A Salute to Those Who Make the Season Bright

Children’s joy is a big part of the holiday season. Here’s a word of thanks for those who create joyous holidays for children who face a rough road the rest of the year. . . .

The Exchange Club Child Abuse Prevention Center of Costa Mesa is primarily funded by local service clubs bearing the same name. Problem is, says Dick Freeman, president-elect of the Exchange Club of Newport Harbor, members rarely get to see where their money goes.

They got that chance this week, at a party in Newport Beach. Club members brought their grandchildren to mingle and see Santa Claus along with a special group of children from the Child Abuse Prevention Center--the children of teen parents. The center has begun sending teen parents to community meetings to warn others of the consequences of teen pregnancy.

Executive Director Kathy McCarrell explained: “We were asking pregnant teens, ‘What could an adult say or do that would have made a difference to you?’ Their answer was, ‘Nothing. We don’t listen to adults.’ But they will listen to other teens.”

The center sends its carefully screened panel out in groups of three. The Christmas party was a way to thank them and do something special for their children.

“I don’t think there was anyone there who wasn’t touched by what he saw,” Freeman said.

Employees and spouses at Utility Billing in Brea, a meter reading company, had a special party this week too. The company is a sponsor for one of the 10 cottages at the Florence Crittenton Home for abandoned or abused children.

“A lot of the men at the party were surprised to see the children gravitate toward them,” said Marilyn Salzman, community service director at Florence Crittenton. “Many of these children have not had strong male role models. Afterward, many of these men commented how glad they were that their wives had asked them to come.”

I called half a dozen centers that help abused children or abused spouses staying with their children in shelters. All had special holiday plans for Christmas and Hanukkah.

Laura’s House in San Clemente, which takes in spousal abuse victims and their children, threw a party for current residents and many alumni. More than 100 people showed up. Youngsters in the house each received a $50 gift certificate from Mervyn’s, plus theater tickets provided by a board member.

“It’s the time of year the kids love, but it’s also a stressful time,” cautioned Sandy Condello, executive director of Laura’s House. “They are away from home and all their things. And their families are divided.”

Here’s a reminder of how little some people appreciate their families: One former Laura’s House resident, now in hiding from a wife-beating husband, just learned that the house they shared has been firebombed. Police say the estranged husband is the leading suspect.

This Christmas, as I enjoy my own family, I’ll remember Salzman’s words about Florence Crittenton’s children:

“We’re not the same as Christmas at home with their family. We know that. All we can do is let them know that there are people in the community who care about them.”

Noah’s Roses: Those petal-pushing Gasts of Mission Viejo are back at it. Lynn and Dick Gast and their three children are such experts at putting together floats for the annual New Year’s Day Rose Parade in Pasadena that they farm themselves out to work on other floats. That way they raise money for their own Lutheran Hour Ministries float. Dick Gast heads the Lutheran float committee; Lynn Gast heads Petal Pushers, the fund-raising float helpers.

Last year’s Lutheran float won the award for “best theme expression.” This year’s float: “Livin’ God’s Promise.” I’ve seen the pictures; you can expect to see Noah’s Ark sailing down Colorado Boulevard.

All Aboard for the Holidays: Maybe it’s because I’m the son of a railroad worker, but I hope model train enthusiasts will be with us for generations to come. One of the best model train shows I’ve seen is the Great American Train Show (story, B1), which is at the Anaheim Convention Center today and Sunday (11 a.m. to 5 p.m., $5 adult tickets). The show travels to some 90 cities each year. Included will be more than 10,000 trains, 14 elaborate train layouts and 19 workshops on a variety of train topics.

The show was started 13 years ago by former IBM executive Dave Swanson, who said of his hobby: “Trains are such an impressive and captivating part of our nation’s history.”

Wrap-Up: Sometimes we newspaper people take for granted that readers pretty much know how we operate. Yet it was a huge surprise recently to one very well educated reader to learn I don’t write my own headlines. For his entire life, he believed the columnists he enjoyed most wrote the headlines for their columns.

Sorry, folks. There’s a whole crew of unsung heroes here--the copy desk--to do that. They also edit the copy and lay out the pages. The particular headline this person was boasting about--and erroneously credited to me--was written by Brad Bonhall of our copy desk. I have a special reason for mentioning him:

I love to open my morning paper and see a headline that so beautifully captures, in just a few words, the essence of what my column is about that day. I’ve been blessed with some terrific headline writers. But when I’ve inquired who was responsible for the best gems, Bonhall’s name kept coming up.

Bonhall, by the way, is married to a journalism teacher, and they have a 9-year-old daughter. In the spirit of the holidays, here’s to Brad and his colleagues on the copy desk.

Jerry Hicks’ column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Readers may reach Hicks by calling the Times Orange County Edition at (714) 966-7823 or by fax to (714) 966-7711, or e-mail to jerry.hicks@latimes.com