Around Town: A reason to celebrate

After years and years of hard work and planning, the Huntington Beach Tree Society is holding a rededication ceremony for Butterfly Park.

It’s officially Norma Gibbs Park, and Norma Gibbs is expected to be present at the celebration. She was the first woman elected to the Huntington Beach City Council and served from 1970 to ’78. She was mayor from 1975 to ’76.

In the past few years the 7-acre plot of land was transformed from Scary Park back to Butterfly Park with the help of Park Restoration Coordinator Leslie Gilson, Tree Society President Jean Nagy and Tina Stevenson, the park’s education coordinator.

Before it became Scary Park, Gibbs Park was a resting place for butterflies flying south for the winter. As the vegetation at the park began to die, the butterflies stopped coming.

Together, the women found funding for tree removal and plant placement, as well as some sprucing up, and now the butterflies are back.

Over the years the restoration group raised more than $70,000, an effort boosted by the Huntington Beach City Council, which in 2007 helped with funding and helped remove 179 dead trees.

The park’s healthy eucalyptus trees, 400 new plants and mowed grass have not only brought back the insects, but the people as well.

The event will be 11 a.m. Feb. 12 at the park, 16641 Graham St. There is parking at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 5402 Heil Ave.

*

NOTABLES

Helping to lead a good cause

Harry Humphries, CEO of GSGI Inc. and a Huntington Beach resident, has been named to the Working Wardrobes 2013 Board of Directors.

The group is a Southern California nonprofit that helps people in need to re-enter the workforce by providing career development, job placement help and wardrobe services. Many of the people the nonprofit helps have recently emerged from programs like welfare-to-work or are recovering from substance abuse, domestic violence, homelessness or catastrophic illness.

The board recently appointed Kim Shepherd, CEO, Decision Toolbox, as its new board chair. In a news release Shepherd is quoted as saying the group is hoping to double its program by 2017.

“The brain trust that we have at the board table this year is amazing, and I plan to wring every drip of creativity out of them,” said Shepherd in the release.

*

Nice work

Two students from Huntington Beach recently made the autumn-quarter dean’s list at Seattle Pacific University in Washington.

Scot Thomas Bearss and Tanner Loyd Class of Huntington Beach completed at least 12 credits and earned a 3.50 GPA or higher in order to be named to the list.

AROUND TOWN is a weekly column about people and events in Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley. Please submit information about your fundraiser, charity event or a person deserving attention to hbindependent@latimes.com or alicia.lopez@latimes.com.