With the re-opening, new COVID protocols are in play.

The Ventura Botanical Gardens (VBG) recently announced the COVID reopening date of Saturday, June 6. The Gardens have been closed due to both the pandemic and subsequent new construction including sponsorship sites and entrance development.

With the re-opening, new COVID protocols are in play. The Merewether Welcome Center entrance is now set up for non-contact social distancing. The exit has been moved to the back of the education structure—signs will point the way. There will be a limited entry of 50 visitors in the entirety of the Gardens. These protocols are based on National Public Gardens guidelines and are subject to change.

The Gardens are open Wednesdays through Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Mondays and temporarily on Tuesdays). Entrance is free on Fridays (formerly on Tuesdays)—the change was made in part to facilitate opportunities for long weekends. Admission is $7 per person. Visitors can same day pay online at vbgpay.com, or pay at the door. Non-contact credit card payment is preferred over cash, but not required. Members are free. Children under 18 are free. EBT cardholders are free. The upper gardens north of Summit Drive are free and open to pedestrians when Grant Park is open. The upper gardens are accessible by walking from Summit Drive, Brakey Road, or Ferro Drive. Leashed dogs are welcome on Fridays and Wednesdays. The Gardens will also be open and free to the public on International Climate Change Day, June 21.

Aside from these public health and safety guidelines, visitors will be treated to a new entrance walkway. Local architects, Noah Greer and Martha Picciotti, designed the entrance. Halter-Encinas Landscaping did the construction.

“It was a real challenge starting with a long, steep asphalt driveway. We used redwood pickets set on stepped walls to add texture and frame the entry,” said Noah, lead designer. “Those pickets will soon enclose the new nursery, so visitors will be able to look into the heart of the gardens as they walk by.”

Additionally, both the Fynbos Garden and the Karoo Gardens, located near Summit Plateau, are showing substantial changes. In the Fynbos Garden, the protea are enjoying a full bloom of reds, yellows and oranges and in the Karoo Garden, the young aloe trees are beginning to mature.

For more information or to learn more about the Gardens, please visit our website, Facebook or Instagram pages.

The nonprofit organization has a 40-year Master Plan dedicated to creating a botanical garden celebrating the Mediterranean climate regions. The setting is a world-class site with spectacular views of the California coastline, verdant agricultural vistas, the Channel Islands and Ojai’s Topa Topa peak. VBG will continue to create new outdoor opportunities for training, research, and educational programs ranging from horticulture and botany to sustainability.

Ethan Messecar and Phil Taggart getting ready to roll camera at the VUSD graduation.

Citizens all across the nation are letting their voices be heard in peaceful protest, condemning the reprehensible actions of police officers in Minneapolis that resulted in the horrific death of George Floyd.  All of us at CAPS Media were sickened and saddened by what we saw.   We do not condone racism, discrimination, inequality, or violence towards anyone.  We stand in solidarity with our community and support everyone in exercising their first amendment right to assemble and to petition government to redress grievances.

CAPS Media is a Community Public Access Center that offers everyone in our community a  place to share your voice and be heard on television, radio and online.  CAPS Board and staff members are committed to encouraging and ensuring every one’s opinion can be expressed freely and openly to the public. We respect and thank those who have stood up for justice and knelt in solidarity during peaceful demonstrations.  We stand and kneel together.

Congratulations 2020 Grads! Recently CAPS Media crews joined the celebration of 2020 high school graduates from Buena, El Camino, Foothill Technology, Pacific and Ventura high schools. The two-day extravaganza was held in front of City Hall where more than 1,000 grads, dressed in cap and gowns, walked up the steps to receive their diploma while family members cheered from the street below. The massive event was coordinated by Ventura Unified School District in collaboration with the City and Ventura City Police. CAPS crews were on-hand from sunup to sundown on Saturday and Sunday to document the parade of graduates. The nearly twenty hours of video will be archived by VUSD.

More congratulations are in order for the talented media students at ECTV – El Camino Television, who won two awards at the National Community Media Hometown Awards. The Creative Community 2.0 Series won for the Best of Entertainment & Arts Series and the ECTV episode featuring Ventura Deputy Mayor, Sofia Rubalcava won for the best show in the Community Events category. Kudos to the entire ECTV team as well as instructor and mentor, Phil Taggart

Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis the CAPS Media crews have continuously provided extensive communication services to the City and County to help inform the public. CAPS produces updates by City officials and CAPS continues to direct the broadcast and streaming of City Council meetings and other committee meetings with remote participation by board members, committee members and city staff. CAPS Crews record the live County COVID-19 updates at the County government center and then edit/format the updates with titles and subtitles in Spanish. In addition, CAPS crews continue to produce numerous videos for Ventura County Fire, Public Health and other agencies

Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis the CAPS Media Center continues to remain closed to Members and the public until further notice. CAPS Member/Producers can submit programming via the online portal at capsmedia.org. for broadcast and streaming on CAPS public access television Channel 6 and on CAPS Radio KPPQ 104.1FM. Upcoming Orientation, Camera, Editing, Studio and Radio classes will be posted on the website.

