EL SEGUNDO HERALD August 22, 2019 Page 3
Mychal’s Continues Expansion
with a Digital Printing Operation
By Brian Simon
Seventeen years after it opened in a Hawthorne
church with minimal staffing and just 16
students, Mychal’s Learning Place continues
to grow both in size and scope. When last
featured in these pages, the organization had
just celebrated the launch of a new coffee
and baked goods food truck. It didn’t take
long for the “Mykie’s Coffee and Bakery
Truck” to make a name for itself, providing
tasty treats at Aviation Corridor business
centers and appearing at high-profile events
such as this month’s well attended Bite at
the Beach festival in Manhattan Beach and
El Segundo’s Main Street Car Show.
Not to rest on his laurels, Mychal’s Founder/
Executive Director Ed Lynch recently announced
another new business venture that (as
with the food truck) provides job training and
employment opportunities for young adults
with developmental disabilities. Mychal’s
Prints, a digital printing operation, produces
custom-stamped, memorabilia-oriented items
such as t-shirts (direct to garment) and mugs
for companies, groups and events. “Our
primary customer base will be Mychal’s
corporate partners, other non-profits and
community groups in the Los Angeles area,”
Mychal’s Prints’ business plan notes. With
nearly two decades of relationships built with
both businesses and non-profits in the region,
Lynch hopes to parlay all this good will into
a thriving concern that will benefit companies
large and small while also bolstering the
career paths of those with developmental
disabilities – who, according to studies,
comprise a group with a shockingly high
unemployment rate of 85 percent.
Mychal’s Prints currently operates out of
Mychal’s primary site, a 10,000-square foot
facility on Rosecrans that the organization
purchased in 2015 to accommodate its rapid
growth while also providing a base to foster
programs for developmentally disabled youth
and young adults. The objective is to help
these individuals achieve independent, fulfilled
and productive lives.
Mychal’s now well-documented back story
continues to inspire. Lynch named the place
after his daughter who passed away at the age
of seven after suffering with an undiagnosed
Gun Control Song Released by
Community Briefs
West Basin Announces Two New Recycling
Water Connections in El Segundo
Last week, the West Basin Municipal Water
District (West Basin) announced the connection
of two new recycled water customers in
El Segundo, Calif.: Wiseburn High School,
home of Da Vinci Communications, Da
Vinci Design, and Da Vinci Science; and the
AC Hotel, a Marriott hotel located on East
Maple Avenue.
The new Wiseburn High School pipeline
connection will provide 10 acre-feet per year
of recycled water for landscape irrigation
across the campus. Similarly, the hotel will
use a projected 1 acre-feet per year for outdoor
irrigation. By using recycled water instead of
potable drinking water, an estimated savings
of over three million gallons of treated drinking
water per year is expected to be achieved.
The recycled water will be distributed from
The Jewelry Source
337 Main St. El Segundo. 310-322-7110
www.jewelrysourceUSA.com
©2007
How mad is she?
A little. A little bigger.
Oops.
West Basin’s Edward C. Little Water Recycling
Facility in El Segundo, with the City
of El Segundo serving as the purveyor to the
school and hotel.
“West Basin thanks Wiseburn High School
and the AC Hotel for their environmental
stewardship and commitment to protecting
our region’s water supply by using recycled
water,” said West Basin Board President Scott
Houston, who represents the Division IV City
of El Segundo. “West Basin continues to expand
its recycled water program throughout
the South Bay by working with organizations
that share a mutual goal of achieving longterm
water reliability across our service area.”
For more information, visit: www.westbasin.
org/recycled-water.
– Source: West Basin
Local Musician
El Segundo singer-songwriter
Nicolette Aubourg’s latest release,
“Take the Guns Away” was recorded
less than a week before the El Paso
and Dayton mass shootings. It is a
song advocating gun control and a
tribute to victims and survivors of mass shootings
and gun violence. The song was produced
by Erik Eldenius, a member of Billy Idol’s
band, and includes Gov’t Mule’s
Jorgen Carlsson on bass. Nicolette
is an award-winning songwriter who
has released three studio albums and
four singles. She was a first ballot
participant in the last two Grammy
Awards. The record artwork is a painting by
Dina Farris Appel. For more information see
http://www.NicoletteAubourg.com.
PAID EDITORIAL
Student ID Cards Carry Message
That Talking About Suicide Helps
By Rob McCarthy
The new student identification cards
for 2019-20 could prove to be a lifesaver
at local campuses. Every ID card issued
to seventh through 12th graders will carry
a suicide prevention phone number. The
helpline is so teen-friendly that it accepts
text messages.
Suicide is now the second-leading
cause of death for children ages 13 to 18.
It’s also become a more frequent tragedy affecting
10- to 12-year-olds, according to the
California Department of Education. Suicide
is very rare among children age nine years
or younger, the department says, though
research indicates thoughts about self-harm
can begin early.
Starting this fall, all California campuses
are now required to print suicide prevention
information on student IDs. The National
Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255
and the Crisis Text Line 741741 appear on
the IDs issued by public, private and charter
schools. The law, which lawmakers approved
in 2018, also applies to college campuses.
Lawmakers gave schools until 2019 to issue
the new student IDs. However, campuses
have been active since 2017 in detecting
at-risk students and intervening early. The
state’s education department credits parents,
educators, mental health professionals and
legislators with recent efforts to address “the
critical need to prevent youth suicides in
California.” School districts that serve pupils
in grades seven through 12 LEA must have
in place a policy on pupil suicide prevention,
intervention and postvention.
Those district policies shall specifically
address the needs of high-risk groups and
include consideration of suicide awareness
and prevention training for teachers, according
to the state education department.
The 2017 law did not apply to private
schools or schools with students below grade
seven, yet state officials strongly encourage
all campuses statewide to adopt a suicide
prevention policy “as a safety net for all of
their students.”
The California State Parents-Teachers Association
advises parents, teachers and neighbors
to trust their instincts when something seems
wrong with a young person. Knowing what
to look for is a first step toward preventing
someone from injuring themselves or taking
their lives, says the PTA. Almost always,
there are warning signs.
Danger signs that can predict a suicide
attempt include threats or comments about
killing themselves. Aggressive behavior or
social withdrawal from family and friends can
indicate someone is reaching a danger point to
Obituaries
James Patrick Smith
3-18-1932 / 7-28-2019
Husband, Father, Grandfather, Great Grandfather
James “Pat” Smith, a long time
resident of El Segundo, passed
away peacefully at his home,
July 28, 2019. He was born in
Hammond, Indiana and lived in
Munster, Indiana, before going
off to Bethany College, earning
his Bachelor’s Degree in Business.
He also attended Indiana
University and was drafted
by the United States Army in
1954. Pat, otherwise known as
“JP”, moved to El Segundo in 1959, where
he raised his 2 children. He is survived by
his wife, 3 children, 4 grandchildren, and
3 great grandchildren. He was
involved with the Boy Scouts
of America and El Segundo
Noise Abatement. Pat acquired
his teaching credential in
Special Education later in life
and retired from LAUSD. He
loved to travel, was an avid
reader of historical fiction and
non-fiction. Pat loved his family
and enjoyed getting together to
share stories. The family will
have a private service and any contributions
may be made, in his honor, to the Boy Scouts
of America. •
See Mychal’s, page 10
See Student ID, page 6