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May 3, 2025

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Royal High Students Launch Bold Campaign to Help Simi Valley Police Dogs

3 min read

Police

Royal High Students Launch Bold Campaign to Help Simi Valley Police Dogs

Sylvie Belmond April 24, 2025 527

image credit: Elizabeth Rakowski

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Your favorite Simi Valley News Stories of the 70's, 80's, 90's and today. -- Contact Us: tothemoon@celsermedia.com

Simi Valley Senior Center | You’ve lived a life

Simi Valley Senior Center | You’ve lived a life full of stories — now it’s time to share them.
MORE INFO: https://clair.id/legacyai/

Join our guided Life Story Writing Class at the Simi Valley Senior Center and turn your memories into a written legacy your family will treasure and remember forever.

A for novice writers. Those with very little writing experience are highly encouraged to sign up.

MORE INFO: https://clair.id/legacyai/

This Is What $80 Means When It Reaches the Right H

This Is What $80 Means When It Reaches the Right Hands

In parts of rural Uganda, an $80 loan can change everything. It can plant the seeds of a business, put food on the table or send a child to school. Since 2006, The Greater Contribution, based in Thousand Oaks, has issued more than 35,000 of these loans to women who’ve been denied access to capital and opportunity.

What started as a personal awakening—when Karon Wright and a small group of friends recognized the abundance in their own lives—grew into a lasting mission. Wright co-founded The Greater Contribution with the belief that real change starts by giving women the tools to lift themselves up.

Today, with a repayment rate of over 97%, the model is as sustainable as it is powerful.

On Saturday, June 1, the community is invited to experience what that change looks and feels like at A Woman’s Worth, a celebration of resilience, renewal and the power of shared support.

Guests will enjoy global cuisine, Ugandan drumming and dancing, and a performance by singer and dancer Carol Hatchett, known for her work with Beyoncé, Bette Midler and Jon Batiste. The event runs from 3 to 5:30 p.m., and the location will be shared with those who register. Tickets are $50–about the same amount it takes to fund a women’s first loan.

But more than entertainment, the afternoon offers a chance to step inside the stories behind the numbers.

Jennifer, a mother of six, lost everything when her husband took her savings and walked away. With her first TGC loan, she planted five acres of rice and two of simsim. “I was counseled and I gained the strength to stand tall,” she said. “T.G.C. made me the woman I am today.”

For Angioleta, a 37-year-old disabled widow with four children, the loan group became a lifeline. “I lost hope in life,” she said. “But the more I interacted with others, the fewer burdens I felt.” With literacy training, she now tracks her own sales and has expanded her produce business.

Monica, a mother of seven, used her $80 loan to start selling goods in the market. She became chairperson of her group and now plans to run for local office.

(continue reading: follow link in bio)

Left Behind at 13, This Simi Valley Cat Still Has

Simi Valley Honors the People Who Quietly Make Our

Simi Valley Honors the People Who Quietly Make Our Schools Better Every Day

The courtyard at Strathearn Historical Park was filled with laughter, hugs, and a few happy tears as more than 100 people came together to celebrate this year’s Lew Roth Award recipients. Hosted by the Simi Valley Education Foundation, the reception honored seven individuals and one community partner whose work has made a lasting difference in the lives of local students.

Now in its 33rd year, the awards are named after former SVUSD Trustee Lew Roth, who founded the Foundation to help schools offer the kinds of opportunities every child deserves. Before the awards were handed out, guests reflected on Roth’s legacy—and how his belief in community-powered education lives on through those who continue to serve with compassion and dedication.

Each recipient learned they had won through a surprise visit from Foundation board members earlier in the month, often surrounded by cheering co-workers and students. The reception gave them a chance to share what the honor meant to them, often through heartfelt stories about the people and moments that shaped their journey.

One of those honored was school nurse Mary Carol Sorrells, whose 24 years of care and calm have supported students and staff across the district. Volunteer Laurie Hoffman spoke of the joy she feels helping at Santa Susana High. Jake Finch, the district’s Public Information Officer, was recognized for her kindness, responsiveness, and commitment to helping families feel informed and welcome.

This year’s Lew Roth Award recipients are:

(continue reading: follow link in bio)

How This Royal High Student Got the Mayor Reading

How This Royal High Student Got the Mayor Reading to Second Graders
Layla Salinas has always loved stepping into the world of a good book. Whether it was fairy tales, mysteries, or graphic novels, she was drawn to adventures bigger than herself. But she started to wonder—what about the kids who hadn’t yet discovered that kind of magic?

As a student in the civics action program at Royal High School, developed in partnership with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Layla set out to change that. She focused on something close to her heart: showing kids that reading can be a source of joy, curiosity, and connection.

To mark Read Across America Week in March, Layla organized a reading day at Hollow Hills Elementary School and invited local community leaders to join in. Simi Valley Mayor Dee Dee Cavanaugh was among them, reading I Can Read with My Eyes Shut! to a second-grade and When Things Aren’t Going Right, Go Left to fourth graders. Layla made sure the readers knew: don’t forget to show the pictures.

Cavanaugh was impressed with Layla’s kindness and initiative. Layla had reached out to her to ask if she’d come to Hollow Hills—a school the mayor herself once attended—to read to students. “She was all prepared and professional,” Cavanaugh said. “We met with the librarian, and then the students came.”

Cavanaugh, a lifelong book lover, said that while screens have become a big part of how people read today, there’s something about holding a real book that can’t be replaced. “Personally, I think reading is very important,” she said. “Reading on a screen is not the same as having a book in your hands and turning the pages. To me, there is a peace to it.”

Throughout the school, Layla had created a festive and welcoming atmosphere. She decorated the halls with handmade posters and set up interactive displays—including a “What Genre Should You Read?” quiz where students could discover whether they might enjoy fantasy, mystery, sci-fi, or nonfiction.

(continue reading: follow link in bio)

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