When it comes to staying healthy, Montrose-Verdugo City has a lot to offer! We have various fitness companies such as Curves in Montrose that just celebrated their one-year anniversary. We also have a great variety of fitness choices with places like Pedal Spin Studio, Revolution Dance Center, Controlled Burn Fitness Center, Pilates Plus Montrose, and Kung Fu and Thai Chi in Montrose. We have many spas to de-stress your life like Spa Pura and Tuscany Spa, several top notch chiropractic facilities like the Wellness Center with Dr. Brian Miller and Anthony Chiropractic with Dr. Mark Anthony and many healthy eating options like Sake Sushi and the Slender Sweet Shop.

The Montrose Chamber is also hosting healthy lifestyle events like our “Par 3 Masters” Golf Scholarship Fundraiser and supporting the Crescenta Valley Drug and Alcohol Coalition Prevention Coalition’s Prescription Drug Drop off event. Log on to the Chamber website at www.montrosechamber.org  or the Montrose Shopping Park Association website at www.shopmontrose.com for all your health and wellness needs!   Montrose is the place to be!

Upcoming Events:

Coffee With The COPPS – Saturday, April 16 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Coffee Bean, 3701 Ocean View Blvd. Come hear about the National Take Back Campaign, a prescription drug drop off event, and meet your local law enforcement.

Ribbon cutting on Wednesday, April 20 at noon at Montrose Pet Hospital, 2444 Honolulu Ave. Come join us and welcome another new business to Montrose!

Taste of Montrose on Sunday, May 1 at the Harvest Market on Honolulu Avenue. This is your chance to sample food from various restaurants in the area, all for only $20 that supports Prom Plus, an organization that hosts a giant after prom party that provides a safe and fun after-prom event for seniors and their guests.

Prescription Drug Drop-Off  on Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at CVS Pharmacy, 2037 Verdugo Blvd. Drop off your unused, unwanted our outdated prescription medications to be destroyed for you. Keep them out of the reach of kids and prevent the danger of unintentional misuse.

May mixer is a Tri-City mixer at the La Crescenta Woman’s Club on Wednesday, May 4. Come celebrate the 100th anniversary of the La Crescenta Woman’s Club. With three chambers coming together to honor this organization, it promises to be a big event and a chance to network with business owners from La Cañada and La Crescenta as well as Montrose.

First Artwalk of 2011 takes place on Saturday, May 7 from  9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come stroll the beautiful streets of Montrose and enjoy the art presented by artists from around Southern California.

Par 3 Masters is on Thursday, May 19 and is our Scholarship Fundraiser and Save the Verdugo Hills Golf Course Par 3 Masters Golf Tournament! We would love to see everyone out there supporting our local high school students and our campaign to help save the VHGC. For more information regarding the event contact me at the Chamber office.

Members of the newly formed Korean American Federation of North Los Angeles joined CV Town Council and Chamber of Commerce members and school board candidates in the monthly cleanup of the La Crescenta Avenue offramp.

There have been many news articles saying that the recession is over. However, many people are still out of work and businesses are struggling. Now is the time to support our local businesses and help them recover from the recession. There’s no doubt that recessions are bad for business, however a recession is not a complete roadblock. If you play your cards right, a recession can yield plenty of profit for entrepreneurial ventures. Who starts a business during a global recession? Well … Disney for one and Microsoft for another. The Kauffman Foundation sponsored a 2009 study that found more than half of the companies on the 2009 Fortune 500 list were launched during a recession or bear market. Gregg Vanourek, a founding partner of New Mountain Ventures, agrees, arguing that many of the best companies are born in times of economic malaise. “Many people assume that entrepreneurs are allergic to recessions,” he writes in Harvard Business Review. “It turns out that downturns can be times of tremendous opportunity – and, yes, profit – for entrepreneurs, but only if they play their cards right.”

Walt and Roy Disney founded their company, Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, on October 16, 1923 and created the animated productions of Alice in Wonderland and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. But it wasn’t until the brothers reincorporated under the name Walt Disney Productions in 1929, which was at the start of the Great Depression, that the company found its turning point and introduced this little mouse that is slightly well known even today: Mickey Mouse.

We have three Chamber members that have emulated the thoughts of Disney and others in starting their businesses in this recession. And if their businesses are doing well, then these businesses can give back even more to the community! So please support these businesses and all business in the Crescenta Valley.

