Cool Family Meals images

February 11, 2024 · Posted in Family Meals · Comment 

A few nice family meals images I found:

Meal for Two
family meals
Image by Chalkie_CC
Right at the bottom of my garden is my tool shed. The other evening (about 1130pm) our two spaniels went mad and I went down to see what all the fuss was about. I caught a quick view of a small hedgehog going under my old shed. The following evening I placed a saucer of cat food down by the shed and waited quietly. I then captured the following shots from about ten feet away as the family came out for dinner. Sorry about the quality but it was midnight and I couldn’t see what I was doing!

Honeysuckle Christmas Tree
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Image by Honeysuckle Alive
Honeysuckle is hosting a Christmas Tree Installation with a series of events next to The Maritime Centre from 1st until 27th of December 2012.

Photos with Santa
Saturday 8th December
8:30 am until 12:30pm
Looking for a family Christmas portrait location?
Photos with Santa are free and can be collected online via our website, after the event weekend.
OzHarvest will be on site to show you their new Cook Book. Every book sale = 60 meals delivered to those in need. www.ozharvest.org/

Photo credits: Simone Sheridan

Nice Family Meals photos

January 14, 2024 · Posted in Family Meals · Comment 

Check out these family meals images:

2022 LAFD Merit Scholar Awards
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Image by LAFD
On June 8, 2022 the 16th annual LAFD Merit Scholar Awards Ceremony honored the academic excellence and demonstrated leadership of 11 college-bound students.

The Merit Scholar Awards are cash grants, made possible through the Jean Perkins Foundation, of up to ,000 (,500 per year while the student continues to be enrolled and making normal progress toward a college degree). To be eligible, a student must be the child or stepchild of an active or fallen LAFD sworn employee. The eligible student must be a high school senior or college freshman, who will be enrolled in the fall as a full-time student in an accredited college or university. The scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit. The single most important factor is academic achievement, but the all-civilian Selection Committee considered other relevant criteria, including personal character and extracurricular accomplishments.

This year’s awardees were students who demonstrated excellence in academic studies, good character, high moral standards, leadership, distinction in extra-curricular activities, personal accomplishments and a potential for future success. The LAFD Merit Scholarship Fund Board of Directors had the difficult task of selecting the top candidates from an extremely competitive pool.

The 2022 LAFD Merit Scholar Award Recipients are Mariah Alvarado, daughter of Battalion Chief Vincent Alvarado; Kelsey Barrett, daughter of Engineer/Paramedic Keith Barrett; Kurt Ruedy, son of Inspector I Brent Ruedy; Shelby Richmond, daughter of Deputy Chief Trevor Richmond (all bio’s provided below).

This year’s seven Runner-Up Award winners are to be congratulated for their outstanding merits. Each received a one time grant of ,000. They are Aidan Byrne, Jasmine Da Broi, Hadley Goodwin, Carmen Ibarra, Caitlin Perry, Jake Petersen and Jessica Woodcock.
The winner of this year’s “Best Essay” award of ,500, generously sponsored by the LAFD Foundation, is Jasmine Da Broi.

We would like to thank Mr. James Carroll III and Mr. Joe Connolly, Executive Board Members of the Jean Perkins Foundation and the LAFD Merit Scholarship Fund’s Board of Directors, Dick Barrett, John Anglin, G. Louis Graziadio III, Vicky Leck, Tom Mizo, Robert Nicholas and Molly Taylor for their dedication and support of our members and their children. We are also grateful to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation for their sponsorship of the “Best Essay” award and to the LAFD Sertoma Club, the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, LAFD Historical Society and the Los Angeles Firefighter’s Association and the Stentorians of City of Los Angeles who sponsored the awards reception.

