by Pam Eichele, Assistance League Public Relations Chairman

Assistance League of Ventura County is excited to announce the Grand Re-opening of the Bargain Box, located at 3351 Telegraph Road in Ventura, on Saturday, May 1, from 10 am to 4 pm! Members have been busy refurbishing, refreshing and restocking the store. Please stop by and join in the fun! Spin the wheel for a discount or gift! First 100 shoppers get a thank you gift!

Established in 1956, the Bargain Box is an upscale resale shop, operated entirely by volunteer members of Assistance League of Ventura County. For 71 years, Assistance League of Ventura County, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation, has been dedicated to the enrichment of the lives of children in Ventura County and the betterment of their future. Proceeds from sales at the Bargain Box support the many philanthropic programs maintained by Assistance League of Ventura County. Philanthropies include:

Our flagship program, Operation School Bell, provided hygiene kits, school supplies, books, magazines, and Target gift cards this year to fill the needs of 1,344 children in the community.

Assistance League School in Oxnard is a state-certified special education preschool providing educational and assistance to young children who need help with communication skills. During COVID-19, our awesome administrator and teachers never missed a beat, re-vamping their curriculum to meet the needs of their students with monthly lesson packets and on-line learning. Our Properties Committee used the down-time to make much-needed repairs to the school building and playground, which will welcome the children upon their return.

B.U.F.F.Y. Bear is a cuddly bear provided By Assistance League of Ventura County to First Responders and other community partners who need to offer comfort and reassurance to children in a time of crisis. During the pandemic, our Bear supply was exhausted. Never fear! We just received our next shipment of Bears and will be distributing them very soon.

During the pandemic, two additional philanthropies were approved by the Board of Directors:

Working in partnership with Ventura County Children and Family Services, the Care Closet was established. Supplied with donations from Assistance League of Ventura County and other partners, Care Closet provides gently used clothing and household items to Foster families and young adults who have aged out of the Foster program.

The ALVC Scholarship Program provides scholarships to students who excel in the areas of science and engineering.

Are you looking for a way to make a difference in the community? We always welcome new members!

For more information, please visit our website at www.assistanceleagueventuracounty.org

Assistance League of Ventura County is affiliated with the Assistance League, a national organization which consists of 120 chapters throughout the United States, all of whom support their local communities through philanthropy and volunteerism.

by Carol Leish

According to, Tammy Glenn MBA, Executive Director of CAREGIVERS: “In 1984, from the Robert Wood Johnson’s Faith in Action ®, is what is at the heart of the Volunteer Caregiving Movement. This helped to fuel the early volunteer force behind our communities, which has evolved. Now volunteers are recruited from faith communities, which continue to play an important role. When a community has gaps in services, agencies, organizations and faith communities form a coalition that is committed to ensuring that individuals’ needs for in-home care will be met.”

“Faith in Action ® originated through the interfaith collaboration,” according to, Teri Helton, RN, Community Engagement Coordinator at CAREGIVERS. “And, I am hopeful that it will embrace that model. To that end, all faith communities are welcome to participate, including churches, temples, mosques and gurdwara’s.”

Helton said, “Each congregational collaboration with CAREGIVER’s Faith in Action ® program will be based on what the congregation wants and needs. For example, youth in a congregation may partake in the CAREGIVER’s Building Bridges program to lend a helping hand to older adults in the congregation with their yard work or light housekeeping or maybe cleaning out a garage.”

“Volunteers can become involved and realize the importance of having a Health Ministry or Care Team that can benefit their congregation in order to: 1) Sponsor health-related programs to build healthy communities; 2) Nurture core spiritual values through support groups; 3) Enhance the meaning of life through providing service and volunteering; and, 4) Strengthen congregational and community ties and support through education.”

“The goals of the Faith in Action ®,” according to Helton, “would include: helping the congregations to support their leadership and the individuals in the congregation by linking volunteer services to the older adults and to those with disabilities, while at the same time providing a link for those who would find meaning through volunteering. Health education would also be included, which would provide support through building and/or supporting a health ministry or care team.”

“The Whole person inclusive of the body-mind-spirit of each individual is a prime focus of the Faith in Action ® model,” according to Helton. “We would do this by offering education that promotes whole person health, providing volunteer service and supports to help individuals be all they can be in their own homes; and, encouraging individuals to become volunteers in order to bring meaning to their lives.”

Thus, in summary, according to Glenn: “The impact of Interfaith Volunteer Caregiving is that it is a successful movement that has the potential to continue to change American culture and attitudes towards aging and towards people with disabilities. Thus, we have an opportunity to adopt and celebrate the common threads that unite us and to demonstrate the renewed and powerful resolve that come from Faith in Action ®.”

