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Youth present their solutions to our changing climate during EECCOA Virtual Challenge 2021

On April 30, twenty 6-12 grade students from five public schools in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties competed during MERITO Foundation’s EECCOA Virtual Challenge 2021 with their authored environmental business proposals focused on water conservation, energy efficiency, or waste reduction for their homes, or to educate a community about ocean acidification. 83 students of the 650 participants in the 9 month-long climate, energy and ocean science EECCOA Program entered The EECCOA Challenge. Only 20 made it to the finals and will be receiving cash and in kind prizes including a trip to the Channel Islands this month. In addition four home projects were selected to be sponsored implementation.

During the previous 9 months, students learned from the MERITO science curriculum and about climate change and its impacts including ocean acidification, drought and wildfires taught by their teachers. Then were provided the tools to address these issues by designing money-saving green business proposals for their homes or schools. The EECCOA Program and Challenge are in its 6th year, and the main sponsors and partners of the EECCOA Program and Challenge 2021 are NOAA B-WET Grant, Ventura Water, Clean Power Alliance, and the City of Ventura’s Environmental Sustainability. The event was live streamed and can be seen at https://www.facebook.com/MERITOCalifornia

The team winners of the 1st prize for water conservation are Kaleb Williams, Aaron Figueroa, and Brayden Mlodzik from Jonata Middle School in Buellton.

The winner of 1st prize for the energy efficiency tier is Yaretzi Martinez from RK Frank Elementary in Oxnard.

Lilac Reyes, of Mesa Union School District in Somis is the 1st prize winner in the waste reduction tier.

The 1st prizewinner of the ocean acidification awareness tier is Alyssa Wright, from Anacapa Middle School in Ventura. Alyssa’s goal for increasing awareness of the dangers of ocean acidification was to educate a group of adults and students through videos and articles on ocean acidification. She surveyed the group before and after then noticed that there was an increase of awareness over the issues on ocean acidification.

The Multicultural Education for Resource Issues Threatening Oceans, DBA as MERITO Foundation is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization based in Ventura, CA, dedicated to protecting the ocean by facilitating education, conservation, and scientific research opportunities to

multicultural youth and their communities. Donations will contribute to the implementation of students’ project proposals because we believe they want to be part of the solution. Contribution can be made at https://www.meritofoundation.org/support-us

Next school year the EECCOA program will be a partnership of the MERITO Foundation with Ventura Unified School District and other organizations. For more details contact [email protected]

Drivers are encouraged to “Share the Road” during National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and the Ventura Police Department encourages the community to think about the safety of riders on two wheels and look twice for motorcycles.

“Motorcycle riders are often much harder to see than residents in four-wheeled vehicles,” said Traffic Unit Sergeant Michael Brown said. “Drivers and riders should take extra precautions by keeping their distance and watching their speed.”

With nearly 900,000 registered motorcycles in California, many road users are going places without the same protections as drivers. Motorcycle riders are 28 times more likely to die in a traffic collision than vehicle occupants.

To help further protect our community, keep the following tips in mind while driving or riding throughout the city:

Drivers:

Always check twice for motorcycles, both your mirrors and blind spots.
Always use your signal when changing lanes.
Never follow a motorcycle too closely.

Motorcyclists:

Always wear a DOT compliant helmet and protective gear like gloves and leather clothing. DOT-certified helmets are designed to absorb the force of a crash, rather than resisting the impact.
Consider adding reflective tape to your clothing to make it easier for drivers to see you.
Keep your lights on at all times, even during the day.
Don’t assume drivers see you. Signal well in advance before changing lanes and watch for turning vehicles.
Lastly, never drive or ride under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. To learn more about the Office of Traffic Safety grant and VPD’s educational efforts, contact Emily Graves, Community Outreach Specialist for the Ventura Police Department, at [email protected].

In 2019, we celebrated our 85th year of being active

Ventura Toastmasters Club 24 made “President’s Distinguished Club.”

by Jane Hanley Ventura Club 24, Secretary

Tucked away in a backroom at the China

Kitchen Restaurant in Ventura is a hidden gem. Ventura Toastmasters Club 24 meets (presently meets via zoom) every Monday evening at the China Kitchen, 4020 E. Main St, from 6-8pm (pre-pandemic). My first time visiting this group I knew this was my toastmaster’s club. I knew that this club was a place where I could work through fears of public speaking. Club 24 could help me expedite my personal growth. This group of people are a lively bunch, filled with encouraging words, support, and kindness. Feeling like I belong to a healthy family, this group met my needs to grow into a better speaker.

