Vita Arts Center hosts free art workshops for children

Twelve-year-old Phoebe Hopp’s wide eyes stared hauntingly out at her grandmother from the self-portrait she’d drawn in art class. Lydia Hopps couldn’t see her granddaughter’s expression. Most of her face was covered by a mask, which she and other students had worn to prevent spread of COVID-19 during the class at Vita Art Center.

Thus began an ambitious community art project at Vita Arts Center called “Through Our Eyes,” organized by the center’s founding director, Mary Perez. The project involves a series of free art workshops for children ages 8 to 18, led by professional artists. Instructors guide students to create a self-portrait of themselves wearing a face mask.

Workshops at Vita Arts Center are already underway, and the center plans to hold several more through the end of the year. An on-site and online exhibit of 100 self-portraits is planned for June. The center will also create a printed catalog of the portraits that will be available to the public.

So far, Perez has enough funding to provide workshops for 100 students. She hopes to secure enough funding to offer workshops to a total of 500 children and teens. 

Parents can sign their children up for the workshops online, and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Perez is also reaching out to local schools to discuss hosting workshops for their students. 

To sign up for a workshop or to donate to the Through Our Eyes Community Art Project and Exhibit, visit www.VitaArtCenter.com Workshop spaces are limited and pre-registration is a must. Vita Art Center is located at 28 W. Main St.

The Bookmark About Libraries and Friends – Book sale

by Jill Forman

Note: This Bookmark was supposed to be in last issue but inadvertently, of course, was left out so you have the pleasure of reading 2 Bookmark articles in this issue.

By the time this comes out, the Ventura Friends of the Library will have had their first outdoor, hands-on sale of the year, on April 17. We are so excited to be able to offer high-quality used books to the booklovers of Ventura, and to generate funds for library programming and supplies. Thanks to all the volunteers and to the folks who came out to get bargains and support us!

Reopening status

Now that Ventura County is in Orange tier, the libraries will be open for limited in-person browsing. Check with your local branch to find out those hours, and to make arrangements.

Bad Art presentation

Director Louise Reilly Sacco will join the Ventura County Library at 6pm on Friday, April 30, 2021, to talk about the collections at the Museum Of Bad Art (MOBA) via ZOOM.

The Museum Of Bad Art collects, exhibits, and celebrates art that will be seen in no other venue. Since 1993, they have collected art from thrift stores, yard sales, sidewalk trash, and even the artists who create it.

In this presentation, the world’s leading cultural institution dedicated to art in which something has gone wrong describes how and why it was established. MOBA presents pieces from their collection, with an insightful, pithy, and often humorous commentary.

This event is free and open to the public. To register for this event, visit bit.ly/VCLMOBA. For additional information, contact Ron Solórzano, Regional Librarian, at (805) 218-9146 or [email protected]. Instructions for registering for this event on Zoom can also be found on our online calendar at www.vencolibrary.org/calendar.

Member event

Kate McDermott, author of The Art of the Pie, will lead a hands-on session of baking with follow-along instructions on Saturday May 8 at 2:00 p.m. via ZOOM. Current VFOL members will receive email invitations and will be given priority for pre-registration.

Learn how to make and shape a flaky all-butter pastry dough which can be used to make many tasty treats in your kitchen.

If you do not receive an invitation by April 25, call Mary Olson at 805-223-1187.

Online Store Update

Many new offerings in education and travel. Remember travel?

We are losing some of our storage space at Hill Road, so if your order from us we thank you and request that you pick up your items within a week. If for some reason you cannot, email the bookstore folks and we’ll see what we can arrange.

More educational and entertaining programs offered by your libraries

Poetry Virtual Open Mic Night hosted by Phil Taggert. Thursdays 7:30 – 10:00 p.m. Enjoy a featured poet, then share your own work with the group if you wish. Black Poets of Ventura County featured through May 6.

Friends of the Library Book Discussion. Saturday May 1, 10:00 a.m.- noon. The Long Haul by Finn Murphy. [email protected].

Ukulele Jam Mondays 7:00 – 10 p.m. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/426255353?pwd=dmdnTTdDdmdFZDYrUnAxZEU5bkhxdz09

Always more events than I can cover: Storytimes, Discover Science, Minecraft Mondays, Art Lessons……

 

 

 

City of Ventura launches online tool to support local businesses in recovering from COVID-19

The City of Ventura’s Economic Development Division is launching a new online business intelligence tool called “SizeUp Ventura” to provide access to market research information.

