Ventura Breeze contributor and theater reviewer Shirley Lorraine won second place in this year’s County Fair Cowboy Poetry contest. The annual contest features performances of original works depicting aspects of western life and heritage. This year’s contest was sponsored by The Wharf of Ventura. Shirley has been writing and reciting cowboy poetry for over a decade.
Category Archives: This ‘n’ That
We at Project Understanding are grateful for Annabelle’s support.
by Jann Huling Program Director Project Understanding
Annabelle Slaughterbeck decided to make a difference in the lives of children that can’t afford back to school supplies. She picked Project Understanding as her charity of choice. We at Project Understanding are grateful for her support.
Annabelle Slaughterbeck is an incoming 8th grader at Monte Vista Middle School in Camarillo. She enjoys being a member or Girl Scouts and National Charity League, which have exposed her to for various local philanthropies. For Annabelle’s birthday, she asked her friends and family for school supplies, in lieu of gifts so she could stuff backpacks to donate to Project Understanding.
In Annabelle’s words, “I collected the school supplies for my birthday because I feel that giving back to my community is important. It makes me feel good to know that I can help people who are less fortunate, and I can impact their lives in a positive way.” Annabelle is excited to be the 2019-2020 President of Monte Vista’s California Junior Scholastic Federation (CJSF) because this will give her an opportunity to organize different community service projects with her peers.
Project Understanding is a 42-year-old organization serving those in need in Ventura County. A full-service food pantry for anyone that is hungry, Housing the homeless in various programs and housing units, as well as 11 tutoring sites. www.projectunderstaning.org 805-652-1326
Free art resiliency program for kids’ grades k – 5
HOPE worldwide is an international 501c3 nonprofit organization that aims at changing lives by harnessing the compassion and commitment of dedicated staff and volunteers to deliver sustainable, high-impact, community-based services.
Their Disaster Recovery team has collaborated with the American Red Cross to bring a Thomas Fire and Debris Flow Recovery Program to Ventura County, called SPARK Academy (Special Program for Arts Resiliency for Kids). This program is in response to the ongoing needs children and families are still facing due to the impact of the Thomas Fire and mudslides.
The SPARK Academy provides a safe environment using various interactive approaches including art and play therapy techniques to help K – 5th grade students express feelings, struggles and fears that may be occurring. At Mission Church, 5353 Walker Street, from 10:00am – 1:00pm for a total of five sessions; Five Saturdays: 9/7, 9/14, 9/21, 9/28, and 10/5. SPARK is 100% free to all participants. Luz Diaz at [email protected] or Dana Taylor at [email protected].
Ventura College Foundation adds two board members
The new members are Stephen Kipp and Nuris Dante.
The Ventura College Foundation Board of Directors approved two new board members at its June 26 meeting. The new members are Stephen Kipp and Nuris Dante.
Kipp, president and CEO of Kipp Financial Group before retiring last year, previously served on the foundation board. His firm was the prior investment management advisor for the Ventura College Foundation’s scholarship endowment funds before joining the board.
Kipp also was an adjunct professor at Ventura College for 10 years, teaching night classes in financial education. “Teaching gave me an appreciation of students who are motivated to excel in school to further their careers and succeed at life. Many students must balance school, work and family so it’s a constant struggle,” said Kipp. “I’m once again honored to serve on the foundation board and help these committed students pursue their college and life goals.”
Dante is principal/owner of SC Lending Group based in Oxnard. “Many kids are on the fence about whether to go to college. As a board member, I want to show them how education can make a difference in their lives,” sans Dante. “Getting a solid education was very important to me. I started in a community college before transferring to UCLA and then to USC’s MBA program. Community colleges provide a doable path to a four-year university. The Ventura College Foundation with its tuition-free Promise program provides students, their families and the community great benefits now and in the future.”
“The years of financial expertise and work/life experiences that Stephen and Nuris bring to the board will be a tremendous asset to the foundation,” says Rob van Nieuwburg, Ventura College Foundation board chair. “We are very pleased to have Stephen returning to the board and look forward to both Stephen and Nuris’ financial insights and their input to help our students thrive.”
Established in 1983, the Ventura College Foundation provides financial support to the students and the programs of Ventura College to facilitate student success and grow the impact and legacy of Ventura College as a vital community asset. The Foundation also hosts the Ventura College Foundation Marketplace; an outdoor shopping experience held every weekend on the Ventura College campus east parking lot. For more information, contact Julie Harvey at (805) 289-6502 or [email protected] or visit www.VCgiving.org.
Old Ventura High School
The old Ventura High School that was got torn down in 1959. It is rumored that the bulldozer that was supposed to knock it down was severely damaged before the building finally yielded.
