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Source: https://starvalu.com/feed/

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<title>Self-taught home cook shines in national cooking contest </title>
<link>https://starvalu.com/self-taught-home-cook-shines-in-national-cooking-contest/</link>
<comments>https://starvalu.com/self-taught-home-cook-shines-in-national-cooking-contest/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[dfasdt4]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 26 Jul 2025 18:47:20 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Restaurants]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://starvalu.com/?p=9044</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Rlynn Smith-Thomas likes to spend time in the kitchen cooking meals that are rich in flavor, nutritious, and will put a smile on her friends’ and family’s faces. The self-taught home cook creates a wide range of meals but her favorite dish to make is meatloaf with mashed or creamed potatoes and peas because it [...]
The post <a href="https://starvalu.com/self-taught-home-cook-shines-in-national-cooking-contest/">Self-taught home cook shines in national cooking contest </a> appeared first on <a href="https://starvalu.com">StarValu</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>
Rlynn Smith-Thomas likes to spend time in the kitchen cooking meals that are rich in flavor, nutritious, and will put a smile on her friends’ and family’s faces. 
The self-taught home cook creates a wide range of meals but her favorite dish to make is meatloaf with mashed or creamed potatoes and peas because it was her children’s favorite growing up. 
Despite never having culinary training, Smith-Thomas takes her time perfecting dishes with flavor and presentation. 
After every dish she’s proud of, the Santa Clarita Valley resident likes to snap a photo and send it to her oldest son, Joshua Thomas, who has encouraged her for years to develop recipes to share online or write a cookbook, she said. 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img fetchpriority="high" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095713/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy2-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-1150766" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095713/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy2-600x800.jpeg 600w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095713/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy2-300x400.jpeg 300w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095713/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy2-150x200.jpeg 150w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095713/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy2-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095713/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy2-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095713/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy2-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095713/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy2-scaled.jpeg 750w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Food creations by Rlynn Thomas-Smith. Courtesy.</figcaption></figure>
Although the idea has never really interested her, she eventually came across an online competition open for professional and aspiring chefs. 
She thought maybe it would be a good way to test out the opportunity and show her son that she’s aiming on doing something with her cooking, since he has always supported her passion for it. 
The online nationwide competition allows the contestants to share their meals via photographs for a chance to win $25,000, be on the cover of Taste of Home magazine, and an opportunity to cook with chef and television personality Carla Hall. 
It’s a humbling and surreal experience participating in a competition with other chefs who own their own restaurants and are well-experienced, Thomas-Smith said. She never thought she would make it so far, she added. 
 She is currently in third place as of the publication of this story. 
The contest is presented by Hall in partnership with the James Beard Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to “celebrate, support, and elevate the people behind America’s food culture,” states the organization’s website. 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="640" height="800" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095722/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy3-640x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-1150767" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095722/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy3-640x800.jpeg 640w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095722/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy3-320x400.jpeg 320w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095722/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy3-160x200.jpeg 160w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095722/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy3-768x960.jpeg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095722/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy3-1229x1536.jpeg 1229w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095722/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy3-1638x2048.jpeg 1638w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095722/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy3-scaled.jpeg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"/><img decoding="async" width="640" height="800" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095722/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy3-640x800.jpeg" alt="" class="lazyload wp-image-1150767" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095722/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy3-640x800.jpeg 640w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095722/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy3-320x400.jpeg 320w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095722/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy3-160x200.jpeg 160w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095722/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy3-768x960.jpeg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095722/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy3-1229x1536.jpeg 1229w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095722/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy3-1638x2048.jpeg 1638w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/23095722/062214_HOMECOOK_Courtesy3-scaled.jpeg 800w" data-sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Food creations by Rlynn Thomas-Smith. Courtesy.</figcaption></figure>
“I enjoy cooking. I take pictures of my food when it looks good. I have been doing this for years, taking pictures and sending it to my son because it’s a way for us to share a mutual thing,” Smith-Thomas said. 
“He would send me pictures of what he cooked and I will send them a picture of what I cook,” she added. 
If she were to win the $25,000 she would either pursue culinary classes to learn more of the technicalities of food making or update her kitchen to be chef-friendly and a welcoming space where her loved ones can gather to taste her creations, she said. 
The competition voting closes its next round on Thursday at 7 p.m. 
To vote for Smith-Thomas, visit <a href="https://favchef.com/2024/rlynn" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://favchef.com/2024/rlynn</a>. 
</div>
The post <a href="https://starvalu.com/self-taught-home-cook-shines-in-national-cooking-contest/">Self-taught home cook shines in national cooking contest </a> appeared first on <a href="https://starvalu.com">StarValu</a>.
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<item>
<title>Cabaret generates a win for former racehorses </title>
<link>https://starvalu.com/cabaret-generates-a-win-for-former-racehorses/</link>
<comments>https://starvalu.com/cabaret-generates-a-win-for-former-racehorses/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[dfasdt4]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 26 Jul 2025 17:45:12 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Casino]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://starvalu.com/?p=9042</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Jaine Garcia grew up loving horses and began riding at the early age of 4. After traveling the world and riding horses in places such as South Africa and Australia, she wanted to take a break from them and the sport. Until one day a friend told her about Win Place Home. “‘You have to [...]
The post <a href="https://starvalu.com/cabaret-generates-a-win-for-former-racehorses/">Cabaret generates a win for former racehorses </a> appeared first on <a href="https://starvalu.com">StarValu</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>
Jaine Garcia grew up loving horses and began riding at the early age of 4. After traveling the world and riding horses in places such as South Africa and Australia, she wanted to take a break from them and the sport. 
Until one day a friend told her about Win Place Home. 
“‘You have to come see this place. It’s completely different from any barn you’ve ever known,’” she recalled her friend telling her. 
Once she set foot at Win Place Home and met dozens of retired race horses who needed guidance and some extra love, she never left. 
Garcia, who is now an assistant trainer at the organization, works with several different thoroughbreds and helps them figure out what new careers they will go into following life after the racetrack. 
“The transformation from a horse who was trained to run, come here pretty hyped from the track and the energy,” she said. “They then come here and take a breath for a minute. We get a chance to listen to them and to hear what it is they want to do with their lives.” 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img fetchpriority="high" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="800" height="601" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121109/062224_CABARET_KQ2-800x601.jpg" alt="Win Place Home held its 4th annual Cabaret fundraiser with performances, music, and food on Saturday evening to further support the organization’s mission which is training retired racehorses into new disciplines. 062324 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1151271" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121109/062224_CABARET_KQ2-800x601.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121109/062224_CABARET_KQ2-400x300.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121109/062224_CABARET_KQ2-200x150.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121109/062224_CABARET_KQ2-768x577.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121109/062224_CABARET_KQ2-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121109/062224_CABARET_KQ2-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121109/062224_CABARET_KQ2-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Win Place Home held its 4th annual Cabaret fundraiser with performances, music, and food on Saturday evening to further support the organization’s mission which is training retired racehorses into new disciplines. 062324 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
The large animals at Win Place Home are retrained in new disciplines such as jumping, or are taught to become trail horses and companions. Some are also adopted out and taken to their forever homes, she added. 
In order to provide the appropriate care for the large animals Win Place Home must raise money to continue their efforts. 
On Saturday evening on the outskirts of Canyon Country, Win Place Home’s private facility held its fourth annual “Cabaret” fundraiser with live entertainment, a lip sync battle, and food to further support the mission. 
In attendance were approximately 240 people laughing and cheering during the performances and during intermission spent time interacting with dozens of horses in their stables. Many of them come annually to support the cause. 
“It’s super heartwarming and it brings tears to my eyes,” said Win Place Home founder and lead trainer, CJ Wilson, about seeing familiar faces every year. “I’m just so grateful for their support and they come to enjoy the show but they’re here really to help the horses so it’s great.” 
Many of the performers are close friends of Wilson and donated their time to make the annual cabaret successful. 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="800" height="601" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121118/062224_CABARET_KQ3-800x601.jpg" alt="Attendees of the Cabaret fundraiser hosted by Win Place Home had the opportunity to interact with retired race horses and learn more about their professional career and what they are up to now on Saturday evening. 062324 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1151272" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121118/062224_CABARET_KQ3-800x601.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121118/062224_CABARET_KQ3-400x300.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121118/062224_CABARET_KQ3-200x150.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121118/062224_CABARET_KQ3-768x577.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121118/062224_CABARET_KQ3-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121118/062224_CABARET_KQ3-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121118/062224_CABARET_KQ3-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="601" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121118/062224_CABARET_KQ3-800x601.jpg" alt="Attendees of the Cabaret fundraiser hosted by Win Place Home had the opportunity to interact with retired race horses and learn more about their professional career and what they are up to now on Saturday evening. 062324 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="lazyload wp-image-1151272" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121118/062224_CABARET_KQ3-800x601.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121118/062224_CABARET_KQ3-400x300.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121118/062224_CABARET_KQ3-200x150.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121118/062224_CABARET_KQ3-768x577.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121118/062224_CABARET_KQ3-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121118/062224_CABARET_KQ3-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121118/062224_CABARET_KQ3-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Attendees of the Cabaret fundraiser hosted by Win Place Home had the opportunity to interact with retired race horses and learn more about their professional career and what they are up to now on Saturday evening. 062324 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
The money raised will be utilized for the care of the current horses they have at the ranch but also help bring in more of them once they’re off the track, Wilson added. 
