by Amy Brown

Ventura choreographer Devin Fulton has been dancing since age three, and is now bringing her decades of experience to the fore in a new contemporary dance show she directs, featuring talented choreographers and dancers from both Ventura County and Los Angeles. “An Indefinite Duration” has nine pieces, each exploring the human obsession with time, from efforts to speed it up, slow it down, or turn it back, while touching on determining how to live in the present. The diverse suite of ten performers, ranging in age from 23 to 43, goes through precarious journeys like ending love, reinventing friendships and aging hiccups. Clocks are suspended above the stage, and dancers interact with them, powerfully weaving the theme of the variance of time throughout the show.

“This is the first time I’ve combined using local community dancers with professional performers in the same show,” said Fulton. “It’s been a huge growth opportunity for all of us—the beauty of it is finding ways to create an experience that works for everyone. I get to think outside of my own box, and I think the finished product is really amazing.” Fulton shared that contemporary dance is, by definition, subjective, and audience members will have the opportunity to individually interpret what they see and hear. Her hope is that people get a little glimpse of many different human experiences. “They may cry a little bit, laugh a little bit, or be inspired to shimmy a little as the show unfolds,” said Fulton. “Either way, we welcome the audience to come play with the hands of time by diving with us into the sometimes heavy, sometimes funny, and always multidimensional ways we exist as humans.”

“An Indefinite Duration” will have 8 pm performances on March 23, 2019 at Hamsa Dance & Yoga Studio in Ojai and on March 29th and 30th at NAMBA Performing Arts Space in downtown Ventura. Its choreographers include Fulton, Gianna Burright, Brittney Nevison, Estéfano Suazo, and Anthony Arellano. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.devinfulton.brownpapertickets.com.

by Alison Oatman

Everyone knows Tony the Vet. For fifteen years, this disabled 72-year-old veteran has been hawking his wares—a combination of baseball caps, decals, flags and other assorted patriotic tchotchkes—on a side road next to the Target on Main Street.

Tony is a warm, spirited man who presides over his collection of carefully lettered signs with pride. “If you like your freedom, go hug a veteran,” reads one of his posters.

“You’ve got the mean people and the nice people,” Tony says. “There’s a lot of people that help me.” Tony is out every day, except when it’s raining. He lives in a black van nearby. “I’m a little entrepreneur,” he continues. “I try to make a little living. I try to be honest.”

Tony tells me he served in Vietnam from 1963-67. “He was a sergeant, a platoon leader,” his best friend Russ chimes in. Russ—a philosophical UCSB grad with pale eyes who looks like an aging surfer—is also homeless. They offer each other a great deal of emotional support.

“Tony, tell her what the stop sign stands for,” Russ says, gesturing to the crimson hexagon that dominates the cluttered display of merchandise. “It stands for ‘Sergeant Tony Offers Prayers,’” Tony says with a glint in his eye.

Russ tells me Tony is “a visible, friendly, social person” who is well-liked. “People come up, he lends an ear, he listens,” Russ says. In a part of town conducive to alcoholics and drug addicts, Tony has prevented more than one suicide. “He’s like a surrogate dad or uncle.”

According to Tony, there is a government code that says vets are permitted to sell to stay alive in designated areas. Despite his disabled veteran’s license, Target doesn’t want him there, and neither does the city. But the police ultimately sided with Tony.

The feisty veteran has serious heart problems. During the hour that we spoke, he had to pop a nitrate pill twice. Suddenly his cell phone rang. An overwhelmed Tony blurts something out, and then abruptly ends the call. He immediately regrets hanging up, realizing it could have been someone who might help him get housing.

I ask him about his Dodgers hat. “I hope we can win the world series before I’m in the big one in the sky,” he says with a lopsided grin.
Squinting into the sun, Russ next lays out a meandering story about an eccentric woman on the freeway that everyone knew in the 1970’s. “When Tony dies people will remember him the way we knew the freeway lady in Santa Barbara,” Russ concludes. “He’s an icon.”

Russ also mentions that Tony is a former drag racer and that he has adult children. “Isn’t that right, Tony?” Russ asks. An aggravated Tony runs his fingers through his thick white beard. The interview has gone on too long, and it’s bad for business.

Just before I walk away, I see the faces of the two friends framed by the late afternoon glow as if bathed in nostalgia.

Kristin Ockert worked with community colleges for 21 years, mostly in state level policy and program development. She currently is on the foundation’s Strategic Planning Committee, which is developing a new multi-year plan that is incorporating input from community stakeholders and reflecting on new data and projected needs. She also serves on the Scholarship Review Committee, working with foundation staff to refine the scholarship application process so students will be more successful in applying for scholarship funds.

