About Town
Debra Hawk anesthetizes a Haitian victim of the January earthquake prior to surgery. Photo by Dr. Mark Hyman
Haiti Ground Zero
Manhattan Beach resident Debra Hawk will speak Wednesday about her experience in Haiti, where she volunteered to assist in life-saving amputations after the January earthquake that decimated the tiny nation’s capital.
The talk is the second in a speaker series offered by the city’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
With more than 20 years experience as a nurse anesthetist, Hawk was on a plane to Haiti with a medical team hours after the quake struck. In dire conditions, Hawk and her team did what CERT aspires to do when faced with a disaster: “adapt, improvise and overcome.” The work she and her team did in Haiti saved hundred of lives.
She will relate her experiences, illustrated with some of the 1,500 slides she took during her time there.
“Clearly we in MBCERTA can learn much from Debra’s experiences, lessons which will prove invaluable when the big one hits the South Bay,” said George Butts, president of Manhattan Beach CERT. “And it is only a question of when, not if, it will strike.”
Admission is free for the event, which starts at 7 p.m. at the Joslyn Community Center in Manhattan Beach. CERT organizers encourage attendees to arrive early to ensure seating since a large turnout is expected.
For more information, visit www.mbcerta.org.
Author Signing
Author Kelly Corrigan read portions of her New York Times best-selling book, The Middle Place, at a March 21 author event hosted by Pages: A Bookstore. Photo courtesy of Pages
Author Kelly Corrigan read portions of her New York Times best-selling book, The Middle Place, at a March 21 author event hosted by Pages: A Bookstore. Owners Margot Farris, Patty Gibson and Linda McLoughlin celebrated the grand opening of the independent bookstore last month.
Corrigan also signed copies of Lift, her latest book “for everyone who has been caught off-guard by the pace and vulnerability of raising children.” Corrigan’s books are available at Pages.
For more information, visit www.pagesabookstore.com.
Hotel Miss California
Shade Hotel will hold a Miss California USA meet-and-greet next week, where participants will “learn to walk the red carpet and win over the paparazzi.”
Experts in the biz — including hair and make-up professionals, fitness and nutrition experts, stylists, fashion designers and media trainers — will offer industry advice to attendees.
Miss California USA 2010 Nicole Johnson and Miss California Teen USA 2010 Emma Baker will host the event.
The meet-and-greet is free, open to the public, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Shade Hotel. Executive Directors Keith Lewis and Shanna Moakler and the current and past Miss California USA winners will join attendees at a VIP Brunch, 2 p.m. Sunday. The cost of the brunch is $20.
For more information, visit www.misscaliforniausa.com. ER