Since their seventh annual silent auction held in November, Win Place Home has successfully adopted out approximately 15 horses and recently received its 124th horse ready for care and to be trained in a new discipline, said Wilson. 
As a trainer working with the large animals, it “is so unique [and] a beautiful conversation between human and horse rather than it is a dictatorship,” said Garcia. 
“It’s important to spread the word about thoroughbred aftercare. I think it’s also really important to spread the word about mindful horsemanship,” she added. “So the more people that know about that, when you know better you do better.” 
It was Julia Bianco’s first time at the “Cabaret” fundraiser with friends. She said she used to go and watch horse racing until she found out that the thoroughbreds are often mistreated when they are no longer making money in the industry. 
Being surrounded by numerous horses who have found a safe place after their career was over is something she never expected. 
“It’s been really cool to have the education side of it,” she said. “I don’t even think many of us know that places like this exist.” 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="601" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121050/062224_CABARET_KQ4-800x601.jpg" alt="Attendees of the Cabaret fundraiser hosted by Win Place Home had the opportunity to interact with retired race horses and learn more about their professional career and what they are up to now on Saturday evening. 062324 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1151268" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121050/062224_CABARET_KQ4-800x601.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121050/062224_CABARET_KQ4-400x300.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121050/062224_CABARET_KQ4-200x150.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121050/062224_CABARET_KQ4-768x577.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121050/062224_CABARET_KQ4-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121050/062224_CABARET_KQ4-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121050/062224_CABARET_KQ4-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="601" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121050/062224_CABARET_KQ4-800x601.jpg" alt="Attendees of the Cabaret fundraiser hosted by Win Place Home had the opportunity to interact with retired race horses and learn more about their professional career and what they are up to now on Saturday evening. 062324 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="lazyload wp-image-1151268" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121050/062224_CABARET_KQ4-800x601.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121050/062224_CABARET_KQ4-400x300.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121050/062224_CABARET_KQ4-200x150.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121050/062224_CABARET_KQ4-768x577.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121050/062224_CABARET_KQ4-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121050/062224_CABARET_KQ4-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/28121050/062224_CABARET_KQ4-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/></figure>
</div>
The post <a href="https://starvalu.com/cabaret-generates-a-win-for-former-racehorses/">Cabaret generates a win for former racehorses </a> appeared first on <a href="https://starvalu.com">StarValu</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Once an asthma victim, now a marathon runner </title>
<link>https://starvalu.com/once-an-asthma-victim-now-a-marathon-runner/</link>
<comments>https://starvalu.com/once-an-asthma-victim-now-a-marathon-runner/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[dfasdt4]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 26 Jul 2025 16:44:41 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://starvalu.com/?p=9040</guid>
<description><![CDATA[When Jessper Maquindang was in the second grade, he was diagnosed with asthma. His parents kept him away from any and all physical activities, they shielded him from pets for fear that dog hair or cat fur might spur on an asthma attack, and for the most part, they kept him inside. Of course Maquindang [...]
The post <a href="https://starvalu.com/once-an-asthma-victim-now-a-marathon-runner/">Once an asthma victim, now a marathon runner </a> appeared first on <a href="https://starvalu.com">StarValu</a>.
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When Jessper Maquindang was in the second grade, he was diagnosed with asthma. His parents kept him away from any and all physical activities, they shielded him from pets for fear that dog hair or cat fur might spur on an asthma attack, and for the most part, they kept him inside. 
Of course Maquindang would want to run a marathon. 
“Those limits — I just didn’t want that to be my story,” he told The Signal over the phone following the completion of his 15th marathon on June 22 in Anchorage, Alaska. “I was inspired by the major goals of marathon runners and what they did, and I told myself, ‘I’m going to do it.’ And then I added it to my bucket list. Over time, I trained day by day, worked my way up, and then eventually reached that finish line of a marathon.” 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img fetchpriority="high" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="800" height="600" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170312/062824_50STATES_MP_00-800x600.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1151568" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170312/062824_50STATES_MP_00-800x600.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170312/062824_50STATES_MP_00-400x300.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170312/062824_50STATES_MP_00-200x150.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170312/062824_50STATES_MP_00-768x576.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170312/062824_50STATES_MP_00-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Jessper Maquindang of Santa Clarita grew up with asthma, but he didn’t want that to stop him from living an active life. He ran in the June 22 Anchorage Mayors Marathon in Alaska, among 14 others. Photo courtesy of Jessper Maquindang</figcaption></figure>
Maquindang is a Santa Clarita native. Upon developing asthma, he’d watch other kids playing outside and wish he could join them. He’d have to accept that such physical activity, especially outside, just wasn’t in the cards for him. 
Maquindang, now 37 years old, can look back and see that his parents had his best interests in mind while he was growing up, but being stuck indoors and playing video games was not his idea of living his best life. 
“That’s probably what inspired me to take an active lifestyle as I grew older,” he said, adding that as his body developed over the years, his asthma would improve and he’d also learn to manage it to a certain extent. 
At 26 years old, Maquindang decided he’d run a marathon. But he’d have to slowly build up to it. 
“I just trained my body,” he said. “I knew that running 26.2 miles — it’s not an overnight, magic formula. It takes time, and I knew that, so I really put in the weeks and the months.” 
Maquindang started with a 5k run, and then as he felt more comfortable, he moved to a 10k. He’d go on to run a half marathon (13.1 miles), and eventually, over the course of about a year, he felt he could run a full marathon. The first one was the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon. Toward the end of the run, he saw the race ending before he finished it. 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170337/062824_50STATES_MP_02-600x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1151569" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170337/062824_50STATES_MP_02-600x800.jpg 600w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170337/062824_50STATES_MP_02-300x400.jpg 300w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170337/062824_50STATES_MP_02-150x200.jpg 150w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170337/062824_50STATES_MP_02.jpg 632w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"/><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170337/062824_50STATES_MP_02-600x800.jpg" alt="" class="lazyload wp-image-1151569" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170337/062824_50STATES_MP_02-600x800.jpg 600w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170337/062824_50STATES_MP_02-300x400.jpg 300w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170337/062824_50STATES_MP_02-150x200.jpg 150w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170337/062824_50STATES_MP_02.jpg 632w" data-sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Despite growing up with asthma, Jessper Maquindang of Santa Clarita has run in 15 marathons, including the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon in 2014. Photo courtesy of Jessper Maquindang</figcaption></figure>
“When I reached the final miles, I could feel so much pain in my legs that I was getting really nervous,” he said. “So, when I finally reached the finish line, that’s where that sense of relief came from. And, of course, the joy.” 
Kaylee Gabon, Maquindang’s cousin, said Maquindang was the reason she became interested in running, too. 
“Observing his dedication to the sport for the past 11 years has been truly inspiring,” she wrote in an email to The Signal. “As someone who also has asthma, Jessper’s ability to overcome this barrier is a great reminder that running is a mental sport as much as it is a physical one. The willpower and determination that it takes to run 15 marathons is beyond impressive.” 
Maquindang has participated in marathons around the country, including the Santa Clarita Marathon, the Los Angeles Marathon, the Honolulu Marathon in Honolulu, Hawaii, the Little Rock Marathon in Little Rock, Arkansas, and the Maine Marathon in Portland, Maine. It was a dream that coincided with another goal he set for himself back in 2012, when he was creating guidebooks for vacationers to use to explore America. 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170401/062824_50STATES_MP_03-800x533.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1151570" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170401/062824_50STATES_MP_03-800x533.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170401/062824_50STATES_MP_03-400x267.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170401/062824_50STATES_MP_03-200x133.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170401/062824_50STATES_MP_03-768x512.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170401/062824_50STATES_MP_03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170401/062824_50STATES_MP_03-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170401/062824_50STATES_MP_03-800x533.jpg" alt="" class="lazyload wp-image-1151570" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170401/062824_50STATES_MP_03-800x533.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170401/062824_50STATES_MP_03-400x267.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170401/062824_50STATES_MP_03-200x133.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170401/062824_50STATES_MP_03-768x512.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170401/062824_50STATES_MP_03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/02170401/062824_50STATES_MP_03-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Jessper Maquindang of Santa Clarita set a goal to visit all 50 states in the country. He also vowed to complete a marathon, even though he grew up with asthma. The Honolulu Marathon in 2022 is one of 15 races he’s run. Photo courtesy of Jessper Maquindang</figcaption></figure>
“My first job out of college was with a travel company,” he said. “And what that travel company did was they were a tour operator, where they gave clients opportunities to really take on the self-driving programs, where clients would rent a car and then drive across the United States.” 
