Community meetings bring people together for exchange of ideas and memorable shared experiences. Here’s a sampling of meetings and charity/volunteer events in the San Fernando Valley area.
April 17
Wings Over Wendy’s: Veterans from all services and ages, and their supporters, meet from 8:30-11 a.m. every Monday of the month. Location, 7401 Shoup Ave., West Hills. Contact Ed Reynolds, 818-884-4013. www.wingsoverwendys.com
A Bitter Cup of Coffee – How MLB & The Players’ Association Threw 874 Retirees a Curve: Author Douglas J. Gladstone discusses his 2010 book and its 2019 updated “Extra Innings Edition,” 3 p.m. Retired baseball players Dick Baney, Carmen Fanzone and Jerry Janeski are scheduled to attend. Sherman Oaks Branch Library, 14245 Moorpark St. 818-205-9716. Details: bit.ly/3GMfCT7
Reseda Neighborhood Council: A board meeting, 6:30 p.m. Location, 18118 Sherman Way. The meeting may be available on Zoom; check agenda on the website for how to join. Email: info@resedacouncil.org. resedacouncil.org
April 18
Southern California Garden Club: Meeting includes a plant market and country store, both for fundraising, plus a plant specimen display, 9:30 a.m.; business meeting, 10 a.m.; Bette Tang, a club member and a National Garden Club consultant, give a workshop on “DIY Marbleized Clay Pots,” 10:30 a.m.; Rosemary Ecker, a club member, moderates a “Share the Wealth” session with members and guests asking gardening questions and offering their own knowledge about gardening problems and successes, 11 a.m. Bring-your-own lunch, noon. Sepulveda Garden Center, 16633 Magnolia Blvd. Encino. 818-996-3530. www.socalgardenclub.org; www.facebook.com/southerncaliforniagardenclub
Arleta Neighborhood Council: A board meeting, 6:30 p.m. Osborne Neighborhood Church, fellowship hall, 13501 Osborne St. arletanc.org
Greater Toluca Lake Neighborhood Council: A board meeting, 7 p.m. Toluca Lake Elementary School, 4840 Cahuenga Blvd. Vociemail, 818-971-9134. Email: info@gtlnc.org. www.facebook.com/GTLNC. www.gtlnc.org
April 19
Adult Book Club at Studio City Branch Library: Discusses “This Time Tomorrow” by Emma Straub, 6:30 p.m. This meeting is in-person and on Zoom. Request the online link in advance by email to studio@lapl.org (put “Adult Book Club, April 19” in the subject line). Location, 12511 Moorpark St. 818-755-7873. Details: bit.ly/3H1G9ME
Pacoima Neighborhood Council: A board meeting, 6:30 p.m. El Nido, Pacoima Community Center, 11243 Glenoaks Blvd. Click on the date from the calendar to see the agenda page. www.pacoimanc.com/calendar.php
Ask a Psychiatrist Night – Online: National Alliance on Mental Illness – San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys present guest speaker Dr. Alex Kopelowicz answers questions about mental illness, 7-8:45 p.m. online on Zoom. Join the Zoom meeting here: bit.ly/3bMNm1Y. By phone, 669-900-9128 and use ID: 81835523630 and # and Passcode: 692327. Information for resources on mental health, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health: dmh.lacounty.gov. Information about the local NAMI group and their support groups, www.namisfv.org
How to Prepare and Survive an Active Shooter: The Los Angeles Police Department Devonshire Community Station presents the talk by trained Instructors from LAPD’s Operations Valley Bureau training unit, 7 p.m. Presentation is not for young children. Limited to first 200 participants. AMC Theater at Northridge Fashion Center, 9400 Shirley Ave. Contact Senior Lead Officer Sandra Zamora, 818-832-0773 or email, 35947@lapdonline. See the March 28 posting here: www.facebook.com/LAPDDevonshire
Studio City Neighborhood Council: A board meeting, 7 p.m. Parking, use the Sater Parking Structure (map: bit.ly/3mAY1Xf). Radford Studio Center, Multipurpose Room 3, 4029 Radford Ave. Voicemail, 818-655-5400. www.studiocitync.org
April 20
Burbank African Violet Society: Guest speaker Leonard Re, president of the Southern California Council of African Violet Society of America and also, a master plant judge, will give a talk “Growing African Violets in Southern California,” 10 a.m. The society is celebrating its 37th anniversary at this meeting The meeting also includes silent auction tables and a raffle. Little White Chapel Christian Church, parish hall, 1711 N. Avon St., Burbank. 661-940-3990. www.burbankafricanviolets.weebly.com
Northridge Woman’s Club: The group holds a fundraiser for the Therapeutic Living Centers for the Blind, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Pre-paid reservations required, $75, includes lunch (indicate your choice of chicken piccata, grilled salmon or butternut squash ravioli). Mail a check with attention to: Sylvia Andressen, 9227 Reseda Blvd., #120, Northridge, CA 91324. Porter Valley Country Club, 19216 Singing Hills Drive, Porter Ranch. Questions about the event, 818-231-8165.