In 2019, we celebrated our 85th year of

being active. Can you imagine, the same club being around for

85 plus years. Ventura Toastmasters Club 24 is one of San Buenaventura’s finest heirlooms. When Covid hit, we continued to meet every Monday via

zoom. Over a year of zoom meetings and our club made, “President’s Distinguished Club”, this is an award that Toastmasters International recognizes as a club that represents high integrity. If you are looking for a place to grow in your speaking and leadership skills check us out, you can also look us up on Meetup or Facebook.

Toastmasters Mission Statement:The mission of a toastmasters club is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every individual member has the opportunity to develop oral communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self confidence and personal growth.

TREE TOWN

Young Ventura students helped with the planting.

Brought to you by the Ventura Tree Alliance

On Arbor Day, the city crew had help planting a new Swan Hill Fruitless Olive tree (Oleo Europaea) in Cemetery Park.

Olive trees do well in Ventura’s Mediterranean climate, but make sure you get the fruitless variety for your yard if you want to avoid messy droppings. They are drought tolerant and fire resistant, ideal as a shade tree for coastal California landscaping.

$500,000 Grant Awarded to Local Non-Profits WEV and MICOP Entrepreneurs

Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV), in partnership with the Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP), has been awarded a $500,000 Grant for the 2021 Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development (SEED) Entrepreneurship Program from the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency and the Employment Training Panel (ETP). WEV and MICOP will use the SEED Initiative funding to support underrepresented and marginalized individuals who face significant barriers to employment by providing them with entrepreneurial training, technical assistance, and micro-grants to launch or grow their own businesses in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

“We are thrilled to partner with MICOP to launch the SEED Program,” said WEV CEO Kathy Odell. “With MICOP’s expertise in supporting and empowering the indigenous migrant community in our region, and WEV’s history of providing small business training and small business loans to women and other local entrepreneurs, we have the combined expertise to provide our SEED participants with pathways for economic self-sufficiency.”

The WEV/MICOP SEED initiative will serve the estimated 27,000 Santa Barbara County, and 24,000 Ventura County, indigenous migrants from Mexico living in our region. Working together, WEV and MICOP will conduct community outreach and education efforts to enroll individuals with limited English proficiency and provide entrepreneurial skills training. Upon completion of the training, participants will be eligible to apply for small grant funds of up to $5,000 for their small business needs. The SEED program will be conducted in two cohorts, starting with outreach and implementation to the migrant farmworker population in Santa Barbara County in summer 2021, followed by Ventura County in early 2022.

“MICOP is beyond grateful to be part of a partnership with WEV to launch a new and innovative initiative that will recruit and train indigenous migrant entrepreneurs in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties,” said Arcenio López, Executive Director of MICOP. “MICOP continues to strengthen collaborations that share common values and a vision to create social change. SEED is an exciting opportunity for indigenous migrants to achieve economic equity by supporting visionary indigenous entrepreneurship.”

Women’s Economic Ventures is dedicated to creating an equitable and just society through the economic empowerment of women. WEV is a business resource network for anyone looking to start a business, grow a local business, or improve their business skills. WEV provides small business training, advisory services, financial literacy programs and small business loans in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. While WEV’s focus is on women, it welcomes people of all gender identities into the WEV community. Business courses, programs and loans are provided in both English and Spanish.

Since 1991,

The Mixteco/Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) is a non-profit community-based organization that supports, organizes, and empowers the indigenous immigrant community in the Central Coast of California. The indigenous migrant community that MICOP works with comes primarily from southern Mexico, including the states of Oaxaca, Guerrero, Michoacán, and Puebla. Learn more about MICOP at www.mixteco.org

Vol. 14, No. 16 – May 5 – May 18, 2021 – A View from House Seats

by Shirley Lorraine

A Peek at the Process

The Rubicon Theatre recently presented a unique opportunity. A virtual plays-in-progress event was held to show how a musical is put together. From the beginning.

The free (donations encouraged) event was a Vimeo presentation available for the asking by reservation.

Narrated by the book author, Jonathan Prince, attendees were treated to POSEIDON: The Musical, Act 1 sing-through. Music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa were lively and kept the action moving along.

The premise is not new, a play about putting on a play, but the presentation was certainly different. Action segues from a present-day theater company planning a production of a version of the Poseidon Adventure, to the 1979 action film for background and reference. As Prince narrated, he noted that each actor portrays not only their current character, but also several characters from the film.

Prince described each present and past character in detail, noting slight changes to their roles and introducing the songs. The actors themselves all participated from their respective homes or venues and all displayed charm and beautiful voices. The cast was an impressive mix of Equity actors with lengthy credits.

The problem I had in watching the event was that Prince, in his enthusiasm, went through the information so quickly I found it more than challenging to keep up and keep track of the characters shifting between the two different eras.

