Valley Village ‘OneCareNow’
Event Supported by The Sun
Volunteers from the San Fernando Valley chapter of Health Care
for All participated in a march and video screening supported by
the Studio City Sun, the community’s local newspaper
on August 18, 2006. Gathering at the corner of Ventura Boulevard
and Whitsett Ave., the group marched along the busy boulevard carrying
‘OneCareNow.org’ signs, handing out flyers to sidewalk
café patrons and passers-by.
“We made quite a spectacle,” said event organizer Sharon
Stevens who is also the co-director of Health Care for All-San Fernando
Valley. Not only did the group carry signs, but they were joined
by musicians who made up lyrics to popular folk songs appropriate
for the event. For example, “This Land is Your Land,”
became “This Plan is Your Plan,” referring to Senator
Kuehl’s Senate Bill 840 that presents a plan for universal
health coverage for all Californians. As the song said, “This
Plan was made for you and me!”
“You could tell that people liked the idea of universal health
insurance,” said event participant Jennifer Leavens. “So
many of them honked their horns and waved as we walked by with those
signs.”
The group marched to the offices of the Studio City Sun where publisher
Jim Kaplan hosted a screening of Emmy-winning filmmaker Don Schroeder’s
video, “The Healthcare Solution: California OneCare.”
Supportive of the SB 840 and the OneCareNow Campaign, Kaplan remembers
that when he started the newspaper he couldn’t afford health
insurance for his employees or his family. “It was a difficult
time,” said Kaplan. “I broke my finger at one point,
but I couldn’t afford to get it set. It’s still crooked.”
What was even more difficult, he said, was the constant worry that
one of his children would become ill and need treatment. “Anything
we can do to support universal health insurance is very important
to me and the staff here at The Sun,” Kaplan said.
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