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MONROVIAWEEKLY
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Thursday, AUGUST 23 - AUGUST 29, 2018
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Monrovia Honors Former Slave Kate Wright
Volume 22, No. 34
Monrovia Leadership Academy Starts Next Month Staff Writer editorial@beaconmedianews.com
The Monrovia Area Partnership (MAP) Leadership Academy as well as the Youth Leadership Academy will begin next month. The Youth Academy will begin on Wed., Sept. 5 at 3 p.m. The Adult Academy will start the next day, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. The goal of the seven week Academy is “to train residents to recognize and utilize
community resources, facilitate resident and city collaboration and serve the community together by continuously building leadership skills and exercising them in Monrovia.” In essence the Academy helps residents to understand how the city works and what role(s) individuals can take in that work. The Youth Academy does the same, but in some respects SEE ACADEMY PAGE 11
A Vision, a Ham, and that Smile in Beautiful Ohio Charlotte Schamadan, GUEST CONTRIBUTOR It wasn’t often that one could find Pam Fitzpatrick outside of her beloved Old Town Monrovia. As an owner of the Dollmakers’, then Kattywompus on Myrtle Avenue, she was devoted to Old Town’s success. But the fall months of 1990 found Pam and 29 of her fellow townsfolk traveling to Cleveland, Ohio to compete with 30 other communities for the prestigious All-America City Award. It was my privilege to be the director of the event. The competition required telling the story of our community’s success in
bringing it back from hard times to the good times. Telling the story included a half-hour production before judges, using as many of our folks in the show as possible. And, the night prior to the presentations, cities were to work at a festival, providing information and goodies for handing out. The Monrovia group created a food specialty they named “Hammatillas,” a concoction of a corn tortilla filled with chopped ham, and my memory doesn’t recall what else; must have been tasty, though. We had no leftovers. We traveled to Cleveland with the tortillas SEE A VISION PAGE 10
Old Town Monrovia’s Santa Anita Family Services Closes Staff confirms it will close at the end of September
The unveiling of the Neighborhood Treasure in honor of Wright. - Courtesy photos / Ralph Walker
Ralph WALKER, GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
D
r. Pottenger’s Sanatorium was renowned for treating tuberculosis, but he was apparently not the only resident who cared for those stricken with the disease. Fondly known as “Aunt Kate,” Kate Wright (1861- 1937) was a remarkable woman who opened her heart and her home to indigent men with tuberculosis. Having no wealth of her own, she depended on the
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT Community is Key at Copper Moose Fitness Page 13
community to donate food and money to ease the suffering of men who could not afford treatment or whose disease was too advanced for recovery. She also asked for and received donations of building materials to build small one room cottages on her property to give patients privacy and dignity. At Thanksgiving, she distributed baskets of food for needy families. She was respected and revered by Monrovians from all walks of life. On Saturday, the sounds of Aretha Franklin filled the SEE KATE WRIGHT PAGE 10
Staff Writer editorial@beaconmedianews.com
Based on discussions with Santa Anita Family Services (SAFS) representatives this past week, city staff has confirmed that the service provider will be closing at the end of September. From the
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
sports
Debbie Korbel – Studio Visit
Monrovia Blitzes Burbank En Route To Third Straight Victory
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information provided to city staff, it appears that a non-profit entity called Human Services Association will be taking over the senior services contracts currently being administered by SAFS. However, it is unclear what else SEE OLD TOWN PAGE 11
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