Events

February Bring Your Lunch & Learn – FREE

February 14: 11:30am – 12:30pm

Paul M. Leon, Illumination Foundation, “Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness”

As a Public Health Nurse with the County of Orange Health Care Agency, Paul Leon spearheaded a unique program to bring health access and wrap around services to the underserved homeless population in Orange County. He was instrumental in the conception and development of the Comprehensive Health Assessment Team for the Homeless (CHAT-H) and the Mobile Unit Teams (MUT) which bring targeted services to the underserved at the individual, family, community and systems levels of practice. On a national level, Paul served as a speaker and consultant for pioneering innovative funding methods for recuperative care with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) across the country and in Puerto Rico.

Paul is the CEO & Founder of the Illumination Foundation (IF), a grassroots non-profit organization whose mission is to break the cycle of homelessness. The Illumination Foundation provides stable housing and wrap around services to homeless families through their programs. Paul also pioneered IF’s Recuperative Care Program to manage the discharge of homeless patients from hospitals. He was recently recognized for the foundation’s work with the PIMCO Leadership Circle Award and the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award.

In addition to serving on several advisory committees for organizations including the UC Irvine School of Nursing and the Mental Health Association of Orange County, Paul continues to work as an advocate for the ever-growing issues of poverty, homelessness and healthcare. He consistently strives to shed light on these issues by mentoring and conducting classes for students at Cal-State Long Beach, Cal State Fullerton, Biola University, Concordia University, USC School of Social Work, and UCI’s School of Medicine. He also consults with CHOC’s Residency Program and the Kaiser Family Resident Program, and serves on the Board of Directors for the National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC). His goals are to continue to research and publicize public health models in an effort to end homelessness.

Book Online

Carnegie Gallery

In 1906, The Anaheim City Chamber of Commerce recognized the city’s need for a formal public library building. Up to this time, the city only had a book subscription service including a small selection of books housed in the back of a local general store.By 1907, the Chamber of Commerce had acquired a $10,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie’s office. The land necessary to construct the Carnegie Library building was purchased for a fraction of its regular cost at $2,400. The money to purchase the corner lot was raised by 75 local residents who deeply believed in the benefits of a public library for the flourishing city.

The Carnegie Library was designed by Los Angeles architect John C. Austin, with the final designs approved in early 1908. These final designs presented a building in a Classic Revival Style, which was commonly chosen for Carnegie-funded buildings. The red clay tile roof however was chosen as a nod to local history and classic Spanish design.

The Anaheim Library would not have evolved as it did without the dedication of passionate Anaheim citizens. During its time as a Public Library, the Carnegie Library building was lifted up by its librarians, whose careers lasted a remarkably long time. Head librarian Elizabeth Calnon and children’s librarian Elva Haskett served the library and Anaheim community for much of their lives, supporting the Public library throughout its significant growth.

As the city of Anaheim developed and the population increased, the small Carnegie Library was no longer capable of housing the ever-growing collection of books and the demand for library services. In response to this, the city opened a new Central Library nearby in 1963. After the transfer of libraries had been completed, the Carnegie Library was left vacant for three years before housing the city’s Personnel Department.

The Carnegie Library became a historical library, research center, and museum in 1978 and was officially recognized on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

The historic building has undergone renovations as the years passed and ADA laws were enacted. 1985 saw the addition of an elevator, support structures, new plumbing, and new electrical systems.

Mark Hall-Patton was a crucial force in the development of the Anaheim Museum, laying the groundwork for the Carnegie Library to become a thriving museum space for the community. He was the museum’s first employee in 1984 and became the Anaheim Museum’s first director. As the first director, Hall-Patton finalized the museum’s agreements with the city and raised funds to help the museum flourish.

Another driving force in the Anaheim Museum’s history is Mildred “Midge” Taggart. She worked tirelessly to acquire and preserve antiques and symbols of Anaheim’s history until they could be safely housed in a museum.

The Anaheim Museum, which had been residing in the historic Carnegie Library for decades, was replaced by Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center in 2007. The city saw this building as the perfect site for Muzeo due to the building’s rich history of community involvement and education, both core elements of Muzeo’s mission.

The Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center complex exhibits in both the historic Carnegie Library as well as a new main gallery building, built in 2007. While the majority of the galleries now primarily display artworks rather than artifacts, the Carnegie Library still exhibits a collection of artifacts rooted in Anaheim’s History, spanning from prehistoric times to the modern era.

Today, Muzeo stands as an integral part of the Anaheim community, seeking to bring together our local communities and ensure the accessibility of the arts and education.

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