By Natalie MAIER

Prom Plus, the McGroarty Arts Center and the Stone Cottage Boutique are just some that are kicking off this holiday season by holding annual boutiques for members of the community to come shop for Christmas and Hanukkah gifts while supporting local businesses.

Prom Plus is having its third annual boutique and fundraiser at St. Luke’s Church of the Mountains located at 2563 Foothill Blvd. on Dec. 8 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. A raffle and silent auction will take place with donated items from Merle Norman Cosmetics, Hoop de Doo and Frank’s Famous Kitchen among others.

Vendors will be selling handmade crafts such as scarves, jewelry and novelty items. Students from Prom Plus Club will be manning a booth selling bear T-shirts with proceeds going to the Lions, Tigers & Bears sanctuary where Meatball the CV bear is housed.

Food trucks will be on hand to feed the hungry. Camdalache and Oooh La La Crepes are just a couple of the trucks that will be onsite. A portion of the food truck’s proceeds will go toward supporting Prom Plus.

The CVHS Jazz Band and Charismatics along with Rosemont Middle School students will be performing live music.

Typically, Prom Plus holds an annual holiday home tour, but this year couldn’t secure the necessary homes – a disappointment because the tour raises a substantial amount toward the $25,000 Prom Plus event costs. According to Prom Plus vice president Lisa Yeghiayan, Prom Plus hopes the boutique will fill that gap.

“We hope the community will come out and support Prom Plus while getting some of their holiday shopping done,” said Yeghiayan.

She added that three homes have already been promised for the 2013 tour of homes and that next year the tour will resume with the boutique.

Prom Plus began in 1993 after a CVHS high school senior was killed at an unsupervised post-prom party. It was created to provide high school seniors with a fun and safe place to go after prom.

“Prom Plus has really evolved into a youth volunteer organization in our community,” Yeghiayan said. “Helping to support Prom Plus keeps our club alive and keeps our students involved and engaged in community events.”

Another way to support Prom Plus is to purchase car wash coupons. For $15, a ticket holder can get their car washed at Lexus of Glendale and all of the proceeds go to Prom Plus. Yeghiayan added that this would be a great holiday gift.

To buy car wash coupons call Yeghiayan at (818) 314-9810 and for more information about Prom Plus visit www.promplus.org.

At the McGroarty Arts Center, the annual holiday boutique and chili bowl sale takes place on Dec. 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It has been a tradition for over 40 years.

All members of the community are welcome to come and buy a hand-made bowl for $10, then fill it with the chili of their choice, including vegetarian and vegan choices. All chili bowl purchases benefit the McGroarty Art’s ceramic department.

Local musicians will be performing and artists will be present to sell their creations for holiday gifts, including woodwork, jewelry and candles.

“[The purpose of this event] is to bring the community together, it’s to showcase the work of local artists and musicians and it’s to introduce new people to McGroarty Arts Center,” said McGroarty Arts Center executive director Claire Knowlton. “We are a community center that is here for everyone. [The holiday boutique] is also a fundraiser to keep our doors open. It helps to keep our programs really strong and programs accessible for everyone.”

Knowlton expects about 1,500 guests this year and she highly recommends carpooling due to lack of parking spaces.

Dee Ovenden, owner of the Stone Cottage Boutique, is also having her annual holiday boutique. It is on Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Crescenta Valley United Methodist Church located at 2700 Montrose Ave. in La Crescenta.

“All the vendors involved make their own products and they sell them under the [Stone Cottage Boutique’s name], so it’s a community thing,” said Ovenden.

According to Ovenden, 40 vendors will be present. In addition to Christmas items, clothing, jewelry and baked goods will also be for sale.