Pacoima : Conference Planned on Health, Welfare

Local community service organizations will sponsor a large health and welfare conference Oct. 28 for residents of the northeast San Fernando Valley.

Community groups such as Bridge Focus, the Pacoima Coordinating Council and the United Way organized the conference, dubbed the “Community Tree Expo.” Parents who attend with a child and turn in toy guns or weapons will receive certificates of recognition.

In addition to the toy gun exchange, the event includes five workshops--open to all residents--on subjects such as immigration, family finance, health, employment and domestic violence. The workshops will be conducted in English and Spanish.

Students from Casa Loma College, a nursing school, will provide supervised child care for children ages 3 to 11 to free parents to attend the hourlong workshops.

Residents can also pick up a comprehensive community resources directory, printed in both English and Spanish. The guides contain information on public, private and nonprofit agencies, including churches, schools and elected officials serving communities in the northeast Valley.

“We are committed to printing 2,000 directories,” said Joanne Wright, of Bridge Focus, the Burbank-based community support agency. “The booklets are designed for the residents, not agency people. They are to help residents get some control over their lives,” she added.

One highlight of the Community Tree Expo will be the planting of a sapling to symbolize a growing community.

The conference will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Ritchie Valens Recreation Center in Pacoima.