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Ventura Hillsides Conservancy to host volunteer river restoration event

The Ventura River winds its way through Willoughby Preserve.

On Monday, January 16, the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy (VHC) will host a volunteer river restoration event at the Willoughby Nature Preserve in Ventura. VHC invites volunteers of all ages to join them from 9 a.m. –  noon to help remove invasive plants on property owned and managed by VHC along the Ventura River Parkway.

“On the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service holiday, we will honor his legacy through volunteerism and community service,” said Dashiell Dunkell, VHC Conservation Director. ““The Conservancy has spent four years cleaning, clearing and restoring this habitat and our goal is to introduce more local residents to its natural beauty.”

The Ventura Hillsides Conservancy is dedicated to preserving and protecting Ventura’s hillsides, waterways and wildlife.  Founded in 2003, the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization is supported by over 500 members, local business and government partners.  The land trust currently manages 80 acres of land near the Ventura River and is working toward the purchase of its first hillside property.

To RSVP, visit www.venturahillsides.org/events, or for more information, call the VHC office at 643-8044.

 

Seaside Emergency Associates turn holiday party into benefit

Funds raised for several non-profits by medical professionals at holiday party.

Seaside Emergency Associates, a leading provider of emergency room services for Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC) and Santa Paula Hospital, turned their holiday party into a benefit for Make-A-Wish, Toys for Tots, Health Care Foundation and the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Paula.

Dr. Jeffrey  Robinson, Dr. Martin Ehrlich, Dr. Scott Speier, Dr. Richard Rutherford, Dr. Stephen Roslansky, and Dr. Theodore Mandryk,  asked party guests to make a donation of cash or toys and also hosted a silent auction.  $4,400 was raised for Make-A-Wish, and the Health Care Foundation and 3 full boxes of toys were collected for Toys for Tots. In addition, Seaside purchased several dozen craft games and supplies for the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Paula.

Make-A-Wish serves children throughout the Tri-Counties and many are treated at VCMC and Santa Paula Hospital.  It means so much to the families of the wish kids, that Seaside Emergency Associates decided to help grant wishes through their holiday party.

Health Care Foundation is currently working on creating a Ronald McDonald family room at VCMC to help the families of children staying at the hospital.

The Boys and Girls Club kids were excited to have some new activities to play during the upcoming season.

Toys for Tots will distribute the collected toys to needy children in the community.

The physicians and other medical professionals of Seaside Emergency Associates provide state-of-the art emergency medical care at Ventura County Medical Center (a Level II Trauma Emergency Department) and Santa Paula Hospital. Seaside physicians have been nationally recognized for the outstanding emergency medicine training they provide to family medicine residents.

 

Joymaker challenge brings toys to local kids in need

The  Boys & Girls Club provides a positive place for all youth.

As a part of their Santa’s Workshop Holiday Party teens at the Boys and Girls Club taught younger club members about giving back. Teens helped younger members wrap gifts which were given to children at Casa Pacifica.

The teens have been working with Branch Director Lea Cobb, Teen Directors Abel and Katie and volunteer Madhu Bajaj of Fastsigns of Ventura who was selected as a Kindness Ambassador and Joymaker by “generationOn”.

“Engaging young people in service is a priority for my life’s work,” says Bajaj. “When we get involved in our community, no doubt the community is strengthened, but so are the lives of the people involved. From new skills, confidence, friendships, job opportunities and much more, service supports our teens in leading vibrant, meaningful lives.”

One teen provided insight into the importance of being kind to self. “It’s challenging being a teen. Sometimes we are too hard on ourselves. It’s important we remember to be kind to ourselves.” Other teens added in specifics on how to be kind to self such as eating well, exercising, managing stress, and avoiding peer pressure.

The teens also agreed on the importance of kindness and making time for others as a way of building relationships. For their kindness service project, they decided to create a kindness tree to capture ways to express kindness and share kindness stories. They invited younger club members to participate and taught them about kindness.

Additionally, they wrote letters to people important in their life like a parent, teacher, friend etc. and to community helpers. After learning about Standing Rock and #NoDAPL the teens decided to write letters of support to the water protectors.

For their participation in the Joymaker challenge, the teens researched local groups where they could give the toys donated by Hasbro and decided on Casa Pacifica. They helped younger club members wrap gifts and talked with them about the importance of helping others and giving back to your community.

Pattie Birmingham, CEO says “We were so pleased to participate in this program.  We strive to instill Good Character & Citizenship values with our youth in all that we do and this program was a perfect match!  These youth will be the future leaders of our community.  Learning to care about others will be pivotal to the direction that they take.”