2022 LAFD MERIT SCHOLAR AWARD RECIPIENT BIOGRAPHIES
Mariah Alvarado is a graduating senior from Troy High School (THS) and the
daughter of Battalion Chief Vincent Alvarado, assigned to Battalion 12 (20
years LAFD). Mariah will be attending the University of California San Diego
(UCSD), majoring in Chemical Engineering. Mariah pursued an
engineering pathway where she was able to immerse her passions for STEM through different engineering courses and a 150-hour internship. Mariah is able to meet the rigorous course work of THS while still remaining motivated
and passionate in her endeavors. She serves as the Secretary of THS Compass Club. The Club strives to promote the exploration of different career fields through a variety of interviews with a wide range of career models i.e. computer scientist, business CEO, newscaster, and firefighter.
Mariah records the weekly meeting minutes and schedules the interviews. She is a member of the THS varsity dance team and attends advanced dance
classes in the evenings. She has trained and competed with select elite teams for 11 years in ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary and hip hop.
She was appointed captain for five teams out of 60+ dancers to lead dance teams at regional and national competitions. Mariah will continue dancing
on the collegiate Division1 dance team at UCSD. In addition to academic and athletic endeavors, Mariah volunteers for Ronald McDonald House Charities, Meals on Wheels, Pathways of Hope for the Homeless, and Crittenton Services for Children and Families. There, Mariah provides attention and comfort to support attention-deprived infants and toddlers from neglected households. Mariah has “an addiction to Minecraft which consumes an unhealthy fraction of my homework time.”
Mariah’s honors and awards include:
Captain, The Dance Spot Elite Competitive Dance Team 2018-2022
National Title Recipient Varsity Troy
Redhots Dance Team 2018-2022
CADTD Regionals Jazz Soloist Champion 2019 and 2020
WCE Nationals Gold Solo Qualifier
Florida Contest of Champions Nationals Medium Jazz Finalist 2020
National Honors Society 2020-2021,
Principal’s Honor Role 2018-2022,
California Scholarship Federation Seal – Bearer 2018 – 2022
Mariah graduates with a 4.5 GPA

Kelsey Barrett is a graduating senior from San Dimas High School (SDHS) and the daughter of Engineer/Paramedic Keith Barrett, assigned to FS 25 (22 years LAFD). Kelsey will be attending the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, majoring in Nursing. Her goal is to earn her Doctorate of Nursing Anesthesia Practices (DNA) and become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. Kelsey has challenged herself at SDHS with difficult classes that include advanced placement, honors and accelerated classes. Her rigorous class schedule, exceptional grades and demanding schedule attest to her academic excellence and ability to balance her time. Kelsey is a dedicated team player and a role model committed to her team, school and community. She is a tri-sport athlete, participating in varsity volleyball, water polo and softball. She was the Captain of all three teams and helped win league championships in all three sports. She was active in school clubs. She served as ASB Athletics Commissioner, planning and organizing school events, Link Crew Leader, assisting freshmen students, and Best Buddies Team Leader, assisting special education students. Kelsey has actively volunteered at Lake Elder Care and Assistance with elderly care and assistance. At Victoria Village Dentistry, her duties included setting up equipment trays, assisting with x-rays and
creating patient charts. Kelsey’s responsibilities at Guide Dogs for the Blind included training and fostering dogs to improve the quality of life and allowing independence for the blind. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Kelsey had free time and wanted to help expectant mothers who had delivered babies all alone at the Pomona Valley Hospital. She started knitting beanies for babies and has knitted 125 beanies, which are included in care packages for the moms to take home. She hopes to knit 25 more before leaving to the University ofTennessee in August.

Kelsey’s Honors and Awards include:

•First Team All-League Softball, Water Polo, Volleyball 2018-2022
•HEART Award (Hustle, Energy, Attitude, Respect, Team) 2019
•Valle Vista League MVP Volleyball 2022
•Top 10% of Class 2018 – 2022
•Gold Star Award 2018 – 2022
•Renaissance Award 2018 – 2022
•Merit Award 2019, 2020, 2022

Kelsey graduates with a 4.3 GPA

Kurt Ruedy is a graduating senior from Royal High School (RHS) and the son of Inspector I Brent Ruedy, assigned to the Fire Prevention Bureau, VIC Unit (22 years LAFD). Kurt will be attending the University of Alabama, majoring in political science. Kurt is a talented baseball player. He is intelligent, re-spectful and hardworking. He is a consummate team player, being flexible to play a variety of positions to better suit his team’s needs. Kurt brings these traits into the classroom as well as in service to his community. He is a Link Crew Group Leader for RHS, helping incoming freshmen transition to high school throughout the school year. Kurt serves on the RHS Senior Class Council where he was involved in making decisions on spending and asset allocation, organizing, planning and executing events. Kurt is a member of the National Honor Society (NHS). NHS members are required to maintain excellent academic standing as well as service to their community. Kurt volunteered for RHS’ Math for Good program by tutoring math online. He volunteers at the yearly church summer camps as a group leader for preschool to sixth grade. Through the RHS baseball program, Kurt is involved with the Challenger League in Simi Valley, a program helping disabled kids to play baseball, work together and build friendships. As he mentored and interacted with the players on and off the field, Kurt became more aware of his gratitude for his health and abilities. Kurt looks forward to applying to law school and practicing contract law as a sports agent.

Kurt’s honors and awards include:

•National Honor Society 2020-2022
•Scholar Athlete Achievement 2019-2022
•Valedictorian – 2022

Kurt graduates with a 4.3 GPA.

