All posts by admin

The Ventura Family YMCA hosts annual Senior Day May 25

The Ventura Family YMCA will host their annual Senior Day on Wednesday, May 25th from 10am to 1:30pm.  This free community event is made possible through sponsorships by Montecito Bank & Trust, The Palms at Bonaventure, and Driscoll Strawberry Associates, Inc.  The Longevity Expo will include local vendors who specialize in senior services from 10am-12pm.  There will be two speakers and a lunch from 12pm-1:30pm, with the first 100 lunch attendees receiving a free t-shirt!  During the lunch, guest speaker Russ Charvonia will discuss fiscal fitness and Jill Rode will talk about leaving your financial legacy.

Russ Charvonia, ChFC, CLU, CFP®, Esq. has been in the financial services industry for more than three decades, providing investment advice to individual and institutional clients across the country and has an estate planning practice with Channel Islands Law Group, a P.C. in Ventura.

The second presenter will be Jill Rode, CFRE, the Channel Islands YMCA’s Chief Development Officer.  She brings 27 years of experience in fundraising and nonprofits to the YMCA. She has raised funds for many nonprofits on the Central Coast and currently supervises and supports the fundraising of the seven branches of the Channel Islands YMCA.

In charge of the event is Nicole Eads, the Support Services & Development Director at the Ventura Family YMCA. “I feel very excited about this day because it’s about celebrating our older and active adults.  We’re showing our appreciation for these members and providing everyone around town resources and information that will help them stay healthy physically and financially.”

For details, a booth, and to sponsor, visit the Ventura Family YMCA, 3760 Telegraph Road, Ventura, CA 93003 or online atciymca.org/ventura.  For more information, please contact Nicole Eads by email at [email protected] or call 805.642.2131 ext. 11.

Established in 1887, the Channel Islands YMCA is a charitable organization of seven YMCA branches serving Santa Barbara and Ventura counties including: Camarillo Family YMCA, Lompoc Family YMCA, Montecito Family YMCA, Santa Barbara Family YMCA, Stuart C. Gildred Family YMCA in Santa Ynez, Ventura Family YMCA, and Youth and Family Services YMCA which operates Noah’s Anchorage Youth Crisis Shelter, the St. George Family Youth Center and My Home.

The Y is the nation’s leading nonprofit committed to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.  The Channel Islands YMCA serves over 46,000 individuals and provides over $1.3 million in financial assistance to families in need for child care, YMCA memberships, away and day camps, youth sports, and teen after-school programs. Ventura Family YMCA 3760 Telegraph Road. Ventura, CA 93003. 805.642.2131. ciymca.org/ventura

Stamp out Hunger food collection event in Ventura May 14th

On Saturday May 14th, our local letter carriers will be carrying over 100,000 pounds of food for stamp out hunger! They want to collect as much food as possible for those in need right here in Ventura County – and they need your help!

All you have to do is leave a bag of non-perishable food by your mail box tomorrow! Your letter carrier will pick it up and deliver it to food share so it can be given to a family, child, or senior in need.

It’s easy! Help Food Share, National Association of Letter Carriers, and Farmer’s Insurance stamp out hunger tomorrow!

What to donate: Non-perishable food items, such as canned soup, vegetables, meats, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, pasta, rice, beans and cereal.

Most needed items:
Canned Soups
Peanut Butter
Canned Meats
Cereal
Canned Vegetables
Pasta, Beans, & Rice
Canned Fruit

Food Safety:
No glass containers!
No items that will melt or perish in the heat
No chocolate, no fresh produce, no frozen items
No soda/beverages and non-food items.

National Police Week May 15-21

National Police Week begins this Sunday, May 15th and runs through Saturday, May 21. The Ventura Police Community Foundation invites all to come out with the Ventura Police Department and help raise money for Community/VPD events, Public Safety and City of Ventura Youth Programs including the Police Activities League by participating in Ventura Restaurant Week.

Please come and dine at the restaurants listed below during the week of Sunday, May 15 – Saturday, May 21. Each restaurant listed will donate 20% of the bill to The VPCF, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) dedicated to strengthening the partnership between the citizens of our community including youth, schools and businesses and the Ventura Police Department.

