Dec 11, 2007 8:00 AM

Bruin Angels

It’s December, so what better way to celebrate the spirit of the season than to turn the spotlight on those who help others? Many Bruin staff and faculty donate their time and effort (and oftentimes, their money) to a cause near and dear to their hearts. Sometimes these charitable acts are done at holiday time; sometimes they’re done all year around.

Sometimes they’re done to help colleagues in need, as in the case of the nurses of UCLA’s 5 North Observation Unit, who decided to forgo their annual holiday gift exchange and donate the funds to counterparts at UC San Diego whose homes were damaged or lost in October’s wildfires. But in all cases, these acts of giving are performed outside of the employees’ full-time jobs. Here, then, is our tribute to the 2007 Bruin Angels …

Daniel Gray

Daniel Gray sits in a circle with his students after a relaxing yoga session, sharing life stories and discussing frustrating issues.

The scene is a familiar one for Gray, a labor relations specialist in Campus Human Resources who teaches yoga to people recovering from drug addiction or alcoholism at City Yoga in West Hollywood. He and a colleague alternate teaching the classes, which are free of charge, on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings.

The two instructors met while training to be yoga instructors and had a brainstorm: They would gather all their friends who were in recovery and practice teaching on them. A month later, in July 2005, they were in the nonprofit business.

"We told the owner of City Yoga what we were doing, and he invited us to do it at his studio," Gray said.

He advocates 12-step programs for those in recovery. "The 12 steps are very powerful, and yoga is powerful," Gray said. "The spiritual paths combine beautifully."

During class, Gray helps students take their focus and channel it into their bodies. "You get out of your head when you get into your body," he said.

Students range in age from their 20s to their 60s, and the class is maintained at the beginner’s level. Gray’s efforts are validated by his students’ feedback. At meetings that follow yoga instruction, his students discuss how they felt prior to class.

"People frequently say they were angry or stressed, but at the end they felt calmed and connected," said Gray. "The whole room feels wonderful and full of light."

— Melissa Lambarena

Elizabeth Overbeck

Raising awareness about the importance of carbon monoxide detectors was simply a way for Elizabeth Overbeck to recover.

In 2003, her parents, Gene and Patricia, died from carbon monoxide poisoning at their northern Michigan home after fumes from their car, which was left running in an attached garage, seeped into the house’s ventilation system. A year later, Elizabeth, her sister and two brothers formed a nonprofit to prevent similar tragedies from happening to other families.

"I don’t know if there was a reason something like this had to happen," said Overbeck, a nurse in UCLA Medical Center’s neuro-trauma intensive care unit since 1989. "But I’ve learned that if something bad happens, if you can somehow get something good out of it — I can’t tell you how much it helps you heal."

The Overbeck Foundation distributes carbon monoxide detectors and is lobbying legislators to force homebuilders to install them. As of late November, the Michigan House of Representatives reportedly was close to voting on HB5341, known as the Overbeck bill, which would require detectors in new residential construction. Overbeck and her siblings had helped bring the bill to fruition, and she was prepared to leave Los Angeles at any moment to testify.

Overbeck hopes that success in Michigan will be just the beginning. "My vision is to make sure this happens in all 50 states," she said. "I would like to be able to tell my story and have people listen. That, to me, is the most powerful tool we have."

For more information about the Overbeck Foundation, contact Elizabeth Overbeck at eoverbeck@mednet.ucla.edu.

— Sean Brenner

Ryan Nguyen

Two and a half weeks of summer vacation. Where would you go?

Ryan Nguyen, a Social Sciences Computing programmer analyst and 2001 UCLA graduate, went the adventurous route and volunteered in Kenya. His church, the Westside Community Church, joined with nonprofit organization Heavenly Treasures to send a team of volunteers to Kenya to "[get] involved in the community," said Nguyen. From June 27 to July 14, "We worked with the children, we bought them crayons and balloons. We played with them. It was mostly an encouragement trip for the community."

During his time in Kenya, Nguyen and other volunteers held a soccer tournament in Kakuyuni, the village he visited. All the villagers received soccer balls, and the volunteers distributed more than 1,500 brand-new, matching soccer jerseys. Even though the children lacked proper shoes, goals and nets, "they just love soccer," Nguyen said.

In its three years of existence, the Westside Community Church has organized many missions abroad and at home. It sent a team to Lake Arrowhead after the October wildfires and two teams to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.

In July 2006, Nguyen traveled to New Orleans. His church, partnering with support agency Service International, "gutted houses … and helped the people in New Orleans rebuild their houses."

Returning to his day job at UCLA, Nguyen continues his volunteer service. He is selling a coffee-table book of pictures from his time in Kenya, titled "Kakuyuni, Kenya," to raise funds in an effort to help Heavenly Treasures build a well in the village. Individuals interested in purchasing a copy can visit www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/96889.

— Amy Chen

Kevin McCardle

What began as a simple donation to a "read-a-thon" at his children’s school soon turned Kevin McCardle, Anderson School professor and senior associate dean, into a goodwill ambassador for the St. Joseph Center in Venice, Calif., a nonprofit organization that provides social and educational services to the poor and homeless in West Los Angeles.

Curious, he ventured to the center one day just to "wander around and see for myself what they did." Once he witnessed the center’s people and programs in action, he said it was just natural to get more involved. After an eight-year affiliation with the center, he’s now a member of its board of directors.

McCardle is particularly concerned about the plight of the working poor. One day, while working at the center’s pantry, he retrieved a bag of groceries to give to someone who, it turned out, he knew and who previously had been a dinner guest at his home. "This unexpected experience brought home even stronger just how invisible the problem can be and the importance of the center’s services for those in need."

He’s been pleased with the generosity of staff and faculty at the Anderson School, who last year "adopted" more than 100 people during the holidays, providing both gifts and gift cards to senior citizens and veterans. This year, he expects they will do more.

McCardle believes there is something sacred in every human being, and the center’s staff members treat every person who comes in for assistance in this same way.

"When you see these interactions firsthand," he said, "it’s hard not to be moved by the good being done."

— Michael Stone

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