Little Dog Lost

 

Small Loving Mystery Dog Wandering  in Wilmington Crosses Major Boulevard and Finds Me

By Diana L. Chapman

   Driving to Wilmington recently on a cold morning, I got off the Anaheim Avenue exit from the 110 Freeway and my eyes immediately fell on a tiny terrier, smaller than some cats, trotting along the street.

   The munchkin couldn't of weighed more than ten pounds and kept looking back at a man walking another dog on its leash.

   I had two minutes to get to Gulf Street Elementary for a writer's workshop so I concluded (to make myself feel better) that the little beast belonged to the man. After all, she kept looking back at him -- lovingly.

   I dismissed it from my brain's archives. But life plays tricks on us in mysterious ways and nothing is ever what it seems. As soon as I abandoned any thoughts of rescuing the little gal some shifting in the universe must have taken place.

   After a great workshop, I walked out the school doors and was astounded to find her sitting there. She would have crossed Wilmington Boulevard, an artery often clogged with semi-trucks and piles of traffic around the hustling Los Angeles port. She too must have wandered through other busy residential areas hemmed in with apartments and homes.

   I was surprised she had made it here to this school in one piece at all and was also bemused by the coincidence.

   "Oh, sweetie, what are you doing here?" I said. She immediately wiggled over, this wiry haired looking terrier, rolled on her back and waited for me to pet her tummy.    That wasn't something I couldn't resist.

   The moment I saw her at the school, I decided she was coming home with me for safety reasons alone while knowing my family of two dogs, one son, and one husband were going to be furious.

    But I had no choice. To  leave a small dog that was basically acting like a baby and trusting everyone and anybody wouldn't live long on the streets -- just from sheer volumes of traffic alone. As we left, I watched her whimper out the window looking for something or someone. She cried and cried.

   Before I could mix her with my dogs, I raced her to the vet who -- and I agreed -- assessed that she was well cared for. She had no fleas, seemed well groomed as much a wiry haired dog can be -- and was so loving and affectionate that it seemed virtually impossible that she hadn't had a loving owner. She also had a microchip, but it had not been registered. Dead end there.

 While many stray dogs roam Wilmington streets, this wasn't  the norm. The vet gave her a clean bill of health and I headed home to my two-pack dogs who always act silly when anyone arrives barking and leaping up like a frenzied lightning storm. They were doing their usual craziness as I walked in, but then realized something was in my arms.    

   They stopped. Looked. And then began to gruffly bark and surround us with even more over-the-top enthusiasm.

   She was terrorized. To her, my dogs, while not that big, must have seemed like giants. Boo and Baxter, while a bit peeved, seemed to realize we had a guest for awhile and let her settle in.

   The next round was with my human family, my husband and son, both of whom already told me on the phone they were angry that I thrust another animal in our lives of an already crowded house. That was before they met her. Their sentiments were about to change.

   The first test was Ryan, the 19-year-old son. He walked in the door, took one look, at the quivering canine, scooped her up and instantly adored her.

   Later, when my husband walked in, I braced for more anger. Instead, the little one raced to the door to greet him with a wagging tail.  Once he spotted her, I could see his face melt with kindness. He agreed she couldn't have stayed on the mean streets of sprawling Los Angeles. Last April, police found two beheaded dogs, a chocolate Labrador and German Shepherd, in a trash can in South Los Angeles, a disturbing and gruesome cruelty one top official called "despicable."

   I was so outraged over that act and did a story to alert readers. A $20,000 reward was offered to snatch the culprits.  How could I possibly leave this loving baby to wander into who knows what?

   Now -- currently serving as her foster family, we have given our little one, who likes to sit quietly in my lap for as long as possible, the following names: Lulu, Adele, Little Girl, Pumpkin Baby Girl and No Name.  We will be on a search for those who loved her and possibly lost her. A teacher from the elementary school has promised to look at lost dog signs. I will too.

   Because it's not possible that in our crazy world which so often treats animals as disposable garbage that someone didn't love this mysterious little girl.

   Please share this post.

   I can be reached at hartchap@cox.net.

Six Faces of Cancer

Larry Bonney, 4, Captain Marvel

Devin Hamilton, 9
Crestwood Avenue Elementary

Camille  Ferrante, 51, Lorraine's aunt

Elizabeth Carter, 74, Lorraine's mother

Ryan Rossi, musician 27

Mark Vasquez, 36, Manhattan Beach Police

 Officer

 The Six Faces of Cancer: A Longshore Woman's Loss of Mom and Aunt to Aggressive Blood Cancers Drives Her To Put on A Concert At Warner Grand To Raise A Pretty Penny For Research

By Diana L. Chapman

First her aunt went, dying in 1996 of an aggressive leukemia within two years of  the diagnosis at age 51. Her niece, Lorraine Shea, didn't know much about cancer then and felt helpless.