Shelby Richmond is a graduating senior from Thousand Oaks High School (TOHS) and is the daughter of Deputy Chief Trevor Richmond,
Operations Valley Bureau (33 years LAFD). Shelby will be attending
Dartmouth College, majoring in Biology, pre-med track. Shelby hopes to attend a medical or Physician Assistant school, or do research in the medical field. Shelby is a student at TOHS’s The Center, for Advance Studies and Research, (The Center) an AP Capstone Program. As a jun-ior, she completed her AP Research project successfully and overa-chieved with a score of five. The Center is the only course of its kind which involves high school students in advance college level research. In addition to academics, Shelby has been involved with various extra-curricular activities. She is a dedicated student athlete, on the TOHS track team, winning scholar athlete awards, MVP, and served as Varsity Sprint Captain. Shelby actively participates in community events through TOHS’ Key Club, volunteering at animal and homeless shelters, CROP Hunger Walk, and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Student of the Year Campaign (LLS). LLS is a philanthropic leadership development program. Throughout the campaign, students learn to develop professional skills, i.e. marketing, entrepreneurship as well as project and team management. Shelby organized various charity events and conducted sponsorship Zoom meetings and contacted corporate offices. Her team, Bella’s Buddies, raised over 3,000, winning the LLS award of Southern California and donating all funds to cancer research.

Shelby’s honors and awards include:

•MVP Girls 200-meter Dash 2021
•Ventura County Champion 200 Meters 2021
•Milesplit Junior Girls First Team All-State Team 2021
•Marmonte League Champion 200 Meters
•Scholar Athlete Award 2019 – 2022
•Society of Women’s Engineers Award 2021

Shelby graduates with a 4.4 GPA.

LAFD Event-060822

Photo Use Permitted via Creative Commons – Credit: LAFD Photo | Gary Apodaca

Connect with us: LAFD.ORG | News | Facebook | Instagram | Reddit | Twitter: @LAFD @LAFDtalk

The Ragged School Union Festival Monday May 6th 1895 at Queen’s Hall, Langham Place, London
family meals
Image by Jelltex
Ragged Schools were charitable schools dedicated to the free education of destitute children in 19th century Britain. The schools were developed in working class districts of the rapidly expanding industrial towns. In 1844, the Ragged Schools Union was established to combine resources throughout the country, providing free education, food, clothing, lodging and other home missionary services for these children.[1]
The Ragged School movement grew out of recognition that charitable and denominational schools were not beneficial for children in inner-city areas. Working in the poorest districts, teachers (who were often local working people) initially utilised stables, lofts, and railway arches for their classes. There was an emphasis on reading, writing, arithmetic, and study of the Bible. The curriculum expanded into industrial and commercial subjects in many schools. It is estimated that around 300,000 children went through the London Ragged Schools alone between 1844 and 1881.[1]
There is a Ragged School Museum in the East End of London that shows how a Ragged School would have looked – it is housed in buildings previously occupied by Dr Thomas Barnardo.

Several different schools claim to have been the first, truly-free school for poor or ragged people. For many of the destitute children of London, going to school each day was not an option. There was no such thing as free education for everyone. From the 18th century onwards, Ragged Schools were few and far between. They had been started in areas where someone had been concerned enough to want to help disadvantaged children towards a better life.[2]
In the late 18th century, Thomas Cranfield offered free education for poor children in London. While he was a tailor by trade, Cranfield’s educational background included studies at a Sunday school on Kingsland Road, Hackney. In 1798, he established a free children’s day school, located on Kent Street near London Bridge. By the time of his death in 1838, he had established 19 free schools that provided services for children and infants living in the lower income sections of London. These opportunities and services were offered days, nights, and on Sundays, for the destitute children of poor families throughout London.[3][4]
John Pounds, a Portsmouth shoemaker, provides one of the earliest well-documented examples of the movement. When was 12 years old, Pounds’ father arranged for him to be apprenticed as a shipwright. Three years later, he fell into a dry dock and was crippled for life. Unable to work as a shipwright, John became a shoemaker and by 1803 had his own shop in St Mary Street, Portsmouth.
In 1818, John Pounds, known as the crippled cobbler, began teaching poor children without charging fees. He actively recruited children and young people to his school. He spent time on the streets and quays of Portsmouth making contact and even bribing them to come with the offer of baked potatoes. He began teaching local children reading, writing, and arithmetic. His reputation as a teacher grew and he soon had over 40 students attending his lessons. He also gave lessons in cooking, carpentry and shoemaking. Pounds died in 1839.

