The January “Get Active Challenge” was a fun and friendly competitive challenge amongst Penny Lane employees. During those 31 days staff were actively walking, jogging, and dancing. Staff formed new relationships, bonded with one another, enjoyed the camaraderie and most importantly, staff were involved in health producing activities! Staff realized how much their body can do and were amazed at the changes that came along with being active. Staff reported improvements in their metabolism, better mood, better sleep, feeling more energized, and some even lost weight!
A total of 160 employees participated in this challenge, we had 32 teams! Each team had the opportunity to be creative and come up with their team’s name, some of those names were Cirque de Sore Legs, Bipolar Express, Legs Miserables, Mind Over Miles and Los Caminantes. In January, the 32 teams collectively had a total of 19,000 miles, great job Get Active Challenge Participants! The team Westside Ladies consisting of; Allison Castellanos, Debbie Rodriguez, Charito Guerrero, Melissa Venegas and Maura Spindola, was the winning team with a total of 1,772 miles! These ladies worked hard for the grand prize, $1,500 in Amazon gift cards. The Team Legs Miserables came in second place not far behind the Westside Ladies!
Stay tuned for more challenges throughout the year. Stay healthy everyone
-Berenice Zaragoza, Penny Lane Centers
Booksustain delivered to Penny Lane Centers over 520 gently used books. Sophie and Davin Donay, co-presidents of Booksustain, founded the nonprofit to provide books to those with limited access, to advance literacy and to avoid waste and preserve these valuable resources. This wonderful organization donates used books to family shelters, foster care agencies, transitional housing facilities and other community service organizations in the Los Angeles area. They collect books from the public, participating libraries, bookstores and other nonprofits and donate them, thus lessening the environmental impact of book disposal.
We have taken their generous donation and distributed them to the many families and individuals that Penny Lane serves. Thank you, Booksustian as we at Penny Lane appreciate you. For more information about this wonderful organization please go to www.booksustain.org.
-Nydia Barakat, Penny Lane Centers
Thanks to Luz Quiros we are excited to announce that starting 2/6 there will be Girl Scout Cookies available in the Antelope Valley employee lounge for everyone to enjoy. Before indulging in these delicious treats, Luz shares a heartwarming story about Troop 952 and how they brightened the holidays for one of our Full Service Partnership (FSP) families.
Luz received a call before the end of last year from Ms. Jill, the troop leader, who expressed her desire to sponsor a family for the holidays. She explained that a former employee of PL had praised our agency's support within the community, prompting her to reach out to us. The family they sponsored was overwhelmed with joy on Christmas morning when they discovered the abundance of gifts they had received. Recognizing the ongoing need within our community, Jill and her troop decided to make sponsoring a family a holiday tradition. As the troop is in their final year of Girl Scouts and planning a graduation trip, they kindly requested our support in purchasing cookies to fund their trip. Alongside the cookies, there will be provide all necessary information, including an envelope for the purchase of the cookies, and Jill has even provided a Venmo scan code for added convenience.
Please don't hesitate to contact Luz Quiros (lquiros@pennylane.org) if you have specific cookie preferences. We have the opportunity to decide which family Troop 952 will sponsor next, so thank you in advance for your support in making a difference in the lives of those we serve.
I am overjoyed to see the incredible response we've received; it truly reflects the depth of compassion and generosity within our PL family. The overwhelming support demonstrates our collective commitment to making a positive impact in our community and extending a helping hand to those in need. Witnessing such a heartfelt outpouring of support fills me with immense pride and gratitude for being a part of this amazing family. It reaffirms our shared values of kindness, empathy, and solidarity, and I am deeply proud to stand alongside each and every one of you as we strive to make a difference in the lives of others. Together, we exemplify the power of unity and compassion, and I am honored to be part of such an extraordinary team." -Luz Quiros
Many Thanks,
-Luz Quiros, Penny Lane Centers