Maquindang and his department were responsible for providing the information for those travelers. 
“Prior to 2012, I had only been to two states, and that was California, because I live here, and Nevada, for Las Vegas,” he said. “What I did in the beginning is I found a group tour that went across the southern states — so, from Louisiana and then Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and then all the way up to New York City.” 
He took one of those trips himself and got caught in Hurricane Sandy. The natural disaster aside, traveling was more fun than he expected. 
“That’s when,” he said, “I set the goal to check out all 50 states.” 
None of that seemed to be on Maquindang’s radar when he graduated from Hart High School back in 2005. He’d go on to study political science at California State University, Northridge, earn his bachelor’s degree there in 2009, then, in 2017, pick up a master’s degree in executive leadership from the University of Southern California. 
During the 2020 pandemic, Maquindang saw a change in workplace workflow that would prompt him to put his schooling to use. 
“In the world of leadership, what the pandemic did is it really intensified and adjusted the way we work,” he said. “Finding that sense of being a part of something — belonging, teamwork, inclusion — it’s really given me that opportunity to step in.” 
Going back to what he learned about political science, which, he said, is really a study of leadership in one form or another, he found that he had something he could offer company and team leaders looking to adjust in a post-pandemic world. 
And so, Maquindang founded Own FamiLEAD Management Consulting, which, according to the firm’s website, has the mission of helping leaders and managers build stronger teams through team-building activities, leadership effectiveness assessments, and executive coaching. 
Maquindang said he’s built many productive teams with his consulting group, adding that he’s also learned so much from the conversations he’s had with his clients. 
“The pandemic really changed the way we work and the way we connect with one another,” he said. “You really learn a lot about what the workplace needs nowadays, especially when it comes to company culture and leadership.” 
Maquindang said that what he also offers others are his own challenges and his own story where he chose a way, went that way, and is now trying to show the way. 
“The general message is, if you really set your mind to a major goal,” he said, “you can really accomplish it when you stay focused and dedicated.” 
That mindset to visit all 50 states in the U.S. proved to be successful at the end of June when Maquindang went to Alaska, the 50th state on his list, to run in the Anchorage Mayors Marathon. His final time in the 26.2-mile race was five hours and 10 minutes. Maquindang said he thought he could’ve done better, that his legs got really tired toward the end, but he’s ultimately satisfied that he finished. 
His cousin Gabon applauded him for the accomplishment: “He provides motivation to new runners to chase their goals, challenge their previous inhibitions, and thrive despite obstacles.” 
Of the 50 states Maquindang has visited, he’s run marathons in Arkansas, California, Maine, Nevada and, of course, Alaska. Now, with those 50 states behind him, he said he has a new number to hit. 
“The idea of seven continents has crossed my mind,” he told The Signal. “In the marathon world, though, I’m looking forward to exploring further the ultramarathon world.” 
The ultramarathon covers longer distances than the 26.2-mile traditional marathons. These range from 31 miles up to the longest one, the Self-Transcendence 3,100-Mile Race in Queens, New York, of, you guessed it, 3,100 miles. Maquindang has already run two 31-mile ultramarathons. He said that 3,100-mile one would probably not be the one he jumps into next. 
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The post <a href="https://starvalu.com/once-an-asthma-victim-now-a-marathon-runner/">Once an asthma victim, now a marathon runner </a> appeared first on <a href="https://starvalu.com">StarValu</a>.
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<title>11-year-old paints mural for local restaurant </title>
<link>https://starvalu.com/11-year-old-paints-mural-for-local-restaurant/</link>
<comments>https://starvalu.com/11-year-old-paints-mural-for-local-restaurant/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[dfasdt4]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 26 Jul 2025 15:51:45 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Beauty]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://starvalu.com/?p=9038</guid>
<description><![CDATA[It’s not every day that 11-year-olds can say they have painted a mural in an iconic neighborhood restaurant. But for Lily Diaz, this is not the case. Lorena D’s has been a staple for Diaz and her family for years. So, when the restaurant’s owner Lorena Delgado asked her to paint a mural on the [...]
The post <a href="https://starvalu.com/11-year-old-paints-mural-for-local-restaurant/">11-year-old paints mural for local restaurant </a> appeared first on <a href="https://starvalu.com">StarValu</a>.
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It’s not every day that 11-year-olds can say they have painted a mural in an iconic neighborhood restaurant. But for Lily Diaz, this is not the case. 
Lorena D’s has been a staple for Diaz and her family for years. So, when the restaurant’s owner Lorena Delgado asked her to paint a mural on the walls, Diaz was ecstatic to take the offer. “I feel like it was a big opportunity, and I’m definitely getting more like, what’s the word? More recognized for my art now that I painted on a famous restaurant,” Diaz said. Diaz said that she’d only been painting for three years, but fell in love with the activity as soon as she started. She enthusiastically added that she hopes to be an artist when she grows up. “I love painting because it’s like my therapy, kind of,” Diaz said.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img fetchpriority="high" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/30163432/072624_MURAL_TA_2-800x533.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1154218" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/30163432/072624_MURAL_TA_2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/30163432/072624_MURAL_TA_2-400x267.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/30163432/072624_MURAL_TA_2-200x133.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/30163432/072624_MURAL_TA_2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/30163432/072624_MURAL_TA_2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/30163432/072624_MURAL_TA_2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/30163432/072624_MURAL_TA_2-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">11-year-old Lily Diaz proudly poses in front of her mural of Mexican restaurant staple Lorena D’s Friday afternoon in Santa Clarita, Calif., on July 26, 2024. Trisha Anas/ The Signal.</figcaption></figure>
To Delgado, most of her customers feel more like family and she tries to make the restaurant feel like a home. The shelves of the walls are decorated with house plants and colorful Talavera vases. Delgado said she had known Diaz and her mom Marlee for years. Marlee Diaz had been right around Lily’s age when she first started coming to the restaurant, which was then called Betito’s Mexican Restaurant, nearly 30 years ago. “[Lorena] knew Lily since she was in my belly,” Marlee Diaz said. “Lily would just doodle while waiting for food and once [Lorena] reopened the restaurant, she asked Lily to paint.”
Delgado worked as a server there for 27 years, before the owners died and she took over the now 40-year-old restaurant. Lily Diaz painted the restaurant’s logo, which features a woman in a traditional Mexican dress holding up a drink. Lily said it took her about three days to finish it and is already getting more commission requests from family and family friends. Marlee Diaz said she could not be prouder of her daughter. “All I do is brag about it and show everybody who comes in,” Marlee Diaz said. “All our friends, everybody in town comes to this restaurant and it means so much. It feels so good that my friends notice that and praise [Lily] for it. It’s amazing.”
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<title>Empowering the youth through the art of Taekwondo </title>
<link>https://starvalu.com/empowering-the-youth-through-the-art-of-taekwondo/</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[dfasdt4]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 26 Jul 2025 15:09:54 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://starvalu.com/?p=9036</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Nine-year-old Titus Hwang was overjoyed with his new trophy to add to his collection and showed it off to his friends and fellow competitors. “I’m going to put it with my other trophies,” he said when asked about where he would place the new award, adding, that he hopes to participate in Taekwondo “forever.” Like [...]
The post <a href="https://starvalu.com/empowering-the-youth-through-the-art-of-taekwondo/">Empowering the youth through the art of Taekwondo </a> appeared first on <a href="https://starvalu.com">StarValu</a>.
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Nine-year-old Titus Hwang was overjoyed with his new trophy to add to his collection and showed it off to his friends and fellow competitors. 
“I’m going to put it with my other trophies,” he said when asked about where he would place the new award, adding, that he hopes to participate in Taekwondo “forever.” 
Like Hwang, approximately 200 students as young as 3 years old tested their physical and mental strength and simultaneously showed off their newest skills in Taekwondo to their friends and families in the large audience on Saturday. 
The ONE TaeKwonDo hosted its sixth in-house competition at La Mesa Junior High, and the competition was a “positive Taekwondo experience for our students, where they get to compete amongst their own,” said master of ceremonies Kyra Kim. 
But for Hwang it wasn’t just to gain more confidence and test his athleticism, said his mother Sarah Hwang. It was also to form a connection to his culture and heritage. 
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img fetchpriority="high" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="800" height="625" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170141/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ2-800x625.jpg" alt="1st-degree blackbelt Titus Hwang, 9, proudly looks at his trophy during The One TaeKwonDo 6th in-house competition where approximately 200 students participated on Saturday at La Mesa Junior High. 082424 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1156782" style="width:589px;height:auto" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170141/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ2-800x625.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170141/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ2-400x312.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170141/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ2-200x156.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170141/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ2-768x600.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170141/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ2-1536x1199.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170141/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ2-2048x1599.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170141/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ2-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">1st-degree blackbelt Titus Hwang, 9, proudly looks at his trophy during The One TaeKwonDo 6th in-house competition where approximately 200 students participated on Saturday at La Mesa Junior High. 082424 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
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Sarah is a second-generation South Korean and sometimes it can be difficult to teach her kids about South Korean culture, she said. Her younger child, Abigail Hwang, 7, was also competing during the daylong event. 
