What a difference a year makes

A year ago, the board of Community Center of La Cañada Flintridge had a plan to raise the profile, increase attendance and showcase to the community that the Community Center is a much-needed asset in our neighborhood — and that is exactly what is happening at CCLCF.

With Deb Jordan at the helm, program participation has increased significantly for our youth programs. With the leadership of Miriam Balcazar, our ceramics department participation has also grown. Classes for adults and seniors are also experiencing an increase in enrollment.

Within the last year, we held three of the most successful fundraisers in the history of the organization. Our upcoming Casino Night is slated to be the highest grossing since its inception in 2010 and the start to the Memorial Day festivities. Our preschool, with Danielle Caputo at the helm, received the titles of “Best Preschool” and “Finest Teacher, Ms. Jennifer Hubert” and is currently boasting that fall’s attendance is at capacity and a wait list has been established.

It’s a wonderful situation to be in — our programs are growing by leaps and bounds. We added 26 new classes and new instructors in the past few months and revamped our T-Ball and Camp Runamuk programs.

New projects are constantly underway at the Community Center. We completed close to 50 facility-improvement projects in the last 12 months, including light fixtures, sprinklers, exit signs, A/C units, more efficient gas usage, smoke detectors and a lot of painting and repairs.

Having been a topic of discussion for the last two years, we have decided to put a new roof on the building with center funds and donations from community partners. A new roof, a full schedule of classes, a new attitude and some fun events coming up — it’s amazing the difference a year can make. I invite you to come and join the fun at the Community Center. We have something for everyone.

Ara Aslanian
La Crescenta

Editor’s Note: The writer is president of the board for the Community Center of La Cañada Flintridge.