March 2023 Newsletter

In the month of March, we celebrate Women’s History!  We commemorate and encourage the study and observance of these amazing women as we look back at the role they played in American history.  Penny Lane was founded by one such woman 53 years ago.  This month we take a moment to celebrate the contributions of our very own Ive Markovits! Additionally, we celebrate the journey of our Peer Support Specialist, Desiree Bocanegra, as they take us on their journey to finding themselves at Penny Lane. A must read this month!

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Meet our Intensive Services Client AW. She has successfully navigated through our program, is currently looking for jobs and is hopeful for her next steps in life. As clinicians, often times we plan ahead – we have our interventions laid out and perhaps think we may have all the answers. Therapy is not a one size fits all. With AW, we needed to get creative in working/supporting her. We had to take a step back and truly listen to what she wanted – essentially, meeting her where she is at and thinking outside of the box. It was when AW actually felt like she was being heard is when the walls came down and she was able to trust us! Read more to learn about AW's journey this March!

The Penny Lane Centers Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) folks presented our first school assembly entitled, “Erase Hate” to the 5th graders at Rosa Parks Learning Center on Friday, February 3rd.  this is a  new initiative to bring our message of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to our community schools. Our DEI Director; Judy Grant has set in motion a 3-part integrative approach to support our schools by delivering a specialized program to the parents, teachers, and the students.  The focus on this day was to increase awareness among the students through an interactive assembly with a book reading, video clips and even some raffles. Check it out!

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Meet our Board Member Annick Hamon this month!  Not only is she a Penny Lane Board Member but she is also part of the Abbey Road Board team! Her life started in France during World War II in a medium sized city on the Loire river near the Atlantic ocean. Nantes was a port specializing in the construction of ships including war ships, the canning of sardines and the confection of very special butter cookies: the “Petit LU”. Click on the link to learn more about Annick.

In this month's Community Spotlight we feature Soles4Souls. Penny Lane Centers due to a generous donation from Soles4Souls will be providing shoes and socks for our youth/families this coming spring.  When people lack the resources to get through today, it’s difficult for them to focus on tomorrow. Soles4Souls turns shoes and clothing into opportunities for education and employment so they can have a more hopeful future.  Check it out and you too will want to join in on their community involvement!

In our monthly Wellness Corner our North Hills Family Center Clinical Supervisor, Diane Nunn, shares her thoughts on the Power of Connection.  Every day in our North Hills clinic, she is aware of so many connections being made; staff joining with their clients, their caregivers and siblings, and even engaging with our community members.  But what has struck her the most lately have been the connections she has witnessed between our own Penny Lane staff. How we support each other is a beautiful process. Check out her thoughts this month!

This past month was full of love at Penny Lane Centers. We held our yearly Valentines Day Self-Love event in Commerce, share some wonderful highlights from our Client Satisfaction Survey, received some generous donations and much more!! Check out what we have been up to this past month!

For March’s promotional employee spotlight, please meet Celina Torres, Intensive Services Outpatient Therapist, working at our North Hills Clinic. Celina’s career at Penny Lane started in June of 2018 as a part time Child Activity Coordinator for the RHAS Program in North Hollywood before transferring to full time Child Family Specialist in North Hills Clinic in February 2019. She transferred again in September 2021, to an Intensive Services Facilitator. Check it out to learn more about Celina this month!

Check all the open positions at Penny Lane Centers this month!