Category Archives: This ‘n’ That

NAMI Ventura County event goes virtual but purpose more real than ever

In years past the Ventura County NAMIWalks drew upwards of 1,500 Ventura County residents to the Promenade.

Mental illness doesn’t take a time out so neither does NAMI Ventura County. That’s why the show must go on.

In this case, the show is NAMIWalks Ventura County. The 15th annual NAMIWalks is getting a big makeover in format but not in spirit.

NAMI Ventura County is the local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The nonprofit is a tiny powerhouse offering 15 unique programs to the public completely free of charge. With just a staff of four and a passionate volunteer base, NAMI Ventura County reached 6,830 people throughout Ventura County in 2019.

The annual NAMIWalks event accounts for more than half of the revenue the nonprofit uses to offer family and peer education classes and support groups, stigma reduction programs in schools, colleges, and law enforcement trainings, and community education programs like those specifically designed for healthcare providers.

Even before 2020 turned everyone’s lives upside down, the need for mental health education, support and advocacy was growing. Now, experts expect to see spikes in newly diagnosed cases of mental illnesses as well as the exacerbation of existing mental health challenges.

Mental health professional Janine Ivy, Psy.D., LMFT, is a member of NAMI Ventura County’s board of directors. While the ways individuals experience and respond to events, like the Covid-19 pandemic, vary greatly, Ivy said it wouldn’t be surprising to see an increase in symptoms of depression and anxiety across all age groups and a greater need for mental health and substance use treatment.

In years past, on the first Saturday of May, the Ventura County NAMIWalks drew upwards of 1,500 Ventura County residents to the Ventura Beach Promenade. But the annual NAMIWalks event wasn’t just another 5k. It was an opportunity for anyone whose life was touched by mental illness to stand together proudly defying and breaking down the stigma that still surrounds these disorders.

“Being a family member myself, it touches my heartstrings every year,” Griego said. “Families are out there showing support and love. It’s what families are meant to do, support their loved one through any experience in life.”

The NAMIWalks Virtual Takeover holds tight to the NAMIWalks Mission: raise awareness around mental health and raise the funds the nonprofit needs to make free education and support a reality throughout Ventura County communities. Instead of a single day, the Virtual Takeover encourages supporters to get

creative in how they participate.

Throughout the month, NAMI Ventura County is asking participants to submit videos and selfies of all the creative ways they are celebrating NAMIWalks and Mental Health Awareness Month.

The 2020 NAMIWalks Ventura County will culminate on Saturday, May 30 as local participants join with 38 affiliates across the county in celebrating A National Day of Hope.

To join the NAMI Ventura County NAMIWalks Virtual Takeover as a team, walker or sponsor, visit www.namiventura.org or call NAMI Ventura County at 805-641-2426.

It takes a village

The River appreciates those who support them.

The River Community Church is certainly flowing through the City of Ventura these past six weeks during the Covid-19 pandemic. They have been the recipient of numerous donations from many local businesses, and just like a river, they are a channel to help those who are in need, especially food supplies.

As early as March 18, they have seen the arrival of a well-stocked kitchen from the Ventura Beach Marriott, so much, that they were able to share the abundance with the Ventura County Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army. Other downtown restaurants, such as Peirano’s Market & Delicatessen, Aloha Steakhouse, Palermo ~ Coffee and Gelato have shared their specialties with The River from hot meals to fresh chicken and salmon to gallons of milk. Their Food Pantry recipients often get blessed with fresh meat, especially since Sharon Parker of Main St. Meats has donated hundreds of turkey breasts and fresh or smoked chickens.

The River has seen donations from Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant and The Berry Man along with those from neighboring Camarillo, such as Manhattan of Camarillo and Noah’s Bagels. Others who have made continuing donations to care for The River’s volunteers are Giddyup Group LLC, Missy’s Cupcake Creations and Water’s Edge. Water’s Edge provides 15 meals every day to The River. Many of Water’s Edge donations are passed on to the ladies at Tender Life Maternity Home or to the families at The City Center Transitional Living who are thrilled to receive such mouthwatering dinners.

Another community supporter to The River is Food Forward. They generously donate fresh produce twice a week, so those who are in need can stretch their food budget and pick up more than just canned goods. Other partners include Trader Joe’s (on Victoria), Ventura County Backpack Medicine plus several in the community who have given generous cash donations.

