Aid is in the pipeline

Barbara Diamond

Help continues to pour in for families whose homes were damaged or

destroyed by the June 1 landslide in Bluebird Canyon.

Laguna Relief and Resource Coalition spokeswoman Marsha Bode

announced that the center still had $75,000 in donations after $500

checks were distributed Monday to 22 red-tagged families -- those

expected to be out of their homes for at least a year -- and a couple

of yellow-tagged families, determined by the estimated time for them

to reoccupy their homes.

The coalition has distributed about $25,000 so far, mostly in

small checks given to families of red- and yellow-tagged homes, said

Debi Cortez, administrator.

“We’re waiting until we get a significant amount of money to

distribute large checks,” Cortez said.

The coalition’s adopt-a-family campaign ran into a snag when it

was learned that contributions earmarked for a specific family would

not be tax deductible.

Cortez says that seven corporations are now raising money in the

campaign to give $150,000 to each of 12 families that lost everything

in the landslide. Those who wish to donate to a specific family --

whose profiles are posted on the Internet -- will have to funnel

their donation through the City of Laguna Beach, which will handle

the disbursement.

“If we accept donations for a specific family, we could lose our

nonprofit tax status,” Cortez said. “But everyone should know that

the funds are being distributed fairly and equitably according to

families’ needs.”

Regular distributions will be made to everyone, Bode said. Special

requests will be evaluated by the five-member coalition finance

committee, which meets on Wednesdays, according to Bode.

Dispersal of funds “will go faster now that we have a good list

and things have begun to settle down,” Bode said.

She urged the families to take advantage of the six free

counseling sessions offered by Psych Support, a volunteer group of

local mental health professionals.

Two fundraisers are scheduled for this weekend, which Cortez hopes

will raise $150,000.

Family friendly activities will be held from noon to 3 p.m.,

Saturday at El Morro Elementary School, with more adult entertainment

from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.,

The Ken Garcia Band and Common Sense will perform. There will be a

food court

“Corporate sponsors have already ponied up about $60,000 in-kind

or cash contributions,” said fundraiser organizer David Vanderveen,

who owns a tagged home on Flamingo Road.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for students. For more

information, call (949) 637-7759.

The Laguna Board of Realtors is sponsoring a fundraiser from 4 to

6 p.m. Sunday at the Sandpiper Lounge, 1183 South Coat Highway. The

Blues Offenders will perform. Tickets are $50.

Hobie Sports on Forest Avenue continues to sell “And Bluebird

Canyon Shall Rise” T-shirts for $20 each, proceeds donated to the

relief fund.

On July 2 the stores in the Lumberyard Mall on Forest Avenue plan

to kick off the holiday weekend by donating a percentage of their

sales to the Laguna Beach Landslide Fund.

Others offered in-kind services.

Contractor Charlie Williams is a hero to many of the displaced

families.

He and volunteers from his work crew graded a road to provide

access to the collapsed section of Flamingo Road and helped retrieve

vehicles and personal belongings from the homes.

Others have come forward with ideas for free or low-cost services.

The city’s landslide recovery coordinator, Bob Burnham, who

recently retired as Newport Beach city attorney, is in contact with

the Public Law Center, which provides legal services to the poor and

underprivileged but has certain restrictions on its services.

Laguna Beach City Atty. Philip Kohn, the center’s immediate past

president and a board member for 10 years, is looking into what help

can be provided to the displaced families.

Local attorney Gary Waldron offered his services and said other

attorneys in the city are also making themselves available pro bono

to families that need advice about taxes or how to deal with mortgage

lenders.

The families were truly touched Monday when El Morro students

Allison Palmer, 11, Kate McMahon, 11 and Myriah Reynolds, 10,

presented a $1,000 check for the relief fund on behalf of the student

body and the PTA.

“I said it’s been a tough week watching people pull their

belongings out of their homes, but things like that make me feel we

are going to be OK,” Bluebird Canyon Steering Committee Chairman

Steve Huberty said. Monday.

Cindy Frazier contributed.