Personally, I think I would have preferred a succinct synopsis of the original, followed by a synopsis of the changes and introduction of the songs. It got quite confusing, to me, flitting back and forth between the now and the then. It made me wonder if folks unfamiliar with the film would make sense of all the information. It is possible that in this discussion, the director/writer was simply attempting to thoroughly fill in all the gaps. In the end, background knowledge may not be essential to enjoying the story.

Post showing of Act 1 as it is currently outlined, the video continued with an informative and illuminating discussion among the creators and actors. They spoke of which songs they liked performing and why, their opinions on the direction some of the action took, and more. Act 2 is still in the works and may be presented in a similar fashion later. It will be interesting to see which songs and ideas make the cut, which get moved around in the script, and which disappear from the final script. Even though I probably missed some information, I did enjoy learning about the process.

Rubicon strives to bring theater in all forms to their audiences by holding talkbacks with the actors during regular productions, youth instruction, classes, and unique opportunities such as this one. I appreciated being “on the inside” from the sidelines.

If health trends continue the current course of diminishing impact (and we hope they will), live theater will once again be an option soon. Please save a seat for me.

A loving heart at Cypress Place Senior Living

As far back as nine years old, Kathy Sullivan remembers admiring the older generation and feeling as though they were responsible for teaching her to become the best person she could be. She found herself baking cookies and taking them to lonely neighbors, and listening while they shared their life stories. Today, she continues to impact the lives of seniors in tangible ways.

Sullivan is a front desk concierge at Cypress Place Senior Living in Ventura, a senior living community catering to independent living, assisted living, and memory care residents. She has been with the community for 15 years.

On a recent Friday afternoon, the residents and staff and Cypress Place celebrated Sullivan’s 15 years of service to the community with a surprise anniversary celebration. She stood speechless as she walked into the community’s fireside lounge where she was greeted with applause by both residents and staff members alike.

“Everyone here has benefited from her amazing kindness,” said Marion Doane, one of the residents who helped coordinate the surprise along with the Cypress Place management team. “No matter how long you have lived here, whether it be one day, or ten years, you will have been touched by her infectious smile, her kind heart, and her giving spirit.”

The touching celebration brought tears to Sullivan’s eyes as she recounted how at one point during her employment, a car accident kept her away from the community for about three months.

“When I was recuperating in my home after my car accident, the residents had a lot to do with me getting better,” recounted Sullivan. “I would receive cards and notes all throughout my recovery from the residents. I will always be so grateful for those notes because I knew I needed to get back to the residents. They played a huge part in my recovery.”

Sullivan says she loves meeting and greeting the residents and their families daily. Being attentive to their needs, helping each resident feel accomplished, smiling, and always being kind, are her daily mottos, because the residents deserve it according to Sullivan.

“You are beloved by all the residents, as well as all your co-workers,” said Gina Salman, executive director at Cypress Place. “You are the foundation for the experience we strive to provide our residents here at Cypress Place.”

Colleen Webb, Cypress Place Senior Living associate executive director, was equally as effusive. “Thank you, Kathy, for your loving heart these past 15 years. We look forward to many more years together.”

Cypress Place Senior Living is a premiere independent living, assisted living, and memory care community in the city of Ventura. For more information about Cypress Place Senior Living located at 1200/1220 Cypress Point Ln Ventura, visit www.cypressplaceseniorlivig.com or call 805-650-8000.

Community Memorial Hospital partners Celebrate Donate Life Month at Flag Raising Ceremony

“Our team sees firsthand the lives saved by the willingness of others to give life.”

Community Memorial Hospital joined thousands of hospitals and community organizations nationwide in April to celebrate National Donate Life Month, including hosting a flag raising ceremony at the hospital on Tuesday, April 20th. The celebrations are designed to help encourage Americans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to honor those who have saved lives through the gift of donation.

“Our team sees firsthand the lives saved by the willingness of others to give life,” said Diane Drexler, CMH’s Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer. “The flag raising ceremony is an opportunity to recognize the generosity of families who have offered this gift to others while experiencing a profound personal loss.”

At 9 a.m. on Tuesday, April 20th, CMH, in partnership with OneLegacy, the world’s largest nonprofit organ, eye and tissue recovery organization, hosted a flag raising ceremony to highlight the importance of donation and celebrate donors and recipients. Speaking at the event were Reverend Curtis Hotchkiss, CMH’s director of Spiritual Care Services; Drexler; and Alexa Delima and Angela Bolaris of OneLegacy. Ellen Langston of Ventura represented a donor family and transplant recipient Jennifer Vasilakos of Ojai also attended.