“Being able to have a piece of that culture here, particularly in the sport, it makes me happy and appreciated,” she said. “They’re able to learn simple things like counting in Korean … a lot of the terminology that we use here [in Taekwondo] is Korean so when their grandparents hear them using some of it, [they say], ‘Oh my goodness you know that word.’” 
For Titus, the experience has been super beneficial ever since he joined four years ago. Known to be a shy kid, he has blossomed into a more confident person, Sarah said, adding that even when he may not have a skill fully correct, he continues to keep trying with the help of his uplifting coaches. 
“You could see it spill over into his academics,” she said, referring to having confidence in accomplishing milestones even if it may include a few setbacks. “But [it’s] also [teaching him] in respecting those who are there to teach and respecting his peers.” 
The athletes competed in forms, breaking boards, and sparring for a chance to win in the categories of outstanding, superior and commendable performances, added Kim. Many of the youth beginning their training recently as early as two months ago and some have participated for up to eight years. 
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="534" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170153/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ6-800x534.jpg" alt="Students of The ONE TaeKwonDo had a special performance where they showcased their skills in poses, board breaking, and sparring to their friends and family during the 6th in-house competition daylong event on Saturday at La Mesa Junior High. 082424 Katherine Quezada/The Signal " class="wp-image-1156784" style="width:502px;height:auto" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170153/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ6-800x534.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170153/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ6-400x267.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170153/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ6-200x133.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170153/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ6-768x512.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170153/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ6-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170153/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ6-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170153/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ6-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="534" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170153/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ6-800x534.jpg" alt="Students of The ONE TaeKwonDo had a special performance where they showcased their skills in poses, board breaking, and sparring to their friends and family during the 6th in-house competition daylong event on Saturday at La Mesa Junior High. 082424 Katherine Quezada/The Signal " class="lazyload wp-image-1156784" style="width:502px;height:auto" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170153/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ6-800x534.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170153/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ6-400x267.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170153/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ6-200x133.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170153/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ6-768x512.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170153/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ6-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170153/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ6-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170153/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ6-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Students of The ONE TaeKwonDo had a special performance where they showcased their skills in poses, board breaking, and sparring to their friends and family during the 6th in-house competition daylong event on Saturday at La Mesa Junior High. 082424 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
</div>
“It’s martial arts, they are going to be displaying and showcasing the skills that they have learned over the years. This is really the time to really put those skills to the test and showcase them to their family and friends,” she added. 
U.S. Rep. Mike Garcia, R- Santa Clarita, was in attendance and shared a few words with the athletes. 
“Hopefully, what you are learning from these experiences are not just the forms and how to spar and how to fight and how to become stronger physically, but how to become stronger mentally, and how to not only sometimes lose with pride and with grace, but also win with pride and grace,” he said. 
Representatives of South Korea’s Sangji University’s demo team, considered to be one of the best in the world, traveled across the globe to participate during the tournament as judges and delivered a highly skilled performance that included sparring, board breaking and backflips. 
Nalina Franco, 13, beat her opponent during the sparring section, 3-0, which earned her loud cheers from her family that echoed through the gymnasium and turned heads from nearby attendees. 
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="771" height="800" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170225/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ4-771x800.jpg" alt="13-year old Nalina Franco, (right) doesn’t back down during her sparring competition against her opponent at The ONE TaeKwonDo 6th in house competition on Saturday at La Mesa Junior High. 082424 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1156787" style="width:557px;height:auto" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170225/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ4-771x800.jpg 771w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170225/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ4-386x400.jpg 386w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170225/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ4-193x200.jpg 193w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170225/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ4-768x797.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170225/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ4-1480x1536.jpg 1480w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170225/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ4-1974x2048.jpg 1974w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170225/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ4-scaled.jpg 964w" sizes="(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px"/><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="771" height="800" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170225/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ4-771x800.jpg" alt="13-year old Nalina Franco, (right) doesn’t back down during her sparring competition against her opponent at The ONE TaeKwonDo 6th in house competition on Saturday at La Mesa Junior High. 082424 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="lazyload wp-image-1156787" style="width:557px;height:auto" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170225/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ4-771x800.jpg 771w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170225/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ4-386x400.jpg 386w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170225/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ4-193x200.jpg 193w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170225/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ4-768x797.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170225/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ4-1480x1536.jpg 1480w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170225/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ4-1974x2048.jpg 1974w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170225/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ4-scaled.jpg 964w" data-sizes="(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">13-year old Nalina Franco, (right) doesn’t back down during her sparring competition against her opponent at The ONE TaeKwonDo 6th in house competition on Saturday at La Mesa Junior High. 082424 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
</div>
Her proud father, Jesus Franco, made sure he filmed every moment he could during her sparring moment. He couldn’t contain his excitement and lost his voice with his loud cheering. 
“It makes me feel like I put my training to use after all these years,” she said after she beat her opponent. She began training in Taekwondo six years ago, adding that Jesus helps her with training. 
“All odds were against her,” Jesus said adding that her sparring opponent was much older than her. “We got the whole family here [supporting her],” he said. 
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="525" height="800" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170252/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ10-525x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1156790" style="width:333px;height:auto" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170252/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ10-525x800.jpg 525w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170252/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ10-263x400.jpg 263w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170252/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ10-131x200.jpg 131w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170252/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ10-768x1170.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170252/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ10-1009x1536.jpg 1009w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170252/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ10-1345x2048.jpg 1345w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170252/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ10-scaled.jpg 657w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px"/><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="525" height="800" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170252/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ10-525x800.jpg" alt="" class="lazyload wp-image-1156790" style="width:333px;height:auto" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170252/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ10-525x800.jpg 525w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170252/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ10-263x400.jpg 263w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170252/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ10-131x200.jpg 131w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170252/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ10-768x1170.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170252/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ10-1009x1536.jpg 1009w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170252/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ10-1345x2048.jpg 1345w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170252/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ10-scaled.jpg 657w" data-sizes="(max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">South Korea’s Sangji University performed a captivating, energetic performance with acrobatic skills and tons of board breaking and sparring during the 6th in-house competition daylong event on Saturday at La Mesa Junior High. 082424 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
</div>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="586" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170215/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ5-800x586.jpg" alt="U.S. Congressman Mike Garcia, R- Santa Clarita, shows his support and greets The ONE TaeKwonDo athletes during the opening ceremony of the 6th in-house competition on Saturday at La Mesa Junior High with approximately 200 competitors. 082424 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1156786" style="width:468px;height:auto" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170215/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ5-800x586.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170215/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ5-400x293.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170215/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ5-200x146.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170215/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ5-768x562.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170215/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ5-1536x1125.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170215/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ5-2048x1500.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170215/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ5-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="586" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170215/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ5-800x586.jpg" alt="U.S. Congressman Mike Garcia, R- Santa Clarita, shows his support and greets The ONE TaeKwonDo athletes during the opening ceremony of the 6th in-house competition on Saturday at La Mesa Junior High with approximately 200 competitors. 082424 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="lazyload wp-image-1156786" style="width:468px;height:auto" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170215/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ5-800x586.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170215/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ5-400x293.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170215/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ5-200x146.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170215/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ5-768x562.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170215/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ5-1536x1125.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170215/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ5-2048x1500.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170215/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ5-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">U.S. Congressman Mike Garcia, R- Santa Clarita, shows his support and greets The ONE TaeKwonDo athletes during the opening ceremony of the 6th in-house competition on Saturday at La Mesa Junior High with approximately 200 competitors. 082424 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
</div>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="619" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170131/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ3-800x619.jpg" alt="The ONE TaeKwonDo Headmaster David Hyoseop Kim holds a board for his student during the breaking boards section on Saturday during the 6th in-house competition hosted at La Mesa Junior High School. 082424 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1156781" style="width:472px;height:auto" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170131/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ3-800x619.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170131/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ3-400x309.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170131/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ3-200x155.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170131/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ3-768x594.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170131/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ3-1536x1188.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170131/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ3-2048x1584.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170131/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ3-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="619" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170131/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ3-800x619.jpg" alt="The ONE TaeKwonDo Headmaster David Hyoseop Kim holds a board for his student during the breaking boards section on Saturday during the 6th in-house competition hosted at La Mesa Junior High School. 082424 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="lazyload wp-image-1156781" style="width:472px;height:auto" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170131/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ3-800x619.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170131/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ3-400x309.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170131/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ3-200x155.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170131/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ3-768x594.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170131/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ3-1536x1188.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170131/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ3-2048x1584.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26170131/082424_TAEKWONDO_KQ3-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The ONE TaeKwonDo Headmaster David Hyoseop Kim holds a board for his student during the breaking boards section on Saturday during the 6th in-house competition hosted at La Mesa Junior High School. 082424 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
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The post <a href="https://starvalu.com/empowering-the-youth-through-the-art-of-taekwondo/">Empowering the youth through the art of Taekwondo </a> appeared first on <a href="https://starvalu.com">StarValu</a>.