“Kristin’s decades of experience in the community college arena have been extremely valuable to Ventura College and the foundation,” says Rob van Nieuwburg, Ventura College Foundation board chair. “We look forward to having Kristin on the board where she can further offer her insights and expertise.”

Ockert’s long-time interest has been ensuring that everyone has access to education. “The foundation helps level the playing field for people who have few financial resources yet want the opportunity to achieve their potential through education and training,” says Ockert. “The VC Foundation staff and board are very mission driven and are always looking for ways to improve services to students. As a board member, I plan to contribute perspective and experience about processes that can hopefully be helpful to the foundation as it carries out its mission.”

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 Anne Paul King at (805) 289-6461 or [email protected] or visit www.VCgiving.org

by Alison Oatman

JAB gets his toddlers to wiggle with excitement to the rousing nursery rhymes he sings as he strums his guitar. To the pleasure of their mothers, the colony of two-year-olds in the room hops ecstatically from lily pad to lily pad, inspired by the colorful mats and the music. This is fun but it’s also a lesson in identifying both colors and animals. “Jump on the blue fish! Now, the green owl! And now, the brown shell!” JAB sings at regular intervals.

“Pick out two scarves,” JAB says, holding open a magic bag full of colorful squares of fabric. One by one, they each extract a couple of scarves. “The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round,” he croons. The excited kids gesticulate, whipping their scarves into a vibrant blur. And then JAB tapers off to a whisper: “The mommies on the bus go shh-shh-shh, shh-shh-shh, shh-shh-shh.” The kids look up, open-mouthed and spellbound by the sudden change in volume.

In their first sixteen months, infants learn to roll over, sit up, crawl and walk—a triumph of gross motor skills that movement to the song “Wheels on the Bus” underscores. Eventually, these tots will be able to catch a ball, climb, and play tag. The waving motions also strengthen the small muscles in their hands, wrists and fingers, so that the kids can soon color and write.

JAB scours his young audience, so he can make sure each kid is at the appropriate place developmentally. How is their speech? How is their ability to count? Do they make eye contact? Do they observe boundaries? His practiced eye gauges their approximate level.

JAB—who is a certified music therapist as well as a professional musician and a composer with more than twenty years of experience under his belt—gets “in tune” with his client to invoke a healing response. He recently sang “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree” to an eighty-year-old woman who had been diagnosed with dementia three years before. “I’m sorry my brain isn’t better,” she told him at their first meeting. “I’m here to help you keep what you have and hopefully turn it up a notch,” JAB replied.

The first thing that JAB noticed about her house was the large collection of African art she and her husband had amassed over the years. He took out a small drum and asked her to hit it as he placed it at different nearby angles. At the next session, he introduced a West African drum called the djembe. She smacked it with her bare hands, matching exactly the therapist’s series of different rhythms, rediscovering a creative outlet that had been closed off to her since she had ceased playing the piano two years before.

JAB also does music therapy with people who suffer from addiction disorders, chronic depression and bipolar disorder.

Everyone has their own personal soundtrack: music and words that speak to them and make them feel fully alive. Certified music therapy is relatively new territory to Ventura County, and JAB is one of the few trailblazers bringing essential services to our region’s very underserved population. Under his artful expertise, music truly works magic as it empowers lives.

To find out more visit empoweringlivesthroughmusic.com.

About 700 Ventura fourth-graders attended the Fire Safety Day offered by the Ventura Fire Department. The event was held at the fire department training site located on Alessandro Dr. just off of Seaward.

In leading the day Ventura Fire Chief David Endaya stated” The event helps instill in children the importance of having emergency exits in homes. And they take the information home with them to share with their parents.”

The students, who take it very seriously, write essays based upon what they learned and one student will receive the Hydrant Award for the best essay.

by Jill Forman

On Read Across America Day, March 2, the Friends started celebrating 50 years of serving Ventura libraries. Events will continue throughout the year.

At the Ventura Avenue Adult Center, a short block from the Avenue Library, there was a band, goodies, crafts, speakers, and a special appearance by an award-winning local author of children’s books.

The Inlakech Cultural Arts Mariachi Band, consisting of children and teens, played and sang. They are amazing musicians and had everyone dancing in place.

Mary Olson, President of the Friends, gave a short speech: “The Friends of the Library mission is the same today as it was 50 years ago — to let everyone know about all the great things available to them at the library and to support the library through funds raised in large part through sales of donated books. The proceeds from our first book sale in 1969 were used to buy large print books and children’s books in Spanish and English, and today we are celebrating bilingual children’s’ books with author Amada Irma Perez.”