Shanto’s Bakery and Café had their grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony last Thursday, Feb. 17. They had samples of all their scrumptious food and many people came to support them on their new restaurant adventure. Mailboxes Plus will celebrate new ownership with a ribbon cutting ceremony this Saturday, Feb. 26. Please join us at 3115 Foothill Blvd., Suite M, in La Crescenta. Rosemont Veterinary Hospital’s new owner is inviting everyone in to see their place, located at 2550 Foothill Blvd., La Crescenta when we will cut the ribbon welcoming them. Please join us at these two exciting occasions and also on March 1 when we will be supporting our long-time member Leo’s All-Star Sports Bar and Grill at our first ever Dine Out Night. Eat out with the Chamber on the first Tuesday of every month! It will make you and your community happy!

Important dates: Feb 26 – Ribbon cutting at Mailboxes Plus; Feb 26 – La Crescenta off-ramp clean up; March 1 – Dine Out Night at Leo’s All-Star Sports Bar and Grill; March 9 – Business mixer at Bob Smith Toyota; March 15 – Ribbon cutting at Rosemont Veterinary Hospital; March 20 – Day at the Races; March 23 – Smart-a-thon; April 16 – Hometown Country Fair. Call our office for more details on any event. How to reach us: (818) 248-4957 / crescentachamber@aol.com / www.LaCrescenta.org / 3131 Foothill Blvd., Suite D.

“Don’t be content with doing only your duty. Do more than your duty. It’s the horse that finishes a neck ahead that wins the race.” — Andrew Carnegie

By Mary O’KEEFE

It was truly a community affair.

The CV Chamber of Commerce partnered with former La Crescenta resident Nancy Riehl, who now lives in Long Beach, to launch Stockings for our Troops in Afghanistan, an outreach to military personnel stationed in Afghanistan.

Riehl’s son is serving in Afghanistan and she knows all too well what it means to be without your loved ones during the holidays. She decided to do something to help bring a little bit of home to the troops.

“Nancy and I were active in the PTA together,” said Mary Boger, Glendale Unified School District board member.

Riehl contacted Boger, asking if the schools could help gather the stockings and supplies.

“I told her I thought it would be too late in the year to start something at the schools but told her to contact Jean Maluccio at the CV Chamber of Commerce,” Boger said.

Riehl contacted Maluccio and the program took off from there.

A call was put out to the community through the chamber of commerce and other civic organizations to help fill 176 stockings and help with the cost of shipping. Donors were asked to bring their donations to the chamber office no later than Oct. 29. An unexpectedly generous outpouring of items was donated resulting in more than 180 stockings being stuffed. Donated items were varied, ranging from sun block to underwear.

“It was amazingly successful,” Boger said. “It really is a tribute to the CV [community] and how they are. And it is a tribute to Jean and the chamber.”

The stockings are being shipped to Riehl’s son’s company in Afghanistan.

The chamber received support through donations from individuals and several businesses including: Womens Auxiliary American Legion, La Crescenta Womans Club, Toni’s Cut ‘n’ Curls, Crippen Mortuary, Girl Scout Troop 391, Ryan’s Residential, Doug Dall (principal Clark Magnet), Starbucks and Taco Bell in La Cañada. The UPS store and La Crescenta Post Office also helped in the shipping. Several Long Beach businesses also helped support the stocking effort.

“In our hectic, fast-paced, consumer-driven society, it’s common to feel overwhelmed, isolated and alone. Many are re-discovering the healing and empowering role that community can bring to our lives. The sense of belonging we feel when we make the time to take an active role in our communities can give us a deeper sense of meaning and purpose.”

— WoodrowWilson

C

ome and be part of our community and enjoy dinner with your neighbors on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at the third annual Taste in the Foothills at the MarketPlace Shopping Center (Ralph’s). For only $15 for adults and $10 for children 5-12 years old, you can sample tastes from great restaurants. Tell your friends to come and “taste” with us. The Crescenta Valley High School Jazz Band will provide entertainment.

Thank you to the following establishments for taking part in this community event: Baja Fresh Mexican Grill, Berolina Bakery, Dominick’s Italian Restaurant, Dominos Pizza, Dream Dinners, Edible Arrangements, El Charro Mexican, Food Art Catering, Frank’s Famous Kitchen & Catering, Garden Grill, Gourmet-a-Go-Go, House of Joy, Kyochon Chicken, Lenny G’s Taste of Louisiana, Leo’s All-Star Sports Bar & Grill, Los Gringos Locos, New Moon, Ralph’s Fresh Fare, Starbucks, and Togo’s/ Baskin Robbins.