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<title>Civil rights activist Dolores Huerta visits Golden Valley </title>
<link>https://starvalu.com/civil-rights-activist-dolores-huerta-visits-golden-valley/</link>
<comments>https://starvalu.com/civil-rights-activist-dolores-huerta-visits-golden-valley/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[dfasdt4]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 26 Jul 2025 14:02:42 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://starvalu.com/?p=9034</guid>
<description><![CDATA[“Si se puede, si se puede!” became a chanting echo in the 1970s from the United Farm Workers of America when they fought for higher wages and Cesar Chavez was at the forefront of the fight. Dolores Huerta, the woman behind the famous slogan “Si se puede!” and a labor leader fighting alongside Chavez, made [...]
The post <a href="https://starvalu.com/civil-rights-activist-dolores-huerta-visits-golden-valley/">Civil rights activist Dolores Huerta visits Golden Valley </a> appeared first on <a href="https://starvalu.com">StarValu</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>
“Si se puede, si se puede!” became a chanting echo in the 1970s from the United Farm Workers of America when they fought for higher wages and Cesar Chavez was at the forefront of the fight. 
Dolores Huerta, the woman behind the famous slogan “Si se puede!” and a labor leader fighting alongside Chavez, made a special visit to Golden Valley High School on Friday and connected with students, encouraged them to dream big, pursue higher education, and advocate for issues they believe in. 
Erika Cedeño, Golden Valley High School World Language Department chair and Spanish teacher, often boasts to her husband Eduardo Cedeño about how much she loves to work at the school. 
Eduardo recently began working with the Dolores Huerta Foundation as the finance director and would talk about his wife to Huerta and how much she loves her job and her Golden Valley High School community. 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img fetchpriority="high" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="800" height="568" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100841/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ4-800x568.jpg" alt="Students, staff, and teachers from Golden Valley High School give special guest and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta a standing ovation as Golden Valley High School gifts her the One Hart award on Friday morning. 083024 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1157398" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100841/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ4-800x568.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100841/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ4-400x284.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100841/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ4-200x142.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100841/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ4-768x545.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100841/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ4-1536x1090.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100841/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ4-2048x1454.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100841/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ4-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Students, staff, and teachers from Golden Valley High School give special guest and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta a standing ovation as Golden Valley High School gifts her the One Hart award on Friday morning. 083024 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
“My husband was talking about my happiness here because I’m very happy. This is my happy place,” Erika said. “My husband was bragging about me, I was teacher of the year, and Dolores [asked], ‘Oh seriously? What is this school?’ and [he responded], ‘It’s Golden Valley,’ and she said, ‘I want to go.’” 
Huerta was welcomed to the Golden Valley theater with special performances by the school’s band and ballet folklorico program and given the William S. Hart Union High School District One Hart Award for her courage during the labor movement. 
“Education … it’s really important that we encourage young people to try to go to college … we have to really encourage young people to think something that you might want to do in the future, something that you love to do. Follow your heart,” Huerta said to the students, teachers and staff present. “To all the teachers, I want to say to you, you know our job is to encourage. When I was in high school, some of my teachers did not encourage us.” 
She added: “We don’t want to discriminate against anybody, and we do not want to discriminate against anybody because of the color of their skin … let’s stop the racism altogether.” 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="538" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100813/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ3-800x538.jpg" alt="Golden Valley High School students cling to every word of advice from Dolores Huerta, an American labor leader and civil rights activist, who visited the school on Friday morning. 083024 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1157395" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100813/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ3-800x538.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100813/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ3-400x269.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100813/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ3-200x134.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100813/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ3-768x516.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100813/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ3-1536x1033.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100813/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ3-2048x1377.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100813/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ3-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="538" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100813/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ3-800x538.jpg" alt="Golden Valley High School students cling to every word of advice from Dolores Huerta, an American labor leader and civil rights activist, who visited the school on Friday morning. 083024 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="lazyload wp-image-1157395" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100813/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ3-800x538.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100813/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ3-400x269.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100813/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ3-200x134.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100813/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ3-768x516.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100813/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ3-1536x1033.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100813/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ3-2048x1377.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100813/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ3-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Golden Valley High School students cling to every word of advice from Dolores Huerta, an American labor leader and civil rights activist, who visited the school on Friday morning. 083024 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
Huerta also advised students to become proactive in their communities and advocate for change if they are unhappy with the current circumstances. 
Huerta’s efforts over the years have earned her <a href="https://doloreshuerta.org/dolores-huerta/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">awards</a> including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award in 1998, and induction into the California Hall of Fame in 2013, among others. 
Golden Valley Principal Sal Frias recalled a time when he was a young boy growing up in Northern California and how he was destined to be a field worker — a lot of similarities to Huerta’s upbringing — but with the encouragement of his mother, he paved his own way and pursued education and is now principal of the school. 
“Humble beginnings,” he said. “I’m proud of who I am, I’m proud of where I came from. [Huerta] just reminds me of that. I’m not embarrassed or ashamed. It is what it is.” 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="578" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100850/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ5-800x578.jpg" alt="Golden Valley High School Principal Sal Frias applauds as special guest Dolores Huerta gives students advice for a successful future. 083024 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1157399" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100850/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ5-800x578.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100850/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ5-400x289.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100850/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ5-200x145.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100850/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ5-768x555.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100850/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ5-1536x1111.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100850/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ5-2048x1481.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100850/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ5-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="578" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100850/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ5-800x578.jpg" alt="Golden Valley High School Principal Sal Frias applauds as special guest Dolores Huerta gives students advice for a successful future. 083024 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="lazyload wp-image-1157399" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100850/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ5-800x578.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100850/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ5-400x289.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100850/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ5-200x145.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100850/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ5-768x555.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100850/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ5-1536x1111.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100850/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ5-2048x1481.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100850/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ5-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Golden Valley High School Principal Sal Frias applauds as special guest Dolores Huerta gives students advice for a successful future. 083024 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
“My priority has always been to give students in the minority groups here at Golden Valley role models to look up to. People that look like them, women, people in leadership roles, to be figures of inspiration and just an idea or a belief that they can do something,” Frias said. 
Golden Valley has a total of 2,000 students, 60% of whom are Hispanic, 20% are Caucasian, 10% are Asian, and 10% are African American, he added. 
“I think being a young Latina woman who’s in leadership, it means a lot to see the older generations and see what came before us as a way to kind of progress,” said Golden Valley senior Madison Castillo, who wears numerous hats in extracurricular programs at the school. “Someone like her, who’s a little bit older and still able to come here and speak about her ideas, her beliefs, and continued to be passed on.” 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="601" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100822/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ7-800x601.jpg" alt="The Golden Valley High School Ballet Folklorico group gave Dolores Huerta and distinguished guests a special performance on Friday morning. 083024 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1157396" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100822/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ7-800x601.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100822/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ7-400x300.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100822/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ7-200x150.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100822/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ7-768x577.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100822/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ7-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100822/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ7-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100822/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ7-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="601" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100822/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ7-800x601.jpg" alt="The Golden Valley High School Ballet Folklorico group gave Dolores Huerta and distinguished guests a special performance on Friday morning. 083024 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="lazyload wp-image-1157396" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100822/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ7-800x601.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100822/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ7-400x300.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100822/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ7-200x150.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100822/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ7-768x577.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100822/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ7-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100822/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ7-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100822/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ7-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Golden Valley High School Ballet Folklorico group gave Dolores Huerta and distinguished guests a special performance on Friday morning. 083024 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="601" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100757/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ2-800x601.jpg" alt="Dolores Huerta, American labor leader and civil rights activist smiles as she watches historical footage of herself during the 1960s advocating for farm workers’ rights, on Friday morning during her special visit to Golden Valley High School. 083024 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1157394" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100757/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ2-800x601.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100757/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ2-400x300.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100757/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ2-200x150.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100757/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ2-768x577.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100757/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ2-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100757/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ2-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100757/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ2-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="601" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100757/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ2-800x601.jpg" alt="Dolores Huerta, American labor leader and civil rights activist smiles as she watches historical footage of herself during the 1960s advocating for farm workers’ rights, on Friday morning during her special visit to Golden Valley High School. 083024 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="lazyload wp-image-1157394" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100757/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ2-800x601.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100757/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ2-400x300.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100757/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ2-200x150.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100757/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ2-768x577.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100757/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ2-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100757/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ2-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100757/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ2-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Dolores Huerta, American labor leader and civil rights activist smiles as she watches historical footage of herself during the 1960s advocating for farm workers’ rights, on Friday morning during her special visit to Golden Valley High School. 083024 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="531" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100831/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ6-800x531.jpg" alt="During her special visit to the high school on Friday morning, the Golden Valley High School band welcomed Dolores Huerta, an American labor leader and civil rights activist who worked alongside Cesar Chavez, with a live music performance. 083024 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1157397" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100831/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ6-800x531.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100831/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ6-400x266.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100831/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ6-200x133.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100831/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ6-768x510.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100831/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ6-1536x1020.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100831/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ6-2048x1360.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100831/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ6-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="531" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100831/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ6-800x531.jpg" alt="During her special visit to the high school on Friday morning, the Golden Valley High School band welcomed Dolores Huerta, an American labor leader and civil rights activist who worked alongside Cesar Chavez, with a live music performance. 083024 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="lazyload wp-image-1157397" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100831/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ6-800x531.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100831/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ6-400x266.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100831/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ6-200x133.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100831/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ6-768x510.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100831/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ6-1536x1020.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100831/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ6-2048x1360.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/02100831/083024_GVHUERTA_KQ6-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">During her special visit to the high school on Friday morning, the Golden Valley High School band welcomed Dolores Huerta, an American labor leader and civil rights activist who worked alongside Cesar Chavez, with a live music performance. 083024 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
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The post <a href="https://starvalu.com/civil-rights-activist-dolores-huerta-visits-golden-valley/">Civil rights activist Dolores Huerta visits Golden Valley </a> appeared first on <a href="https://starvalu.com">StarValu</a>.
