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Buena High School teacher releases second novel

A teacher-turned-author.

On October 22, 2021, Buena High School’s Teacher Librarian, J.D. Levin, will release his second novel, A Different Slant of Light. After twenty years of guiding students through literature – first as an AP English teacher, then as a Teacher Librarian – Levin has flipped the script and offered up his own original writing for publication. A Different Slant of Light, the sequel to Levin’s 2020 debut novel, Incomplete, will be released through Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Apple Books, Books-A-Million, and a variety of other retail platforms.

Levin’s first novel, Incomplete, received glowing reviews:

“An engrossing rock-‘n’-roll bildungsroman.” – Kirkus Reviews

“A powerhouse work.” – San Francisco Book Review (Five-Star Rating)

“Levin’s relatable debut is a heartfelt coming-of-age story that channels the passions of adolescence into musical revelations.” Booklife/Publishers Weekly (Grade: A)

Levin’s two novels thread together the disparate worlds of public education and punk-rock music, telling the story of an almost-rock-star musician who trades in his guitar for a podium and becomes a high school English teacher. The author knows these two realms very well: outside of the classroom, Levin is a veteran of the local music scene, best known as the singer-songwriter and guitarist for local indie rock band, Far From Kansas.

Ultimately, Levin’s goals is to humanize educators: “It’s far too easy to view teachers as two- dimensional caricatures, which is far from the truth. Every teacher has a life outside of school, replete with talents, hobbies, secrets, family, and friends. Many have accomplished remarkable things before ever setting foot into a classroom, much to the surprise of their students.”

For this teacher-turned-author, publishing A Different Slant of Light is the culmination of seven years’ worth of hard work. “I hope that my students, colleagues, and the broader Ventura community chase their muses in pursuit of creating art,” Levin says. “If I can do it, so can they.”

For more information, contact J.D. Levin at [email protected] or visit https://www.notsosilentlibrarian.com.

Robert O. Beringer celebrates being 100

After the war Beringer earned an MS in geology and took a job as a petroleum geologist.

On Oct 6th, long-time Ventura resident Ret. Air Force Colonel Robert O. Beringer celebrated his 100th birthday with friends and family in attendance. Beringer lives at the Ventura Townehouse.

Born in Wisconsin as one of 8 siblings Mr. Beringer is looking back on a long, fulfilled life of military duty, including a World War II mission as a navigator with “Ken’s Men”, sobriquet for the 43rd Bomb Group, stationed on the small island of Owi off northwest mainland New Guinea. He received the Air Medal and three oak leaf clusters for combat and in 1947, transferred to the active Reserve.

After the war Beringer earned an MS in geology and took a job as a petroleum geologist with Conoco. A company field trip to the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and Zuni assured him that this is the part of the US where he belonged and he became a lifelong collector of Native American bolo ties and belt buckles and western art.  

 His work took him through the oil patch of Mississippi, Louisiana, offshore Gulf of Mexico, Texas Colorado, Utah, Arizona and finally to California, onshore and offshore.  Conoco created a consortium of oil companies to join in acquiring data for evaluating the hydrocarbon potential of the Santa Barbara Channel. Critical to achieving this goal was a coring program initiated and operated by Conoco. Beringer jumped at the opportunity to supervise coring operations and moved to Ventura in 1966.

After Conoco transferred Beringer to California, he joined the 9378th Air Reserve Squadron , training monthly at the Santa Barbara armory. In 1969, he was appointed Commander and promoted to Colonel in 1970. The Air Force, phasing out ARD units, merged the 9378th ARS with the 0339th ARS in Los Angeles. Beringer was appointed Commander of the 9339th ARS and in 1975 retired after 33 years of active and reserve duty, retiring from Conoco in 1985. His retirement goal was to acquire a better understanding of world history and geology. Pursuing the objective, he visited over 26 counties, the Galapagos Islands, Machu Picchu, Stonehedge, Pompeii, Egypt, Serengeti, the Silk Road and Switzerland and many states of the US.

As a token to the immensely positive influence Robert Beringer had on others during his long life, in addition to his family and local friends,  a group of former colleagues, many of them he had taken under his wings when they were just starting out in their careers, flew out to California from all over the US to celebrate this special milestone with him, stating that it had been 30/40 years since they saw him last but they never forgot the kindness, encouragement and wisdom he represented!

During his birthday celebration Ret. Colonel Robert O. Beringer was represented with a certificate declaring him an honorary member of the United States Space Force!

Everyone needs a home

Council member Lorrie Brown was a featured speaker at the Task Force.

