Laubach Literacy of Ventura County is offering a free ESL tutor training workshop on Saturday, February 1, from 9am to 4pm at 1500 Palma Dr.

Various methods and materials will be demonstrated and taught during the workshop enabling the new tutor to begin right away. Neither prior teaching experience nor knowledge of a foreign language is necessary. Open a world to an adult non-fluent English speaker with the gift of learning how to read, write and speak English. New tutors are always needed. To register for the workshop and for more information, please call 805-385-9584.

Laubach is an all-volunteer non-profit organization teaching English as a Second Language to adults 18 and over. www.laubachventura.org.

The Museum of Ventura County and the City of Ventura are collaborating to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Albinger Archaeological Museum and 3,500 years of cultural diversity at the archaeological site with “Dig Into History!” This three-day celebration will include special exhibits, activities for all ages, educational opportunities and much more to celebrate the cultures that have existed in Ventura County.

Join us at the Albinger Archaeological Museum Friday, January 24, 2020 — Sunday, January 26, 2020 from 11AM—4PM as we dig through the layers of the past with music, dance, crafts, and storytelling to honor the diversity of the cultures who have lived here and left their mark on history. This event is free to attend and open to the public.

Albinger Archaeological Museum, 113 E. Main St.

Join us at the Museum of Ventura County on Saturday, January 25, 2020 from 2—4:30PM for an afternoon about modernist design, fine arts and crafts, and the creative individuals who made a lasting impact in design history. Admission is free for members, $5 for nonmembers.

First, Guest Curators Eric Huff, Jordan Downs and Steve Aldana will participate in an insightful conversation with the Museum’s Chief Curator Anna Bermudez about their collaboration on the California Cool: Mid-century Modernism on the Central Coast exhibit.

Following the discussion, Laura Ackerman-Shaw will share recollections about her parents’ personal and professional lives that intertwined during their 64-year marriage. Through their combined complementary talents and temperaments, the Ackermans forged a prolific partnership that produced a wide range of timeless designs including ceramics, mosaics, tapestries, woodcarvings, and hardware, an unusual cross-disciplinary approach for designer-craftsmen.

Rounding out the afternoon is a documentary screening of In Tandem: The Life and Work of Jerry and Evelyn Ackerman. Filmmakers Katie Nartonis and Margaret Halkin debuted their film at Palm Springs Modernism Week. The film features extensive interviews with Jerry Ackerman and a rich roster of noted California design experts including internationally known designer Jonathan Adler. Their story is, at its heart, a love story, and it chronicles the legacy of two now legendary mid-century designer-craftsmen who were able to build a flourishing 50-year career.

Museum of Ventura County
100 E. Main St.
Cost: Free for Members, $5 for Nonmembers

The Museum of Ventura County celebrates, preserves and interprets the art, history and culture of Ventura County, the California Channel Islands and the surrounding region through its collections, exhibitions, events, educational programs, publications and its research library, and serves as a gathering place for the community. The Museum has two locations. The main museum is located at 100 East Main Street, Ventura, CA 93001 and is open Tuesday – Sunday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., 805-653-0323. The Agriculture Museum is located at 926 Railroad Avenue, Santa Paula, CA 93060 and is open Wednesday – Sunday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., 805-525-3100. For more information, visit venturamuseum.org .

by Jill Forman

The dying man was restless. His wife soothed him with gentle touch and words. “Thank you,” she said, “for giving me such a great life. I love you so much.”

Harold and Dorothy had been together for 45 years and been on voyages of all kinds: travelling, raising a family, exploring varied spiritual paths. She would stay by his side while he undertook his final journey.

Livingston Hospice came to help with a hospital bed in their living room, visiting nurses and assistants, and other services as needed. Streams of visitors came, from the Unitarian Universalist Church, from drum circles and musical groups, from mental health and homeless organizations. Harold had been involved in all of those and more, and enjoyed having his friends around him.

On this particular day, he was restive. Not in pain, he indicated. Livingston had just what he needed, a smiling woman with a harp. Lori Sunshine (her real name,) a Board Certified Music Therapist, came to play for him and Dorothy. And for a visiting friend, who was lucky enough to be there and witness this.

With very few words to start, Sunshine started to play. Peaceful comforting melodies. Harold started to relax almost immediately, Dorothy took a deep breath and some of the stress left her face. The friend was in tears.

As she blended tunes, Lori talked in a low, soothing voice, asking about music choices but generally gauging the mood and changes as she played. Molly Corbett, Livingston’s Director of Development, praised Lori’s skill ”…she can read what the patient needs.”

