Shoes for Japan – South Bay residents can help protect victims of Friday’s earthquake in Japan against foot-borne diseases by donating gently-worn shoes to ATeam Shoe Shop, 1112 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, from now until March 31. Donations will directly support relief efforts in areas affected by the quake.
Sneaker and shoe boutique ATeam has partnered with Soles4Souls — a shoe charity that collects, recycles and reuses donated shoes and distributes them to people in need around the world – which has partnered with organizations in Japan to transport and distribute shoes in the quake’s aftermath.
“We have the opportunity, through our relationship with Soles4Souls, to get hundreds of pairs of shoes to the people in Japan and throughout the world who need help in these tragic times,” said ATeam Shoe Shop founder Adrian Vaughan. “We need people to join us by bringing shoes to ATeam so we can assist in the recovery.”
For more information, visit www.giveshoes.org or www.ateamshoeshop.com.
School Board and Planning Commission vacancies – The MBUSD is accepting applications for a board-appointed board member, since the swearing in of former MBUSD Board Member Amy Howorth to the City Council on Tuesday. The appointed member will serve until the next regularly scheduled school board election, scheduled to take place on Nov. 8.
Board member responsibilities include attendance at all board meetings – held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, study and discussion of policy issues and participation in trustee education. Other criteria include a strong knowledge of the community, a commitment to the district’s mission and an understanding of educational, social, and economic policy issues.
Applications are due by 4 p.m. March 25. Interested parties should contact the MBUSD Superintendent’s Office at 310-318-7345, ext. 5902, or nbogart@mbusd.org.
World Water Day – Environmental enthusiasts can celebrate World Water Day on Tuesday, March 22 with a tour of the West Basin Municipal Water District’s water recycling facility in El Segundo, 1935 S. Hughes Way. West Basin representatives will discuss how water is recycled and give a presentation that ties in with this year’s World Water Day theme — “Water for Cities: Responding to the Urban Challenge” — on the Water Reliability Initiative 2020, which aims to reduce the dependence of L.A.’s coast on imported water from 66 to 33 percent by 2020.
The tour is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. and will be followed by the Manhattan Beach Environmental Task Force’s regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the facility, which will replace its regularly scheduled meeting tonight.
Those interested in attending should RSVP by tomorrow with the city’s environmental program manager, Sona Kalapura, at skalapura@citymb.info. For more information, visit www.citymb.info.
Speak Easy – The Narrator Club, one of the original clubs of Toastmaster International, invites people who want to become more confident speaking in front of an audience to its open house on Monday, March 21. Since 1924, Toastmaster has aimed to help people effectively express themselves in any situation.
The Narrator Club, believed to be one of the longest running clubs in Southern California, has met for 57 years every Monday evening in Manhattan Beach. Meetings are held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Coco’s Bakery Restaurant in the Manhattan Village Mall, 2620 N. Sepulveda Blvd. For more information, visit narrators.freetoasthost.net/index.html or contact Jeanie Alessandrini at 310-569-2635 or jeaniealessandrini@gmail.com.
Ridding hazards from home – Residents can dispose of unused pharmaceuticals, antifreeze, car batteries, used motor oil, paint, pesticides, hypodermic needles, pen needles, syringes, lancets, intravenous needles, household batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, televisions, computers, monitors, VCRs, stereos, cell phones and other electronic waste at a free Countywide Household Hazardous Waste Roundup on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the M5 building parking lot of Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, located at the corner of Aviation Boulevard and Marine Avenue. Residents can dispose of up to 15 gallons or 125 pounds of household hazardous waste per vehicle. More than 80 percent of the household hazardous waste and 100 percent of the electronic waste collected by the program is recycled.
Other roundups are scheduled in Long Beach on March 26, in Lynwood on April 2, in Azusa on April 9 and in South Gate on April 16. For more information on upcoming roundups and used oil drop-off locations, call 888-CLEAN-LA or visit www.CleanLA.com.
