OIC teams with Jerry West
Raising training dollars
Jerry West, former Laker, and Chris L. Floyd of Los Angeles Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America, Inc. (LAOIC) hosted a fundraising dinner at City Club on Bunker Hill last Thursday. The organization’s goal is to empower the residents of the city with the resources to achieve their career objectives and become productive citizens.
From left to right: John King, HACLA; Denita Willoughby, AT&T; Jerry West; Chris L. Floyd, OIC; Natalie Cole, OurWeekly Newspaper; Stan Henderson, USC.
Standing, left to right: George Gibbs, UPS; Rod Spackman, Chevron; David Martin, Bank of the West; Rick Longobart, City of Santa Ana; Joel Block, Bullseye Capital; Patrick Copeland, Copeland Fund; Jeff Wilson, Chevron; Mike Griffus, Tectrans, Inc.; Harvey Hill, UPS; Donovan Green, AT&T; Kenneth McHenry, AT&T; Ed Maddox, Hands Across California. Not pictured: Wayne Bragg, New York Life (ret).
Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) has announced that Denita Willoughby has been named regional vice president of external affairs for the company.
“We are pleased to welcome Denita to our management team at SoCalGas,” said Dennis V. Arriola, president and chief operating officer of SoCalGas. “She has extensive governmental and community affairs experience and is well known for her leadership in the greater Los Angeles community.”
The Los Angeles Urban League recently held its 39th Whitney M. Young Jr. Awards Dinner honoring outstanding individuals as “Enduring Legacies.”
The dinner is the League’s annual fundraiser, designed to raise fundamental resources for the Neighborhoods@Work program, including educational support, economic literacy, job prep and placement, and advocacy on behalf of African Americans and other minorities.
Anyone entering the West Coast Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center first saw the imposing banners featuring the two forces behind the event—Natalie Cole (CEO) and David Miller (COO)—hanging overhead observing the goings-on like watchful parents. Then they took in the panorama of the event—aisles of vendors and sponsors on each side—on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
A lively crowd showed up at Club Nokia, hosted by AEG/L.A. Live, to demonstrate support at the West Coast Expo’s pre-event mixer. They noshed on Wolfgang Puck finger food, imbibed favorite beverages, schmoozed and, of course, chatted up the Expo. The event was held Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m.
Los Angeles Lakers small forward Ron Artest, left, and several admirers and advocates for the Los Angeles Watts Summer Games joined Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, center, and the board of supervisors in honoring Artest with a special presentation at Tuesday’s board meeting in the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration. Artest was recognized for his promotion of mental health awareness and encouraging youth to seek mental health services by spreading his message of wellness and recovery.