The purpose of Hospice is to help with pain management and comfort care, but also “…to make the time enjoyable,” Corbett added. Music Therapy has been proven to decrease anxiety, promote relaxation, and help sleep. Family and friends are able to connect with the client through music and the emotional connection it carries.

Mandy Furlong, RN, Livingston’s Director of Hospice Care Services, pointed out that often clients are “…so lonely and isolated at the end of life.” Social workers and nurses identify clients who might benefit from Music Therapy. “Someone could just put on a CD,” she said, “but it’s not at all the same.” Music therapy is not reimbursed by insurance, and the hospice relies on the generosity of its donors to provide this service.

Sunshine agrees. “Music is a tool, the therapist is part of the process, assessing where the patient is in the journey, the family situation. Music can soothe the soul; it has a deep benefit and helps bring peace and acceptance.” She considers herself part of the therapeutic team, with music connecting to the cosmos in a spiritual way.”

Sunshine plays piano, drums, guitar, harp, and she sings also. To become a professional, she completed university degree and an internship, then took boards to be certified. “I am not an entertainer.” She feels that all therapists, of any specialty, need both the education and “…a heart in the right place.”

The Namba Performing Arts Space is very pleased to announce that it has chosen Lorenzo DeStefano as its new Executive Director, effective January 1, 2020.

DeStefano, a Ventura-based writer/director/producer for Film, Theater, and the Performing Arts, founded the highly regarded and still-thriving Ventura Film Society in 2008 (www.venturafilmsociety.com). He was the recipient of the 2012 Mayor’s Arts Award for Arts Leader in recognition of his contributions to the cultural life of Ventura. He is mindful of the challenges and rewards of providing quality programming in the Performing Arts, Theater, Music & Entertainment.

“I’m really pleased to be joining this arts organization founded by Ben Namba & Julia Campbell Namba and applaud the work they and their dedicated Board and Volunteers have done during the past five years to add to the cultural landscape here in Ventura. I appreciate this show of confidence and look forward to continuing NAMBA’S relationships with current users of the facility. My focus will also be to encourage, strategize and implement positive collaborative efforts

that will deepen and enrich the organization’s profile as a key resource for this community.”

Please join Namba Open House on Thursday January 30th from 4-7pm to meet Lorenzo and the Board, Staff and Supporters of this unique cultural resource in Downtown Ventura.

47 S. Oak St., Downtown Ventura, 805 628 9250 / www.nambaarts.com

Lorenzo DeStefano 805 641-3845 / [email protected]

The Ventura County Writers Club is accepting submissions for their 19th annual poetry contest until February 28, 2020 11:59 PM PST. Cash prizes for winning poems. Winning poems are eligible for publication by the VCWC Press, in the Ventura Breeze and are invited to read at the award ceremony April 14th 7:00 PM, 1605 Burnley St. in Camarillo.

Adults 18 years and older: first prize is $100, second prize is $75, and third prize is $50. Youth ages 13 – 17: first prize is $50, second prize is $35, and third prize is $25. Youth ages 12 and under: first prize is $35, second prize is $25, and third prize is $15. The contest is open to poets worldwide and club membership is not required. Go to http://venturacountywriters.com/poetry-contest/. Call Rhonda Noda 805-300-0837 with questions.

Local writer Paulette Mahurin feels very lucky. Stricken with Lyme Disease after moving to Ojai in 1997, she took to writing. Battling chronic fatigue and an array of other symptoms, there wasn’t much else she could do to occupy her time. Prior to a tick bite, she worked as a Nurse Practitioner (NP) in the Antelope Valley Hospital Emergency Room.

Writing, she explained, saved her from depression. She took writing classes. In one class with Deb Norton, a storyline came to her. That was the seed from which grew her first novel, The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap. To the amazement of this amateur writer, the book went on to be an international best-seller on Amazon.

More books came forth. Eight to be exact. Several making their way to Amazon best-seller lists. Feeling blessed and extremely lucky from the outpouring of support from readers when her third novel, The Seven Year Dress, hit number 1 in literary fiction/historical fiction in the United Kingdom and Australia, along with ranking in the top ten in the United States, she decided that she wanted to do more to help with her ongoing dog rescue work. The decision came easy.

