In honor of Women's History Month 2023, tell us about a Woman who INSPIRES you?

Bellflower Unified Superintendent

(Cont'd. from Pg. 6) with positivity and believe that in post-Covid reality, there is now a greater sense of purpose for all of us.”

My older sister. She has inspired me ever since we were little girls. There were 12 of us and she was the oldest and I watched her help my mom take care of all of us. She was my mom’s right hand in raising us and she never complained. To this day, my sister has never stopped helping everyone around her. She never gets tired of loving her family, and on top of everything else, my sister is one-week cancer free today. Everything that God gave her, she gives back. I wish I could describe how much love she radiates. All I know is that I love and admire her and I’m proud to call her my sister. She’s my inspiration.

Frida Kahlo. All my life

I’ve loved Frida Kahlo. She was a warrior and a strong woman and an inspiration to women all over the world, including me. I have lost a son and a brother, so I think I’m a warrior, too. It isn’t easy for a mother to lose a child. Everything I’ve been through, I think makes me a warrior. Women go through these things every day – we are all warriors – because no matter what, we have to keep going. Frida taught us to love life, but also to love ourselves and to be strong.

I am happy that women are speaking up for themselves now. Women need to speak up for themselves and for each other. Everyday, we need to inspire each other.

My mom, Meher Zakaria. She passed away in 2003, but she was such a beautiful woman and I miss her greatly. She taught me to see the good things in life and to stay positive and be patient and to help everyone that I could. She always taught us that if people needed help, and we could help, then we needed to help them. If I had one request, I would ask to meet her again, to see her again. I miss those moments in life with her. If I could see her again I would tell her how much I appreciate everything she taught me – because of her I am who I am. I would thank her for all her teachings and her blessings.

My mother, Maria Sanchez. She died 25 years ago, but I still miss her every day. Thinking back, I wish I could have helped my mother more, but I was a kid. There were 8 of us, and she struggled. Life wasn’t easy for women in Mexico when I was growing up. Women weren’t supposed to work. It was believed that women were meant to stay home and raise the children. My dad never even let my mom go to a doctor. Women back then, were the only ones raising the children. When we realized that she had cancer, it was too late. If I had one more chance, I would thank her for teaching me the importance of family and honesty.

Dr. Drati has also been getting to know the City of Bellflower, and nearby Cities, and all of its elected officials. “I love how everybody knows each other,” he said. “I especially love hearing that a lot of our elected officials are products of Bellflower schools, or Lakewood schools, and they grew up and are serving their communities. That says a lot about our communities and their leaders – it shows how much they care about the families served by our schools, because they were once students here, too.”

Dr. Drati said that while he is just getting started, he plans to be here for the long haul. “This school district has so much potential,” he said. “We’re going to turn this school district into the best school district in the region. We’re in a good place fiscally, our parents are ready to roll up their sleeves and district-wide, our educators and staff are excited about getting Bellflower Unified School District back to the place where it should be. “We’re not too far off, so I see us getting there soon.”

Vice President of the Board of Education, Brad Crihfield is also a parent in the school district. “We’ve needed someone who was going to come in and fix what wasn’t working. I appreciate Dr. Drati's vision and I’m here not just as a school board member, but I’m also here as a parent.” ♦

Project Shepherd offers year-round help to families

Lakewood Project Shepherd is more than just a holiday program; it also has an extension program to help Lakewood residents on an emergency basis year-round. If you are a Lakewood resident facing tough economic times, your neighbors can help.

Families in need may apply any time of year for help with the emergency food pantry or for one-time utility bill payment assistance, and scholarships for recreation programs.

Eligibility requirements:

Project Shepherd applicants must be Lakewood residents (determined by current Lakewood mailing address and utility billing).

Families are served by either the Burns Community Center or Palms Park Com- munity Center, depending on the zip code of their residence. To apply for assistance, please call the community center that serves the zip code of your residence:

• 90712 or 90713: Call Burns Community Center at 562-925-7512

• 90715: Call Palms Park at 562-865-6414

Facility hours:

• Burns Community Center, 5510 Clark Ave.: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Palms Park Community Center, 12305 E. 207th St.: Monday through Friday, 3 to 5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 to 5 p.m.

Visit www.lakewoodcity.org/ProjectShepherdGetHelp. ♦

Earth Walk at Monte Verde Park

Lakewood's free Earth Walk event returns this spring with an interactive experience for children and adults on Saturday, March 11, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The event will be held at rustic Monte Verde Park, which is the trailhead to over three miles of landscaped walking trails and the San Gabriel River Parkway. Monte Verde Park is located at 4626 N. Shadeway Rd.

Participants will learn what they can do to help keep the earth beautiful and protected. Adults and children are invited to take a nature walk, create naturethemed crafts, visit the petting zoo, and learn about recycling. “Woody the Tree,” Lakewood’s "Tree City, U.S.A." mascot, will be in attendance to help teach visitors about Lakewood’s “urban forest.”

Earth Walk stamps.

With a completed passport, participants will receive a special Earth Walk gift, while supplies last. This free event is a fun and educational day for family members of all ages.

For more information, call 562-866-9771, ext. 2408, or go to www.lakewoodcity.org/ EarthWalk

In the event of rain, a decision regarding event cancellation will be made by 7 a.m.

Participants can visit the stations along the trail and get their passport stamped with specialty

The event may continue in a scaled down fashion if weather permits. Weather related updates can be obtained by calling Monte Verde Park at (562) 4290598 on Saturday, March 11. ♦