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<title>Three-vehicle crash hits Chi-Chi’s Pizza </title>
<link>https://starvalu.com/three-vehicle-crash-hits-chi-chis-pizza/</link>
<comments>https://starvalu.com/three-vehicle-crash-hits-chi-chis-pizza/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[dfasdt4]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 26 Jul 2025 12:56:55 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Auto Services]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Deputies with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station and L.A. County Fire Department personnel were dispatched to a three-vehicle collision in which a truck slammed into the Chi Chi’s Pizza location on the northbound side of Sierra Highway on Monday afternoon. According to Howard Tieu, spokesman for the Fire Department, personnel were dispatched at 3:16 [...]
The post <a href="https://starvalu.com/three-vehicle-crash-hits-chi-chis-pizza/">Three-vehicle crash hits Chi-Chi’s Pizza </a> appeared first on <a href="https://starvalu.com">StarValu</a>.
]]></description>
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Deputies with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station and L.A. County Fire Department personnel were dispatched to a three-vehicle collision in which a truck slammed into the Chi Chi’s Pizza location on the northbound side of Sierra Highway on Monday afternoon. 
According to Howard Tieu, spokesman for the Fire Department, personnel were dispatched at 3:16 p.m. and arrived on the scene at 3:19 p.m. 
A commercial truck was exiting the State Route 14 freeway when the driver began to apply his brakes and realized they were not working, according to Deputy Whitaker, who was assisting on the scene. 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img fetchpriority="high" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="800" height="601" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172804/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ2-800x601.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1158715" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172804/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ2-800x601.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172804/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ2-400x300.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172804/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ2-200x150.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172804/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ2-768x577.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172804/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ2-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172804/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ2-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172804/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ2-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Deputies with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station and L.A. County Fire Department personnel were dispatched to a three-vehicle collision in which a truck slammed into the Chi Chi’s Pizza location on the northbound side of Sierra Highway on Monday afternoon. 091624 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
The driver then engaged his emergency brake, Whitaker said, adding that the commercial truck ended up crashing into two traffic signs before it hit a gray Toyota Prius and a blue Hyundai Elantra and then slammed into the side of Chi Chi’s Pizza. 
One person was transported from the scene, said Tieu. 
No arrests have been made as of the publication of this story, according to Whitaker. 
This is a breaking news story, and additional information will be released as it becomes available. 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="547" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172814/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ4-800x547.jpg" alt="Deputies with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station and L.A. County Fire Department personnel were dispatched to a three-vehicle collision in which a truck slammed into the Chi Chi’s Pizza location on the northbound side of Sierra Highway on Monday afternoon. 091624 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1158716" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172814/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ4-800x547.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172814/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ4-400x273.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172814/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ4-200x137.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172814/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ4-768x525.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172814/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ4-1536x1049.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172814/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ4-2048x1399.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172814/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ4-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="547" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172814/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ4-800x547.jpg" alt="Deputies with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station and L.A. County Fire Department personnel were dispatched to a three-vehicle collision in which a truck slammed into the Chi Chi’s Pizza location on the northbound side of Sierra Highway on Monday afternoon. 091624 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="lazyload wp-image-1158716" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172814/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ4-800x547.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172814/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ4-400x273.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172814/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ4-200x137.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172814/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ4-768x525.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172814/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ4-1536x1049.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172814/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ4-2048x1399.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/16172814/091624_CHICHICRASH_KQ4-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Deputies with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station and L.A. County Fire Department personnel were dispatched to a three-vehicle collision in which a truck slammed into the Chi Chi’s Pizza location on the northbound side of Sierra Highway on Monday afternoon. 091624 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
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<title>GVHS building a community through dance </title>
<link>https://starvalu.com/gvhs-building-a-community-through-dance/</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[dfasdt4]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 26 Jul 2025 11:38:50 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Juanita Rojas has had a common goal with all her students throughout her three-decade teaching career. She wants to help her students form a “sense of belonging,” she said. “Sometimes some of these kids come to school, day in and day out, and they still don’t feel connected,” she added. On a Thursday morning, over [...]
The post <a href="https://starvalu.com/gvhs-building-a-community-through-dance/">GVHS building a community through dance </a> appeared first on <a href="https://starvalu.com">StarValu</a>.
]]></description>
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Juanita Rojas has had a common goal with all her students throughout her three-decade teaching career. She wants to help her students form a “sense of belonging,” she said. 
“Sometimes some of these kids come to school, day in and day out, and they still don’t feel connected,” she added. 
On a Thursday morning, over 20 Golden Valley High School students made up of diverse backgrounds, ranging from freshmen to seniors, began to tap their feet in unison onto the polished wooden floor while Mexican music played in the background. The students were dancing ballet folklorico, a cultural dance that originated in Mexico. 
The students were shy, but a few smiles formed when they realized they fully memorized the choreography. Rojas, along with her right-hand man Octavio Barba, a folklorico dance instructor, was there to help clarify the technicalities such as how to correctly place their arms or stomp their feet. 
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img fetchpriority="high" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="800" height="612" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144649/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-800x612.jpg" alt="Teacher’s assistant Octavio Barba, helps the Golden Valley High School Folklorico dancers with formations for their upcoming performance during their morning practice on Thursday. 091224 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1160077" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144649/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-800x612.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144649/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-400x306.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144649/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-200x153.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144649/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-768x588.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144649/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-1536x1175.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144649/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-2048x1567.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144649/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Teacher’s assistant Octavio Barba, helps the Golden Valley High School Folklorico dancers with formations for their upcoming performance during their morning practice on Thursday. 091224 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
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<div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="658" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144630/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-800x658.jpg" alt="Golden Valley Ballet Folklorico De Oro program instructor Juanita Rojas plays the performance music for the students to practice their steps during their morning class on Thursday in Golden Valley High School’s dance room. 091224 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1160075" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144630/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-800x658.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144630/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-400x329.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144630/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-200x164.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144630/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-768x631.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144630/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-1536x1263.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144630/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-2048x1684.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144630/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="658" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144630/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-800x658.jpg" alt="Golden Valley Ballet Folklorico De Oro program instructor Juanita Rojas plays the performance music for the students to practice their steps during their morning class on Thursday in Golden Valley High School’s dance room. 091224 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="lazyload wp-image-1160075" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144630/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-800x658.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144630/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-400x329.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144630/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-200x164.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144630/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-768x631.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144630/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-1536x1263.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144630/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-2048x1684.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144630/091224_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Golden Valley Ballet Folklorico De Oro program instructor Juanita Rojas plays the performance music for the students to practice their steps during their morning class on Thursday in Golden Valley High School’s dance room. 091224 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
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The Golden Valley Ballet Folklorico De Oro program was started a year ago as a club with only a few members. Due to the high number of students interested, Rojas advocated that the club be turned into a physical education class. 
The students now earn credits, but the experience is much more than that. In the program many of the students take the time to learn more about themselves and their culture, build a community based on similar interests, and learn to overcome unique challenges through the art of dance. 
Senior Brian Mazon migrated to the United States approximately five months ago from Guerrero, Mexico. 
“[In Mexico] the dance is practiced a lot,” he said in Spanish. When asked about why he joined the program this fall he responded, “It’s a beautiful dance … I’ve been dancing this at school [in Mexico], and I heard GVHS had the program, and I joined.” 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="596" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144545/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ5-800x596.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1160070" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144545/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ5-800x596.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144545/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ5-400x298.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144545/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ5-200x149.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144545/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ5-768x572.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144545/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ5-1536x1145.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144545/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ5-2048x1527.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144545/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ5-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="596" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144545/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ5-800x596.jpg" alt="" class="lazyload wp-image-1160070" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144545/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ5-800x596.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144545/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ5-400x298.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144545/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ5-200x149.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144545/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ5-768x572.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144545/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ5-1536x1145.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144545/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ5-2048x1527.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144545/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ5-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">GVHS senior and folklorico dancer Brian Mazon moments before he was set to perform in front of his classmates for their special performance during lunch time on Thursday. 092624 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
Freshman student Allisson Cedillo added in Spanish: “I wanted to be surrounded by people that come from different experiences of life, like [Mazon] who came to the United States, and [others] to just learn, [and] learn more about the dance that is practiced in various parts of Latin America.” 
Mazon and Cedillo said they love to hear the roaring applause and the excitement from the audience after each performance. It’s important for them to witness how people who may not know about ballet folklorico and its culture leave their performances with a positive outlook. 