“The City of Ventura is committed to helping our local businesses succeed and recover from the pandemic,” stated Mayor Sofia Rubalcava. “They are the foundation of our local economy, employ our residents, create new jobs, and make our community a more prosperous place.”

Local businesses and entrepreneurs can now access free industry-specific and hyperlocal information to help them grow and make smarter decisions using big data analysis. SizeUp features information collected from hundreds of public and proprietary data sources covering firmographic, demographic, geographic, labor, wage, cost, consumer spending, transportation, and more.

“In today’s information economy, if you don’t have access to information your business is at a significant disadvantage. With the launch of SizeUp, we are empowering Ventura businesses to make more data-driven decisions to better operate, succeed, grow, and recover from the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Estelle Bussa, City of Ventura Economic Development Manager.

Using the new SizeUp Ventura website, local businesses can:

1.   Rank their business performance compared to industry competitors,

2.   Discover potential customers and suppliers,

3.   Better understand the competitive landscape, and

4.   Optimize advertising to target ideal customer segments.

In support of Small Business Week, local small and medium businesses are invited to a virtual SizeUp Ventura workshop on Thursday, May 6, 2021, from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Advance registration required for the Zoom meeting. To register, visit http://bit.ly/SizeUpVentura.

To learn more about SizeUp Ventura or the City’s Economic Development Office, visit www.cityofventura.ca.gov/SizeUpVentura.

City of Ventura launches online tool to support local businesses in recovering from COVID-19

The City of Ventura’s Economic Development Division is launching a new online business intelligence tool called “SizeUp Ventura” to provide access to market research information.

“The City of Ventura is committed to helping our local businesses succeed and recover from the pandemic,” stated Mayor Sofia Rubalcava. “They are the foundation of our local economy, employ our residents, create new jobs, and make our community a more prosperous place.”

Local businesses and entrepreneurs can now access free industry-specific and hyperlocal information to help them grow and make smarter decisions using big data analysis. SizeUp features information collected from hundreds of public and proprietary data sources covering firmographic, demographic, geographic, labor, wage, cost, consumer spending, transportation, and more.

“In today’s information economy, if you don’t have access to information your business is at a significant disadvantage. With the launch of SizeUp, we are empowering Ventura businesses to make more data-driven decisions to better operate, succeed, grow, and recover from the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Estelle Bussa, City of Ventura Economic Development Manager.

Using the new SizeUp Ventura website, local businesses can:

1.   Rank their business performance compared to industry competitors,

2.   Discover potential customers and suppliers,

3.   Better understand the competitive landscape, and

4.   Optimize advertising to target ideal customer segments.

In support of Small Business Week, local small and medium businesses are invited to a virtual SizeUp Ventura workshop on Thursday, May 6, 2021, from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Advance registration required for the Zoom meeting. To register, visit http://bit.ly/SizeUpVentura.

To learn more about SizeUp Ventura or the City’s Economic Development Office, visit www.cityofventura.ca.gov/SizeUpVentura.

EPS banned from local use

Starting July 1, 2021, food providers in the City of Ventura will be banned from distributing expanded polystyrene (EPS) food and beverage containers.

EPS is commonly known as “Styrofoam”, is commonly found as litter on our beaches and other open spaces, where it is difficult to clean up because it breaks into small pieces and is easily moved by the wind.

Food providers include any person or business located within the City that provides prepared food or beverages for public consumption including, but not limited to, any store, supermarket, delicatessen, restaurant, shop, caterer, or mobile food vendor. Food and beverage containers include but are not limited to: cups, plates, bowls, meat trays, clamshells, and coolers that are not wholly encapsulated by another material.

There are exemptions for products that are packaged outside the city, such as EPS egg cartons. Additionally, there is a one-year financial hardship or practical difficulty exemption which can be found at www.cityofventura.ca.gov/EPSBan

City staff is available to answer questions and to help you navigate this change. There are ways to switch to non-EPS products at no cost, including partnering with Plastic Free Restaurants, an organization that subsidized the cost to switch to 100% compostable food and beverage containers.

Email [email protected] for more information, and to receive assistance from City staff. For the complete ordinance text, visit: http://bit.ly/EPSmunicode.

