It’s the Stuff That Kids’ Dreams Are Made Of
John Naulin’s home is cluttered with collectibles -- including Hollywood props, Disney memorabilia and hundreds of pieces of Depression-era glass. On the third Saturday in July, the movie industry veteran hopes to free up some space.
So does Elizabeth Bell, who wants to make room in her closet by parting with clothes that no longer fit.
Bell and Naulin will sell their belongings at a community garage sale, with some proceeds going to programs for children run by Many Mansions, a nonprofit organization that provides affordable housing in Ventura County.
A Newbury Park self-storage company that’s expanding has offered to act as host of the July 15 sale and will rent out 85 new spaces to let sellers display their offerings. Sellers will be free to pocket the money they make, but rental fees for the storage space will go to Many Mansions.
Many Mansions owns and operates nine properties with 410 units for low-income tenants in Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley. It will use the sale’s proceeds for on-site after-school tutoring, literacy assistance, a teen club and summer camp.
“All of our service programs, for children and adults, operate 100% from community donations, special events and grants -- but mostly from private donations,” said Nichole Ipach, director of resource development.
Fiona Kilner, director of children’s services, said more than 300 students, averaging 70 to 80 a day, participate in the free programs held at three of the group’s housing complexes. Elementary school students who live at the complexes can walk to the after-school sessions, which run until 6:30 p.m. Those who don’t live at the site get a van ride home.
Kilner runs the program with a staff of eight and as many as 60 volunteers who can help children in specific subject areas. With the help of a web-based teaching program also used by the Conejo Valley Unified School District, students can keep working after school on the problems they started in class.
For seven weeks each summer, Many Mansions runs a summer camp, with sports, games, arts and crafts, and lessons in teamwork. There are also field trips to places such as the Santa Barbara Zoo and the Hollywood Entertainment Museum. Lifeguards from the local YMCA visit the camp weekly to oversee swimming activities.
At Hollywood Storage Center of Thousand Oaks, Naulin has reserved a 20-by-30-foot storage space for his sale. He plans to use mood lights to increase traffic.
Naulin began as a makeup artist and is now a props specialist on films and television shows, including “Nip/Tuck,” the remake of “Planet of the Apes” and “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.” With his wife, Shayna, Naulin runs MTSD Design from their Newbury Park home.
At the sale, he will offer film and TV memorabilia, including original storyboards from Disney’s “Peter Pan,” a helmet from the movie “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and animation cels from “Fantasia 2000” and from commercials featuring the Keebler Elves.
Shayna Naulin’s late father sold collectibles, including vintage glassware, lithographs and memorial plates featuring celebrities such as Elvis Presley and John Wayne. John and Shayna Naulin ended up with it all.
“My house is already busting at the seams,” John Naulin said. “We’re hoping to lighten the load.”
Bell, who worked for 17 years as a receptionist for a local orthopedic surgeon, said she and four female friends intend to transform their 10-by-20-foot space “into a makeshift dressing room.”
After a weight loss a few years back, Bell has lots of clothes she can no longer use. Her sale stall will also include some men’s clothing and an area for kids, with previously owned basketballs, baseball gloves and hand-held electronic games still in original boxes. To boost sales, her group plans to give away homegrown geraniums with most purchases.
Bell says she wants to help a good cause -- not just by selling but by doing a bit a shopping for herself.
She’s looking for items for her garden, including old bird cages to use as planters.
Participants will pay $20 for each storage space.
Many Mansions also will set up shop in two large storage spaces, which organizers will use to accept prearranged furniture donations from their wish list of needed items, raise awareness about programs and publicize other fundraisers.
Volunteers also will sell soup bowls and aprons for the organization’s Nov. 5 Bowls of Hope -- at which hundreds of bowls decorated by local artists and celebrities will be auctioned off. Tickets for Bowls of Hope are $25 each and provide admission to Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, where attendees will queue up to have community leaders, celebrities, Many Mansions board members and other supporters fill their bowls with gourmet soup donated by local restaurants in a “soup line.”
The benefit is meant to emphasize the need for affordable housing in the Conejo Valley. In March, the median price for a home in Thousand Oaks was $675,000.
Whether scouting for additional volunteers or seeking donations, Kilner said she tries to let people know how easily they can help the less fortunate.
“It doesn’t take much. It could be an hour of your time or maybe 10 bucks, but it really makes a big difference,” she said. “It may seem like a small amount, but it means more to the program than you think.”
Many Mansion’s largest annual fundraiser is a spring rubber-ducky race. This eighth annual race on May 21 will be held for the first time at The Lakes, the dining and shopping venue next to the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.
Those interested in participating in the garage sale can call Hollywood Storage Center at (805) 499-2700.