Then Lorraine's mom went in 2010, dying within four months from a different form of the savage disease at age 74. Now Lorraine knows more about blood cancers than she ever wanted to know and can tick off stats such as "every ten minutes someone dies of blood  cancer."

After the loss of her mother, Shea, 49, found herself traveling across the Vincent Thomas bridge from her longshoring job, feeling routinely angry, devastated and robbed. Every day, at 5 p.m. she had called her mom, Elizabeth Carter, while driving over the bridge -- a pleasure that she no longer had.

"I hate cancer more than anything else," Shea said, sometimes tears filling her eyes. "I want to help other people beat cancer. This is my passion. It gives me purpose."

Lorraine Shea completes a run to help raise money for cancer research

And that is why Lorraine, 49, a Harbor City resident, has launched an aggressive campaign to raise $150,000 for blood cancer research  and is planning a giant jazz concert at the Warner Grand in San Pedro on February 9. It's an unprecedented goal for a single volunteer to raise that much for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Lorraine also picked six faces of cancer to honor-- all of different ages -- to show the public how the disease can strike at anyone at any time and leaves a train wreck behind for families overwhelmed by their losses.

Her purpose was the whole point of ....

--the marathons

--the bowling tournaments

--the bake sales

Despite that she's been nominated as "Woman of Year," for the society, it's not the title she's after; it's the money needed to investigate ways to prevent the prolific serial killer.

In her more recent events, Lorraine already raised $20,000 toward her goal with the help of friends she met in Team and Training, one arm of the society's fundraising efforts. The society provides coaches to train volunteers how to run scheduled marathons as a way to produce research funding. That's where Lorraine's dedication to the agency began.

It started out small at first. Her first goal was to raise $5,000 by completing the Disneyland half-marathon in 2011.  It was a challenge. But she did it.

"I had never run a marathon or anything like that," Lorraine said, adding when she crossed the finish line "it was an amazing feeling. Every emotion came rushing in all at once. I felt sad because it was all over but happy because it was over. I don't think I'll ever have that feeling again."

Lorraine, however, wasn't satisfied with her first fundraiser; the goal amount was too small and now she knew more and more people afflicted with the often deadly illness. Anyone who wants to talk to her about cancer can easily gain her ear and her heart. She's more than interested now and says she has leaned on a team of about 15 women -- who became friends with her when running the marathons  --  stacking up their efforts to support her mission called Unite to Fight Blood Cancers. She calls "my girls" "Team Forzo" Italian for strength.

After she completed that half marathon, she became a volunteer mentor working with other runners to compete in more Team in Training marathons. Lorraine now loves to run.  Her cheer leading efforts caught the eye of Whitney Vanpelt, a campaign manager for the society who nominated Lorraine for the society's Woman of the Year. Whitney has no doubts that Lorraine will actually raise that much money.

"She was on my (running) team and she got everyone so motivated," Whitney said. "She gets to know everyone on the team. She's fun. She's hilarious. She's organized. She doesn't give up. She just goes and goes and goes. She's been working really hard to make a difference.

" She's like a thoroughbred. I think she can do it."

The upcoming concert will honor six people who have died from blood cancer.

They include: Larry Bonney, a four year old who loved Captain America; Devin Hamilton, 10, a student at Crestwood Avenue Elementary; Ryan Rossi, 27, a musician; Mark Vasquez, 36, a Manhattan police officer; her aunt, Camille Ferrante, an avid golfer and production assistant for Mattel, Inc. and her mother, Elizabeth Carter, a longtime volunteer at Torrance Memorial Hospital.

 "It's people who have touched my  heart either directly or indirectly," Lorraine explained. "It's a diverse group. I think about how we are going to end our time here. It's just mind boggling. The fact that I have a purpose to help people I've never met makes me feel good."

Those whose loved ones will be noted at the concert said they appreciate and respect Lorraine's efforts.

Jenny Bonney, who lost her little guy at the age of three, two days before his fourth birthday,  described an enthusiastic boy who loved Captain America, but began having terrible stomach aches. He was routinely misdiagnosed with anything from rheumatoid arthritis to meningitis before the family learned he had leukemia and the doctors told them "there's no next step" to save him.

Before he died, Larry told his mother he felt better and that "Jesus kissed my feet last night."

Jenny said it's a beautiful gesture that Larry is included in the concert who also was "a mascot" for one of Lorraine's bowling events. "Sometimes, we're just still in shock."

Devon Hamilton's grandmother, Mary Martinez, lauded Shea's decision saying losing Devon at the age of nine broke the hearts of everyone that knew her.