25 dancers performed the Argentinian tango
Yazmin Carrera and Panos Kontakos (that’s them in the center) perform Argentinian tango with their fellow dancers at the Tango in the Park event.
by Amy Brown
It can take more than two to tango. At least, that was the idea with the recent Tango in the Park event held recently by members of House of Dance in downtown Ventura. 25 dancers performed the Argentinian tango on a stage in the park next to Café Fiore, providing a romantic Latin American flare on a Sunday afternoon. According to Cliff Housego, one of the organizers and performers, the event was created to provide an open forum for local dancers to demonstrate the elegant dance form to the Ventura community. Housego has been teaching West Coast Swing dancing at the Borderline in Thousand Oaks since the early 90s (presently closed due to the Nov. 7, 2018 shooting tragedy), and now takes tango lessons every Wednesday at the House Of Dance in Ventura. “Tango is romantic, connected, sexy and awe inspiring,” said Housego. “One thing I found attractive was the lead and follow, which is so very important, in that it’s not my arms moving you, it’s my body moving you, my core moving your core—it’s really two people dancing as one.”
Renowned choreographer Bob Fosse famously once said “Dance like nobody’s watching,” but Argentinian tango seems made for an audience, filled with dramatic improvised moves, flourishes, and close embraces. This style of tango developed in the 1880s in Buenos Aires, and is an improvisational dance (unlike the far more structured ballroom styles) performed to a wide variety of music: slow, or with staccato beat, or very fast. Not unexpectedly, an intense and beautiful style of dance like this can lead to deeper connections—Ventura residents Yazmin Carrera and Panos Kontakos first met at a tango dance class and are now a couple on the dance floor and off. Carrera is originally from Mexico, and Kontakos from Greece, and are now active members of the flourishing tango community in the county. “The Ventura tango community is very friendly and inclusive, and that it’s not only about dancing, it’s about connecting with people. Tango is very graceful and intuitive, it’s about feeling—and I feel like it’s a heart dance,” said Carrera.
This was the first time an event like this had been held by the group in Ventura, and it was very well received. “The event was a refreshing success. We had couples come up on the stage and dance and many people walking stop, watch and take pictures and videos,” said Housego. He encourages patience when learning tango—and pointed out that there is a longer, deeper learning curve to it, and that while he has been dancing tango for the last five years, he still essentially considerers himself a beginner. “It can really be a 10 to 12 year process to master, but it’s a journey in which you can really enjoy the process,” he said. “Argentinian tango is very versatile, and the style is changing. I’m enjoying my journey.”
Ventura County Homeless Veterans Stand Down
On the last day, all of the Veterans gathered in a circle.
The Ventura County Homeless Veterans Stand Down was held on July 28th.
Approximately 200 homeless Veterans were bused into the Ventura National Guard Armory. The Sea Bees from Camp Point Hueneme set up tents for them to sleep. They were not only provided three meals a day, a place to sleep, and showers but also received haircuts, dentistry care, medical attention and legal help was available. It was truly a remarkable weekend for the Veterans and all those who assisted in the event.
On the last day, all of the Veterans gathered in a circle, holding hands and arms stretched high with the flags of all the branches of service flying next to the greatest, most beautiful flag of all; the American Flag. With its beautiful red, white and blue stars and stripes gently waving in the breeze above them; as if to bless each and every Veteran for fighting for our freedom and giving so much of themselves. The Lee Greenwood song, ‘Proud To Be An American’ played loudly for all to hear.
The Elks mission, “So long as there are Veterans, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks will never forget them”. The Elks Lodges of Ventura County; Simi Valley #2492, Thousand Oaks #2477, Ventura #1430 and Oxnard #1433; purchased and prepared a box lunch for each Veteran to take home. The boxes were insulated to keep water, sodas, sandwiches and fruit cold. They were also presented with back packs, duffle bags, blankets and medical supplies.
And Elks don’t stop there. They take pride in hosting events in their honor. All states have different programs. They visit them in hospitals and remember them at the holidays. If you are interested in helping Veterans or being a part of your community programs, please call your local Elks Lodge.
Softball All Stars represent Ventura
There were formidable local foes like Moorpark, Westlake-Agoura, and Goleta.
by Tom Marshall
Realistic expectations were impossible. The Ventura Girls Fastpitch 12u All Stars had previously played a handful of the 33 teams in the USA Softball Western National tournament. There were formidable local foes like Moorpark, Westlake-Agoura, and Goleta. There were also teams from San Diego, Hawaii, Oregon, and Nevada. Every one of the 33 teams invited was going there to win. Ventura’s only option was to leave everything on the field and play to win. Only one team would emerge a winner but every team had an opportunity to display their true character.
