Palisades Woman, Young Friends Part of Clinton’s ‘Bells for Hope’

When the 52nd Presidential Inaugural events kick off Jan. 17 in Washington, Pacific Palisades resident Pepper Edmiston and cancer patients from Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times will be among the thousands of well-wishers taking part.

Edmiston, founder of the recreational camp for young cancer patients, and 24 Southern California children will participate in the “Bells for Hope” ceremony, which caps a daylong series of events.

The local campers will accompany President-elect Clinton, Vice President-elect Gore and their families as they walk across the Memorial Bridge. The bridge, which connects the Capitol city and Virginia, symbolizes the reunion between warring factions of the North and South during the mid-1800s.

“For children with cancer, hope is what keeps them going,” Edmiston said. “It is perfectly fitting that our campers, who must have hope to get through each day, will walk with the future President to ring the bells for hope.”

Once across the bridge, the Clintons and the Gores will ring a replica of the Liberty Bell near the gates of Arlington National Cemetery. The ceremony will trigger a ringing of thousands of bells across the nation in a tribute designed to pay homage to great leaders of our past.

Locally, Westside residents can see and hear the bells ring at Camp Broomfield on Mulholland Drive in Malibu at 3 p.m. PST.

Edmiston heard about the “Bells for Hope” event through a friend. After making a few phone calls, she and her group was invited to the ceremony. The children will also explore the Washington area during their seven-day stay. Activities include touring the White House, visiting Mt. Vernon and watching the Inaugural parade.

The trip was made possible through private donations to the camp.

“Children with cancer are so powerless and their families are powerless, and to be a part of this (event) makes the children feel they are significant and they have a voice,” said Edmiston, a mother of seven. “It is so exciting to be here.”

Aside from the hoopla, Edmiston thinks that the trip can be a valuable learning experience for the children.

“I hope they learn that they have right to cross the bridge with the President and that individuals count too.”

Founded in 1982 by Edmiston, mother of a then-8-year-old son with leukemia, Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times provides young cancer patients with residential camping sessions, local field trips and travel experiences. The camp holds sessions throughout the year at various locations in Southern California mountains. Children from as far away as Holland, Russia and Israel come to Los Angeles to take part in the recreational program at no cost to their families.

The Social and Public Art Resource Center has named Jeanne Segal, clinical director of Project Life in Santa Monica, to its board of directors.

Segal, who is on the executive board of the L.A. Westside Rotary and the Senior Health and Peer Counseling Center, received the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce Presidential Award in 1989 and the Santa Monica Community Leader Award in 1990.

She lives in Santa Monica.

Five Westside high school students achieved distinction in the 1992 UC Santa Barbara Prize Competition in Mathematics and Sciences.

The students are Ryan Song, Christine Dauphine, Harry Demas, Dara Levy and Jena Mori. They attend Westchester High School in Los Angeles.

Santa Monica resident Louise Gabriel has been selected as chairwoman of the 1993 Centennial celebration, which marks 100 years of service for the Santa Monica Salvation Army.

She is also a member of the nonprofit organization’s executive board.

The UCLA Alumni Assn.’s Advisory and Scholarship Program has awarded merit-based scholarships to several California community college students who transferred to UCLA in the 1992-93 academic year.

Scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,500 were awarded to students who will attend UCLA this fall and who have a minimum grade-point average of 3.85. Financial need is not a criterion.

Recipients are Beverly Hills resident Jamie Skylar, Culver City residents David Mills and Isaac Lieberman, Hollywood resident Asaf Michaeli, Los Angeles residents Pamela Michaud, Tai Chau, Teri English, David Favareau, Michelle O’Connor and Terri Star, and Marina del Rey resident Katherine Freeman.

Items can be mailed to People, Suite 200, 1717 4th St., Santa Monica 90401 .