These already-strapped businesses are taking time out of their busy days to setup booths and bring complimentary tastes of their delicious food, all for the community. Do the community a favor and come to the Taste in the Foothills, mark down your favorite “tastes,” and then please visit these restaurants to enjoy a lunch or dinner. Restaurants that are successful in the Crescenta Valley help our town to be successful.

One such restaurant you should visit is Frank’s Famous Kitchen and Bakery, where the food is amazingly fresh, the associates are friendly and the atmosphere is always comfortable. The food they serve is always prepared from scratch with high-quality ingredients such as real butter, cream and Guittard and Bakels chocolates. Their sandwiches are built on authentic San Francisco Bread that they bake fresh all day long. They pile on the premium Boars Head meats and cheeses and top them off with vine ripened tomatoes and fresh green leaf lettuce. They have been voted Best Sandwich three years in a row.

Please visit them and sample a taste at our event next Wednesday and then have lunch or dinner at Frank’s Famous Kitchen and Bakery located at 3315 N. Verdugo Road in Glendale.

And a big thank you to all who donated and helped fill the stockings for our troops last week. I am sure it will bring smiles to our troops in Afghanistan this holiday season to know that La Crescenta cares so much.

Important dates: Nov. 10 – Taste in the Foothills; Dec. 8 – Business mixer at April Ray Salon. Please call our office for more details on any event. How to reach us: (818) 248-4957 / crescentachamber@aol.com / www.LaCrescenta.org / 3131 Foothill Blvd. Ste. D.

Julia Rabago is the executive
director of Crescenta Valley
Chamber of Commerce.

Tonight the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce is honoring those who have enriched our world. We are honoring 12 wonderful individuals and businesses that have improved the quality of life in the Crescenta Valley. One such business, receiving the Business of the Year award, is the fantastic paper you are reading right now, The Crescenta Valley Weekly.

The Crescenta Valley Weekly was founded just over a year ago in September 2009, just as the Station Fire was gaining momentum. Hot off the presses, literally, the Weekly was created to fill a void in local, community news. The paper boasts a strong readership in print and online as well as a dynamic website that includes podcasts.

Did you know that publisher Robin Goldsworthy has lived in the Crescenta Valley since 1979 and, with her husband Steve, has a history of providing entertainment and information to the community? In the 1980s the couple operated Crescenta Valley Cable T.V. until they sold the company in 1990. In 2003 Robin joined the Valley Sun Newspapers as a writer and in 2006 became the editor of the Crescenta Valley Sun until its closing in July of 2009. Robin has surrounded herself with a staff that enthusiastically takes on every job asked of it, displaying a loyalty and competency that money cannot buy. She is grateful to her family and the community for their support and all who have encouraged her this past year. Robin and Steve live in La Crescenta with three of their four sons; their fourth son lives in Tustin with his wife and daughter. The Crescenta Valley Chamber is proud to honor the Crescenta Valley Weekly as their Business of the Year and wish them many successful years ahead.

Another group we are honoring, in our own way, is our U.S. troops in Afghanistan. We want to show our soldiers that the Crescenta Valley cares! Thank you to the many people that have stepped up to bring in donations of items as well as money to help with the cost of shipping 176 holiday stockings to our troops. We could still use your help, though. You can drop off your donated items or money to help us with shipping costs by tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 29. Please call our office at (818) 248-4957 if you have any further questions or can help. Let’s send a little cheer to Afghanistan from the Crescenta Valley.

Mark your calendars and come and be part of our community on Wednesday, Nov. 10, at the 3rd Annual Taste in the Foothills at the MarketPlace Shopping Center (Ralph’s). For only $15 for adults and $10 for children 5-12 years old, you can sample tastes from 20 great local restaurants. Tell your friends to come and “taste” with us. The Crescenta Valley High School Jazz Band will provide entertainment.

Important Chamber dates: Oct. 28 – Recognition Banquet; Nov. 10 – Taste in the Foothills. Please call our office for more details on any event. How to reach us: (818) 248-4957 / crescentachamber@aol.com / www.LaCrescenta.org / 3131 Foothill Blvd., Ste. D.

Julia Rabago is the executive director of the CV Chamber of Comerce.

“All things are difficult before they are easy.” – Thomas Fuller

Hss it been a difficult time for your business? Have you done everything you can to try to make it better? The Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce can help make it easier.