NAMI dancing in the street.

by Jill Forman

NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The classes, support groups and educational outreach it does benefits those with mental illness, their families and friends, and society at large.

All classes and groups are free to the participant. NAMI relies on donations and grants to supply these invaluable services. The biggest event of the year is the NAMI walk, in which thousands of teams and individuals raise funds.

Due to health concerns, the walk was cancelled this year, at least in its physical form. There was instead a Virtual Walk on May 30, “A National Day of Hope.”

One NAMI team, the NAMI Mommies, had a dance party on Mesa Circle Drive in the Clearpoint area of Ventura. Hope is a perfect theme for this neighborhood which was devastated by the Thomas Fire. Many of the houses are new or still under construction.

The Mommies is a group of women who met at a NAMI class for families of those with mental illness, and who continue to meet as a support group. They were joined by employees of the school district who were donating through this event.

The cul-de-sac had messages of hope and love chalked on the pavement. There were brief speeches Georgia Perry, a group member and the organizer of the event; Mark Stadler of the Ventura VPD; friends of the members; and a particularly effective and passionate address by Mary Haffner, local attorney and former member of the Ventura school board.

Then the DJ started the music, and there was dancing. Dancing for hope and for NAMI.

One-person boats for social distancing.

Thanks to a generous grant from Ventura and Ojai kids get to row for free this summer!

Learn to Row for Beginners and Advanced camp for Racing Team

Students from outside areas welcome at a regular rate of $150 per week.

Casitas Rowing is excited to offer this to our local families to support our community in the recovery efforts! All summer camps are free for student athletes grades 6th – 12th from Ventura and Ojai Unified School Districts.

• All equipment wiped after each use
• One-person boats for social distancing
• Small class sizes with expert coaching
• Outdoor activity on the water

Summer Camps Tentatively June – August 2020
Check website for updated schedules
Beginners and Advanced Camps

Limited Space so RSVP soon

To Register: Call 805-642-2288 or email [email protected]
www.CasitasRowing.org

Over 8,000 healthy, nutritious meals have been distributed.

Rincon Brewery Ventura joins forces with two non-profits to help feed Ventura County Foster/Resource Families, Kinship Families, Adoptive Families, and Bio-families currently working with Children and Family Services

Kids & Families Together (K&FT) is a nonprofit that has been serving foster/resource, adoptive, kinship, and birth families throughout Ventura County since 2000. K&FT works with children who have experienced trauma, abuse, neglect, loss, and multiple placements. K&FT also works with caregivers who need specialized education, support, and strategies to help raise safe, healthy, nurtured children that thrive.

Having hosted and catered events for K&FT over the last two years, the owners of Rincon Brewery Ventura (located at 4100 Telegraph Road) are well aware of the needs of the families served by K&FT.

Word Central Kitchen (WCK) founded over 10 years ago, by Chef José Andrés, is no stranger to Ventura County.

In early April, the owners and management of Rincon Brewery reached out to WCK offering to re-open their Ventura restaurant to make a difference in the Ventura community. By mid-April the restaurant’s focused shifted from feeding first responders to helping to feed members of the local community that were in need. On Thursday April 16th, Rincon Brewery presented the idea to K&FT. Within three days, staff rallied and K&FT was prepared to distribute meals.

This effort has been ongoing, six days a week since April 20th. Over one third of the K&FT staff have participated in this effort, with some putting in countless hours managing the distribution site, organizing delivery lists and loading meals into boxes for pickup. The agency has also received help from a small army of local volunteers who have generously given their own time in this effort. Over 70 individual volunteers have worked side by side with K&FT and Rincon Brewery, some volunteers putting in multiple shifts each week!

At the start of each day both staff and volunteers circle up (making sure to remain six feet apart) for the “morning gathering” where Rincon Brewery co-owner Luisa Hyatt or, on some mornings, Chef Stroh rallies the group with words of inspiration, feedback from families receiving the meals or sharing the “love note” going out with that day’s meal. K&FT’s Therapy Dog, Charles is there several mornings each week ready to greet the families as they drive-thru and have the meals placed in the trunk of their car. Yamaoka Flowers, an area flower grower, donated buckets of flowers that were arranged into gorgeous bouquets and present to families in honor of Mother’s Day. K&FT has distributed coloring sheets, crayons and a list of “100 Ways to Have Fun Together as a Family While Quarantined” to families picking up meals. One of the most touching moments was when a family brought Chef Stroh a “thank you book” with pictures of all the meals he has prepared for them.