The Ventura Social Service Task Force (VSSTF), Faith Subcommittee sponsored an event on the evening of Thursday 30 September 2021 at O’Brien Hall, Mission San Buenaventura Basilica. Speakers included: Peter Gilli, Ventura City Community Development Director, City Council Member Doug Halter who reminded us of Los Angeles and Ventura’s history of exclusionary & discriminatory housing.

Council Member Lorrie Brown spoke of her life in Montalvo and gave a Call to Action to resolve the housing issues for people with low and moderate incomes. Larry Haynes, Mercy House, kept the program going. Representatives from several low-income housing developers and providers of homeless and housing service.

When Irene Johnson, Jennifer Kelley and Liz Campos offered their personal stories you could feel everyone holding their breath at the different paths to and possibly out of housing.

Part of the evening featured the opportunity to meet many of the service providers who assist people in finding housing and provide services to help people move towards housing. The Faith Subcommittee created a pamphlet outlining provider’s services.

Ventura County Supervisor Matt LaVere stated “It was very encouraging to see so many people joining together to focus on the need for more affordable housing in our community. I look forward to working with our City and nonprofit partners to address the affordable housing crisis in Ventura County.”

City Council Member Doug Halter added “We have to know history to understand how we got to where we are today”. “Now we have to do all we can to create the balance of housing that left on its own would have naturally occurred.  We have to insure we have housing for all economic strata and without bias of color, race, ethnicity or sexual identity in order to be a healthy and sustainable city.”

The Ventura Fire Department goes pink in October

For the 11th consecutive year, the Ventura Fire Department will partner with the Ventura City Firefighters Association and various Downtown Ventura businesses to support and promote Breast Cancer Awareness Month by selling pink, embossed department t-shirts.

Limited-edition t-shirts are available to the public during the month of October, while supplies last. Additionally, Ventura firefighters will wear pink t-shirts from October 1-15, to raise awareness about the importance of early detection and treatment in the battle against breast cancer.

This year, funds raised through t-shirt sales will be donated to Ribbons of Life Breast Cancer Foundation, a local non-profit and independent grassroots organization that helps women and families affected by breast cancer by providing education, advocacy, and emotional and social support.

Residents can purchase pink shirts or donate to the Ribbons of Life Breast Cancer Foundation at the following participating local businesses:

  • Anacapa Brewing Company
  • Ventura Chamber of Commerce
  • Crush Salon & Dry Bar
  • Snapper Jack’s Taco Shack, downtown location only
  • Tiki Girl 
  • Ventura Visitors Center 
  • Very Ventura Gift Shop and Gallery 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, t-shirts will not be available for sale at any Ventura Fire stations.

To learn more about the Ribbons of Life Breast Cancer Foundation, please visit www.RibbonsVentura.org.

Ventura Boys & Girls Club nearing teen center reopening

VCCAR members present check to Peter McClintock with the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Ventura.

The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Ventura was forced to close its facility in West Ventura in June over a dispute with the Ventura Unified School District over state grant requirements. Since then, club officials have been scrambling to find an alternate facility where they can reopen their teen center as a first step in reopening the entire club – a fixture in the low-income neighborhood since 1968.

Those efforts took a giant leap forward this month when the Young Professionals Network (YPN) of the Ventura County Coastal Association of Realtors donated $10,032.89 to the Boys & Girls Club – the proceeds of its wildly successful fundraising auction in August.

“We were so surprised at how much we received. It was a godsend,” said Peter McClintock, the club’s director of resource development. “The YPN group was so much fun to work with and they’re really focused on helping the community. We are so grateful.”

Patti Birmingham, the club’s CEO, said reopening the teen center is extremely important as it provides mentoring and support for teens who otherwise would have too little of either.

“Most of their parents are working two jobs at the least, and most of the parents can’t really help them with their homework,” she said. “The teens’ experiences are limited – lots of kids in that end of town haven’t even been to the beach. And that can lead to a lot of bad choices in a dangerous environment. They need a safe space and mentoring to get through middle school and high school and into a job or a career.”

Birmingham added that they are close to closing a deal and have set an ambitious date of Nov. 1 to open. At worst, they are confident the center will be open by the end of the year and expect to have between 80 and 100 teen members. The donation will be applied to the start-up costs.

The group reached out to Jack Dyer, owner of Topa Topa Brewing, who has a long track record of helping with fundraisers, and he immediately agreed to host the auction and to contribute a portion of the proceeds to the club.

While the auction proceeds will greatly benefit the teen center opening, the club is still looking for additional support for ongoing operational costs and to reopen programs for younger children. For more information, contact Peter McClintock at (805) 641-5585.

VCCAR is a professional trade association of nearly 2,000 licensed real estate agents in western Ventura County, including the cities of Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, Santa Paula, Fillmore and Port Hueneme.