See event flyer for participating restaurants as well as dates, times and additional information about the fundraiser. Flyer must be presented in hard copy form or on phone to the server for the 20% discount to be donated. For more information about The VPCF, please visit www.venturapolicefoundation.org

Sunday, May 15 Spencer Makenzie's 806 East Thompson Blvd. 11:00 am to 8:30 pm
Monday, May 16 Chick-fil- A 1321 Eastman Ave. 6:30 am – 10:00 pm
Tuesday, May 17 CPK 3401 East Main 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 pm
Wednesday, May 18 Jersey Mike's 1145 S. Victoria Ave. 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
Thursday, May 19 Casa de Soria 1961 East Thompson Blvd. 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Friday, May 20 Red Brick Pizza 4990 Telephone Road 11:00 am – 10:30 pm
Saturday, May 21 Two Trees Cade 7822 Telegraph Road 7:00 am – 9:00 pm

Ventura Hillsides Conservancy to host “Bike and Hike,” Saturday, May 21

On Sat., May 21, from 1-3 p.m., the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy (VHC) will host “Bike and Hike” – a free community bike ride along the Ojai-Ventura Bike path. VHC staff will lead riders on a 12-mile round-trip excursion to their Big Rock Preserve. Upon arrival, VHC will conduct a hike on their nature preserve before returning to Ventura.

VHC will be joined on the ride by representatives from VCCool, a Ventura-based grass roots climate change action organization, who will help with any bike repairs needed along the route. Those who need to tune up their bike before the ride are encouraged to visit, Ventura Bike HUB, VCCool’s do-it- yourself community bicycle shop located at 1150 N. Ventura Ave., Ventura. For store hours, visit: www.vccool.org.

This event is appropriate for bike riders of all ages who are comfortable riding on a slight incline for a stretch of 45 – 60 minutes each way. Children must be accompanied by a parent. Riders should meet VHC staff at the Ventura River kiosk near Ventura’s Main Street Bridge at 1 p.m. and bring their own bicycles, helmets and water bottles.

To RSVP, go to www.venturahillsides.org and click on the Events tab. For more information, call VHC at: (805) 643-8044.

“Take Your Bike to Work Week” May 16-20

“Take Your Bike to Work Week,” an annual event that encourages commuters to change up their daily commute and try riding their bikes to work, will kick-off Monday, May 16, 2016.

Co-sponsored by the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) and the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District (VCAPCD),“Take Your Bike to Work Week” will run May 16-20 and feature prize drawings, free bus rides, cyclist pit stops and a social media contest.

  • Cyclists Ride Free on VCTC – From May 16-20, VCTC will offer free bus rides to customers who bring a bike on board any blue VCTC bus. Bicycle loading instructions and transit tips for cyclists can be found at www.goventura.org.
  • Pledge and Win Prizes –Ventura County commuters who pledge to ride their bike to work just once during the week will be entered into a drawing to win prizes including a Fitbit, a GPS device, one of three $100 VISA gift cards or a $500 gift certificate for a new bike. Pledge online at www.goventura.org.
  • Pit Stops –VCTC and VCAPCD will host morning pit stops to support riders on their way to work. Pit stops will include free refreshments, bike tune-ups and giveaways at the following locations:

 

County Government Center – May 17,7-9 a.m.

800 S. Victoria Ave., Ventura, next to bus roundabout

Partners: County of Ventura, Open Air Bicycles

 

 Oxnard – May 18, 7-9 a.m.

Plaza Park, corner of Fifth and “B” Streets

Partners: City of Oxnard, Performance Bicycles
Thousand Oaks – May 19, 7-9 a.m.

Elks Lodge Parking Lot, 158 N. Conejo School Rd., across from Conejo Elementary School

Partners: City of Thousand Oaks, Westlake Cyclery

 Ventura – May 19, 6-9 a.m.

