A team of young women from the San Fernando High School magnet program has received a $3,000 donation from three members of local business advocacy group Valley Economic Alliance to fund the next phase of development of a solar-powered portable shelter for the homeless. Veronica Gonzalez, Kenia Shi, Daniela Orozco and Wendy Samayoa took to the stage March 16 on behalf of the 12-member “DIY Girls” to demonstrate the invention at the Alliance’s annual TechX conference. Their product is a portable pop-up tent that folds into a backpack, the front of which features a detachable solar-powered battery. “During the day, the panel collects solar power and charges the battery while the wearer is walking around,” Samayoa said. At night, the battery can be plugged into the LED light, UV light and phone charger included in the pack, she explained. The DIY Girls were among 15 groups of high school students to receive a $10,000 grant from the Lemelson-MIT Program to invent a product geared toward solving real-world problems. They were driven to pursue the project in response to the homeless crisis in the San Fernando Valley, Gonzalez said. “We wanted to do something that could benefit our area,” she said. “We see the homeless as we walk down the street every day, so we wanted to help them.” The team completed the first functional prototype of the invention in January, and has been working with the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission and the Refugee Forum of Los Angeles to solicit feedback on its utility. They are currently in the process of building a second prototype, as well as raising $15,000 to scale up production. Thanks to $1,000 donations from the Alliance, Alltemp Solutions and FanConnect, they are one step closer to their goal. “If we can support young women who are helping us be a more united community, specifically with a project for homelessness, why wouldn’t we donate the money?” Alliance Chief Executive Kenn Phillips said. Entrepreneurship Lessons As top executives at business procurement software startup Vroozi Inc., Chief Revenue Officer Greg Spillane and Chief Strategy Officer Shaz Khan know a thing or two about entrepreneurship. On March 15, they took their knowledge to the classroom at Canoga Park Elementary School, where they taught fourth-graders the basics of business development as part of education nonprofit Junior Achievement’s annual “J.A. in a Day” event. The duo challenged students to think like entrepreneurs as they considered how to turn a hot dog stand into a viable business, covering topics like profit and loss, advertising and inventory management. “Any opportunity to help foster the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship in today’s youth is a great day spent, in my book,” Spillane said. He was interested to find that the youngsters equated modern technology leaders such as Elon Musk and the late Steve Jobs with great inventors of history, including Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison. “We’re truly entering into a new world of technology, creativity and business – and these kids will be leading that movement,” Spillane said. Give a Smile Dentists from the Valley region offered free dental services to more than 1,000 underprivileged children in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys during the months of February and March in conjunction with the American Dental Association’s national “Give Kids a Smile” event. The San Fernando Valley Dental Society, which serves as the northern L.A. County chapter of the ADA and is also registered as an independent nonprofit, sponsored seven events at area preschools to provide no-cost preventative care and oral hygiene education. The large number of families that turn out for such programs suggests that more should be done at a state policy level to make dental services accessible for low-income populations, said Dr. Karin Irani, president of the society. “Preventative care is critical to maintaining good dental health, and we will continue to participate in efforts to help those who need it,” she said in a statement. “But we can’t do it alone.” Area dentists have taken part in the ADA’s Give Kids a Smile campaign for more than a decade, donating an estimated $112,000 of care every year. In addition to Give Kids a Smile, the group also provides oral health services to uninsured adults, veterans, seniors and the homeless. Staff Reporter Helen Floersh can be reached at (818) 316-3121 or at [email protected].