Equipped with expertise in full-time online learning, TK-12 families across California now welcome to apply for enrollment in trusted online public school.

California Connections Academy, a network of tuition-free, online public schools serving students in grades TK-12 across 32 counties, is now accepting applications for new students for the upcoming 2021-22 school year. First established in 2004, the schools were specifically designed for a full-time virtual environment and currently serve more than 6,800 students statewide across six regionally established schools – California Connections Academy Central Valley, California Connections Academy Central Coast, California Connections Academy Monterey Bay, California Connections Academy North Bay, California Connections Academy Ripon and California Connections Academy Southern California.

As an accredited, online public school with 17 years of expertise, California Connections Academy provides students with the continuous support of highly-skilled, state-credentialed teachers and curriculum that focuses on both academics and social-emotional learning. The school’s teachers are specially trained to bring their skills and personality to the virtual classroom and emphasize the importance of fostering meaningful connections with students and their families. A student’s daily learning activities are flexible to meet their needs and families can decide in which order to complete the assigned work.

California Connections Academy students represent a diversity of backgrounds and education histories, ranging from those who are academically ahead or struggling in a traditional school setting to those who experience health challenges or bullying. At California Connections Academy, students have access to advanced courses, extracurricular activities and flexible scheduling that helps them to take ownership of their own educational journey. Students who choose to enroll in the school join a collaborative community of their fellow students and educators that provides a welcoming, distraction-free learning environment.

According to the results of the school’s 2020 Parent Satisfaction survey, 95 percent of parents agree their children are satisfied with the program. Furthermore, 96 percent of parents agree that the school’s technology tools improve their child’s learning experience, and 95 percent agree that the curriculum is high quality.

In addition to the best-in-class curriculum at California Connections Academy, the network of virtual schools offers diverse and modern courses including foreign languages, STEM electives and game design.

Families who are interested in the school can learn more and begin the process for enrolling in the 2021-22 school year by visiting www.CaliforniaConnectionsAcademy.com or calling 800-221-2720.

California Connections Academy is a network of six tuition-free, online public schools, serving students in grades TK-12 throughout 32 counties. Accredited by the Accrediting Commission for For more information, call 1-800-221-2720 or visit the school’s website.

Editor: The Breeze is not endorsing the California Connections Academy but printing this for you to determine if you might have interest in this program.

Equipped with expertise in full-time online learning, TK-12 families across California now welcome to apply for enrollment in trusted online public school.

California Connections Academy, a network of tuition-free, online public schools serving students in grades TK-12 across 32 counties, is now accepting applications for new students for the upcoming 2021-22 school year. First established in 2004, the schools were specifically designed for a full-time virtual environment and currently serve more than 6,800 students statewide across six regionally established schools – California Connections Academy Central Valley, California Connections Academy Central Coast, California Connections Academy Monterey Bay, California Connections Academy North Bay, California Connections Academy Ripon and California Connections Academy Southern California.

As an accredited, online public school with 17 years of expertise, California Connections Academy provides students with the continuous support of highly-skilled, state-credentialed teachers and curriculum that focuses on both academics and social-emotional learning. The school’s teachers are specially trained to bring their skills and personality to the virtual classroom and emphasize the importance of fostering meaningful connections with students and their families. A student’s daily learning activities are flexible to meet their needs and families can decide in which order to complete the assigned work.

California Connections Academy students represent a diversity of backgrounds and education histories, ranging from those who are academically ahead or struggling in a traditional school setting to those who experience health challenges or bullying. At California Connections Academy, students have access to advanced courses, extracurricular activities and flexible scheduling that helps them to take ownership of their own educational journey. Students who choose to enroll in the school join a collaborative community of their fellow students and educators that provides a welcoming, distraction-free learning environment.

According to the results of the school’s 2020 Parent Satisfaction survey, 95 percent of parents agree their children are satisfied with the program. Furthermore, 96 percent of parents agree that the school’s technology tools improve their child’s learning experience, and 95 percent agree that the curriculum is high quality.

In addition to the best-in-class curriculum at California Connections Academy, the network of virtual schools offers diverse and modern courses including foreign languages, STEM electives and game design.

Families who are interested in the school can learn more and begin the process for enrolling in the 2021-22 school year by visiting www.CaliforniaConnectionsAcademy.com or calling 800-221-2720.