Sophomore Kaylani Jones wanted to create a better connection to her mother’s side of the family and the vibrant colorful dresses worn by the dancers during a performance at La Mesa Junior High School caught her attention. 
“I really liked the pretty dresses … Everyone likes really pretty dresses,” she said as she giggled. 
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="647" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144528/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ3-800x647.jpg" alt="The Golden Valley Ballet Folklorico De Oro dancers bring smiles to their classmates as they dance to uplifting music during lunch on Thursday. 092624 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1160068" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144528/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ3-800x647.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144528/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ3-400x323.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144528/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ3-200x162.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144528/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ3-768x621.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144528/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ3-1536x1242.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144528/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ3-2048x1656.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144528/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ3-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="647" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144528/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ3-800x647.jpg" alt="The Golden Valley Ballet Folklorico De Oro dancers bring smiles to their classmates as they dance to uplifting music during lunch on Thursday. 092624 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="lazyload wp-image-1160068" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144528/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ3-800x647.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144528/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ3-400x323.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144528/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ3-200x162.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144528/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ3-768x621.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144528/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ3-1536x1242.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144528/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ3-2048x1656.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144528/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ3-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Golden Valley Ballet Folklorico De Oro dancers bring smiles to their classmates as they dance to uplifting music during lunch on Thursday. 092624 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="560" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144519/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-800x560.jpg" alt="A Golden Valley Ballet Folklorico De Oro dancer is all smiles as she confidently performs in front of students during lunch time on Thursday. 092624 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1160067" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144519/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-800x560.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144519/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-400x280.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144519/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-200x140.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144519/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-768x537.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144519/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-1536x1074.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144519/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-2048x1433.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144519/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="560" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144519/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-800x560.jpg" alt="A Golden Valley Ballet Folklorico De Oro dancer is all smiles as she confidently performs in front of students during lunch time on Thursday. 092624 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="lazyload wp-image-1160067" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144519/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-800x560.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144519/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-400x280.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144519/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-200x140.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144519/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-768x537.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144519/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-1536x1074.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144519/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-2048x1433.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144519/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ2-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A Golden Valley Ballet Folklorico De Oro dancer is all smiles as she confidently performs in front of students during lunch time on Thursday. 092624 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
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But within her personal experience she’s learned to overcome her stage fright, and it has helped her become more sure of herself. 
“It really helped me get over my fear like, being in front of people and performing, which I think is very helpful,” adding that soon she’s required to have a presentation in front of people for a scholarship and she’s overcome the challenge with the help of the program. 
“The people here are really welcoming. It was really easy to make friends and the [current] group we have right now feels like a family. We all talk, we all get along really well,” Jones added. 
But for some, the program serves as a completely new experience with no correlation to family cultural ties. 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="558" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144537/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-800x558.jpg" alt="GVHS folklorico dancers were all smiles during their lunchtime special performance in the school’s quad on Thursday. 092624 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1160069" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144537/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-800x558.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144537/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-400x279.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144537/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-200x140.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144537/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-768x536.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144537/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-1536x1072.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144537/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-2048x1429.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144537/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="558" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144537/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-800x558.jpg" alt="GVHS folklorico dancers were all smiles during their lunchtime special performance in the school’s quad on Thursday. 092624 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="lazyload wp-image-1160069" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144537/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-800x558.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144537/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-400x279.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144537/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-200x140.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144537/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-768x536.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144537/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-1536x1072.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144537/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-2048x1429.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144537/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ4-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">GVHS folklorico dancers were all smiles during their lunchtime special performance in the school’s quad on Thursday. 092624 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
“For me, this is a completely different culture,” said sophomore Rafael Zabala, who is of Philippine descent. “Dance in the Philippines doesn’t have much emphasis on footsteps so it’s like a completely different experience,” but he’s come to learn and appreciate something new that he didn’t think he would be exposed to. 
Every Friday during their regular class time, Rojas takes the time to also educate her students about the historical significance of the dance and how it changes within the different regions of Mexico. 
“We talk about the songs, what it means, the different style of footwork, the culture in the region,” she said. They also learn appropriate vocabulary and the significance of the attire. 
Rojas wants her Golden Valley Ballet Folklorico De Oro students to gain skills that they could apply in different areas of their academic and personal lives while simultaneously forming new connections within their community and beyond. 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144603/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ7-800x572.jpg" alt="A large group of Golden Valley High School students gathered during lunchtime to support the folklorico dancers during their special performance in the school’s quad on Thursday. 092624 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1160072" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144603/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ7-800x572.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144603/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ7-400x286.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144603/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ7-200x143.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144603/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ7-768x549.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144603/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ7-1536x1098.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144603/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ7-2048x1464.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144603/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ7-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="572" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144603/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ7-800x572.jpg" alt="A large group of Golden Valley High School students gathered during lunchtime to support the folklorico dancers during their special performance in the school’s quad on Thursday. 092624 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="lazyload wp-image-1160072" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144603/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ7-800x572.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144603/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ7-400x286.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144603/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ7-200x143.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144603/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ7-768x549.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144603/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ7-1536x1098.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144603/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ7-2048x1464.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27144603/092624_GVHSFOLKLORICO_KQ7-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A large group of Golden Valley High School students gathered during lunchtime to support the folklorico dancers during their special performance in the school’s quad on Thursday. 092624 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
“It just means so much for me to have them have a sense of belonging,” she said. Although she’s taken the unpaved road and created something new at the school, the students having a positive experience makes it all worthwhile for the passionate teacher. Even when she stumbles on a few challenges, she’s unafraid to tackle them. 
The dance program may be in its early stages, but Rojas has big plans for her students before she is set to retire in five years, she said. “It’s been quite the ride.” 
</div>
The post <a href="https://starvalu.com/gvhs-building-a-community-through-dance/">GVHS building a community through dance </a> appeared first on <a href="https://starvalu.com">StarValu</a>.
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<title>Titania K9 Fund hosts its 8th annual fundraiser </title>
<link>https://starvalu.com/titania-k9-fund-hosts-its-8th-annual-fundraiser/</link>
<comments>https://starvalu.com/titania-k9-fund-hosts-its-8th-annual-fundraiser/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[dfasdt4]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 26 Jul 2025 10:10:44 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Pets]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://starvalu.com/?p=9028</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Sand Canyon Country Club welcomed many furry friends at the Titania K9 Fund’s 8th annual fundraiser with the theme of “Wanted: Wild West Gala” on Sunday afternoon to raise funds for the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles dog therapy program. Titania K9 Fund Founders Denise and Mark Kane hold superhero Titania and her sidekick pooch [...]
The post <a href="https://starvalu.com/titania-k9-fund-hosts-its-8th-annual-fundraiser/">Titania K9 Fund hosts its 8th annual fundraiser </a> appeared first on <a href="https://starvalu.com">StarValu</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>
The Sand Canyon Country Club welcomed many furry friends at the Titania K9 Fund’s 8th annual fundraiser with the theme of “Wanted: Wild West Gala” on Sunday afternoon to raise funds for the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles dog therapy program. 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img fetchpriority="high" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="800" height="601" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172735/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ4-800x601.jpg" alt="Titania K9 Fund Founders Denise and Mark Kane hold superhero Titania and her sidekick pooch K9 which symbolizes the superhero spirit inside children facing illness and injury during the Wanted Wild West Gala, a fundraiser to support the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles therapy dog program on Sunday. 092924 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1160829" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172735/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ4-800x601.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172735/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ4-400x300.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172735/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ4-200x150.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172735/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ4-768x577.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172735/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ4-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172735/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ4-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172735/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ4-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Titania K9 Fund Founders Denise and Mark Kane hold superhero Titania and her sidekick pooch K9 which symbolizes the superhero spirit inside children facing illness and injury during the Wanted Wild West Gala, a fundraiser to support the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles therapy dog program on Sunday. 092924 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
Titania K9 Fund committee member, Denise Kane, said that her daughter, Tory Kane, was a CHLA patient when she created an anime superhero figurine named Titania who had a sidekick dog named K9, who battled illness and injury with her superpowers of love, hope and courage. 
Her daughter is the inspiration for the fund’s name and its mission. 
Denise Kane said that having a dog therapy program at CHLA is important because it can make a patient’s day when they are going through treatment. 
“Some of those kids are in the hospital for a long time, so when the dog comes into the room, it lights up their day. They can be themselves. It’s unconditional love,” said Kane. 
Attendee Olivia Jarquin said this fundraiser was very important to her and her family after seeing how much the dog therapy program helped her daughter when she was a patient at CHLA. 
“As soon as those dogs came into the room, she would turn into a different person,” said Jarquin. 
Jarquin said that when a dog would come to her daughter’s room and visit it would change her whole demeanor. Her daughter would become much more attentive, and they appreciated there was something to make her happy while they were at the hospital for long periods of time. Even after her daughter died, Jarquin wanted to keep on supporting the program through the fundraiser. 
“A lot of the times, just having a doctor or a nurse or even a parent asking them so many things like, ‘OK, what can I do?’ It can get overwhelming for them,” said Jarquin. “But these dogs don’t ask anything. They just love them. So for me, I would say request the dogs as soon as you can.” 