The Joymaker Challenge is facilitated by “generationOn” and sponsored by Hasbro, details at www.generationOn.org/joymaker. Through Dec.23 for each kid or teen who engages in service, Hasbro will donate a toy or game to Toys for Tots – up to 1 million dollars!

The  Boys & Girls Club Greater Ventura provides a positive place for all youth, especially those who need us most, and quality programs to help them become healthy, responsible, confident and productive members of our community. We provide critical youth development services to 1,200 members every year.  Your contribution provides Academic Success, Good Character & Citizenship and Healthy Lifestyle programs to the youth of our community!  http://www.bgclubventura.org/

 

Rotarians help local children find the spirit of the holidays

Students enbjoyed a morning of shopping and lunch with Santa Clau

The Rotary Club of Ventura hosted  local elementary school students for a morning of shopping and lunch with Santa Claus during the club’s annual Christmas party on Dec.14.

About 60 children from Ventura Schools attended a shopping trip with Rotarians and Interact students.  Each student was given a $70 gift card from Rotary and then an additional $25 was provided by JCPenney for shopping purposes.

The Rotarians, with the help of a shopping list provided by the parents, shopped with the students and helped them make their purchases which will be wrapped up for Christmas at their home.  Students were then bussed to the Ventura Unified School District where they had lunch, did crafts, sang Christmas carols, selected a coat from the Coats for Kids drive and had a special visit from Santa.  They received a gift from Santa and were able to select gifts for immediate family members.   The party included a distribution of coats to students who attended. Coats were collected from the community during the Rotary’s 13th Annual Coats for Kids drive held throughout Ventura County.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The NALA goes global with charity partners

CEO Jeffrey Rosenthal traveled to Hawaii with veterans who were at Pearl Harbor.

By Dale Myers

There is an adage that says “Think locally, act globally,” which the NALA, a Ventura-based boutique marketing agency, takes to heart. On the business side, the goal of the NALA is to help businesses flourish in their local community. However, through its Charity Branding program, the NALA also enables businesses to align with great causes to increase awareness and position them as a leader who cares about making the world a better place.

On a worldwide scale, the NALA is partnered with Soles4Souls, a nonprofit global social enterprise committed to fighting poverty through the collection and distribution of shoes and clothing. Soles4Souls was founded as a disaster-relief organization after philanthropists and shoe executives provided footwear to those most impacted by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Today, it still acts as a second-wave responder during times of disaster, such as the recent historic floods that struck West Virginia. Since its inception, Soles4Souls, with the help of companies such as the NALA and its business partners, has collected and distributed more than 26 million pairs of shoes to those in need in 127 countries around the world and all 50 states in the U.S.

The NALA also thinks locally, which it did when it partnered with the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit organization providing financial and emotional support to families of children with cancer living in Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties. The NALA this year hosted a Thanksgiving food drive in support of the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation that resulted in four boxes of donated food.

Most recently, the NALA’s CEO, Jeffrey Rosenthal, traveled to Hawaii with thirty veterans who were at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, “a date which will live in infamy,” for the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor to support The Greatest Generations Foundation (TGGF), another NALA charity partner. The NALA has been supporting TGGF, which is dedicated to honoring the sacrifices of veterans by returning them to their former battlegrounds, cemeteries and memorials, for over ten years, and to date has helped bring back 3,600 veterans to Europe and Asia.

“The 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor was an opportunity to honor the sacrifice and dedication of our ‘Greatest Generation,’” said Rosenthal. “Many of these men have not been back since the war.”

A key focus of the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor was to bridge the gap between the generations to better understand and learn directly from those that endured December 7, 1941. “Through our charity partnerships, the NALA aims to bridge the gap between the more fortunate and people in need,” concluded Rosenthal, “while raising awareness of altruistic causes.”

For more information about the NALA, please visit www.thenala.com or call ​(866) 767-3238.

California Street Bridge enhancements pave the way to safety

Ernie Ferrer, City Civil Engineer, Loree Pryce , City Construction & Survey Division Manager and Mike Roberts, General Contractor were instrumental in the design and construction of the bridge. Photo by Richard Lieberman

by the City of Ventura

Why is the California Street Bridge being enhanced?
The enhancement project will improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists by replacing the existing low height railing with taller (six-foot high), 250-foot long decorative, lighted railing for a safer pathway. The new bridge enhancements will also help visually distinguish the California Street off-ramp — a highly-visible entry to our historic downtown and provide a more attractive connection between our downtown and beachfront.