The Bookmark About Libraries and Friends – Book sale report

by Jill Forman

The Ventura Friends of the Library had its first in-person book sale of the year on April 17, in the E.P. Foster Library parking lot. Volunteers filled their cars and trucks, and displayed the books on tables and in their trunks and hatchbacks, sorted by genre. COVID protocols were observed.

There was a line of eager booklovers waiting before the opening at 9 a.m. Hundreds of community members came, browsed, and left with bags full of books. Over $1600 was raised for the libraries.

Thanks to all the volunteers, the buyers, and Boy Scout Troop 155 for making the sale a success.

VCLSA Tutoring program – “Change a Life; It Might Be Your Own”

The READ Adult Literacy program is a vibrant and valuable tool for assisting the community; one that many citizens are not aware of. Adults who wish to improve their literacy skills are teamed with community members who receive training through the library and then are paired with a learner. Traditionally, this has been done face-to-face.

Carol Chapman, in her 18th year as READ Program Director, has this to say about the impact of COVID on her program participants. “The COVID pandemic has been a challenge for the READ program, as it has been for everyone. However, many READ tutors and learners have remained active during stay-at-home sheltering. Some have read to each other over the telephone.

Others have learned to use ZOOM, SKYPE, TEAMS or other internet conferencing sites to meet “face-to-face remotely” and continue their tutoring sessions; often using the program’s popular online “News For You” newspaper.

In addition, numerous tutoring partners took “leave” from their tutoring sessions, some by necessity and others choice, and are eagerly waiting to return to work together again when the libraries open fully.”

About the program in general, she adds, “So many adults grew up struggling with reading all the way through school, and now READ has programs designed to make reading easier for them. When we match a struggling-reader with one of these programs and their own personal tutor — magic begins to happen!  I wish more adults would give READ a chance to help.  It generally makes their lives much easier.”

Charles McDermott, tutor, says about his experiences, “I have been involved with adult literacy programs since my retirement as a teacher, and it has proven to be the most fulfilling activity I have ever undertaken. Take Jose for example who came to the Oxnard Library Literacy office after lasting 20 minutes in his first college English class. It took us five years of working together but I will remember forever the sight of him dancing off with his daughter after his graduation from Ventura College! Or Julio who wanted to be an American citizen. After struggling for months with the rigorous demands of test preparation, I will never forget that phone call: ‘Mr. Charles I have bad news for you, I’m going to be voting in November!’  Satisfaction indeed!”

Learn about the ROSA robotic knee replacement at a free webinar

Getting a precise knee implant fit is important for both comfort and functionality but achieving the perfect fit is a challenge because each person’s anatomy is unique. The ROSA Knee System brings together robotic technology and industry-leading knee implants to help surgeons personalize surgical procedures, achieve greater precision, and carefully tailor the knee implant’s placement.

Find out if ROSA Knee is right for you at a free online event that takes place from 6-7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 12. To RSVP, visit www.cmhshealth.org/RSVP. This event is hosted by Community Memorial Health System as part of its 2021 Speaker Series Online.

The ROSA® Knee System is a robotically assisted surgical system that includes features to assist with bone resections and assessing the state of soft tissues to facilitate implant positioning intraoperatively. Data provided by ROSA allows surgeons to use computer and software technology to control and move surgical instruments, allowing for greater precision and flexibility during procedures.

The webinar presenter is Dr. John Ross Burge, a hip and knee reconstruction specialist with

extensive joint reconstruction training. His expertise includes robotic-assisted joint replacement, computer navigation joint replacement, revision hip and knee construction, minimally invasive surgery, partial knee replacement, and anterior and posterior hip reconstruction.

Community Memorial Health System is a not-for-profit health system that comprises Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, a skilled nursing facility, and several primary and specialty care clinics that serve communities throughout Ventura County, California.

 

8th Annual Ventura County Charity Golf Tournament to Benefit Kids & Families Together

Now in its ninth year, the goal of the Ventura County Charity Golf Tournament (VCCGT) remains the same, to be… “Fun, Affordable & For a Good Cause”. This annual event was founded by two Ventura County professionals, RJ Cutting and Robert Clark, both assisting Ventura County residents through the various stages of the home buying and lending process. Each year since 2012 (minus the COVID-19 hiatus of 2020), VCCGT has benefited numerous Ventura County based non-profit organizations, raising an estimated $100,000 to date. All funds raised have gone back to serve organizations in the Ventura County community.