Kate Buhrmaster, head of the Ammerman Family Foundation therapy dog program, said the program has over 100 certified therapy dogs that visit the CHLA. The dogs go floor by floor visiting patients for about 10 to 15 minutes to offer them emotional and physical support. 
There were eight certified therapy dogs at the gala. Throughout the event the dogs’ handlers were walking them around letting the guests come and greet them. Several kids would approach the dogs to pet them and get to know fun facts about them and the handlers would give them a picture card of them with their information and other facts about them on the back. 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="601" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172744/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ8-800x601.jpg" alt="Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Therapy Dog Volunteers brought their furry friends to the Titania K9 Fund Wanted Wild West Gala to show attendees the crucial role the therapy dog program plays in the well-being of patients including those battling cancer on Sunday at the Sand Canyon Country Club. 092924 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1160830" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172744/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ8-800x601.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172744/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ8-400x300.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172744/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ8-200x150.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172744/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ8-768x577.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172744/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ8-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172744/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ8-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172744/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ8-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="601" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172744/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ8-800x601.jpg" alt="Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Therapy Dog Volunteers brought their furry friends to the Titania K9 Fund Wanted Wild West Gala to show attendees the crucial role the therapy dog program plays in the well-being of patients including those battling cancer on Sunday at the Sand Canyon Country Club. 092924 Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="lazyload wp-image-1160830" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172744/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ8-800x601.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172744/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ8-400x300.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172744/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ8-200x150.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172744/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ8-768x577.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172744/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ8-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172744/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ8-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/03172744/092924_WANTEDWILDWESTGALA_KQ8-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Therapy Dog Volunteers brought their furry friends to the Titania K9 Fund Wanted Wild West Gala to show attendees the crucial role the therapy dog program plays in the well-being of patients including those battling cancer on Sunday at the Sand Canyon Country Club. 092924 Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
Charlene Lafontant held her therapy dog, Mochi, for attendees to come and pet or hold themselves. 
She said that in her time working she has recognized that children and dogs have a natural connection. The dogs not only cheer up patients and doctors through the tough days, but also they can help them keep their blood pressure and heart rates down. 
“They (the doctors and nurses) love seeing the dogs as well, because they have a very stressful job, and we’re happy to help them destress so that they can help the patients as well,” said Lafontant. 
To her the moments that make the dog therapy program so important and special are when they help the patients, whether they be there for a short time or long time. 
“We’ll go into a room and some patients are there just a few days. Some are there very long term,” said Lafontant. “One time, the nurse came up to me afterwards and said that they hadn’t seen that patient smile in months. So to have Mochi there really kind of inspired that moment for that child. It just touches your heart, that you’re able to do that.” 
</div>
The post <a href="https://starvalu.com/titania-k9-fund-hosts-its-8th-annual-fundraiser/">Titania K9 Fund hosts its 8th annual fundraiser </a> appeared first on <a href="https://starvalu.com">StarValu</a>.
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<title>American Cancer Society hosts annual ‘Bark for Life’ </title>
<link>https://starvalu.com/american-cancer-society-hosts-annual-bark-for-life/</link>
<comments>https://starvalu.com/american-cancer-society-hosts-annual-bark-for-life/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[dfasdt4]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 26 Jul 2025 05:39:28 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Pets]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://starvalu.com/?p=9020</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Dogs and dog owners were invited to the American Cancer Society’s “Bark for Life,” fundraiser on Sunday morning at the Canyon Country Community Center put on by Relay for Life. Local resident Claribel Diaz said she and her partner were taking their usual morning walk with their two dogs, Simon and Theodore, when they noticed [...]
The post <a href="https://starvalu.com/american-cancer-society-hosts-annual-bark-for-life/">American Cancer Society hosts annual ‘Bark for Life’ </a> appeared first on <a href="https://starvalu.com">StarValu</a>.
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Dogs and dog owners were invited to the American Cancer Society’s “Bark for Life,” fundraiser on Sunday morning at the Canyon Country Community Center put on by Relay for Life. 
Local resident Claribel Diaz said she and her partner were taking their usual morning walk with their two dogs, Simon and Theodore, when they noticed the setup for the fundraiser. She said they asked if they could join in and were welcomed immediately. 
“We just lingered around and we’re enjoying events here,” said Diaz. 
Kathleen Pavard, event organizer, said that the American Cancer Society hosts two big local events in the year. The organization’s biggest local fundraiser, Relay for Life, is held in May at Central Park to honor and remember cancer survivors, but unfortunately, they cannot allow pets to come because some attendees are immunocompromised and still going through treatment. 
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img fetchpriority="high" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="800" height="631" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161339/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ1-800x631.jpg" alt="Lisa Henderson, dressed in a police costume, gives a smooch to Guido, her Frenchie, dressed in a prisoner costume, during the American Cancer Society’s Bark for Life at the Canyon Country Community Center on Sunday. Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1162935" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161339/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ1-800x631.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161339/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ1-400x316.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161339/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ1-200x158.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161339/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ1-768x606.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161339/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ1-1536x1212.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161339/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ1-2048x1616.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161339/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ1-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Lisa Henderson, dressed in a police costume, gives a smooch to Guido, her Frenchie, dressed in a prisoner costume, during the American Cancer Society’s Bark for Life at the Canyon Country Community Center on Sunday. Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
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So, the organization hosts the “Bark for Life” fundraiser in October – dogs are allowed and attendees can dress up in costume in the spirit of Halloween. 
“We do recognize the important fact that dogs are definitely caregivers at heart,” said Pavard. “There’s nothing like when you don’t feel good, you sit down in a big chair at home, and your dog comes up and snuggles up to you, and it just brings you comfort. So we consider them to be our caregivers as well.” 
Pavard added that in May, the Santa Clarita Relay for Life raised over $300,000 and all of that money goes toward cancer research and prevention. 
The event included several games and activities for both canines and owners to participate in. They had a human barking contest, a peanut butter lick-off and treat hunting for the dogs, musical hula hoops and a costume contest for the dogs and owners. 
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<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="601" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161410/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ5-800x601.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1162938" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161410/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ5-800x601.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161410/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ5-400x300.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161410/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ5-200x150.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161410/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ5-768x577.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161410/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ5-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161410/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ5-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161410/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ5-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="601" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161410/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ5-800x601.jpg" alt="" class="lazyload wp-image-1162938" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161410/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ5-800x601.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161410/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ5-400x300.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161410/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ5-200x150.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161410/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ5-768x577.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161410/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ5-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161410/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ5-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161410/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ5-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Dog owners patiently wait as judges select the winner of the costume contest for the 2024 American Cancer Society’s Bark For Life held at the Canyon Country Community Center on Sunday. Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
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There were many booths set up at the fundraiser featuring healthy treats, collars, clothing, dog therapy and some rescue shelters. 
Sharon Campas, founder of Sandy and the Crew Animal Rescue, had a booth at the fundraiser with some of its rescue dogs. 
“All of these dogs are dogs that we’ve saved from euthanasia in local Southern California shelters, and they are all looking for homes,” said Campas. 
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="601" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161421/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ6-800x601.jpg" alt="Sharon Campos hugs a female canine that she nicknamed Benji at the American Cancer Society’s Bark for Life on Sunday at the Canyon Country Community Center. Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="wp-image-1162940" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161421/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ6-800x601.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161421/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ6-400x300.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161421/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ6-200x150.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161421/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ6-768x577.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161421/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ6-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161421/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ6-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161421/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ6-scaled.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="601" src="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161421/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ6-800x601.jpg" alt="Sharon Campos hugs a female canine that she nicknamed Benji at the American Cancer Society’s Bark for Life on Sunday at the Canyon Country Community Center. Katherine Quezada/The Signal" class="lazyload wp-image-1162940" srcset="https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161421/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ6-800x601.jpg 800w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161421/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ6-400x300.jpg 400w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161421/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ6-200x150.jpg 200w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161421/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ6-768x577.jpg 768w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161421/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ6-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161421/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ6-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https://signalscv.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/21161421/102024_BARKFORLIFE_KQ6-scaled.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Sharon Campos hugs a female canine that she nicknamed Benji at the American Cancer Society’s Bark for Life on Sunday at the Canyon Country Community Center. Katherine Quezada/The Signal</figcaption></figure>
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Her rescue is a predominantly small dog rescue with a few big dog exceptions. This was Campas’ first time setting up a booth at a “Bark for Life” fundraiser and she said she believed it would be a great space for people to come and meet the dogs. 
“It’s an opportunity for people to come and personally interact with the dogs, and it is also good socialization for our dogs,” said Campas. 
Diaz said she was enjoying the booths and activities so much she asked for more information about the organization and plans on attending the next few events. 
“I think that the actual purpose behind it, not just for families and dogs to have a good time, but helping patients going through cancer,” said Diaz, “it is always nice to help out to be able to help out.” 
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The post <a href="https://starvalu.com/american-cancer-society-hosts-annual-bark-for-life/">American Cancer Society hosts annual ‘Bark for Life’ </a> appeared first on <a href="https://starvalu.com">StarValu</a>.
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