Jim Duran, Lead Pastor of The River Community Church, says, “It’s times like these (Covid-19) that you need people around you who are going to help. We are so blessed the community has stepped up and has partnered with The River Community Church to meet the needs of those suffering. We could not do what we do without our valuable partners.”

Over these past six weeks since the Stay-At-Home orders have been in effect, they have served over 600 families representing 1,697 people in Ventura. The River appreciates those who support them, so they can continue being a conduit of God’s blessings to reach the community and those in need.

For more information about The River Community Church, please visit their website at www.TheRiverCommunity.org or call the Church Office at 805-648-7955. They are located at 889 E. Santa Clara St. in downtown Ventura at the corner of Kalorama and E. Santa Clara Streets.

CAPS Media Radio KPPQ hits 150th show

Recently the CAPS Media board of directors held its first zoom board meeting.

The COVID 19 crisis hasn’t slowed down the valiant KPPQ djs and hosts from continuing to produce and deliver outstanding original shows to air on KPPQ at 104.1FM and on mytuner-radio. KPPQ DJ Mark Levitt recently produced his 150th episode of his Pure Rock Show (Bravo Mark!). Pam Baumgardner, Kathy Good, Jace Martyn, Nadine Piche, Kevin Wallace, Auzzie Mary Egan and others are continuing to create captivating and entertaining locally programs, all from their socially-distanced homes, including, Jace Martyn’s Cool Jazz and Smooth R&B program, Pam Baumgardner’s Music Hour and Kathy Good’s In The Women’s Room.

Other KPPQ programs include The Ventura History Hour, Ventura Vibe!, Teen Centric and Straight from the 805 with Riley Real. The extensive KPPQ lineup can be found at https://capsmedia.org/radio/. During these challenging times, the KPPQ lineup also includes County and City reports throughout the day. KPPQ member produced programming is featured every day 7/24 at 104.1FM. All the djs and hosts hope to get back in the studio soon but, during the crisis, they are keeping KPPQ-LP on the air delivering great local programming mixed with fascinating and engaging national and international shows.

If you have a passion for radio, or a show or podcast you want to create and share, you can join the CAPS Media creative community by becoming a member of the CAPS Media family. Online radio and podcast production training is up and running led by KPPQ program director Elizabeth Rodeno. Elizabeth will help you produce your own radio show from your home and have it air on KPPQ 104.1FM in Ventura and streamed nationwide and worldwide on mytuner-radio.com and on capsmedia.org. Contact Elizabeth at [email protected] to set up a time for online training to get you on the air on KPPQ-LP Ventura. We want the community to hear what you have to say. Once the CAPS Media Center re-opens we will continue to offer production training and recording from our state-of-the-art radio studio.

On the video side of the CAPS Media Center, CAPS crews continue to collaborate with Ventura City and County officials to produce ongoing COVID-19 updates for the community. In addition to helping facilitate coverage and streaming of City Council meetings from Ventura City Hall, CAPS crews are producing weekly updates by Ventura City Mayor Matt LaVere and collaborating with Ventura City Fire, Police and Public Works departments to provide the community with additional accurate information.

CAPS Crews also cover the County updates on Monday, Wednesday and Friday by Ventura County Public Health Officer Dr. Robert Levin and other officials. All of the updates are distributed on multiple social media platforms as well as translated for the Spanish speaking community. Rest assured that CAPS Media Staff and Crew Members are taking every precaution to be safe.

Recently the CAPS Media board of directors held its first zoom board meeting to be updated and review the work of the organization. The board members were understandably impressed to learn that CAPS Media Crews had produced more than 100 individual videos for the community since the start of the COVID 19 pandemic in early March. The online analytics on Vimeo are also impressive with the combined CAPS Media produced collection getting 1.5M impressions and 115,000 views.

Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis the CAPS Media Center is closed to Member/Producers and the public until further notice. CAPS Member/Producers can submit programming via the online portal at capsmedia.org for broadcast and streaming on CAPS public access television Channel 6 and on CAPS Radio KPPQ 104.1FM.

