3 Volunteers at Cedars-Sinai Have Made the Activity a Family Affair

Three longtime Los Angeles residents working at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have made volunteering a family affair.

Greta Solomon, her daughter Justine Mandelbaum and granddaughter Ali Mandelbaum are among about 1,500 volunteers who each week donate time to the Los Angeles hospital.

The trio, who have contributed a combined total of more than 900 hours of volunteer service, will be honored during National Volunteer Recognition Week held this week at Cedars-Sinai.

The tradition of volunteering started with Justine nearly 10 years ago. A former fashion design teacher, Justine works four days a week as a librarian for the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in downtown Los Angeles. Each Friday, she takes a break from her busy schedule to help new parents order their baby photos in the maternity ward.

“It’s a very positive area,” the 62-year-old Justine said. “I only get to see happy people and if I didn’t work, I would volunteer every morning because I just love it.”

Two years ago, the AIDS epidemic brought Ali to the medical center. The 22-year-old singer/songwriter had seen the devastating effects of the disease firsthand and decided to get involved. After an intensive training session, she worked with patients in the AIDS unit. She recently became one of the first volunteers chosen to assist children in the new pediatric AIDS unit.

“I love kids,” she said. “I thought that working with children who have AIDS would be a great way to combine my two interests.”

Then, the mother-daughter team urged Greta to join the Cedars-Sinai family of volunteers last year. Greta, 88, says she looks forward to doing volunteer work. She spends several hours on Mondays helping prepare mailings for the medical center.

“The people are very friendly,” she said. “I like it when there’s a lot to do.”

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Elliot Dorff, provost of the University of Judaism and dean of its Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, has been named to a working group of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Health Care Task Force.

Dorff’s group will study “Ethical Foundations of the New System.”

A scholar and author on the issues of Jewish law and ethics, Dorff is a member of the ethics committee of the UCLA Medical Center and Jewish Homes for the Aging.

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Board of Supervisors Chairman Ed Edelman has named two Westside residents to Los Angeles County committees.

Beverly Hills resident Ralph Kaplan has been reappointed to the Los Angeles County Hospitals Commission. He is active in numerous projects including politics and Jewish affairs.

Monica Botero Hylande, a resident of West Hollywood, has been appointed to the Los Angeles County Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem, Personal and Social Responsibility. A language interpreter for the U.S. Probation Court in Los Angeles, she will work with the task force to address the problems of teen pregnancy, crime and substance abuse.

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John Titus was the winner of West Los Angeles College’s African-American History Contest.

Titus, a second-year student at the Culver City campus, was one of 18 competitors quizzed on questions relating to African-American history. He received a $40 gift certificate to the school bookstore.

Jomau Shakles finished second and Keith Williams placed third.

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The Medallions, a nonprofit support group of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, installed Chuck Hirschman as president.

Hirschman, a resident of Marina del Rey, was installed at a dinner Feb. 23 at Jimmy’s Restaurant in Beverly Hills.

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The UCLA School of Nursing has named Mary Lyon as associate dean for administration.

Lyon, formerly a lecturer and teacher at the school, graduated from the University of North Carolina and earned her master of nursing degree at the UCLA School of Nursing. Her duties as dean will include budgeting and fiscal monitoring of the school, information planning and staff administration.

The school also appointed Diane Cooper as associate dean for student affairs. Cooper, also a graduate of the UCLA School of Nursing, will administer programs and activities for the school’s undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degree programs.

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