A single organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people and improve the lives of up to 75 more people by donating their corneas and tissue, says OneLegacy. Nearly 40,000 life-saving transplants were performed in the U.S. in 2020, according to the organization, which also notes that nationwide, over 107,000 people are on waiting lists for a donated organ.

To become a donor, people can register with the Department of Motor Vehicles or online at www.OneLegacy.org/Register. To help facilitate organ recovery and placement, CMH is one of over 200 hospitals and nine transplant centers in Southern California that works directly with OneLegacy.

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.

Earth Day 2021: New Oak Grove at Harmon Canyon Preserve

The undertaking involved the planting of many trees by volunteers. Photo by Richard Lieberman

by Mira Reverente

To commemorate Earth Day, Ventura Land Trust (VLT) launched its first reforestation project at Harmon Canyon Preserve. The undertaking involved the planting of 50 live oak trees and 150 native plants, around 40 volunteers and a longtime partnership with SoCalGas.

After welcome remarks by Dan Poultney, executive director at VLT and Matt LaVere, Ventura County supervisor, the volunteers broke off into small groups and tackled the task of planting near the trailhead of Ventura’s first large-scale nature preserve.

Dan Hulst, VLT preserve director, led the reforestation efforts and showed the volunteers how to use and spread mulch, how deep to dig a hole and how to adequately water the plants. “These plants are in shock from being transported so the more water, the better,” he said, after pointing out the various native plants including lemonade berry, purple sage, coast sunflower, California sage brush and Yerba Buena.

The Martinez family was one of the families who volunteered. “We like doing this type of activity as a family,” said Elizabeth Martinez, director of public relations at Meruelo Enterprises, a local construction company and minority business enterprise. Martinez brought her husband, son and daughter-in-law along.

Since the preserve has been open to the public last June, its 10 miles of trails featuring hills, canyons and spectacular views have attracted outdoor enthusiasts including runners, hikers, cyclists as well as families who just want to explore or get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. “It was definitely much-needed during the pandemic,” said Derek Poutney, executive director of VLT. “There is so much open space to enjoy amongst these 2,100 acres of nature.”

According to Maria Ventura, public affairs manager at SoCalGas, “VLT is really a good steward of the environment and we are proud to partner with them again.”

Harmon Canyon Preserve is open to the public. There is free parking available at the trailhead off of McVittie Place. Docents are available and on-site most days to answer questions.

For more information, visit www.venturaladtrust.org.

Community members combat climate change

Nancy O’Rode, Christy Weir and Barbara Brown, founding members of Ventura Tree Alliance, assist at a Restore Earth Day event.

With all the bad news about climate change… the increasingly high temperatures of summer and the rise in the number of windy days, a handful of community members in Ventura are stepping up to do what they can to make a difference.

The idea germinated when two candidates running for City Council tried to place their political signs in Ventura’s tree wells and found there was a surprisingly high number of empty wells; the trees had died or been removed and had never been replaced. As it turns out, there are over 12,000 empty tree wells in Ventura. Co-founders Christy Weir and Barbara Brown wanted to do something about that. Thus the genesis of the Ventura Tree Alliance (VTA), a nonprofit public-benefit corporation bringing community members, educators, and business professionals together to enhance the urban tree canopy in Ventura.

“We’re interested in planting trees to add to our urban forest, beautifying the city and counteracting climate change. We hope to inspire, engage, and support Venturans in planting and caring for trees through education, volunteerism, partnerships and fundraising,” states Ms. Weir, former City Councilmember. “We’re making this announcement in honor of Arbor Day, with the expectation that tree-plantings will take place this spring and summer.”

“Our goal is to plant trees in the abandoned wells, in city parks and in parking lots, creating shade and wind breaks on hot days, sequestering carbon emissions and augmenting wildlife habitat,” says Barbara Brown, co-founder. “In addition, trees capture rainwater and reduce run off. They add to the aesthetic benefits in neighborhood pride often with increased property values. Large cities all over the world are addressing this opportunity including Denver, Los Angeles, New York and Shanghai with their “One Million Trees” initiatives but as a smaller community, we need to address this as well.

”Board member and educator Nancy O’Rode states that according to Ventura’s Tree Master Plan, “Street trees are among the most valuable community assets, reducing pollution by recycling air and water; and by cooling streets helping to maintain asphalt for longer periods of time. In addition, trees lower temperature in the shade about 10 degrees. Because of the availability of recycled water, it’s more feasible to maintain trees without using Ventura’s constrained potable water supply.”

“Few improvements are a better expenditure of resources and give greater satisfaction to community life than planting and maintaining the “right tree in the right place”. A healthy urban forest enhances the quality of life for all Venturans,” adds Ms. Weir.

To volunteer or for more information about the Ventura Tree Alliance, check out our Facebook page or our website at www.venturatreealliance.com.

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