On the Town: Christmas comes to town six months early
For most Burbankers, the first week of July includes making preparations for Fourth of July family get-togethers, finalizing summer vacation or day-trip plans and, overall, just figuring out how to stay cool through the sizzling temperatures of the coming few months.
The women of the La Providencia Guild of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles are not most Burbankers.
For guild members, the smell of backyard barbecues, sounds of exploding pyrotechnics and rising temperatures mean just one thing – It’s Christmastime!
As is the organization’s annual tradition, guildmembers staged their “Christmas in July Mega Sale” at their Burbank Boulevard thrift shop this past Saturday.
Thrift Shop Chairperson Deborah Spang and Lorelei Kelley, who served as the chair of the event, headed up a team of volunteer elves who turned the shop into a Christmassy wonderland, with proceeds benefiting the pediatric care facility. Along with the usual items of clothing, furnishings, jewelry, accessories, books and collectibles they offer, this annual event highlights previously owned Christmas items and decorations, along with homemade baked goods including brownies, cookies, cinnamon rolls and specialty sweets.
Welcomed by Haley Gertner and Kamiryn Muhlenbruk, bargain hunters were thick as Christmas pudding as they perused the offerings on their search for treasures. Among the elves who assisted them in that search were Mary Christensen, Janel Clausen, Ann O’Donnell Gardner, Judy Gragg, Nancy Johnson, Nancy Kanigher, Ming Liu, Debbie Lowman, Fannny Belle Mound, Janet Sedhom, Kala Uribe, Linda Wolf and Ann Scwab.
Other guild members whose work and support made for a successful event included Veronnica Chavoor, Joan Chandler, Glenda Jones, Lynn Koon, Pat Maskell, Dolly Monte, Sharon Terranova, Lynn White-Shelby and Rosemarie Witten.
A Burbank-based charity chartered in 1947 to foster interest in and support for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, La Providencia Guild’s current project is to raise funds that will assist in the pediatric medical faculty’s $6 million magnetic resonance imaging project.
The La Providencia Guild Thrift Shop, located at 3301 Burbank Blvd., is always in need of both new and vintage items. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the boutique-style shop is a great place to find a treasure at a bargain price.
DAVID LAURELL can be reached by email dlaurell@aol.com or (818) 563-1007.
