Larry Heimgartner (left) was the Chair of the Theater Dept. at Los Angeles Harbor College since 1973. He retired 2 years ago but continues as Adjunct Professor. He has been involved in community projects with Rotary and was recognized as Citizen of the Year in 2003 by the Rotary Club of Wilmington.

 

He met President Chuck Hanchett several years ago working with the Glass Children of the Tijuana Dump (who helped support their families collecting recyclable glass instead of going to school). He has been writing plays for his students to dramatize severe socioeconomic problems here and abroad, including one about the Glass Children and another in cooperation with a group in Cornwall in the UK for Africans with HIV. One of his students walked here from Guatemala and is now in his class. Tonight he brought 3 of his students as actors to present 3 of these dramatized stories to us in first person.

 

Prof Heimgartner described a trip to Zanzibar Island off the coast of Tanzania 3 years ago with his UK contacts from Cornwall. He met with them in London first, to work on a play project, then to Zanzibar to perform the play (which was translated into Swahili). This small Muslim island has less HIV than in nearby Tanzania because of conservative sexual traditions, but there is no sex education to help young people protect themselves.

 

Marcelino Cárdenas acted the case of a man whose sister was diagnosed 6 months ago with Crohn's Disease of the bowel. She often has severe abdominal pain now, and curls up on the floor with frequent relapses. Her inability to overcome this disease is taking a severe emotional toll on her and her family, and the young man says he wishes he could take his sister's place to relieve her suffering.

 

Eric Karnes acted the case of a young man who was caught up in alcohol and drug abuse, busted by the police at age 15, and was found in possession of a “bag” by his father 6 months later, provoking a family confrontation. Nonetheless, he often mixed alcohol and drugs at wild parties and had unprotected sex with several partners, ignoring warnings of the dangers of this lifestyle until he was diagnosed with AIDS. He had to contact his partners to let them know this shocking news. Now he requires expensive medication every day to control his disease, and the financial toll is ruining his family's economic security. He implores his audience to heed his warning and wake up to these dangers in ourselves and our family members before it is too late.

 

Lisa Rivas dramatized the poverty effects of climate changes in East Africa that are causing increasing shortages of water and food there. She presented the case of a boy who had to leave his education opportunity behind in order to return to his village to care for his younger siblings, because their sick mother was dying from AIDS. They are having less rain now, farms are failing, and there are longer summers and different diseases. With so many millions trapped in increasing poverty, they have an urgent need to create a sustainable balance of nature.

 

Then the trio of actors stepped forward together, to state to the audience in unison, “We must all work together, to move forward and make this a better world for all of us.”

 

In addition to his work here, Prof Heimgartner has helped to start similar drama companies in 3 colleges in the UK, presenting plays to help young people understand their responsibilities to help alleviate suffering in the world. (President Chuck Hanchett called their presentations tonight “Powerful!”)