Old friends reunite in the name of kind deeds

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers VOLUNTEER ARTISTS— Devika Shankar, in front, a member of the Simi Valleybased volunteer group Good Juju, and Simi Valley High School teacher and mosaic artist Laurie Allison work on a mosaic of the Sinaloa Middle School mascot on a recent Sunday. The club is dedicated to the principle: Do good deeds and they will come back to you. After graduating from college in 2006, Danica Selvaggio wanted to volunteer in her community. She just couldn't find the right outlet.

So she decided to form her own group.

Selvaggio helped form Good Juju, a nonpolitical, nonreligious volunteer group that started with a few old friends from high school hanging out on weekends. The 25-year-old said Good Juju wants to grow and continue giving to Simi Valley.

The philosophy behind the group is quite simple. In West African culture, "juju" is a magic charm or fetish. As a popular culture reference, "good juju," like "good karma," refers to positive energy.

"What you give is what you get back," said Selvaggio, a 2002 Santa Susana High School graduate.

"We want to encourage people that you can be active and participate in your community without having to join a formal group," she continued.

Anyone can join the group, and people are welcome to participate in any of its activities, Selvaggio said.

"It's what you can do, what you can offer that works with your schedule," she said.

Since October, Good Juju has been working on beautifying Sinaloa Middle School with a series of murals and a detailed mosaic on the school's amphitheater. The group is hoping to complete the mosaic portion of the project before the school's outdoor commencement at the amphitheater.

Sinaloa Principal Leslie Frank said she's pleased with the project.

"We just have wonderful people in our community," she said. "I'm so proud that they're committed to Sinaloa Middle School and that they're really making a difference on our campus. It's really improved how our campus looks."

The Sinaloa project has involved plenty of trial and error, said Selvaggio, who majored in literature at UC Berkeley. With the help of 40 to 50 community members, Good Juju will try to finish the second mural on Saturday. The group hopes to enlist the help of Sinaloa students for the third and final mural.

Good Juju also wanted to revamp Sinaloa's outdated mascot, the sabertoothed tiger. Selvaggio's mother, Susan, is an art teacher at the middle school.

This Sunday, April 19, Good Juju will host an artists flea market in the Sinaloa parking lot from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Selvaggio, who grew up in Simi Valley and now lives in North Hollywood, started Good Juju with friends Sam Taylor, Ian Candish, Matt Grashaw and Devika Shankar.

Their first activities included a food and clothes drive for the Los Angeles Mission, a nonprofit that helps the homeless; an arroyo cleanup in East Simi Valley; and a donation drive for the Asian Pacific Women's Center, a nonprofit for survivors of domestic violence where Shankar works.

"As we got more people involved, we were thinking of new ideas and it's picked up steam," said Shankar, 25, who graduated from Simi Valley High in 2002 and still lives in town. "We like to do projects that are little more local now."

After the Sinaloa project ends, Good Juju would like to concentrate on fundraisers and single-day events. Selvaggio encourages the community to suggest ideas for future volunteer programs.

Both Shankar and Grashaw credited Selvaggio for spearheading Good Juju and for keeping the group together.

"I really think Danica had such a great idea and it's taken off really well," Shankar said. "It's been so rewarding to be a part of it."

"Danica's perseverance keeps everyone going," said Grashaw, 26, a 2001 Santa Susana High graduate and Simi Valley resident. "She's really dedicated to it."

Selvaggio's favorite event with Good Juju was a Father's Day baseball game at Santa Susana Park on June 15 last year.

"Everybody I talked to said that was a lot of fun," she said.

She hopes Good Juju can continue spreading positive vibrations in her hometown.

"We're going to be around for a while," Selvaggio said. "We can't wait to show Simi Valley all the projects we have in store."

For more information on Good Juju, visit www.myspace.com/ havegoodjuju.