Lake Forest 4-Year-Old Finds a Good Home for $19.10

It took four years for Blake Parker of Lake Forest to save $19.10. But then, that’s all in nickels, dimes and pennies. And Blake, after all, is only 4 years old.

A few days ago he cleaned out his Crayola-shaped piggy bank. Poured every coin into his little fish net (a favorite item from his room) and headed off, his head spinning with what he could do with this kind of cash.

His mother, Anja Parker, found out his plan when they were in Target last week. Blake spotted a toy that he liked--liked a whole lot. She thought that was how he wanted to spend his money. So she told him: He had plenty of money in his bank for it, if that’s what he wanted.

But that wasn’t what Blake had in mind. He couldn’t spend it on the toy, he said, because he was saving his money for something more important. Like what, his mother asked him.

“For homeless people,� he replied.

Remember now: 4 years old.

You see, the week before, Blake and his mother had seen a homeless veteran outside another store. “I explained to him that a lot of people like this veteran did not have homes of their own, and their children didn’t have nice toys. I think it was the thought of those children that influenced him.�

When she heard what he wanted to do with his savings, she decided to let him do just that. She drove him to the Veterans Charities office in Santa Ana. That’s a private, nonprofit agency that assists disabled veterans, mainly those homeless or out of work. One of the workers held out a plastic bag to accept Blake’s money.

“He didn’t want anyone to help him,� his mother said. “It took him awhile, but he scooped out all the change himself.�

You’ve got to know Mom was dancing on the ceiling at all this. “I am very proud of him,� she said.

And the reaction from Veterans Charities?

“Phenomenal!� said spokesman Roger D. Kenney. “We’ve had bigger donations, but never anyone who gave his entire savings.�

The nonprofit organization, which helps veterans find homes and jobs, has a new transitional living house for veterans on its schedule. The young boy’s $19.10 will start the funding for it. The plan is to call it the Blake Parker House.

I don’t think anyone could come up with a better name than that.

No Antique Clothes: Veterans Charities has been pretty busy this summer. It has opened an antique store, at 124 W. Wilshire Ave. in Fullerton, and a bargain boutique at 127 N. Main St. in Santa Ana, both employing disabled veterans.

“Business is a little slow, you know, new kid on the block kind of thing,� Kenney said. “But we’re confident it will pick up once people know we’re there.�

Don’t donate your old clothes to the Santa Ana store. A city ordinance prevents it from selling anything but new clothes. Right now it’s struggling to find adequate suppliers. For old clothes, Veterans Charities hopes to open a store in Anaheim soon.

She Was First: Though there is pressure to appoint women to the bench, when Betty Elias was appointed by then-Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr., female judges were practically unheard of in Orange County. Elias was the first woman ever appointed to the bench in Municipal Court in Fullerton.

Elias, who suffered from crippling arthritis most of her career, died last week. She’d been honored by the Orange County Women’s Lawyers Assn. just before her retirement in 1994. Her name will be known in the Fullerton court for a long time. The Betty L. Elias Community Service Award was established last year to honor her. First winners were Sid Lopez and Betty Geier, who work with the county’s Victim Witness program.

More Top Honors: After I wrote about golf pro Muffin Spencer-Devlin being named grand marshal for the Aug. 17-18 Orange County Gay & Lesbian Celebration, one reader called to suggest I should also mention who has been named as its man and woman of the year. So here goes:

Richard Reinsch, chairman of the board of directors for the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, has been named its Man of the Year. For nine years he’s been on the AIDS Services Foundation/Orange County’s board of directors. He’s also chair of the local HIV Planning Advisory Council’s legislative services foundation.

Its Woman of the Year is Pearl Jemison-Smith, former AIDS coordinator at UC Irvine. She was recently named the Los Angeles Times’ Volunteer of the Year. In 1984 she founded ACTION (AIDS Coalition to Identify Orange County’s Needs), which later gave way to numerous AIDS-related groups.

Wrap-Up: For the record, Blake Parker has a 2-year-old sister, Melanie, who looks up to him. Their father is Andrew Parker, a design engineer. The Parker family hones its giving spirit at the First Baptist Church of Laguna Hills.

Veterans Charities in Orange County already has 10 transitional houses for homeless veterans, temporary shelters until they can find work. Up to six veterans can live at each of these houses. No alcohol is permitted, and the veterans know they could be tested at random for drugs.

Says Kenney: “We had a man come in today who needed our help. But our housing is all filled up. We’ll have to find another way to assist him.�

Jerry Hicks’ column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Readers may reach Hicks by calling the Times Orange County Edition at (714) 966-7823 or by fax to (714) 966-7711, or e-mail to [email protected]