What makes this bridge so important?
The link between our historic downtown and beachfront promenade is one of the most significant pathways in our city, and will be a signature bridge along US Highway 101. “This project connects two of Ventura’s greatest assets and economic drivers, our historic downtown and the Pacific Ocean. Creating a more walkable environment encourages pedestrians to explore downtown and patronize businesses,” said Mayor Erik Nasarenko.

According to Caltrans, more than 91,000 vehicles travel along U.S. Highway 101 under the California Street Bridge each day. For motorists traveling through and to Ventura, the CA Street Bridge is a distinctive welcome marker to our beachside community.

How is the project being funded?
More than half of the funding (57%) for this project is from transportation grant funding with 53% from Federal Transportation grant funding and 4% from local Transportation Development Act (TDA) funds. The balance of the funding is from state gas taxes (37%), and the City’s Public Art Fund (7%).

The estimated project cost is $2.7 million, which includes design, administration, public art, construction management/inspection, construction, labor compliance monitoring, Caltrans permitting fees and contingencies.

When did the construction begin?
Construction began in February 2016.

Why is it taking so long to complete?
With so many jurisdictions involved, each entity needs to perform difficult technical work safely and properly. Unforeseen issues during construction, such as shallow rebar, required additional structural review for safety reasons.

Railing installation was delayed because it was determined in the field that parts had to be adjusted at the fabrication factory and re-coated.

City staff and artist Michael Davis performed a fabrication visit prior to approving the decorative railing mock-up and determined the kelp panel powder coating sample was too light (did not provide enough contrast to the anodized aluminum). Using powder coating will extend the lifetime of the metal as it makes the metal more resistant to chipping, fading and any other damages that may occur because of the elements. Powder coating companies in Los Angeles like Power Coating Plus can clean parts of rust and grease before powder coating, prolonging the usage of the metals. It creates a long-lasting and durable colour, as well as being eco-friendly. There is a vast variety of powder coating types to choose from too. As there are different textures of powder coating, a new, shade darker color was identified while on site and the change order was submitted to make the modification. This correction resulted in a slight delay (less than two weeks) to order the new color.

When will it be completed?
All the structural bridge work has been completed and the new, lighted railing has been installed. In December, the contractor resurfaced the sidewalk, and removed the “falsework” (construction support fencing) which required US Highway 101 closures on both the southbound and northbound lanes. The sidewalk with lighted railing will re-open to the public this month.

Fabrication process of the overhead lighting is underway and installation is delayed until late spring 2017. CalTrans safety requirements for lighting poles over freeways necessitated that the fabrication vendor must be reviewed and audited. Currently, the welding quality control plan is in the approval process. Caltrans review is important to ensure that any safety-related issues are addressed. Part of this process will involve ensuring safety provisions such as a welding safety jacket are available for all members of construction site staff.

What will the new bridge look like?
Pedestrians and cyclists crossing the bridge will notice a safer environment with significantly improved lighting, and attractive decorative “kelp” railing panels designed by southern California based artist Michael Davis. Bridges are part of Ventura’s aging infrastructure. These enhancements make the California Street Bridge a stunning signature bridge for locals and visitors to our city.

Volunteers help Ventura Hillsides Conservancy at Big Rock Preserve

Unveiling the bike rack are Christy Weir Ventura City Council, Jay Licata Aera Energy, Matt Wyatt Aera Energy, Derek Poultney Ventura Hillsides Conservancy, Michelle Newell Aera Energy and Ron Henry  Aera Energy.

On Saturday, Nov. 19, more than 20 volunteers joined the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy (VHC) at their Big Rock Nature Preserve near Foster Park to plant willow tree cuttings and unveil a bike rack that was recently installed on the property. Donated by Aera Energy, the bike rack is just one of many improvements VHC has made at Big Rock over the past year.

“We appreciate the work VHC does to protect the environment and are happy to provide this bike rack to the community,” said Michele Newell, public affairs specialist for Aera Energy. “We hope that riders pedaling along the Ventura-Ojai bike trail will stop, lock up their bikes and explore the beautiful Big Rock Nature Preserve.”

The 17- acre Big Rock Preserve is a collection of properties owned by VHC. The name Big Rock comes from a once-popular swimming hole on the property that was home to a large boulder before floods swept it away. Though the boulder is gone, the water remains.

VHC has spent the past year planting more than 500 trees, clearing invasive plants and creating trails at the Big Rock Nature Preserve. The nonprofit land trust hosts volunteer work events on the third Saturday of each month. To find out about future volunteer opportunities, visit www.venturahillsides.org and click on the events tab.