Happy Birthday to CAPS Radio and Breeze publisher Sheldon Brown. All of us at CAPS Media hope everyone is Staying Safe and Healthy during this challenging time.

Crocheting to make people happy

by Trish Davis

This Is Finn, a local 6th grader who crochets all the local street polls. I asked him about it and here’s what he said.

“I started yarnbombing, which is when you take knitting or crochet and hang it up as art, with little hearts all over my neighborhood. These were very small, but they spread joy and had people commenting on how they loved searching for them, so I started to plan bigger projects. I did bigger hearts, rocks, and a bridge; then one night I measured a street sign while on a walk and I knew it would be my next subject.  Everyone loved it, it seemed that this random street sign was making runners smile and giving people joy, so obviously I had to do more and here we are today.“

 LAUNCH Videos Premiere Online Week May 26, 27, 28 at 4:30 PM

See Kristie Steinlicht of Anacapa Middle School on her video.

Curated by Ventura Education Partnership (VEP), LAUNCH engages business, community and school leaders to come together during fast-paced, inspiring presentations from highly innovative Ventura Unified School District educators. During this unique gathering, public education supporters hear first-hand from passionate educators about how they connect with students to strengthen engagement and deepen learning.

In it’s second year, LAUNCH also raises funds to support grants for VUSD classrooms.

As with so many of our community events, this year’s LAUNCH, scheduled for March 12, had to be executed differently than planned due to COVID-19. President of VEP, Madhu Bajaj said, “We closed the program to a live audience with only a small, socially distanced group in attendance. Rather than postponing, we felt it was important to capture our amazing educators’ stories who had been working hard to prepare for the evening. We thank our courageous presenters who shared their stories in a most beautiful and compelling way.”

Thanks to a partnership with Ventura Adult and Continuing Education (VACE) the evening’s presentations were captured on video by students and staff from the Digital Multimedia and Studio programs, lead by Rich Sigerist. These programs prepare students for careers such as graphic artist, video editor, camera operator, production assistant, and much more.

VEP invites the community to join us for the LAUNCH Video Premieres on Facebook. Each video is approximately 10 minutes and will feature the presenter available for comments and Q/A through chat. A strong theme that emerges is how the educator not only focuses on teaching content, but also the social emotional and varying needs of students so students can become empowered citizens in our community.

May 26 4:30 PM Cameron Crouch of Foothill High School

May 27 4:30 PM Petra McCullough of ATLAS Elementary

May 28 4:30 PM Kristie Steinlicht of Anacapa Middle School

“As we all look for inspiration and positive activities during this time, the LAUNCH Video Premieres are a quick and easy way to celebrate amazing educators and learn from their stories of classroom innovation,” said Bajaj.

LAUNCH is made possible by sponsors such as Aera Energy, Mountains 2 Beach Marathon, Fred Evans Team at Remax, FASTSIGNS of Ventura and many more.

For more information on this shared viewing experience please like Ventura Education Partnership on Facebook, visit our website www.venturaeducationpartnership.org or contact Madhu Bajaj (805) 754-9861.

Venturans who deserve to have a statue put up to their memory

Toward the end of his career he pitched a no hitter.

by Richard Senate

A famed major league baseball player Charlie “Sea Lion” Hall  now rests at Ventura’s Ivy Lawn Cemetery.  He was born in Ventura in 1885, his mother Elvira Hall was a decedent of one of the early Spanish families of Santa Barbara. He was baptized at the Mission San Buenaventura as Carlos Luis Hall and spoke both English and Spanish. Though he would go on to achieve fame, his life was filled with tragedy.

At the age of three he lost his mother.  He learned baseball as a teen playing on a local team called the Palm Street Nine being noticed as an accomplished pitcher with a mean fastball pitch. The Pacific Coast League discovered him at age 19 and he quickly was recognized as a valuable pitcher.

In 1906 he married Emma Larson and, sadly, in 1909, she died in childbirth. The son she had lived and was raised by his grandparents. At that time Charlie went into the majors and played for the Cincinnati Reds as a relief pitcher. He was hard pressed in a game and choked. The Reds traded him to the Boston White Sox and it was with Boston that Charlie made his best mark. In 1910 he even faced off the great Ty Cobb and struck him out, no small feat.

In 1911 he married Bostonian Marie Cullen, bringing his new bride to Ventura.