Did you know there is federal stimulus money available for business owners to hire employees? You can find out how from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24 at Urartu Restaurant, located at 3463 Foothill Blvd. in La Crescenta. We will be joined by a special guest speaker: Mark Harmsen, the district director from Congressman David Dreier’s office, will be explaining how this program works. Please join us to network with other business professionals and learn if this can help your business. Space is limited, so please reserve your spot by calling our office no later than Sept. 21.

Then you can not miss the biggest mixer of the year from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Leonard Ghazarian of Caspian Services, Inc. will be hosting our October monthly mixer at their office at 2946 Honolulu Ave. The mixer will be held in the back parking lot and Fatcat DJ will be providing entertainment. Refreshments will be served and raffle prizes given away. Come and network with your business community. Another great networking group is the Verdugo Hills Business and Professional Women’s group (BPW) that meets the second Monday of each month at La Cabanita in North Glendale for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Last Monday’s speaker was Katy Tafoya of www.katytafoya.com. Her expertise is social networking. She told us that, “Blogging is the easiest way to increase your search engine rankings. Blogging is also a great way to get your name, or the name of your business, out there and develop a community around your product or service and your brand. By getting your name out there and being a part of a community, you’re more likely to be viewed as an ‘expert’ in your field.” At the luncheon she explained in simple form why it is important to use social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs. Join BPW for lunch on Oct. 12 for another informative topic and the chance to network with incredible ladies. It can be difficult to make it in business; however there are resources that can help it be easy. Come visit us at the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce. We can help you. Important dates: Sept. 24 – Networking luncheon at Urartu Restaurant; Oct. 14 – Business mixer at Caspian Services; Nov. 11 – Taste in the Foothills at the Marketplace. Please call us regarding any event. How to reach us: (818) 248-4957 / crescentachamber@aol.com / www.LaCrescenta.org / 3131 Foothill Blvd. Ste D. Julia Rabago is the executive director of the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Julia Rabago is the executive director of Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce.

NEWS FROM THE CRESCENTA VALLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE – by Julia Rabago

“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.”

-Brian Tracy

The Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce has been serving the Foothill Communities since 1925. The purpose of the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce is to promote the civic, economic, industrial, professional and cultural welfare of the Crescenta Valley. The chamber seeks to educate all citizens on the role and importance of a healthy economy to the community’s existence.

This week has been hard on the Crescenta Valley; however with the dedicated officials and heroes that have been working endlessly to contain the wild blaze in the hills, it is our hope the Crescenta Valley will pull through with flying colors and no homes or any more lives lost. Thank you to all the professionals that have put themselves on the frontline to protect our valley. We appreciate every single person’s effort.

In adversity the Crescenta Valley citizens band together which shows what exceptionally citizens that we are. The Crescenta Valley is such a wonderful place to live, work and send children to school, just for these reasons. Everyone pitches in and does their share to help wherever needed. Of course the Firefighters, Sheriff’s, Police and Pilots have been our heroes in keeping the Crescenta Valley safe from fire this week. However there are many behind the scenes people that have pitched in to help as well. From people making and bringing food to the officials on the frontline, people blogging the news for others to be able to be informed, websites being updated quickly, to phone calls/emails offering rooms for people and their animals shows the high caliber of our town’s residents. Special thanks to Jean Maluccio, Steve Pierce and Leonard at Caspian Services for keeping our website, www.LaCrescenta.org continually updated on fire information.

Let’s hope that with the birth of this new great paper, The Crescenta Valley Weekly, comes the close of the devastation of the fire in our hills.

Next week, Wednesday, September 9th, from 5pm-9pm, we hope to see everyone at our Foothills Community Business Expo at the Verdugo Hills Hospital. Over 60 businesses will be there to network and provide information. We also have some yummy food from the following sponsoring restaurants; Angeles National Golf Club’s Agave Grill, Frank’s Famous Kitchen & Bakery, Edible Arrangements, Leo’s All Star Sports Bar and Grill, Taco Deli, Pepe’s Mexican Restaurant and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Admission is free and includes food, entertainment, prizes and networking.

Important Dates:

September 9th: Foothills Community Business Expo at Verdugo Hills Hospital.

October 14th: Business Mixer at Caspian Services.

November 11th: Taste in the Foothills at the Marketplace.

PLEASE CALL OUR OFFICE FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT ANY EVENT!

How to reach us: 818-248-4957 / crescentachamber@aol.com / www.LaCrescenta.org / 3131 Foothill Blvd Ste D