"This concert humanizes our loved ones once again," the grandmother said. "Family members will be there supporting the cause to find a cure. For many of us, it's already too late. But this is to someday find the cure and save the lives of our future doctors, dancers, mothers, friends."

No family touched with blood cancer is unscathed.

Lorraine describes tortuous days as the end neared for her mother, diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a rare form of the cancer. She blesses the fact that before illness she took her mother to New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Orlando, Mexico and Italy. In Vegas, her mother always happily won at Blazing Sevens slot machines, she said.

But on their return trip from New York, Lorraine and her brother, Alfred Davino,  noticed their mother had slowed down and deep colored bruises, some the size of grapefruits, began appearing on her body. She was no longer interested in food. Then she had dental work done and the dentist couldn't staunch the blood flow.

Doctors at Torrance Memorial -- who knew Elizabeth well as a volunteer - found her white blood count "twenty times" greater than it should be. Before the diagnosis, Elizabeth had told her kids that she dreaded wheeling patients to chemotherapy ward and that she never wanted to be rolled through that door. Now, she was facing the of fight of her life there, one that would go on for about four months. Chemotherapy. Remission. Chemotherapy.

Instead of thinking about herself when she was hospitalized, Elizabeth puttered to

get the doctors and staff their meals, snacks, make them coffee or run other helpful errands, Lorraine said.

On Thanksgiving 2010, her mother relapsed and died on Dec. 1. Lorraine said she felt empty, cold and wondered if she had been a good enough daughter. "It was hell for me," she said.

Many oncologists and nurses showed up for Elizabeth's funeral. "They loved her," Lorraine said.

But all Lorraine had left afterward was a gaping emotional hole -- one that her purpose has since begun to fill with light and happiness --  and money to defeat one of the world's biggest killers.

Now Lorraine can grin and say if her mother were here, Elizabeth would once again be calling her "an octopus" for all her involvement and good deeds she had shed on the world.

The Unite to Fight Blood Cancers Concert will be held at 5 p.m. February 9th showcasing bands like One World, Azure and One Ten South. A silent auction will also be held. General admission is $20 a ticket; VIP seating $30. Tickets sold at the door will cost $25. Tickets can be bought at experiencesp.com. The Warner Grand is located at 478 6th Street, San Pedro. For more information, call (657) 210-cure or visit http://www.unite2fightbloodcancers.org.

San Pedro Mom Collects Surplus Goods For the Needy

By Diana L. Chapman

   The teacher at a Wilmington Elementary School kept the two boys behind at recess. Why, the fourth grade teacher asked, were they fighting -- a little tip he'd received. The boys shuffled about until the true confessions flowed out from the smaller student.

   The larger boy, he admitted, was bullying him -- about  his shoes. One of his sneaker's soles gaped open like a shark's mouth.  

     I had just finished up a volunteer writing workshop in that class and my head hurt that a kid was hassled over his sneakers making me think of a friend Jennifer Marquez; She mentioned recently that she had snagged a big score for the non-profit where she works.  It was 150 pairs of shoes. Shoes for needy kids.

***

   Before stumbling into the bullying incident, I called Jennifer to do a story about her unique job.  She collects gifts-in-kind for Shelter Partnership, a non-profit dedicated to resolving the crises of homelessness that serves 51,000 homeless in Los Angeles County and collaborates with 200 other agencies.

   But now I was calling her to see if she had extra shoes for the Wilmington student. Because of her efforts, Payless Shoes awarded Shelter Partnerships 150, $20 vouchers to shoe the feet of needy children for a third year in a row. Half were slotted for San Pedro children; the other half will be donated near the end of the month through the Union Rescue Mission.

   It was a generous offer Payless does nationwide each year.  Despite that it's much smaller than the case and palette loads that roll into non-profit,  the donation is considered just as precious.

   Often homeless children get shoes, but never have the chance to select them.

    "This is a fantastic donation because the kids from the shelters get to pick them. They get to try them on," Jennifer explained. "Otherwise, they get shoes that don't fit or they are not the right style. The fact the kids are able pick out and try on their own shoes is really exciting."

   When I told Jennifer about the student, I could hear her heart melt over the phone. Her voice softened and stirred with compassion.

   She could set aside shoe vouchers for the boy and two siblings, but the parents must call the collaborating agency, the YWCA Harbor Area , to register. Sometimes, she added, parents won't call. Sometimes, they are too proud, ashamed, scared or shy.

   I passed the information to the teacher and waited.
     

Jennifer Marquez thrilled to collect surplus goods

***

      On any given day, when Jennifer's phone rings, she might hear on the other end that a business wants to donate 4,000 diapers. Or maybe there's thousands of rolls of toilet paper or 50 cases of shampoo or hundreds of cases of soap --  all at the top of the list as necessities for the homeless. Perhaps  a shipment of toys comes in or stacks of unused clothes.  Jennifer's job is to solicit donations and she frequently arranges the trucks to pick up the goods and ensure the companies receive good service.