In 1912 he played in the World Series. The then went to the St. Louis Cardinals for a year and then, for a time, with the Detroit Tigers.  It was here that his fans gave him the unique nickname of “Sea Lion” because of his rasping voice that sounded like a walrus. In 1920, toward the end of his career, he pitched a no hitter game. After 27 years of professional baseball, Charlie Hall retired, returning to his beloved Ventura where he took a job as a member of the Ventura Police Department.  Tragedy struck again when his six-year-old son accidentally shot his three year old brother.

He worked as a jailer at Ventura County Courthouse ( now Ventura City Hall) and then served as a Ventura County deputy sheriff.  He passed away in 1943. He was a great ball player and an excellent police officer. Such an inspirational Venturan deserves to have his statue put up so his memory and accomplishments will not be forgotten.

Answer in a Breeze

Question:

We received the following request (in a much longer form) but this is a summation of what Rob was requesting. “Regarding the low-flying personal aircraft hazards and the creation of constant noise pollution in Ventura I am kindly requesting you to find out what our legal rights are for low-flying aircraft. It seems the skies are getting more and more congested over our neighborhoods putting public safety at risk.”

Respectfully Rob Lewis.

We sent this request to our contributing writer Sheli Ellsworth whose husband Jeff is a pilot to secure an answer. Jeff is professional pilot who has been flying since 1989 including 20 years for the US Navy.

Answer:

The minimum safe altitude for aircraft operations depends on few factors including where the aircraft is operating.  According to the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR 91.119) regardless of where the aircraft is operated, the altitude should be sufficient for an emergency landing without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface in the event of an engine failure.  Over a congested area like the city of Ventura an aircraft shall be flown no lower than 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a 2,000 foot radius below the aircraft.  Over the water or sparsely populated areas the aircraft cannot be operated closer than 500 feet from any person, vessel, vehicle or structure. These minimum altitudes do not apply to helicopters, powered parachutes or hang gliders.

 Altitudes can be very difficult to judge by eye.  Jets routinely cross paths with 1,000 feet of vertical separation up at altitude.  I can promise that will get your full attention; it looks like they’re coming right at you until you get used to it.  But in airplanes just like cars, boats and motorcycles, sometimes poor judgement prevails.  The Federal Aviation Regulations also prohibit Careless or Reckless Operation of an aircraft which endanger the life or property of another person.  If you see an aircraft operating in a reckless manor or wish to make a noise complaint, call the Ventura County Department of Airports Office at 805 388-4497

Do you have a question? Send it to [email protected] and we will try to get an answer.

New version of walking the dog

by Ivor Davis

Bicycling on Ventura path by the Pier recently I ran across this brave lady who gave new meaning to the phrase “walking your dog.” She was actually as you can see– walking with the dog on her shoulders—and it was a pretty large pooch. And a warm day!

I took her photo–said I would send her a copy–but got the wrong email address.

If you can run this photo, then maybe she can get her picture.

Anyway, I am sure all her friends will recognize her–mask or not!

Staci Brown is the latest member of MADD

Staci needs no introduction to readers of the Breeze.

MADD would like to introduce Staci Brown; she is the latest member of the Mothers Against Drunk Driving team. Her role is that of a Program Specialist. As a Program Specialist, Staci presents three programs. One is called “The Power of Youth”. This is to speak to youth ages 13-18 on the negative effects of drinking, statistics and effects on the brain. This can be done in any setting where there are a group of youths, such as a school, a youth group, the YMCA or the Boys and Girls Club.

The next presentation is to college students providing the same facts yet geared toward older students. The final presentation is called “The Power of Parents”. This is for parents to learn how to speak to their children about underage drinking.

Studies show that 75% percent of teens are first and foremost influenced by their parents. MADD’s goal is to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes and prevent underage drinking. One component of MADD is assisting victims from the beginning of the crash and through the court process to the conviction. MADD has annual walks to raise money and has a Law Enforcement Recognition luncheon. They are always looking for volunteers and need victims who would like to tell their stories to offenders at their Victim Impact Panels. You can also donate and find more information at MADD.org. To reach Staci to volunteer or to set up presentations, please call 714-838-6199 Ext 6649 or email at [email protected].