From Cyber Books to Moses Mania, the Stories We’ve Brought You During the Year Have Had Some Surprising Developments : Out of the Service, Back to the Keyboard

Abel Perales is back from boot camp and studying piano again.

Last time we checked in on him, the 19-year-old had just found out that he’d won a special scholarship from the Young Musicians Foundation. The bad news was: By the time the letter arrived, he’d joined up with the Army Reserves and had shipped out for basic training.

Unable to afford a piano of his own, Perales had taught himself to play the instrument at the Salvation Army’s Red Shield Community Center in Pico-Union, where his mother worked. Earlier this year, his talents were noticed by parents involved in the City of Angels Ballet, based at the center. A sponsor was found to fund lessons for him with John Blacklow, a former Juilliard instructor. The lessons led to a competition in which Perales, performing for the first time in front of judges, was awarded the foundation scholarship to encourage him to continue in music.

His experience in the Army didn’t dampen that encouragement. Perales got home in November and is back studying with Blacklow. His next goal, he says, is to study music in college.

Park Dream Coming to Fruition

Catherine Curry-Williams and Scott Williams of Valley Village wanted to build a park where children with disabilities could play alongside other children. It would be in memory of their son Shane, who’d been born with spinal muscular atrophy and died after 14 days. Had he lived, he likely would have been paralyzed.

Their dream is taking form. In October, the Los Angeles City Council set aside two acres in Griffith Park, and more than $100,000--one-sixth of the estimated total cost of the project--has been raised.

A Company Breaks Its Fund-Raising Record

They sold churros and tamales, collected nickels and pennies, raffled bicycles and organized garage sales. They spent their morning breaks hiking around their building to prepare for the annual Walk to Cure Diabetes.

In 1997, their first year of participation in the fund-raiser, the 360 employees of Swat Fame, a clothing manufacturer in the city of Industry, had raised more than $86,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. Having become involved at the urging of company President Mitchell Quaranta, whose 5-year-old daughter is diabetic, they participated wholeheartedly, raising more money than such corporate giants as Xerox, Wells Fargo, Home Savings of America. It would be a hard act to top.

And this year, they raised the bar. The Swat Fame employees set out to raise $100,000. But the last time we saw them, a week before the walk, they had only raised about 18 grand.

They made their goal. Not only did the employees participate in the walk, but they brought along relatives and friends and pets--480 walkers in all. And when the last one crossed the finish line, Swat Fame once again had finished first in corporate contributions from the Los Angeles area.