People look at vintage American cars during the Los Angeles Shelby American Automobile Club's 5th Annual Tony Sousa Car Show at the Santa Monica Pier on Saturday, September 19, 2009. The show was open to all Shelby, Cobra, Mustang and Ford cars. Featured cars included various classic Mustangs, as well as newer models belonging to club members.

Tracy Stum (left) and Charllene Lanzel hand-paint a 3D Buick Lacrosse at the Third Street Promenade on Friday, September 18, 2009. The street painting featured the new 2010 Buick Lacrosse driving down the red carpet.

Luis Torres and his daughters Vanessa, 6, and Natalie, 4, slide down the "Super Slide" during Saint Anne Church & Shrine's annual Fall Festival on Friday, September 18, 2009.

(above) Jackie Lopez, AKA Miss Funk and her partner Breeze Lee teach a Hip Hop Master Class at Santa Monica College on Thursday, September 17, 2009.

Santa Monica Police Captain Alex Padilla and Carla Barrett build toys  during a Kiwanis Club of Santa Monica program by Free Arts For Abused Children  at the Santa Monica Family YMCA on Wednesday, September 16, 2009.

Free Arts for Abused Children is dedicated to helping children who have been abused, are homeless or are at-risk of falling through the cracks of the system, as well as families living in crisis.  In Los Angeles County alone, more than 32,000 children live under the protection of the courts. These children have been removed from their homes after suffering abuse, neglect or abandonment.

Kiwanis International is an organization of service clubs. Members of Kiwanis place special emphasis on service to children and youth, both through international initiatives intended to improve the quality of life of children around the world, and through their Service Leadership Programs, made up of about 7,000 youth clubs with about 320,000 youth members. Today, Kiwanis International has more than 600,000 members in more than 13,000 clubs, located in more than 90 countries around the world.

(TOP) Police Activities League (PAL) officer Jennifer Sekera helps PAL members Yaser Garmakani, 14, (center) and Marvin Rodriguez, 17, write photo captions during Santa Monica Human Relations Council's 'Kids with Cameras' writing workshop on Tuesday, August 15, 2009, at PAL. (CENTER)  PAL members Gaby Martinez, 13, (left) Rachel Tello, 13, (center) and Brianda Maldonado, 16, (right)  write photo captions during the writing workshop on Tuesday. The students photos will be featured at Kids With Cameras' Community Art Show at McKinley Elementary School on Saturday, October 3.

KIDS WITH CAMERAS – An Exhibition of Photos and Community Dialogue

’Kids with cameras’, a program launched by the Santa Monica Bay Human Relations Council in May 2009 involving mid-city youth, will culminate in a photo exhibition and community conversation at McKinley School on Saturday, October 3 2009.

With the goal of reviving the Mid-City Neighborhood group, the only one of six original neighborhood groups in Santa Monica that has been dormant since 2004, the project was designed to create an awareness of civic responsibility among mid-city youth by encouraging them to explore their community and document their views through the lens of a camera.

The participating youth recruited from local non-profit agencies (e.g. the Police Activities League) met once a week for eight weeks to take pictures and share their perspectives on their neighborhood. They were supervised by City staff members Eula Fritz and PAL officers and coordinated by Fabian Lewkowicz, a professional photo journalist who also played the role of a mentor. Lewkowicz led  fifteen youths in a photo essay project focusing on the Mid-City Neighborhood, using photojournalistic style. At the finale on October 3, the youth will exhibit their work and share their narratives with the community at large. The community photo exhibit is being curated by Lewkowicz.

The Santa Monica Bay Human Relations Council, a partnership of local community organizations, individuals, institutions and businesses, endeavors to improve human relations and advocates a socially just community through its various projects, i.e. community dialogues, Literature and Arts and Community Heroes Programs. The Chief of the Santa Monica Fire Department Jim Hone is the current Chairperson of HRC and Tim Jackman,  Chief of Police, is the Chair of the Dialogue committee, coordinators of the Kids with Cameras project.

Flamenco duo from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Ezequiel Etcheverry, (left) and his brother Martin Etcheverry of SeisCuerdas perform at the Third Street Promenade on Saturday, July 25, 2009.