    "Every day is different and I'm motivated to get items that might end up in landfills. I'm  frequently having trucks do pick-ups," she says. "We'll have anything from brand new apparel, arts and crafts to 2,000 toys coming in from Mattel. We are the number one recipient of Hasbro in the state of California.

   "I try to give them the Cadillac treatment."  

   Having worked for homeless-related non-profits for 20 years doing fundraising and grant writing, it wasn't until she landed the gifts-in-kind job seven years ago for Shelter Partnership that she really found her niche.

    Simply put, her job is to stuff a 108,000 square foot warehouse in Bell with donated brand new goods needed by the homeless -- anything new can be collected including underwear and socks.

   The largest donation Shelter Partnerships ever received was 16 semi trucks full of toothbrushes. The oddest: cellulite cream and disposable spa underwear, she said.

   On occasion, the non-profit will also receive counterfeit items after U.S. Customs seized them from ships in the Port of Los Angeles.

   While some businesses want the confiscated articles destroyed, others have turned them over to the agency. That's how hundreds of little girls were able to receive counterfeit Dora backpacks and some homeless received new Mercedes polo shirts.

    To obtain those donations, the agency agreed to have volunteers and employees cut out every label, Jennifer explained. Because the non-profit guarantees that the collected goods will not be sold, pickups of surplus donations have attracted the likes of Disney, Hasbro and Mattel Inc.

   Since she was young, Jennifer has been concerned about other's plights. First, the Girl Scouts made her aware of them. She learned more later when she volunteered to work with adults in the later stages of HIV and critically ill children.

   She has a powerful drive to helping those in poverty -- especially kids -- who suffer from things like parents using newspapers as diapers.

    "What happens is when people lose their jobs  or are facing poverty, they don't have money for essentials, said the San Pedro mother of two boys, 7 and 9. "They are choosing between food or shoes for their children. The kids in the shelters, they want to blend in. Children don't choose the situation.

   "They don't chose their parents. They don't want to be the kids with the holes in their shoes. They are innocent victims of poverty."

   Shelter Partnership's doors are open to businesses and manufacturers that want to donate surplus  instead of dumping them in a landfill. Then the non-profit disseminates them to shelter agencies that need the supplies.

    Top of the list of  the non-profits  needs -- and all must be new --  are hygienic products: diapers, soaps, toothpaste, shampoos, toilet paper, toothbrushes, hair brushes, and combs. In addition, new clothes, toys, bedding, crayons, pencils, papers, notebooks, and other products can be easily donated. Jennifer says she tends to work with shipments coming in by the caseload and pallet.

   While most items are new, there are exceptions such as when the television show Scrubs was scrubbed. The program offered all the show's apparel, some of which had never been worn and others that had seen little use.

    She took all of it. The scrubs then worked their way into homeless shelters as clothes as will the Payless shoes

Jasmine's old sneakers.

***

    In early January, Jennifer and the collaborating YWCA of the Harbor Area, helped kids try on brand new shoes at a San Pedro Payless along with their parents and siblings. It was chaotic, with shoe boxes littering the floors, and mothers hugging the non-profit employees with sheer gratitude.

   Brian, 7, of San Pedro was delighted to get new footwear.

   "They are light and easy to walk in and good because it was getting colder," Brian said.

    When the parents of Jasmine, 2, took her new shoes off and put her old shoes on, the toddler cried profusely and didn't stop until her new shoes went back on.   

   The mother of Jordan, 8, and Joceyln, 3, who came from Hawthorne but are YWCA clients, was thrilled, "because there are no programs like this in our area."
     "Many of the children we selected for the free shoes were not chosen for our

holiday adopt a family program," explained Rosa Martin, Administrative Coordinator, 

YWCA of the Harbor Area. "These families have needs all year not just at the holidays 

and are trying hard to support their families."

    For the rest of us, who may not be touched by homelessness, Jennifer adds, "there is 

hidden poverty everywhere."

    At her children's school, there were two children that were homeless last year, 

one was living out of a car. Both are now in better situations. This year, she adopted 

an elderly woman for Christmas who asked for small gifts, a blanket, a sweater and 

a scarf.

   "You just don't know who's walking down the street who's not going to eat dinner tonight," she said.

   Or who might have to go shoeless.

   At the end of January, another 75 children from Los Angeles, in collaboration with the

 Union Rescue Mission, will receive their shoes.

    But as Jennifer warned me, I am sad to say the Wilmington boy's parents never called.

   For more information about Shelter Partnership, visit www.shelterpartnership.org Diana can be reached at hartchap@cox.net