Giving to CLARE

In this holiday season of giving, the CLARE Foundation welcomes members of the community to volunteer their time to help CLARE residents celebrate this joyful time of year. Holiday decorating at CLARE will take place on Thursday, Dec. 21 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CLARE’s holiday party for residents and alumni will be held on Friday, Dec. 22 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call Lacey Von Deak at (310) 314-6211 for volunteer opportunities associated with these events.

The CLARE Foundation offers services to all those seeking recovery from alcoholism and substance abuse. Founded in 1970, CLARE’s eleven residential and outpatient programs serve the Westside communities.

Daily Press



Calling all Outstanding Women

The Santa Monica Commission on the Status of Women (COSW) is now accepting nominations for its 2007 Outstanding Woman Leader (OWL) Award.

The Outstanding Woman Leader is an annual award presented to women by COSW who have demonstrated exceptional personal and/or professional dedication to improving the lives of women and girls in Santa Monica.

Past OWL award recipients have included Mimi Lind, founder of the Safe Families Domestic Violence Intervention Program at Venice Family Clinic and former director of the Westside Domestic Violence Network; Susan McCarthy, former City Manager for Santa Monica; and Gloria Curiel, Guadalupe Castro, Maria Leon-Vazquez and Rita Morales, founders of the Latina Youth Conference.

Nominees must meet the following criteria to be considered for the award:

- The candidate has gone above and beyond in her effort to provide service to the women and girls of Santa Monica;

- She has demonstrated commitment to women’s issues;

- She has made a positive lasting impact on the community;

- She has done work directly benefiting the women and girls of Santa Monica.

Both adult women (21 years old or older) and young women (under 21 years old at the time of nomination) are eligible. One woman will be awarded in each age group. Applications are available at www.smgov.net/ccs/cosw. Nominations must be received by Dec. 31. OWL Award winners will be honored at the March 27, 2007 City Council meeting.

“The Commission is honored and excited to celebrate the important and often unrecognized work women are doing to serve the community and benefit the lives of other women and girls,” said Andrea Lipton, Chair of COSW.

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Santa Monican ready for Rhodes trip

Genevieve Quist, who graduated from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) in 2005, has been awarded a 2007 Rhodes Scholarship. She will begin her master’s in philosophy degree in comparative social policies at the University of Oxford, England, in October 2007.

Quist who lives in Santa Monica, Calif., is in her second year of teaching 6th grade English and social studies at Drew Middle School in South Central Los Angeles under the Teach for America (TFA) program. She has also served as TFA’s campaign coordinator and learning team leader, in addition to her work as a mentor for at-risk youth and a counselor for survivors of sexual abuse.

“It is an incredible honor to be chosen for the scholarship to study at Oxford. My experience as a core member for Teach for America has impressed upon me the importance of creating more educational and economic opportunities for the working poor,” said Quist. “I look forward to doing research and designing policies that will help provide America’s poor with meaningful choices over the quality of their lives and communities.”

Quist began her study at Cornell in 2002 and was named a Merrill Presidential Scholar in her senior year. The Merrill Presidential Scholarship is a recognition given to graduating seniors from the top 5 percent of their class who have demonstrated outstanding scholastic achievement, strong leadership ability and potential for contributing to society. Quist also received the Daniel Alpern Senior Award for exemplary scholarship, leadership and service to Cornell’s ILR School in 2005.

“She is a person who wants to make a difference in the world. She has a great interest in welfare and poverty issues,” said Peter Quist, a partner in Grubb, Quist and Associates, labor relations consultants, in Waterbury,Vt.

The Rhodes Scholarships were created in 1902 by the will of Cecil Rhodes, British philanthropist and colonial pioneer. Selection criteria for scholars include “high academic achievement, integrity of character, a spirit of unselfishness, respect for others, potential for leadership and physical vigor.” Approximately 95 scholars are selected worldwide each year.

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