Quick Hits: Battle of the Badges Blood Drive is Tuesday

As part of a friendly competition among Southern California public-safety agencies, a Red Cross bloodmobile will be taking blood donations on Tuesday from officers of the law and their supporters at the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station.

Now in its fifth year, the Battle of the Badges contest aims to strengthen area blood-bank reserves by encouraging law enforcement, firefighting and other agencies to compete to see which can drum up the most blood donations.

Members of the public who support local law enforcement also are encouraged to donate between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the station.

Last year, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department produced 337 donors, placing second in the contest behind the Los Angeles Police Department and its 841 donors.

Individual agencies such as the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station are also eligible for special recognition.

The station is located at 4554 N. Briggs Ave. in La Crescenta. Call (818) 248-3464 or visit redcrossbattleofthebadges.org for more information.

Miss La Cañada Flintridge to be crowned

The La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce will crown a new Miss La Cañada Flintridge and announce new board members tonight (Jan. 13) during its annual Installation and Awards Dinner at the La Cañada Flintridge Country Club.

The 2011 Miss La Cañada Flintridge Court, announced in December at the city’s annual Festival in Lights, includes local 11th-graders Taani Ahluwalia, Stephanie Bathke, Morgan Devaud, Robin Miketta and Gemma Sokol. This year’s Miss La Cañada Flintridge will receive a $500 college scholarship and represent the city at various events this year.

New members of the chamber’s 2011 board are: Sue Stranger of Adobe Design, Linda Taix of Taix Workout Studio, Jackie Walls of Jackie’s Hair A-Go-Go, Kimber Bonar of The Outlook, Alfonso Milanese of Calloway Real Estate and Jack Schaedel of Hernandez, Schaedel and Associates.

LCUSD board member and financial advisor Joel Peterson will continue as board chairman..

Continuing board members also include Rich Roche of AT&T, Wes Seastrom of Dixon Podley Realtors, Sheila Cook of National Bank of California, Ed Lund of Allen Lund Co., Gary Stibal of Walt Disney Co. (retired), Katherine Markgraf of Ernst & Young, Tammy Smith of NBC Universal, Charlie Kamar of La Cañada Union 76, Joe Thompson of Southern California Gas Co. (retired), Barbara Marshall of State Farm Insurance, Terry Bankston of the University Club of Pasadena, Suzanne Hart of Wells Fargo Bank, Greg Powell of Architecture Plus, Terry Sneed of G.L. Sneed Structural Engineers, Robert Wheeler of Descanso Medical Center, Rion Zimmerman of Flintridge Family Chiropractic, Jennifer Berger of Pasadena Playhouse, Tony Chahime of La Cañada Eye Care, Eric Olberz of Olberz Accounting and Taxes, Erik Obanespour of Printefex, Tony Tartaglia of Southern California Gas Co. and Kim Beattie of the Crescenta Valley YMCA.