After Pounds’ death, Thomas Guthrie wrote Plea for Ragged Schools and proclaimed John Pounds as the originator of this idea. Thomas Guthrie started a ragged school in Edinburgh and Sheriff Watson established another one in Aberdeen. In 1844, Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury formed the Ragged School Union and over the next eight years over 200 free schools for poor children were established in Britain.[4]
In 1841, Sheriff Watson established another school in Aberdeen, Scotland. His methods were different from his colleagues. Unlike the efforts of Pounds, Cranfield, and Guthrie, Watson used compulsion. Watson was frustrated by the number of children who committed a petty crime and faced him in his courtroom. Rather than sending them to prison for vagrancy, Watson established a school for boys. As a law official, the sheriff arrested the vagrant children and enrolled them in school.[4]
The Industrial Feeding School opened to provide reading, writing and arithmetic. Watson believed that gaining these skills would help the boys rise above the lowest level of society. Three meals a day were provided and the boys were taught useful trades such as shoemaking and printing. A school for girls followed in 1843.[5] In 1845, the schools were integrated. From here, the movement spread to Dundee and other parts of Scotland, mostly due to the work of the Rev Thomas Guthrie of Edinburgh.
Thomas Guthrie was an early promoter of free education for working class children. He started what appears to have been the first Scottish free school for the poor. In 1860, he published a volume containing his three pamphlets concerning Ragged Schools entitled Seedtime and Harvest. Thomas Guthrie is often quoted as the founder of the Ragged Schools of Scotland. His first introduction to the idea of Ragged Schools was in 1841, when he was the Parish Minister of St. John’s Church in Edinburgh. On a visit to Anstruther in Fife, he saw a picture of the cobbler’s room of John Pounds in Portsmouth, who had started teaching ragged children free of charge in his shop in 1818. In 1844, the movement spread to England, with the establishment of the London Ragged School Union under the chairmanship of Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury.

In April 1844, Locke, Moutlon, Morrison, and Starey formed a steering committee to address the social welfare needs of the community. On 11 April 1844, at 17 Ampton Street off the Grays Inn Road, they facilitated a public meeting to determine local interest, research feasibility, and establish structure. This was the birth of the Ragged Schools Union.[1][4] In 1944, the Union adopted the name "Shaftesbury Society" in honour of the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury. In 2007, the Society was merged with John Grooms, taking the new name of Livability.
The term Ragged School was introduced by the London City Mission. In the beginning, many of the schools were started by churches, and were staffed by volunteers. The growing number of children made it necessary to have paid members of staff. Beginning in 1835, the Mission hired staff missionaries and recruited lay agents to assist the poor with a wide range of free, charitable help ranging from clothing to basic education.[2]
Mr Locke of the Ragged School Union called for more help in keeping the schools open. Many petitions for funding and grants were made to Parliament to assist with educational reform. He asked the government to give more thought to preventing crime, rather than punishing the wrongdoers. He said the latter course only made the young criminals worse.[1][2]
In 1840, the Mission used the term "ragged" in its Annual Report to describe their establishment of five schools for 570 children. In the report, the Mission reported that their schools had been formed exclusively for children "raggedly clothed". The children only had very ragged clothes to wear and they rarely had shoes. In other words they did not own clothing suitable to attend any other kind of school.

Several people volunteered and offered their time, skills, and talents as educators and administrators of the Ragged Schools. Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury was one of Britain’s greatest social reformers, whose broad-ranging concerns included education, animal welfare, public health and improving working conditions.
In 1843, Lord Shaftesbury became the president of the Ragged Schools. He used his knowledge of the schools, the refuges, and his understanding of the living conditions among low income families to pursue changes in legislation. He served as the president of the Ragged School Union for 39 years. In 1944, the Union adopted the name "Shaftesbury Society", in his honour. Shaftesbury maintained his commitment to the Ragged Schools and educational reform until his death in 1885.

In 1843, Charles Dickens began his association with the schools and visited the Field Lane Ragged School.[7] He was appalled by the conditions, yet moved toward reform.[8] The experience inspired him to write A Christmas Carol. While he initially intended to write a pamphlet on the plight of poor children, he realised that a dramatic story would have more impact.
Dickens continued to support the schools, donating funds on various occasions. At one point, he donated funds, along with a water trough, stating that it was "so the boys may wash and for a supervisor"! (from a letter to Field Lane). He later wrote about the school and his experience there in Household Words. In 1837, he used the area called Field Lane as a setting for Fagin’s den in his classic novel, Oliver Twist.