St. John’s Regional Medical Center and St. John’s Hospital Camarillo earn national recognition

Sherri Greif, Nurse Practitioner, Stroke Program Manager and Nicole Schumacher, Neuro Nurse Practitioner are proud of the recognition.

Dignity Health—St. John’s Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) and St. John’s Hospital Camarillo (SJHC) have received the American Heart Association’s Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Quality Achievement Award for their commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines.

Get With The Guidelines-Stroke was developed to assist health care professionals to provide the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines for treating stroke patients.

Each year program participants apply for the award recognition by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, participants also provide education to patients to help them manage their health and rehabilitation once at home.

“We are pleased to recognize St. John’s Regional Medical Center and St. John’s Hospital Camarillo for their commitment to stroke care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., national chairperson of the Quality Oversight Committee and Executive Vice Chair of Neurology, Director of Acute Stroke Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.

“Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The
Guidelines quality improvement initiatives can often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”

SJRMC and SJHC also received the Association’s Target: StrokeSM Elite Plus award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.

Additionally, both SJRMC and SJHC received the Association’s Target: Type 2 Honor Roll award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed with more than 90% of compliance for 12 consecutive months for the “Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score.”
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Local veteran given experimental drug

Bennett’s journey has not been an easy one.

by Sheli Ellsworth

In 1943, nine-year-old Maureen Bennett came down with meningitis—an inflammation of the fluid and membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. “They’d done lumbar punctures to diagnose, and I had terrible nosebleeds. Some people told us to use brown paper or a clean dime under my upper lip to stop the bleeding–it rarely helped. I was miserable. I remember being in bed and seeing company walking outside past my bedroom window towards our front door. That was the last thing I can recall before going unconscious,” says Bennett. “I was told that I began convulsing and my parents, aunt and uncle put me in the car and raced to the hospital.” Bennett’s father tore up the road between the towns of Coleman and Saginaw, Michigan while her uncle prayed. “Dumb luck got us to the right hospital. Our family doctor had called ahead, but my dad just followed the signs that said ‘hospital’ and it turned out to be the right one.” Bennett’s temperature was 106° F.

Doctors at the Saginaw hospital told her parents that they had a new experimental medication that might save their daughter’s life. “They said, ‘We have this drug but it could leave her a vegetable; it could kill her, but it might let her live.’ My parents had no choice.” The doctors experimented with the dosage because not enough was known about the drug.

One afternoon, six weeks later, Bennett woke up from her coma. “My mom screamed and nurses came running. I couldn’t get out of the hospital fast enough. I soon went home, but I couldn’t walk. I scooted a chair around like a walker and I leaned on its back.” Maureen recovered and became her mother’s helper, caring for her five younger siblings.

The drug Bennett had been given was penicillin.

Two years later in 1945, Sottish scientist-physician Alexander Fleming, Australian pharmacologist-pathologist Howard Florey and German-British biochemist Ernst Chain shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery and development of penicillin. It is estimated that 80-200 million human lives have been saved by penicillin. Originally derived from the Penicillium mold on melons, the name penicillin was chosen “to avoid the repetition of the rather cumbersome phrase: mould broth filtrate,” according to Fleming.

Bennett’s journey has not been an easy one. She served in the U.S. Navy as a teletype operator for four years and was in the Army reserve for sixteen. Eventually, she married and had four boys. “Then my husband abandoned us and we lived in my Falcon car for a while. I eventually went to nursing school and worked as an LVN for ten years.” She also worked as a mail carrier. Bennett, who now goes by the last name Finlay, is unable to tolerate most medications which is a problem for someone her age. “The doctors think I can’t take medications because of the penicillin. I’m in pain most days, but I can’t take pain pills. They just put me out.” A resident at the Veterans Home-Ventura for the last seven years, she is now dependent on a mobility device at the assisted living facility. “But, I’m fortunate that I had someplace to go. Many are not so lucky.”

Note: Do you know (or are) a senior with an interesting story to tell let us know at [email protected].

VCCU board member donates $10,000 to nonprofits in honor of retirement

Phil Bohan passing on his check to Food Share.

As a member-owned, not-for-profit financial institution, Ventura County Credit Union supports the local community in a variety of ways, including offering its board members $10,000 at retirement to donate to nonprofits of their choice. In honor of his recent retirement from the board, Phil Bohan chose to contribute $5,000 to each Food Share and Casitas Rowing.

“Food Share has done a remarkable job of addressing the basic nutritional needs of our most vulnerable communities, and I am proud to support their efforts,” Bohan said. “The Casitas Rowing family continues to support the health and athleticism of our local youth and adults through its rowing programs. My thanks to both organizations for your efforts, and best of luck in continuing to grow and thrive.”