Northeast corner of Santa Clara and California Streets

Partners: City of Ventura, Trek Bikes of Ventura

 

  • Social Media Photo Contest – Social media users who post a photo of themselves and their bikes to Facebookor Instagram and tag VCTC by Friday, May 20, will be entered into a drawing to win a commuter-friendly folding bike. VCTC can be found on Facebook (@GoVentura) and Instagram (@Go_VCTC.).

“Integrating biking into your workday commute reduces pollution and traffic in our community,” said VCTC Executive Director Darren Kettle. “This Bike Week, we especially want to encourage people to take advantage of our offer to bring a bike on board any VCTC bus and ride for free. In an expansive county like Ventura, combining biking and transit is a fun and practical way to experience a car-free commute.”

“Take Your Bike to Work Week” is part of VCTC’s ongoing efforts to encourage and improve biking in Ventura County. Working with cities, the County and cyclists, VCTC is currently drafting a Bicycle Wayfinding Plan that designates important regional bike routes and specifies design rules and signage templates to make these routes safer and easier to navigate for cyclists of all ages and ability levels.

By designating certain bike lanes as part of a regional network, the Bicycle Wayfinding Plan will allow jurisdictions to better compete for active transportation grants, bringing more funding to the County for bicycle improvements.

Those interested in exploring community bike paths can use VCTC’s Bikeways App on Apple and Android, which maps all existing bike routes in Ventura County.

About the Ventura County Transportation Commission

The Ventura County Transportation Commission is the regional transportation planning agency committed to keeping Ventura County moving. Program information is available at goventura.org.

Vol. 9, No. 16 – May 11 – May 24, 2016 – E.P. Foster Library programs and events

Adult Programs & Special Events

Adult Coloring Book Break
5/11, 18, 25 Wednesdays @ 12-2pm
Available from 12pm to 2pm so stop by for a minute or ten!

5/12 Thursday @ 3:30pm
Library LAB Makerspace
Learn to 3D print and get an intro to digital design in this entry-level workshop.
Seats are limited, registration is required. Please email [email protected] for more information.

Opera Santa Barbara
5/13 Friday @ 12pm
These concerts, featuring members of the Mosher Studio Artist Program, are offered fre to the public,

Spontaneous Chess
5/14 & 24 Saturday & Tuesday @ 1pm
Calling all chess players! Keep your skills sharp with this one-hour, drop-in session of free play.

Art Tales Reception
5/25 Wednesday @ 5:30
Join us to celebrate the winners of the 8th Annual Art Tales Writing Contest.

National Paper Airplane Day
5/26 Thursday @ 3:30pm
Topping Room
Put down your electronics and pick up a sheet of paper—join us in a celebration of the paper airplane!

Spanish Conversation Group
5/28 Saturday 10:30am in the Rentfrow Room
Are you learning Spanish but need some practice speaking? Join this informal group to chat and practice your Español!

Poetry Open Mic Night
5/12, 19, 26 Thursdays 7:30-9pm On these Thursday nights, come join this group of writers as they meet in the Topping Room to share their work.

Ukulele Jam Session
5/23 Mondays 7-10pm
Locals gather to play the ukulele on the first and third Monday of the month.

Early Literacy Class
5/17, 18, 24, 25, & 31
Tuesdays & Wednesdays 10:30am
A great way to introduce your child to early literacy and the library.

TAG Teen Advisory Group
5/18 Wednesdays 4 pm
Active members will get credit towards School Community Services Hours.

Youth Chess Club
5/16, & 23 Mondays 3 pm
Learn to play chess or improve your current ability! Assisted by Class A tournament player Jack Cashman.

Lego LAB: Build, Learn, and Play!
5/24 Tuesdays 3 pm
05/28 Saturday 10 am
Exciting themes every meeting. Children of all ages welcome!

Dance Party!
5/19, and 05/28, Friday, Thursday, Saturday 10-11 am
Enjoy non-stop music and movement for children ages 2-5 and their grownups in the Topping Room!

Party!
3/11, 03/17, and 03/25 Fridays and Thursday 10-11 am
Enjoy non-stop music and movement for children ages 2-5 and their grownups in the Topping Room!