Thanks for Stories That Inspire Hope

So often newspapers can seem (to be) filled with nothing but bad news, but three cheers for the hope-inspiring stories that filled the front page of your Southeast/Long Beach sections on Feb. 14.

That page was graced by heartening stories about: Residents in Compton who are combining efforts to clean up the drug and gang activities that are threatening their neighborhoods; Cal State Long Beach students who have set up a booth on campus to promote safe sex practices and present information in an effort to fight AIDS, and volunteers from all occupations and ethnic backgrounds who are making a success of the ABC Unified School District’s program to encourage children to read.

Thanks to each of the above groups for their important and much appreciated efforts. And thanks to The Times for reporting on positive groups such as these. By spreading the news about such groups, you encourage others to become active in worthy efforts to improve our lives and battle our ills.

JOHN TRIMBLY

Fullerton