The following is part of a series on nonprofit news with weekly roundups on updates and upcoming events. Are you a nonprofit with news to share? Email [email protected] with “nonprofit news” in the subject line. 

Musical Theatre West Footlighters recently announced scholarships to 12 students who attend high schools in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

The students will be recognized at the nonprofit’s luncheon on June 26, where they will perform live and receive a $1,000 scholarship.

Some of the Long Beach award winners include:

  • Dylan Bernstein, a senior at Wilson High, received the Ken And Dottie Reiner Scholarship in honor of the founders of Musical Theatre West’s Reiner Staged Reading Series.
  • Kaylee Brubaker, a senior at Wilson High, will receive the Dramatic Allied Arts Guild Scholarship to promote and advance the study of dramatic fine arts and allied arts in Long Beach.
  • Aidan McGuiness, a senior at St. Anthony, won the Don Temple Family Scholarship in memory of the philanthropist.
  • Saylyrr Toilolo, a senior at Renaissance High School for the Arts, won the John Bisom Scholarship in memory of the frequent performer at Musical Theatre West.

Attend an author talk and teen writing workshop

For aspiring writers, Long Beach Public Library will host a virtual author chat and workshop with writer Ky-Phong Tran for high school and middle school students, from 10:30 a.m. until 11:30 on Saturday, May 22.

Tran will discuss literature, the importance of young people writing and sharing their stories, and the path to becoming a professional writer.

Read Tran’s biography and register for the event here.

Explore Oceania arts, tradition and heritage with the Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum

Attend an online event on Saturday, May 22, from 3 to 4 p.m, hosted by the Miller Special Collections Room at the Billie Jean King Main Library, as part of the Arts & Culture Lecture Series.

The event presented by the Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum’s director and curator, Fran Lujan, will discuss the diverse cultures, histories, and artistic legacies of the Pacific Islander community.

Register for the free Zoom event here.

For those who can’t attend the event, an archived video link will be sent out afterwards.

For more information or questions, contact the Miller Room staff at 562-570-6729.

Attend a free virtual painting workshop for Pride Month

Hosted by queer, nonbinary illustrator Rebekah Rose, paint and decorate your own set of wooden nesting dolls on Sunday, May 23, from 2 to 3 p.m on Zoom.

While painting, discuss queerness in relationship to the self and how to hold more compassion for the layers of identity.

Complimentary activity  kits are available to local guests. Reserve your spot and request one at checkout by 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 22.

The program is part of the “Bridging Wellness” series of community pop-ups supported by WE RISE LA in partnership with Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.

Register here.

Cook with gratitude during free virtual workshop

Another “Bridging Wellness” event on Sunday, May 23 is a virtual cooking workshop centered around mindfulness and gratitude in the kitchen. The workshop will be from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.

Cooks of all levels are invited to this event hosted by Bebot Community Kitchen and AC Boral.

All ingredients will be provided, but basic kitchen supplies will be needed.

The menu will be:

Spinach salad with strawberry balsamic vinaigrette

Honey garlic stir fry and jasmine rice (choice of chicken or tofu)

Fresh mint and watermelon soda

Register here.

Learn about artist Marta Minujín in Museum of Latin American Art artist series

MOLAA chief curator Gabriela Urtiaga joins Argentine artist Marta Minujín for a virtual conversation on Wednesday, May 26, from 11 a.m. to noon.

The event is part of a series where Urtiaga speaks with exceptional Latinx artists from around the U.S. and Latin America. The conversation focuses on a series or specific artwork.

Minujín is a multi-disciplinary artist, with work featured around the world at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museo of Arte Latinoamericano and the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Buenos Aires, and at the MOLAA.

View her biography and work here.

Register for the event here.

Honor local leaders with Rancho Los Alamitos

On Thursday, May 27 at 11:30 a.m. attend a Facebook Live in honor of Bonnie Lowenthal and John Hancock. The event can be viewed at Rancho Los Alamitos’ Facebook page here.

Bonnie Lowenthal will receive the Cottonwood Award for Leadership for her support of cultural communities  throughout Southern California.

John W. Hancock will also receive the Special Recognition for Service  and Commitment to honor his philanthropy to the cultural development of Long Beach and Rancho Los Alamitos.

The presentation will also include an insider view of the Rancho.

Rancho Los Alamitos is a Southern California site with a known 1,500-year history of human occupancy. It is also a sacred birth place of the Tongva people and is one of the most significant Native American sites in Southern California.

Attend a drive-through food distribution on June 26

The Long Beach Bacolod Association and the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s Community Advisory Council will host a food distribution drive-through at St. Barnabas Catholic Church, 3996 Orange Ave., on Saturday, June 26 from 10 a.m. to noon.

The food is donated by food banks Heart of Compassion and City of Refuge.

During the food drive, cars will be directed to a designated parking area and volunteers will  bring one or two boxes of food straight to your car.

For more information, call 213-440-2707.