To date, over 8,000 healthy, nutritious, chef-prepared meals have been distributed to families across the county, from Ventura’s Westside to Oxnard and all the way out to Simi Valley. Response from families has been extremely positive!

For those interested in volunteering at the distribution site or those willing to help make deliveries please sign up via this link, created with the help of Ventura County Fire Department. https://vcfd.galaxydigital.com/need/?agency_id=112680

Financial donations to support this effort can be made via this link. https://mailchi.mp/kidsandfamilies.org/mealdistribution

Several honorees were still able to dress up and take professional photos to mark the occasion.

A family tradition for 63 years, the Las Patronas Charity Ball was scheduled for March 17th. The day before the event, based on state guidelines and in the interest of public health, the decision was sadly made to cancel the ball due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The charity ball, a fundraiser for Assistance® League of Ventura County (ALVC), honors local young women who have accomplished great things during their high school careers.

This year, these outstanding and unique young women were:

Delaney Arenz: Competitive Dancer, performed widely, including at Disney World. Active in Assisteens.

Ellie Meyring: Volunteered on international mission trips. Active in Future Farmers of America, The Red Cross, and Letters to The Military.

Madison Mok: Honor Roll, Varsity Softball Pitcher for 4 years, Altar Server, and Girl Scout Ambassador Recipient of the Gold Award.

Alexis Valdez: U.S. President’s Award. Active in NCL, California Scholarship Federation, and YMCA Youth and Government Program.

Ashlyn Valles: ASB President and Junior Optimist Leadership Award. Active in NCL, National Honor Society, and Young Life Christian Club.

Savannah Viola: Student of the Month and Recipient of the Victory with Honor Character Award. Active in NCL and National Honor Society.

Although the ball itself was canceled, several honorees and their families were still able to dress up and take professional photos to mark the occasion. Even though they were not able to hold the ball, Las Patronas was still able to raise $50,000 in support of ALVC’s philanthropic programs, which include the Assistance League School, B.U.F.F.Y. Bear, and Operation School Bell®. The Vision for Assistance League of Ventura County is “Transforming Lives, Strengthening Community.”

The River appreciates those who support them.

The River Community Church is certainly flowing through the City of Ventura these past six weeks during the Covid-19 pandemic. They have been the recipient of numerous donations from many local businesses, and just like a river, they are a channel to help those who are in need, especially food supplies.

As early as March 18, they have seen the arrival of a well-stocked kitchen from the Ventura Beach Marriott, so much, that they were able to share the abundance with the Ventura County Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army. Other downtown restaurants, such as Peirano’s Market & Delicatessen, Aloha Steakhouse, Palermo ~ Coffee and Gelato have shared their specialties with The River from hot meals to fresh chicken and salmon to gallons of milk. Their Food Pantry recipients often get blessed with fresh meat, especially since Sharon Parker of Main St. Meats has donated hundreds of turkey breasts and fresh or smoked chickens.

The River has seen donations from Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant and The Berry Man along with those from neighboring Camarillo, such as Manhattan of Camarillo and Noah’s Bagels. Others who have made continuing donations to care for The River’s volunteers are Giddyup Group LLC, Missy’s Cupcake Creations and Water’s Edge. Water’s Edge provides 15 meals every day to The River. Many of Water’s Edge donations are passed on to the ladies at Tender Life Maternity Home or to the families at The City Center Transitional Living who are thrilled to receive such mouthwatering dinners.

Another community supporter to The River is Food Forward. They generously donate fresh produce twice a week, so those who are in need can stretch their food budget and pick up more than just canned goods. Other partners include Trader Joe’s (on Victoria), Ventura County Backpack Medicine plus several in the community who have given generous cash donations.

Jim Duran, Lead Pastor of The River Community Church, says, “It’s times like these (Covid-19) that you need people around you who are going to help. We are so blessed the community has stepped up and has partnered with The River Community Church to meet the needs of those suffering. We could not do what we do without our valuable partners.”

Over these past six weeks since the Stay-At-Home orders have been in effect, they have served over 600 families representing 1,697 people in Ventura. The River appreciates those who support them, so they can continue being a conduit of God’s blessings to reach the community and those in need.

For more information about The River Community Church, please visit their website at www.TheRiverCommunity.org or call the Church Office at 805-648-7955. They are located at 889 E. Santa Clara St. in downtown Ventura at the corner of Kalorama and E. Santa Clara Streets.