Mailbag: Remember Laguna nonprofits at tax time

Remember Laguna nonprofits at tax time

Holiday Times are upon us full of cheer and good will. And speaking of good will, this is a critical fundraising time for our more than 150 Laguna Beach nonprofits. The Laguna Beach Community Foundation encourages Laguna Beach residents to remember our local charities with a year-end donation.

Laguna Beach nonprofits include all interests from the arts, youth organizations, social and health services, environment and more. Take time now to make a donation to your favorite nonprofit. If you need information about our local charities or ways to give, contact the foundation at https://www.lagunabeachcommunityfoundation.org. The joy in giving is returned many times with a charitable donation.

Mary Fegraus

Laguna Beach

Editor’s Note: Mary Fegraus is Secretary of the Laguna Beach Community Foundation.

Grateful for Sawdust help to military wives

What a wonderful event I was privileged to participate in at the 2010 Winter Fantasy at the Sawdust Festival this weekend. This event was for military wives from Camp Pendleton and patients from the Long Beach Veterans Medical Center. Unfortunately, due to the weather and illnesses, only a couple of military wives were able to attend. Lupe Flores, whose husband is deploying from Camp Pendleton shortly for Afghanistan, and her sister, Mary Cook, who is visiting Lupe, attended. Mary’s husband just returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan and is now stationed at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina.

Sawdust Board of Director Marla Burns, a silversmith of 45 years, along with Georgette Cerrutti, a silversmith of 26 years, both longtime Laguna Beach artists, taught us how to make jewelry out of copper. The purpose of this event was to offer a new hobby to military wives and possibly even a new trade while their husbands are away fighting for our freedoms.

This event would not have been possible without the generous donation of tools and materials from John Eagle, a local oil painter who is displaying his art at the Winter Fantasy this year. Many other artists and jewelry makers stopped by to say hello and give us some tips. Marla Burns is hoping to make this a yearly Winter Fantasy event at the Sawdust Festival.

If you have not been to the Winter Fantasy yet to see Santa and all the beautiful arts and crafts, please do so before the end of the Winter Fantasy, and support our local artists.

Diane Connell

Laguna Beach