Hello Neighbors!
This week, I’ve been following up on the sewage-like smell many residents have noticed around La Verne, talking with City officials and the Metropolitan Water District to track down its source. I also met some new people and visited with old friends.

Along the way, I stopped by a few Foothill Boulevard businesses to learn what’s opening, what’s closing and what’s changing. Here’s what else is happening in and around La Verne this week.

Hope you have a great weekend!
Staci

I'd love to know what action you took and what prompted it. Please reply to this email and tell me more!

A Mother’s Search for Answers Became a Lifeline for Families

By Kaitlyn McMullin, for La Verne Daily News

When Annemarie Miller brought her son, Caelum, home after months in the hospital, she quickly learned that surviving a drowning was only the beginning.

Caelum needed a feeding tube, nursing care and years of therapy after suffering a severe brain injury. Miller needed answers—but found few resources to help her family understand what came next.

That experience inspired Miller to establish Project One Cause, a local nonprofit that supports families facing the long-term effects of childhood drowning. The organization will host its second annual Trivia Night fundraiser on Oct. 3 to help pay for therapies, treatments, and medical equipment while raising awareness of the challenges survivors and their caregivers face.

Caelum was 17 months old when Miller found him in the family’s pool in 2006. She performed CPR until paramedics and firefighters arrived. He was taken to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center and later transferred to Children’s Hospital of Orange County, now part of Rady Children’s Health, where he remained hospitalized for months.

Caelum spent three and a half weeks in a coma, and Miller said doctors initially gave the family little hope that he would make a meaningful recovery.

She continued searching for ways to help him, and eventually found rehabilitation programs and resources that taught parents how to work with children with brain injuries at home. She spent years pursuing therapies and other support for Caelum—knowledge she now uses to help other families through Project One Cause.

Today, Miller said Caelum, now 21, has made significant progress. He has learned to type to communicate his thoughts and answer questions, and his speech has become easier to understand.

“He’s got a very high IQ. He is what they consider a twice-exceptional child, meaning he has this great intellect but has difficulty with demonstrating it,” Miller said.

Miller said her experience showed her how difficult it could be for families to navigate life after a child leaves the hospital.

“I realized there was a big gap between what happens in the hospital and what happens when you go home,” Miller said. “These families are going home, and they don’t know what to do next.”

Kevin Goldman, an emergency medicine physician at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, said the challenges can extend well beyond a child’s initial hospitalization.

Drowning can deprive the brain of oxygen, potentially causing permanent neurological injuries. Depending on severity, children may experience cognitive impairment, memory loss, paralysis, swallowing difficulties, or challenges with learning and development, Goldman said.

Recovery can require extensive rehabilitation, including physical, occupational and speech therapy.

“As an ER physician, I play a big part in the initial resuscitation of drowning victims, but I always like the families and their loved ones to know that after they leave the hospital there is often a long road to recovery,” Goldman said. “This requires a good support system, patience, and help navigating the resources available.”

The financial burden of recovery can also be difficult, Goldman said, as families navigate a health care system that can feel overwhelming.

Crystal Chavez has experienced that long recovery with her son, who was 12 years old when he survived a drowning on Aug. 13, 2023.

Chavez said her son was in excellent health before the drowning, an all-star baseball player, a black belt in karate, a strong swimmer and an honor student.

Her family spent months traveling for therapy after her son’s hospital discharge, including stays in Newport Beach, Arizona and Louisiana, before finally returning home in February 2024.

Project One Cause provided both financial and emotional support. When Chavez’s family was short several thousand dollars for treatment in Arizona, the organization provided what they needed.

Chavez said Miller’s support went beyond financial assistance.

“We’ve become really good friends over time,” Chavez said. “I can call her [Miller], you know, and ask her questions, or if I’m having a rough day, I’ll call her, and it’s beyond more, life, oh, I’m sorry, this is just an organization. It’s like, she’s my friend, you know?”

Chavez said Miller also helped her with a rehabilitation program for her son, including visiting two or three times with Caelum to help them with the program.

“Not only is she supporting me, but she’s somebody that she’s been through it herself,” Chavez said. “She knows what I’m feeling. She knows the frustration, she knows the heartache. So, it just means the world.”

Today, her son remains immobile and nonverbal, Chavez said, but she has seen significant progress in his cognition and physical abilities. He can sit up, is learning to eat by mouth, laughs and smiles, and is beginning to roll over on his own.

Her son’s progress is the kind of long-term recovery Project One Cause aims to support, helping families navigate the months and years after a drowning.

The second annual Trivia fundraiser will feature six rounds of trivia, with raffle prizes between rounds, food, beer, wine and other refreshments. This year’s event will also include testimonials from three families who have received support from Project One Cause, a new addition to the fundraiser.

Project One Cause is entirely volunteer-run. Miller said fundraisers such as Trivia Night help families pay for therapies, treatments and medical equipment while raising awareness of the challenges they face after a child survives a drowning.

In 2025, the nonprofit provided direct financial assistance to three families, including funding treatments and purchasing specialized medical equipment, according to its website. It also supported eight families through its Parent Mentor program.

The organization says it awards assistance based on family need, clinical relevance and potential long-term impact, paying approved providers directly whenever possible. It estimates that adaptive strollers and standing frames can cost $4,000 to $6,000, while intensive neurorehabilitation programs can cost about $11,000.

Five families are currently waiting for financial assistance, Miller said.

The event will take place at Hillcrest Meeting House in La Verne. Miller, who has lived in La Verne for 35 years and worked at Hillcrest for eight years, said holding the fundraiser in the City is especially meaningful to her.

“Once they survive, that’s only the beginning of it,” Chavez said. “It’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon.”

Business Buzz 🐝

One Last Sip, One Fresh Serving: La Verne Dining Scene Gets a Shake-Up

I.V. Juice Bar to Close in October

I.V. Juice Bar, 2320 Foothill Blvd. in La Verne, will close their doors for good on Oct. 4 after serving the La Verne community for five years. A sign posted on the door from owners Edgar and Jeannette Hernandez reads: "Thank you for supporting our employees, our family and this little business, but most of all, thank you for sharing a piece of your lives with us and allowing us to become a small part of yours. We will carry these memories with us long after we close these doors." The sign also says the I.V. Juice Bar in Rancho Cucamonga, their first location, will remain open.

Los Jarritos New Cocina Brings More to the Table in La Verne