Bazaar Benefits Those With Disabilities

Continuing a tradition that dates to the 1960s, the San Fernando Valley Assn. for the Retarded will hold its 34th annual Autumn Festival and Bazaar on Saturday.

The event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., will raise money for a variety of programs benefiting adults with developmental disabilities, said Joseph Chu, a spokesman for the association, which is also known as New Horizons.

“It started in 1954 with eight families who had children with disabilities and didn’t know what to do,” Chu said. “It has evolved into an agency with over 500 clients.”

The bazaar will include more than 50 vendors selling arts and crafts, plants and flowers, food and drink, and new and used merchandise. More than a dozen community groups, including the Red Cross, the Los Angeles Police and Fire departments and the Wildlife Waystation, will distribute information from booths during the event.

Previous bazaars have drawn 3,000 visitors, and New Horizons is expecting even larger crowds this year, Chu said. Parthenia Street will be closed to traffic between Haskell and Aqueduct avenues during the event.

“It’s a great opportunity for preholiday shopping and really just a fun day,” Chu said.

New Horizons’ programs for people with disabilities are organized into three components, officials said. The organization provides group housing and operates day-training programs designed to teach independent living skills. The final component is a work-training and placement program that has helped hundreds of clients find paying jobs in the Valley.

For more information about the bazaar, call New Horizons at (818) 894-9301.