In Ventura County, one in six people is facing food insecurity. Since 1978, Food Share has been fighting hunger by providing food to those in need. Food Share’s staff and volunteers distribute more than 20 million meals annually through its 190 pantry and program partners. As Ventura County’s regional food bank, Food Share provides food for over 75,000 hungry friends and neighbors monthly. For more information, visit https://foodshare.com.

Casitas Rowing was founded in 2008 by a group of volunteers and passionate rowers led by Wendy and Eric Gillett. The organization now provides rowing to over 5,000 people throughout the community every year via annual programs, summer camps and partnerships with local schools. Casitas Rowing is run by a board comprised of business owners, ecologists, doctors, district attorneys, business executives, economists and more. To learn more, go to https://www.casitasrowing.org.

Each year VCCU participates in and/or sponsors more than 500 local events and collaborates with numerous local businesses, schools and nonprofits to benefit the community. For more information about VCCU and its community involvement, visit http://www.vccuonline.net.

VCLA connects and cultivates a diverse network of passionate capable leaders.

VCLA hosted a welcome mixer.

The Ventura County Leadership Academy (VCLA) hosted a welcome mixer for their 27th cohort, kicking off their upcoming year that begins this month and ends in May of 2022.

Special thanks went out to the VCLA board and featured speakers:

  • Brad “Brick” Conners, VCLA Board President
  • Dr. Steve Elson, VCLA Board Treasurer
  • Robert Harrell, VCLA Board Secretary
  • Jennifer Caldwell, VCLA Board Director
  • Darren Kettle, VCLA Board Director
  • Sheriff Bill Ayub, VCLA Alumni, Cohort XXIII
  • Danielle Borja, VCLA Alumna, Cohort XXIV
  • Dr. Julius Sokenu, VCLA Alumni, Cohort XXVI

Congratulations also to VCLA Alumna Angela Fentiman (Cohort XI) for being named Cal Lutheran’s inaugural chief of staff. Fentiman “had a set of professional experiences, prior positions, and academic credentials that made her extraordinarily well suited for the role,” President Lori E. Varlotta said.

VCLA connects and cultivates a diverse network of passionate, capable leaders through an immersion in both critical issues shaping Ventura County and opportunities for personal and professional growth. VCLA’s comprehensive program ignites awareness and inspiration, helping cohort members discover their individual pathway toward impacting our region.

 

 

NBVC fights hunger in local community with large donation to food shelter

NBVC FFF campaign was a record setting one.

Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) tops Navy Region Southwest with this year’s contributions to the annual U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Feds Feed Families (FFF) campaign, by collecting 18,985 pounds of goods, donated to Food Share of Ventura County on Aug. 31, 2021.

2021 marks the 12th annual volunteer government-wide FFF food drive, which encourages employees from all federal departments and agencies to give in-kind contributions (food, services, and time) to food banks and pantries. This year’s campaign highlights a summer of giving in June through August, along with seasonal reminders to donate throughout the year.

“NBVC FFF campaign was a record setting one,” said Lt. Cmdr. Yoon Choi, chaplain, NBVC. “With the help of commissary patrons, Sailors, Marines, and tenant commands, the Seabee Chapel onboard NBVC, Port Hueneme, donated nearly 19,000 lbs. of goods to Food Share of Ventura County.”

Since Feds Feed Families launched in 2009, this campaign has collected more than 99 million pounds of food for donation. In 2020 alone, federal employees donated more than 7 million pounds.

“2021 was so successful that we are already thinking about ways to improve and help the community,” said Choi. “We are seeking to partner with the commissary and Food Share to open our own food pantry available to active-duty members and dependents.”

Food Share distributes more than 17 million pounds of food, or more than 20 million meals annually through its 190 pantry and program partners. Food Share is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief network of food banks, as well as the California Association of Food Banks.

“We have served as Ventura County’s regional food bank since 1978; providing food for over 140,000 hungry friends and neighbors monthly,” said Jennifer Caldwell, chief development officer, Food Share of Ventura County. “NBVC contributed to our mission by donating over 15,000 pounds of food through the Feds Feed Families program. This is a great accomplishment; we appreciate their effort and look forward to future engagements to serve the community.”

“This is a great reminder that part of our mission includes community service,” said Capt. Robert “Barr” Kimnach III, commanding officer, NBVC. “Volunteerism represents the Navy’s core values of honor, courage and commitment. Each summer this program demonstrates that the spirit of generosity and goodwill is strong throughout our ranks. Thank you, Chaplain Choi for leading the effort and thank you all who participated. Although NBVC produced big numbers, it is important to recognize that all contributions, no matter the size, help those who need it.”