The Ventura Hillsides Conservancy is dedicated to preserving and protecting Ventura’s hillsides, rivers and wildlife.  Founded in 2003, the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization is supported by over 450 members, local business, community stakeholders and government partners.  The land trust currently owns 28 acres of land along the Ventura River and is actively fundraising for hillside property on the Walker-Hearne Ranch in east Ventura. For more information about the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy, visit: www.venturahillsides.org.

About Aera Energy: Aera Energy is proud to be a respected and responsible California oil company accounting for nearly 25 percent of the state’s oil production.

 

Grand opening held at Ventura College

Roe Estep creator of sculpture explaining the steps to her creation to friend Kathy Johnsen. Photo by Bernie Goldstein

On Dec.1 the Ventura College Art Department held the grand opening of their remodeled Studio Arts Building (SAB) and the newly constructed New Media Gallery  at 4667 Telegraph Road.  It featured  studio class demonstrations, faculty and student displays, and a closing reception . The Art Department maintains two galleries: Gallery 2, a student-run gallery and art lab, and the New Media Gallery exhibiting work by historically significant and nationally known artists. Additionally, these exhibition spaces provide students with hands-on experience in gallery and museum management.

 

Local program receives $10,000 donation to enhance watershed education program

The funding will help the program extend its reach and continue its mission .

Once Upon a Watershed, an Ojai-based education program providing hands-on watershed education, restoration and stewardship experience to 4-6 grade students in Ventura County received their second installment of a $30,000 commitment from Aera Energy, an oil exploration and production company located on Ventura’s Westside. The funding, provided over three years will help the program extend its reach and continue its mission which is to teach students about the importance of protecting the watershed and help them understand their responsibility in protecting the whole earth system.

“Our program provides educational information about our environment to the younger generation who may not understand their individual impact on the world around them,” said David White, project coordinator. “This partnership with Aera provides us important funding to grow and expand our program which ultimately helps us reach more students on this important subject.”

“Aera’s commitment to protecting the environment is one of our core values and we have the utmost respect for the environmental resources here in Ventura,” explains Michele Newell, Aera spokesperson. “We are proud to partner with Once Upon a Watershed and support this valuable program that teaches the youth of the area about the importance of caring for their environment.”

For more information about Once Upon a Watershed go to www.onceuponawatershed.org

The Silver Pantry

Doug and Mandy met at a chocolate-making class. Photo by Bernie Goldstein

by Mira Reverente

One’s love affair with food supposedly starts at a young age, as was the case with Doug Paschen. Growing up in Westlake Village, Paschen has fond memories of cooking with his mom which eventually paved the way for studies at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York.

It was also at CIA where he met his wife Mandy, originally from North Carolina. Fast forward to 15 years later and a stint in a Swiss chalet, the two now own The Silver Pantry, a gourmet meal delivery service for seniors.

In their kitchen in Ventura, the couple joke around about how they met – at a chocolate-making class, according to Doug. His wife laughs and shakes her head, and proceeds to prep vegetables.

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are their busiest days, spent prepping, cooking and delivering meals to seniors from Ventura all the way to Santa Paula, Camarillo and Westlake Village, and several places in between.

“We deliver lunch and dinner meals that are fresh, locally sourced, easily re-heatable and never frozen,” says Doug. Clients can choose from a range of meal options – three-day to seven-day, lunch or dinner, or both.

The current menu includes many mouth-watering offerings such as Pesto Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta, Chicken Teriyaki, Seared Salmon, Beef Brisket, BBQ Spare Ribs and Eggplant Parmesan – comfort food done in a healthy way.

“There’s lots of flexibility in our offerings, no delivery fees and we even offer a five-day trial plan,” says Mandy. “We can also tailor-fit meals to address gluten and diabetic needs, among others.”

Doug’s culinary background in assisted living drove them to go into the meal delivery service for seniors back in March of this year. “Baby boomers are now a large part of the population,” says Doug. “As they age at home, cooking well balanced meals becomes more difficult and their nutrition suffers. We knew we could be part of the solution.”

Says Mandy, “We want them to enjoy eating. We want them to enjoy interactions – when we deliver there is some face and talk time.”

It’s the relationship-centered, going-the-extra-mile gestures they do and offer that sets them apart from the competition. “Little things like opening lids and unloading – we do those,” says Mandy.

Growing the business

Expansion is definitely in the works. “We do want to cover a wider geographic area, but right now our focus is on exceptional service to our local communities,” says Doug of their current limitations.

“Running a small business with two young kids in school is no easy task,” says Mandy, who also handles a lot of the back-end part of the business like graphic design and customer service.

Meantime, it’s business as usual for the young, go-getter couple who whip up the finest meals for seniors this side of town.

For more information , visit www.thesilverpantry.com or call 805.419.0202 or 888.636.7547.