Water – What the Future May Hold: The San Fernando Valley Unit of the League of Women Voters of Greater Los Angeles presents a talk by Joe Yun, executive officer of the California Water Commission, 12:30 p.m. Topics: problems and recommendations; how the latest regulations could affect you; how current storms could affect future water policies. my.lwv.org/california/greater-los-angeles. Details and to register for the Zoom link: bit.ly/41kWjYW
Children’s Bureau – Resource Parents Online Orientations: Learn how to help children in the foster care system by becoming a resource parent or how to become adoptive parents with a talk by a Children’s Bureau team member and a foster parent, 4-5 p.m. Request the Zoom live meeting link or a learn-at-your-own-pace online presentation, by sending an email to Rfrecruitment@all4kids.org. 800-730-3933. Details about the orientations: www.all4kids.org/programs/family-foster-care-and-adoption. Learn more about the nonprofit that was established in 1904 here: all4kids.org
Brain Health and Alzheimer’s Awareness lecture: A representative from the organization discusses age-related changes in memory and thinking, risk factors for dementia and ways to keep your brain healthy, 6 p.m. Sun Valley Branch Library, 7935 Vineland Ave. 818-764-1338. Esther Barrera, ebarrera@lapl.org for more information. Details: bit.ly/3mFLLoj
April 22
Friends of the LA River Great LA River CleanUp: The group is holding its 33rd annual event at seven sites this year along the 51-miles of the Los Angeles River. Register for a river cleanup, 8 a.m., at the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve (remove trash/debris from Haskell Creek or remove invasion mustard plants). Woodley Park, Archery Range area, Van Nuys. Details on the cleanup and Friends of the LA River: folar.org/cleanup-2023-earth-with-us. Register for the site of your choice in advance here: www.eventbrite.com/cc/earth-with-us-the-great-la-river-cleanup-529099
Earth Day Big Clean-Up with Volunteers Cleaning Communities: Volunteer for the event event on Sherman Way from Platt Avenue (West Hills) to Vineland Avenue (North Hollywood), 9-11 a.m. All ages event. Teams of four work to clean-up a 1/2 mile section on one side of the street. volunteerscleaningcommunities.com/schedule-of-events. Registration required: bit.ly/3KgErr2
Community Cats: A representative from Best Friends discusses community cats and ways the public can help keep down their numbers and to help them to be safe, 3:30 p.m. Granada Hills Branch Library, 10640 Petit Ave. 818-368-5687. Details: bit.ly/41i4SUc
April 26
Braille Institute Los Angeles – Open House: The public is invited to learn more about the institute while exploring a new space that includes a Los Angeles cityscape sensory wall and mural, a recording room, a lightbright and a tech hub, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 26 (April is National Library Month). Special guest Lynne Thompson, Los Angeles Poet Laureate, gives a reading (April is National Poetry Month). Reservations required by April 19 here: brailleinstitute.org/library-workshops/rsvp. Location, 741 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles. www.facebook.com/brailleinstitute. brailleinstitute.org/
Mystery and Thriller Book Club at Studio City Branch Library: Discusses “The Book of Cold Cases” by Simone St. James, 6:30 p.m. This is both an in-person and online meeting. Request the online link in advance by email to studio@lapl.org (put “Mystery and Thriller Book Club” in the subject line). Location, 12511 Moorpark St. 818-755-7873. Details: bit.ly/3H2BrOS
Charity and Volunteer
NAMIWalks: Join the National Alliance on Mental Illness – San Fernando Valley group at the NAMIWalks Greater Los Angeles County event to raise awareness of mental illnesses and reduce the stigma of mental illness, and raise funds for mental health programs, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 29. Also, the event welcomes dogs on leashes (there will be a pet costume parade). Register to walk as an individual or with a team. No fee to register. Donate $100 for event T-shirt. Los Angeles State Historic Park, 1245 N. Spring St. Email for the walk manager, Gigi de Pourtales, at gdepourtales@namigla.org, or 213-386-3615, Ext. 103. www.namiwalks.org. Details on the event and to register here: bit.ly/3Ai60vP
Our House Grief Support Center’s Walk ‘n’ Run for Hope: Register for the 5K event around Lake Balboa, 7:30 a.m.-noon April 30. Registration fees $45/$35, through April 29; and on event day, $50/$40. The event location, Woodley Park, 6076 Woodley Ave., Van Nuys. ourhouse-grief.org/runforhope
Tujunga Monday Night Bingo with Knights of Columbus: The organization holds the game night that generates funds for local charities. Early bird games, 6:30 p.m., and regular games at 7:30 p.m. Bingo games are set for multiple Monday dates. Buy-in $15. Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, auditorium, 7144 Apperson St., Tujunga. Details on Eventbrite: bit.ly/3S22nkb
Send information at least two weeks in advance to Holly Andres at holly.andres@dailynews.com. 818-713-3708.