By 1844, there were at least 20 free schools for the poor, maintained through the generosity of community philanthropists, the volunteers working with their local churches, and the organisational support of the London City Mission. During this time, it was suggested that it would be beneficial to establish an official organisation or society to share resources and promote their common cause.
In 1844, the Ragged Schools Union started with about 200 teachers. With articles in publications like the Chambers’ Journal, the support and patronage of Lord Shaftesbury, and the organisational abilities of those working with the Union, Ragged Schools became better known. There was a massive growth in the numbers of schools, teachers and students. By 1851, the number of educators would grow to include around 1,600 persons. By 1867, some 226 Sunday Ragged Schools, 204 day schools and 207 evening schools provided a free education for about 26,000 students.[1]
The 7th Earl of Shaftesbury served as chairman for 39 years. During his tenure, an estimated 300,000 destitute children received a free education. The free school movement became respectable, even fashionable, attracting the attention of many wealthy philanthropists. Wealthy individuals such as Angela Burdett-Coutts gave large sums of money to the Ragged Schools Union. This helped to establish 350 ragged schools by the time the 1870 Education Act was passed.[9] As Eager (1953) explains, "He gave what had been a Nonconformist undertaking, the cachet of his Tory churchmanship — an important factor at a time when even broad-minded (Anglican) churchmen thought that Nonconformists should be fairly credited with good intentions, but that cooperation (with them) was undesirable".

The success of the Ragged Schools definitively demonstrated that there was a demand for education among the poor. In response, both England and Wales established school boards to administer elementary schools. However, education was still not free of fees. After 1870, public funding began to be provided for elementary education among working people.
School boards were public bodies created in boroughs and parishes under the Elementary Education Act of 1870 following campaigning by George Dixon, Joseph Chamberlain and the National Education League for elementary education that was free from Anglican doctrine. Members to the board were directly elected, not appointed by borough councils or parishes. As the school boards were built and funded, the demand for Ragged Schools declined. The Board Schools continued in operation for 32 years. They were abolished by the Education Act of 1902, which replaced them with Local Education Authorities.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragged_school

Nice Family Meals photos

December 3, 2023 · Posted in Family Meals · Comment 

Check out these family meals images:

IMG_0525
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Image by Hellofoto!

DSCN1429
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Image by smithereen11

Cool Family Meals images

November 13, 2023 · Posted in Family Meals · Comment 

Some cool family meals images:

France in family European road trip 2014.
family meals
Image by kingjn

Treasured Land, Part 1
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Image by Ladyhawke
SoulTrek 2006

Nice Family Meals photos

October 27, 2023 · Posted in Family Meals · Comment 

Some cool family meals images:

De Kas
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Image by magnusdigity
At this amazng restaurant, the chef goes into the garden and picks your fixed menu lunch from whats growing right now.

Family friends, The Forsters, gave us a meal at De Kas in Amsterdam for a wedding gift. Thank you so much – it was a perfect day.

Day 356 – A quick visit with Kevin and his family
family meals
Image by LShave
My original plan, and the reason why I ceased being a Peace Corps volunteer over a week ago even though I’m not going home until tomorrow, was to be in Honduras all last week. My dad is the director of a Christian school in Syracuse, NY, and he and a group of Spanish students were supposed to be traveling to Honduras to work at a children’s hospital on the eastern coast. I was to meet them there, then travel to El Salvador with my dad while the team went back to Syracuse. He and I would have spent a day in San Salvador, and a day with my host family in San Vicente before going back.

Given the current situation in Honduras, however, my dad and the other trip organizers decided last week to cancel the trip. As a result, I had an extra week to spend in Torola, for which I was tremendously grateful. I felt that I was able to really say “goodbye” the way I needed to.

Today, even though my dad’s not with me, I’m in San Vicente with the family that I lived with for three months during training. I arrived last night in time for dinner, and I’ll be taking off today after lunch to go back to San Salvador and get my bags ready for my flight tomorrow. I scheduled the trip this way so that I could share three meals—dinner, breakfast, and lunch—with the family, my host mom being an excellent cook. Kevin, her grandson, is eight years old now, which means that he goes to school in the afternoons instead of the mornings. When he got home from school yesterday, I gave him a couple of toys, and we’ve been hanging out and playing together ever since. He likes to play with marbles, torment the dogs, parrots, cats, and ducks that live in the compound, play soccer, and tell jokes, so that’s what we’ve spent most of our time doing.

Leaving Josué and Marleni behind on Monday was difficult, but saying goodbye to Emma, Priscilla, and Kevin will be a lot easier, as I only lived with them for three months, as opposed to two years. This visit with them helps to make the transition a little bit easier.

Laura & Gary’s Wedding
family meals
Image by Darcie
26.04.08
Ceremony at Culross Abbey
Meal/Reception @ Elgin Hotel, Culross

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