The profits from her books would go to help rescue dogs from kill shelters. She had donated profits from her first novel to Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center, the first and only no-kill shelter in Ventura County at the time. Next, from her second book, His Name Was Ben, she had donated profits to the Canine Adoption and Rescue League. She then branched out to network with multiple rescue groups to help rescue dogs from kill shelters in Southern California. She has contributed to rescuing 2,380 dogs from kill shelters.

Yes, Mahurin feels lucky. Now with regained health and enjoying volunteer work, she continues to write and work along with her husband to help free more dogs from shelters. Featured on her blog site, http://thepersecutionofmildreddunlap.wordpress.com/ are the before and after photos of all the dogs she’s helped along with information on her eight novels.

Not only is Mahurin known for her work with dog rescue, but for the topics she addresses in her novels. Her latest novel, The Old Gilt Clock, (released December 2019) tackles Willem Arondéus’ brave fight against the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II. All of Mahurin’s books can be found on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Paulette+Mahurin.

The Ventura Unified School District (VUSD), under the direction of Superintendent Dr. Roger Rice, has announced that most of the VUSD schools will have Schools of Choice lottery spots available for the 2020-2021 school year. VUSD is also increasing the number of interdistrict transfer spots open to residents in surrounding communities. The public is invited to attend the VUSD Information Night on Thursday, January 16, 2020, from 5:30-8 pm at Buena High School, located at 5670 Telegraph Rd. to learn more about these opportunities, speak with representatives from all VUSD schools, and service departments.

“Since my arrival over nine months ago, we have been working as a team to identify obstacles that our families face that can be resolved with policy and procedural changes. We identified a need for our more lottery spots for Schools of Choice and have made adjustments to ensure we are offering spots at every school that does not require a placement process,” stated Superintendent Roger Rice.

The number of lottery spots for each school will be determined based on enrollment numbers. Some schools may have 5-10 spots; others may have over 100. City of Ventura residents are eligible to submit for these lottery spots from January 17-31, 2020. The application will be available online at www.venturausd.org on January 17. El Camino High School, Pacific High School, and Homestead (home school option) will not be participating in Schools of Choice as they have placement processes that must be followed.

“We realize that the Ventura Unified School District is a District of Choice for others in Ventura County. To assist our neighbors and to do everything we can to continue to provide excellent educational services during a time of declining enrollment, VUSD will be offering more spots for the 20-21 school year for interdistrict transfers,” stated Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, Dr. Danielle Cortes. “We are dedicated to ensuring that all students who would like to be educated in the Ventura Unified School District have that opportunity.”

All interdistrict transfer applications will be considered once the Schools of Choice lottery is complete, and all intradistrict transfer requests have been processed. Every effort will be made in the 2020-2021 school year to make spots available to all who apply to the Ventura Unified School District.

Families are invited to attend the Ventura Unified School District Information Night to learn more about both initiatives, as well as, meet with representatives from all 26 schools, and many service departments including Transportation, Food & Nutrition, Special Education, Career and Innovation, and Technology Services. The night will begin with a session at 5:30 pm in the auditorium. This presentation will cover Schools of Choice, transferring, and enrollment. The session will repeat at 6:30 pm. School and service department representatives will be available from 6-8 pm in the gym and cafeteria to answer questions.

With Winter in full swing, visitors to Ventura Harbor Village can board an Island Packers whale watching vessel and travel from Ventura Harbor through the Southern California waters off Santa Barbara Channel, known for its marine mammal diversity, to see breathtaking mammals that cavort in waters off of the Channel Islands.

The 3-3.5 hour half day cruise, a sure bet to spend time with family or friends and can be awe-inspiring, with the possibility of seeing more than 28 species of marine mammals along with the migrating Gray, Fin and Humpback whales, seals, sea lions and large pods of dolphins identified within the waters of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary of Southern California.

Whale Watching Excursions, now through April 1, 2020 marks the official start of the gray whale migration. Departure times are listed daily on the Island Packers website.

For more information about the Winter Whale Watching program, visit www.islandpackers.com or email Islands Packers at [email protected].

From 6-foot dinghies to 88-foot commercial fishing seiner boats, scores of pleasure boats call Ventura Harbor home. Ventura Harbor Village marina is one of the top offloading squid harbors on the Pacific Coast and in the nation and Ventura Harbor Village marina is home to some of the largest fishery companies. Ventura Harbor has two yacht clubs and two boat yards.

For visitor information, contact Ventura Harbor Village at 805-477-0470, online at www.VenturaHarborVillage.com. Ventura Harbor Village is located at 1583 Spinnaker Drive in Ventura.