VCCGT has selected Kids & Families Together (K&FT) to be the charity of choice for 2021’s event. Now in its 21st year, 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.

This year’s event will take place on Friday, May 14th, 2021 at Sterling Hills Golf Club in Camarillo, beginning with a 9am shotgun start. Sign up for yourself and your team now, as space will be limited to 144 golfers (36 teams of 4 golfers). Included in the event for all golfers will be a box lunch and drinks. Prizes, raffle and Hors d’oeuvre will follow at the conclusion of the tournament.

There are many ways available for you to support this event, even if you are not a golfer. Donate a raffle item, or become an event sponsor! There is a range of sponsorships levels available. Can you or your business become a “Presenting Sponsor”? Tee Sign sponsorships start as low as $135 or two for $200! Below is the event poster and sponsorship form highlighting all the details. Join us this year in bringing back an event that has supported so many!

Call today to reserve your spot or to become an Event Sponsor! RJ Cutting (805)279-9579

Continued/increasing need for a continuum of care facility for those with severe mental health issues

by Carol Leish

Mary Haffner, who served on the Behavioral Health Advisory Board for the past six years, says that, “Ventura County is not the only California county dealing with the societal, economic, and human health costs associated with our society’s collective failure to provide a continuum of care for those with severe mental health issues. While serving on the board, I was able to get a close look at Ventura County’s mental healthcare system as it relates to people with the most serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, and major depressive disorder. The needs of this population are far different from those who have mild to moderate mental health challenges and they require a specific set of treatment protocols and post-discharge supports. The good news is that these illnesses are highly treatable and people can do well given prompt and effective treatment.”

In a letter dated, October 29, 2019, to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, from Haffner, while on the Behavioral Health Advisory Board, that concerned, ‘The Continuum of Care for the Seriously Mentally Ill in Ventura County,’ she stated: “Ventura County does not provide a full continuum of coordinated mental health care for the seriously mentally ill. Others with (physical) illnesses receive prompt and effective science-based treatment and follow-up supports to realize recovery. Investing in the continuum of care for those living with serious mental illness can alleviate stress on numerous agencies and begin to tackle the cycle of hospitalizations, incarceration, and homelessness.”

According to a letter to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, from the Behavioral Health Advisory Board, on February 22, 2021, regarding the ‘Lanterman-Petrus-Short (LPS) Reform Workgroup Report’: “There was a need to reform provisions of the LPS Act.” However, “It was the County Counsel’s opinion that the Welfare and Institution code did not give the Behavioral Health Advisory Board the ability to engage in legislative matters or to advocate in support of legislation, even though members of the board strongly believed that behavioral health legislation was to be an integral part of its ability to address and work to resolve the needs of the behavioral health system of care in Ventura County.”

According to Haffner, “Providing treatment now requires adequate infrastructure, to include acute inpatient beds, appropriate step-down facilities, wrap-around post discharge supports, and supportive housing. Ventura’s crisis bed capacity is lower than counties similar in size. We do not have a facility that can directly accept psychiatric emergencies, necessitating long waits in hospital emergency rooms. Because people with serious mental illness often interface with numerous departments and agencies in a county system (hospital, jails, probation, behavior health, courts, homeless services), the most efficient way to utilize scarce resource is to look at the entire system, fortify communication between agencies, and to find ways to leverage resource to provide upstream treatment and supports. San Diego, Orange, and Los Angeles counties have all created templates for whole-systems approaches to provide treatment and supports for this population. And, other counties have used the Mental Health Services Act funding to partner with private entities to provide Crisis Stabilization Units and other crisis facilities.”

“Understanding the dire lack of crisis services and need for prompt and effective treatment,” according to Haffner, “the Behavioral Health Advisory Board recently prepared a report with recommendations for the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. Among these recommendations is a 30-day extension of hospitalization for individuals deemed gravely disabled in order to provide better care and stabilization and to avoid the need for Conservatorship. The reality of serious mental illness is that people need to receive treatment for longer than 3 days.”

Haffner believes that, “We don’t do more to help these people because I believe that discrimination and stigma play a big role in our society’s failure to provide treatment. We have normalized the jailing of people with mental illness and we have too many people who don’t want any treatment facilities in their communities. That is why leadership is so important. We need leader who understand the illness and who are willing to educate the public and work toward solutions.”