August 2011 Up and Coming News from Happy House Volume 1 Issue 1

Happy House Poker Fundraiser a Huge SuccessThe 6th annual Happy House Poker Fundraiser and Family BBQ at Nancy Cartwright’s home was the largest ever. One-hundred-and-forty Texas Hold ‘Em players faced-off poolside while at least an equal number of non-players and children enjoyed family fun including face painting, a bouncy house and water slide, bingo, ping pong and a wide array of arts and crafts.

Providing a back-beat were Tony St Tone and his band as well as DeeDee O’Malley and her new band Size 7 Hat. Even Nancy jumped up and sang a bit.

The winner of this year’s event was Henry Engle and he chose the Simpsons table read basket as his grand prize. It couldn’t have gone to a more deserving recipient because he not only beat a very talented field that included poker pro Kenna James and poker celeb Camryn Manheim, he is also perhaps one of the greatest Simpsons fans on the planet. His story is amazing. Diagnosed with a serious illness, he made it through by going home from harsh treatments and watching the Simpsons.

Our thanks go out to the nearly 40 volunteers who helped with this event, all the players and contributors and to this year’s top 14 (from 14th to first): Jana de la Cerra, Victor Hooper, Camryn Manheim, Josh Scott, Chriscilla Guyer, Joe Langer, Kittie Aleman, Kirsten Mellinger, Kim Schneider, Aaron Kapitan, Mike Armstrong, Anthony Turner, Brad Harris, and of course Henry Engle.

The proceeds from the event benefit the Good Choices Program. Key contributions came from Innovative Artists, Origin Oil and LA Racing Experience. Good Choices is an after-school program for youth that gives them a very simple way to make better choices in life and survive in a dangerous environment. To find out more go to www.goodchoicesprogram.org. See you next year!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS• TheGoodChoicesKids’ClubSeattlewillparticipateintheShoreline

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• HappyHouseCommunityUnitedisholdingitsFirstAnnualGolfFundraiser

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• HappyHousewillbedeliveringtheGoodChoiceprogramthroughthe

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• September17,2011–Children’sDayatWoodleyPark

The Good Choices ™

Newsletter

The San Fernando Valley Coalition on Gangs held its monthly meeting at Church on the Way in Sherman Oaks on Wednesday, May 5, where they reviewed programs to reduce gang violence and crime in the Valley. Attended by over fifty members and guests, with representatives from the all the LAPD Divisions in the valley, the meeting was presided over by Coalition Chair Sandy Kievman. After a brief welcome, officers from each division reported on statistics and incidents in their jurisdictions.

A presentation followed of a ninety-foot long “Thank You, LAPD” card, signed by thousands of Valley children while attending the Gang Coalition’s annual event, “Children’s Day, A Salute to Kids” in November of 2010. The card was created by artist Jessie Headstream and presented by Happy House, a nonprofit in the San Fernando Valley, and its founder Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson on the television series, The Simpsons.

This year Children’s Day will be held on September 17 at Woodley Park in Van Nuys. Over 65,000 guests are expected! The Kids Resource Fair will have more than 125 opportunities available to our children, ranging from arts to sports to vocational opportunities. In addition, Radio Disney, ESPN X Games, and Happy House’s famous Arts

& Crafts will once more headline the activities. This is a great opportunity for our children, and Ms. Kievman encouraged all Coalition members to spread the word. For more information on Children’s Day 2011 please go to www.childrensday2011.com.

Anti Gang Coalition Takes on Crime

Children’s Day 2011

Starbird Youth CenterCommunity United San Jose has been chosen by the

City of San Jose to become the Lead Service Provider

of the Starbird Youth Center. They provide strong

support services to at-risk youth and deliver “The

Good Choices Program” to over 100 kids each week.

Alma Youth CenterCommunity United San Jose has brought the Good Choices Program to the Alma Youth Center which is located in one of the highest need areas in San Jose. Here, the youth are being taught the values of self-respect, leadership skills, and appreciation for the community.

City of San Jose Grants Funds to Deliver “The Good Choices Program” in Two Locations

Support Happy House!

You help support Happy House and its mission to help children learn to make their own good choices in life in a variety of ways:

• Donations

• Create a chapter in your area

• Distribute materials

• Educate parents and community leaders

Vist our websites at www.HappyHouse.org and www.GoodChoicesProgram.org to find out more!

The Happy House Newsletter is the property of Happy House. All Rights Reserved.

Festival in the ParkOn Saturday June 25, 2011, Happy House San Jose chapter, Community United, attended the Festival in the Park at Hellyer County Park. The park was transformed into a health, safety and recreation fair featuring Green Living exhibits, lots of free giveaways, Teddy Bear Clinic, Kayaking, Paddleboarding and a climbing wall. There were thousands of people who attended. Chloe and the rest of the team handed out bookmarks and over 400 How to Make Good Choices booklets.

On June 26th, the Porsches and Police event was held at History Park San Jose. This was a first for a nonprofit collaboration between Tapestry Arts, History San Jose, Community United SJ and Santa Clara Parks & Recreation.

The Good Choices Kids’ Club in Seattle

The Good Choices Kids’ Club and the Seattle Tweens and Teens Youth Group joined forces in sponsoring a booth at Les Gove Park in Auburn for the Auburn 4th of July celebration. The event included a noon bike parade, various entertainment on two stages, a kids craft corner, an arts & craft grove with over 50 artists, a car show, 8 inflatable rides, a rock wall, euro-bungee trampolines, community booths (where the Kids’ club and Youth Group were stationed), a trackless train, a petting zoo, a pony carousel, lazer tag, bingo, mini golf, bocce ball, food concessions, face painting and so much more!

Event attendance was close to 12,000 and a great time was had by all. Thank you so much to the Seattle Chapter of Happy House for contributing to and participating in such a wonderful event.

WHO Convention in SeattleThe Way to Happiness Kids’ Club had a booth at the Washington Homeschool Organization convention at the Puyallup fairgrounds on Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th of June, where they handed out 234 How to Make Good Choices booklets, 204 The Way to Happiness booklets and one The Way to Happiness movie. A representative from the Washington State Library stopped by our booth and got booklets, as did the woman who is in charge of homeschool coordination for Vashon. Megan Humphries even offered to come and deliver a demonstration of the Good Choices program for their group.

A big thank you to all of the volunteers: Megan Humphries, Andria Clark, Jordeen Hayes, Veronica Sjogren and her daughter Vega, Linda Wedin, Paul Humphries, Adina DeSantis, Lea Lackey, and Jesse Dennerlein (who did video & photos).