By Gina Redican
We’ve been busy working to bring back in-person events and are continuing to plan well into the future. Of course, we are keeping our ears to the ground regarding rules and regulations about public gathering, which is the reason some of our events are rather spontaneous. Be sure to check out mybelmontheights.org/events to find out what’s coming up. Below are a few of the events we hosted these past months.
We held two in-person community meetings in the beautiful courtyard of the Belmont Heights United Methodist Church.
In August we met with Dr. Graham Tse, Chief Medical Officer at Memorial Care Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach where he has practiced for more than 20 years. Dr. Tse, Board-certified in pediatrics and pediatric critical care, has won several awards including Physician of the Year. During COVID, Dr. Tse became and continues to serve as the physician in charge in the Hospital Incident Command Center for both Miller Children’s &
Women’s and Long Beach Medical Center overseeing the Medical Center’s COVID-19 response. Dr. Tse spoke with us a few days prior to LBUSD students returning to in-person school and helped answer questions and concerns for families. He gave us information about how the different COVID vaccinations work in our bodies, the process for FDA approval, and the status of vaccines for children under the age of 12.
In September we hosted a well-attended meeting with acting Commander Lt. Marcus Hodge and Patrol Resource Officer Brendan Murphy of the LBPD- East Division team. We were updated on Commander Chad Elis’ retirement and have since learned that Commander Richens has been appointed to the position of East Division Police Commander. He also reviewed the many resources offered by the LBPD and who to contact when community members need assistance, as well as how LBPD will help residents start a Neighborhood Watch team. If you are interested in starting a Neighborhood Watch group, please contact the BHCA and we will connect you with officer Murphy.
Be sure to subscribe to our e-blasts to find out when the next community meeting will be as we no longer have a set schedule.
Goblins in the Greenbelt
It was so great to once again host Goblins on the Greenbelt and this year it was extra special! We asked local business owners to sponsor tables along the greenbelt to pass out candy to the kids. The turnout was incredible! We loved seeing so many kids in costumes Trick-or-Treating their way down the Greenbelt with their families. As usual, the BHCA gave out pumpkins for kids to decorate resulting in some beautiful, some chaotic, and some hilarious creations. This is one of our favorite events to host, and I want to give a huge thank you to the businesses, volunteers, and donors that made Goblins on the Greenbelt such a big success. We cannot wait for next year!
Food Drive is Now a Tradition
The BHCA has successfully continued to host our monthly food drive which in the past few months has helped several local organizations including Help Me Help You: Nutritional Knights Program which operates food pantries in several local schools. As always, we are incredibly moved by the response from our neighbors who continue to donate and help our beautiful city. We cannot thank you enough.
Keeping Our Community Informed
Communication has been a top priority of the BHCA since its formation. We are continuously adapting to modern demands and have established new ways to keep the community informed. Tasha Thrift has helped us establish a great following on our social media platforms, Derrick and his wife Diana streamlined our emailing and membership platform, and we are constantly updating our website, as well as putting countless hours of work into the newsletter. All of this would not be possible without your membership and generosity.
Holiday Lights Decorating Contest
Rumor on the street is that Santa loved the BHCA Holiday Decorating Contest last year so much that he told his Belmont Heights elves to do it again! So, for 2021, we’re asking you
to channel your inner Santa and get those holiday decorations out of the garage early! In the spirit of a little friendly competition, the BHCA would like to invite you to participate in our 2021 HOLIDAY DECORATING CONTEST
RULES:
This contest is open to anyone living in Belmont Heights (rent/own, home/apartment/business). Decorations can be in your yard, on your walls, doors, windows, roof, or all of the above!
To enter, send an email to president@MyBelmontHeights.org by December 13th with your address and category from the list below. By entering, you agree to have your display photographed and posted on the BHCA’s website and social media.
CATEGORIES:
● Best Use of Lighting and/or Inflatables
Is the sky the limit? Or is less more? Show us your best stuff!
● Best Traditional/Historical
A blast from the past!
This can be anything from a classic 50’s look to a more retro holiday feel.
● Funniest
With 2021 winding down, we all need a good laugh. Share your best holiday pun.
● Best Front Door
No time to decorate your yard? Decorate just your front door.
Open to everyone, especially condo and apartment residents.
The only limit is the size of your door and your imagination!
● Best Business Window Display
Don’t be like Ebenezer Scrooge ...decorate that window!
Did we mention there are prizes and bragging rights at stake?
A big shout out to last year’s winners:
● Best Front Door - 230 Mira Mar
● Funniest - 4251 Massachusetts
● Best Traditional - 233 Ximeno
● Best Lights - 262 Euclid
● Overall - Over the Top - 360 Loma
While you can’t re-win until 2022, we hope you inspired your neighbors to buy more lights!