it tells the tale of a very naughty Louis who would run from the police quite often when he got into trouble. But after he reformed, thanks in great part to his brother, Pete, Louis’s running paid off and he participated in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. Somehow, the location for this library seemed perfect. It all began when Clay Zamperini, grandson of Louis Zamperini and Executive Director of Victory Boys Camp/The Louis Zamperini Foundation, partnered with A Chance for Children and the Torrance Police Department to bring a Little Free Library into the lobby of our station. A Chance for Children was very dear to Louis’s heart, and for twenty years, he spent time with the children at their summer camp, helping, encouraging, and supporting them throughout the year. A Chance for Children, established in 1994, works with disadvantaged, and homeless youth in South Los Angeles. The Louis Zamperini Foundation partnered with A Chance for Children and the Los Angeles Police Department to establish one more library under the Torrance umbrella. As I walked up to the special event, I saw about thirty children from First Lutheran School in Torrance wearing matching t-shirts sitting down on the ground, listening to Officer Steve D’Angou give important advice, telling them how to dial 911 if they had an emergency. These children were at this very special installation and ribbon cutting to remind us how precious a book read to a child can be, and also to take a tour of the police department after the festivities. Torrance Mayor, Pat Furey, was in attendance along with representatives from the City Council, Council Member Michael Griffiths and Council Member Heidi Ann Ashcraft. Torrance Police Chief, Mark Matsuda joined organizer of the event, Debbie Hays to celebrate the joint efforts of Clay Zamperini, Tai Collins, Founder and Executive Director of A Chance for Children, and the Los Angeles Police Department, to install the Little Free Library into the lobby of our Torrance Police Department. “The books were initially stocked and funded by the Water Buffalo Club [big kids helping little kids]. The Old Torrance Neighborhood Association has ten young readers edition of Unbroken [they will donate],” said Debbie Hays. Officer Erin Bardales from the Torrance Police Department will read One Hungry Monster, written by Susan Heyboer O’Keefe. Mayor Pat Furey told me, “This is really a great program, especially for the children who might have to be here for some other reason. To divert their attention to something more pleasant and keep their mind off of what is happening at that time. Whether they’re victims, witnesses, or a visitor – it just makes it a pleasant place to be.” Chief Mark Matsuda said, when I asked him how he felt about having the Little Free Library in the lobby, “It’s a great opportunity for us and I am very pleased that Debbie and Clay Zamperini reached out to us to make this available because I know it has been very prevalent in LAPD, in their community centers, and in their police departments. With our connection as a city to Louis Zamperini in this police department, obviously it is a nice fit. We are very pleased we can make the accommodation because anytime a child comes into a police station, it can be a little daunting, and to have them pass the time with a book is a very nice thing.” Standing near the children, I spoke with Council Member Heidi Ann Ashcraft who said, “I love that we are having a Little Free Library in our police lobby. I notice that I have a neighbor around the corner from me that has one of these same little libraries in her front yard just last week – and I had not known that was there – and I was concerned that nobody else does, so with this being in our lobby of the police department, it will be a definite recognition as to what is going on in certain neighborhoods - that do have them. So I’m excited!” Councilmember Michael Griffiths echoed his colleague’s enthusiasm and added, “I think it is great as well. When people come to the police department, they have to wait a long time sometimes. It is nice to have a positive diversion where you can entertain yourself – your kids if they happen to be with you and waiting – it is a positive thing all the way around and this sort of thing is sprouting up all over the community.” Debbie Hays welcomed everyone and began the event by introducing Clay Zamperini, Tai Collins from A Chance for Children, and the representatives from the Los Angeles Police Department. The My Little Free Library is prevalent all over Los Angeles County and now is right here in our own town. “Nearly a century ago, my grandfather got his start as a runner and would go on to run in the 1936 Berlin Olympics by running from Clay Zamperini and Debbie Hays Los Angeles Officer Heidi Stoecklein and Tai Collins, Founder and Executive Director of A Chance for Children. Mayor Pat Furey Chief of Police Mark Matsuda Councilmember Mike Griffiths, Councilmember Heidi Ashcraft, Clay Zamperini, Tai Collins, Chief Mark Matsuda, Pamela Gibbons, Officer Heidi Stoecklein, and Mayor Pat Furey with the children of First Lutheran School at the opening of the Little Free Library. See TerriAnn, page 8
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