California Connections Academy is a network of six tuition-free, online public schools, serving students in grades TK-12 throughout 32 counties. Accredited by the Accrediting Commission for For more information, call 1-800-221-2720 or visit the school’s website.

Editor: The Breeze is not endorsing the California Connections Academy but printing this for you to determine if you might have interest in this program.

“Boxing is more than just an escape from the chaos of the streets or the baggage of what’s behind to those who find their way into the gym, and ultimately, the ring. Boxing can be the road – and has been for many over the generations in hard scrabble America – to the way in life. “

“That’s the story shared by Ventura resident Alicia Doyle in her nonfiction memoir Fighting Chance, chronicling the young journalist’s unlikely emancipation from her life’s hardships through immersion into the “sweet science” of boxing.”

We are happy to report that Alicia Doyle has won the Best of Los Angeles Award – “Best Autobiographical Book – 2021”, according to Aurora DeRose, award coordinator for the Best of Los Angeles Award community.

The “Best of Los Angeles Award” community was formed five years ago and consists of over 7,400 professional members living and working in Southern California. It celebrates the best people, places, and things in Los Angeles with the slogan “No Ads. No B.S. Only the Best.”

“The mission of the community is to celebrate the best of Los Angeles, and allow its community members to connect with other members who share the highest standards of quality and integrity,” expresses DeRose. “We’re honored to include Alicia Doyle into our BoLAA family.”

In the 1990s, Alicia Doyle went on an assignment at a boxing gym for at-risk youth known as Kid Gloves. It was during that assignment that she discovered boxing at age twenty-eight. She simultaneously worked as a newspaper reporter while training and competing as a boxer for two whole years. She became one of a few hundred women who infiltrated a male-dominated sport in America.

Alicia Doyle ended up winning two Golden Gloves championship titles. In 2000, she had her pro debut, which was named The California Female Fight of the Year. Her book, “Fighting Chance”, offers insight into her journey, and a peek into one of the toughest sports out there.

Homes with Heart VC encourages experienced families to come forward as resource families and emergency shelter homes for children and youth in care.

While Ventura County is helping families stay together whenever possible, a child or children may still need to be temporarily placed in out of home care at any time, day or night, to ensure their overall safety. Homes with Heart VC, a program of Ventura County Children and Family Services, is encouraging families to step up as resource families or to provide a safe Emergency Shelter Home (ESH) for children and youth who are temporarily placed in out of home care and may experience trauma and need an immediate place to go. Currently, there is a limited number of Emergency Shelter families who help make that transition as smooth as possible for the children. The county is in immediate need of these special resource families and Shelter Homes.

Homes with Heart VC, provides children, youth, and families with a foundation of respect and support, including resource family services from special people who can support children and youth with trauma and provide Shelter Homes.

“All you have to do honestly, is have your baskets full of fruit and vegetables, the fridge with ham, bread…just have more food,” said Natalie Torres, ESH parent. She added that “if there is anyone out there that has extra time, I would just love to see those parents that have already raised children and were great at it be parents for these kids that really need them, I think that would just be amazing.”

The initiative is in need of highly qualified families to serve as resource Shelter Homes for children and youth who need immediate, short term care ranging anywhere from 1-60 days. The unique demands require a special set of skills and circumstances that include patience and consistency.

Important qualifications for becoming an Emergency Shelter Home

Complete the Resource Family training program learning about children and youth in trauma.
Be empathetic and supportive to both birth parents and the extended family of a child.
Have flexible schedules and have time available to be with a child.
Be available 24/7 for placement referrals.
Be organized, calm and understanding.
Have experience parenting children.
Have a stable, nurturing home.
Own reliable transportation.
Have good verbal and written communication skills, bilingual is so helpful.
Be a member of the professional team of support available to you.
Must reside within Ventura County.

“Emergency Shelter Homes provide a safe environment for our children at such a critical time in their lives and this is a very meaningful way to step up and help our community, help our families, and help our children and youth,” said Jaci Johnson, Program Coordinator III in Recruitment at Ventura County Children and Family Services.

Learn more at shelterhomes.homeswithheartvc.org

Recognized as a best practice leader statewide in the family recruitment and support component of child welfare, Ventura County Children and Family Services’ Homes with Heart VC, previously known as Foster VC Kids, was developed to increase the amount of loving resource families who are ready to take in children in need in Ventura County. This initiative provides resource families with ongoing support services, trauma-informed training, and mentorship to enhance the safety, permanency and well-being of Ventura County’s youth and families.  Learn how Ventura County Children and Family Services’ Homes with Heart VC is making a difference throughout Ventura County, www.homeswithheartvc.org