Anxiety played a part in the lead up to the tourney. A nasty wild fire was choking southern Oregon with smoke and the specter of cancelled games (possibly the entire tournament) established residence in parents and coaches’ minds on the long drive or flight north.
The 12u squad out of Ventura got their nervous disastrous inning out of the way in the first game. They looked like an early regular season rec ball team on defense at times in that first game. Their offense wouldn’t be denied and after a very rough defensive start they defeated their first opponent. They went on a 5-0 run to start the tourney and found themselves in a battle with the physically imposing Bonita Valley squad in game 6. Ventura ended up suffering a 1-0 loss in that first game against the team from San Diego county. The girls would enter the loser’s bracket for the first time in the tournament.
Facing near triple digit temps amplified by the 100% artificial turf playing surface didn’t faze the Ventura girls. They maintained their focus and regrouped. “The girls had a championship mindset all week. We were focused on winning every pitch, every game. Very proud to see this team represent Ventura,” said manager Ruben Segovia. His assistant coaches, Jeff Staniland and Angel Chavez, worked to keep the team positive and focused on winning the next pitch.
They went on to win their next two games in the loser’s bracket 6-3 and 3-0 to set up a rematch against Bonita Valley. The winner would face All Star team from Poway in the championship game. Poway was undefeated in the tournament up to that point. They put up a valiant fight but fell 3-1 in their rematch with BV.
The Ventura Girls Fastpitch 12u All Star squad finished 3rd out of 33 teams in the USA Softball Western National tournament. They left everything on the field and never gave up. Only one team wins a tournament but our Ventura girls showed up prepared to play winning softball and proved they belong with the best in the west.
Cabrillo honors Rodney Fernandez Leadership Scholarship recipients
The Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation recognized its 2019 Rodney Fernandez Leadership Scholarships recipients on Thursday, July 30, during a meeting of the Board of Directors at Cabrillo’s Snapdragon Place Apartments in Ventura.
Cabrillo Chief Executive Officer, Margarita H. De Escontrias welcomed the recipients, introduced the board members and thanked the members of the scholarship review panel for their commitment in determining the scholarship recipients.
This year, Cabrillo received 24 applications, and awarded $12,500 to 14 recipients. Edison International provided a $10,000 grant for STEM recipients, and another $2,500 funded by individual donations was distributed among recipients of all majors.
The Rodney Fernandez Leadership Scholarship Program, created in 2011, honors the legacy of Rodney Fernandez, Cabrillo’s founder and Executive Director for 30 years (1981–2011). The Scholarship continues Fernandez’s legacy of community building by cultivating the leadership of residents to attain their goals and empower themselves to take action to improve the quality of life in their communities.
“The Rodney Fernandez Leadership Scholarship applicants and recipients exemplify Rodney’s dedication and commitment to making Ventura County a better place to live and work,” said Jack Hinojosa, Chief Executive Officer of Child Development Resources of Ventura County and a member of the review panel.
Other members of the scholarship review panel were:
Jaime Galvan, Programs and Events Manager at Ventura College Foundation
Brian Gilpatrick, Managing Director, Ventura Region, Union Bank
Christina Perez, Admissions Counselor, California Lutheran University.
Jessica Cook, Assistant Vice President and Branch Operations Manager at Pacific Western Bank, Camarillo office, and a Cabrillo board member
Denise Bickerstaff, Director of Business Development and Administration at Cabrillo
Luz Soto, Director of Property Management and Resident Services, introduced each of the recipients in attendance and welcomed their family members. About 40 people attended the event catered by El Pescador in Fillmore.
Two of the seven recipients in attendance spoke about themselves and the impact the scholarship will have on their ability to attend school and reach their educational goals.
Mireya Avila Mejia, a Fillmore High School graduate, is attending California State University, Channel Islands, in the Masters in Nursing program. She said she was inspired by nurses who tended to her mother, who was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer and underwent surgery and radiation.
“I want to impact someone’s life in a positive manner and help someone’s mother in the way my mother was being helped. … As I embark on my nursing journey, I plan to get a job in the Ventura County area as a Nurse Practitioner. I will most likely be working in the Ventura County Hospital in the emergency unit, but it doesn’t matter where I am as long as I am saving lives,” Mejia said.
Panelist and Cabrillo board member Cook said she was impressed by the women who shared their experiences and gratitude. “I can relate to both women when they mentioned they could not speak English when they started school. Being teased and bullied can shape who you are as a person. I am so proud these award recipients were shaped in a positive way,” Cook said. “They used their experience to help others in similar situation and told themselves they were going to become successful. I am fortunate to be a part of this process. Everyone who submitted an essay did an amazing job.”