Jim Monahan, Ventura icon, was present and gracious enough to say a few words. He has lived in the city, and the Avenue area, for 80-plus years, and believes strongly that the city’s libraries are a valuable asset.

Sofia Rubalcava, one of the new City Council members, represents the Avenue region. She is also a lifelong city resident; in fact she still lives on the street on the Westside where she was born and raised. She spoke about pride in the city, our library system and the Friends.

The Librarian of the Avenue Library, Mary Birch, expressed her appreciation of the celebration and the role the Friends play in her programs. Then she introduced the Featured Author, Amada Irma Perez.

Perez, also a Ventura resident and local bilingual educator, has written several books for children based on her own life. Her first book, “My Very Own Room,” won many awards including won numerous awards including the prestigious Tomas Rivera Children’s Book Award and was inducted into the Latino Literature Archives at the University of Southwest Texas. Her second bilingual picture book, “My Diary From Here to There,” won an award from the American Library Association. The books are illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzales with bright colors and warm family scenes.

Perez read from her book “Nana’s Big Surprise (Nana, Que Sorpresa!,)” a story from her family, in English and Spanish to a group of rapt children who were encouraged to sit around her on the floor. Then she signed and gave away copies of the book to attendees. Children could also make folk art dolls from wooden clothespins, fabric scraps, and yarn set up and assisted by Judee Hauer. (Adults made quite a few of these also.) Pastries, coffee, punch and a raffle completed the festivities.

The Ventura Friends of the Library want to thank Harrison Industries for sponsoring the event. Donors included Lee and Low Books, Panaderia Lala’s, Red Barn Market, Starbucks at Vons on the Avenue, and the City of Ventura Parks and Recreation.

Future celebrations will take place at Foster Library in July, Saticoy Library in August, and Hill Road Library in October.

by Maryssa Rillo

According to the Soroptimists website, “every 30 seconds another person becomes a victim of Human Trafficking.”

On Thursday, March 7th the Soroptimists, an organization that “helps women and girls live out their dreams,” held their 12th annual community walk and forum to raise awareness about human trafficking and sexual slavery.

The walk began at 5:30 p.m. and about 80 women, men and children walked from the Ventura Museum and continued down Main Street with signs while chanting, “Stop human trafficking, stop.”

Following the walk there was a forum at the Ventura Museum with three guest speakers.

Karie Rothchild, a survivor and advocate for those affected by human trafficking began the forum by sharing her story as a survivor. At 13 Rothchild’s mother sold her into sex trafficking in order to support her drug addiction.

Rothchild refuted the misconception that sex trafficking is all done through physical force in foreign countries

“You don’t really need to be chained. It’s a mental thing. There’s someone whose job is entirely to get you psychologically into a place and once that’s done its done. You don’t have to have anything on you,” Rothchild said.

According to Rothchild in 2016, 5,788 more girls went missing than boys. In 2017 that number increased to 6,942 and in 2018, 7,982 more girls than boys went missing. Rothchild encouraged everyone to pay attention to warning signs in order to help these young girls.

“Be the best you that you could be and listen to your gut and those instincts when you can,” Rothchild said. “We all can make a difference, wherever we are and pay that forward.”

Following Rothchild’s speech Kris Hart, founder and CEO of 4Kids2Kids spoke about her experiences providing aid to kids who are victims of human trafficking.

According to the Soroptimist website 4Kids2Kids “provides safe homes for sex trafficking survivors.”

According to Hart, 43 girls have enrolled in 4Kids2Kids. After being in this program three girls returned to their families, ten girls went into foster care, five girls graduated high school, three went to college/trade school, three rented their own apartment and three testified against their traffickers.

Hart emphasized that these victims are just children and the need to educate ourselves on the issue.

“If we don’t educate ourselves then we just don’t know,” Hart said. “If you see something you have to say something and that is how we promote change, and that is how we make a difference.”

Next, Darryl Evey, Executive Director of Family Assistance Program in San Bernardino spoke and explained different legislations that help victims of human trafficking.

These bills have and will treat survivors as victims rather than criminals which in turn gives them the opportunity to prosper in life. Without such policies survivors are not given the chance to fully recover and the only way to have policies that protect these women is to have the community promote and support such bills.

“Your legislatures need to hear from you. If they get 10 phone calls or emails on a bill, they ‘think wow that’s interesting,’ if they get 20 they stop what they’re doing and look at it. So, if every one of you contact all of your legislatures these bills will absolutely pass,” said Evey

For more information on the Soroptimists you can visit their website at http://oxnardsoroptimist.org/. If you would like to get involved and learn more about the bills that would help these young women you can visit http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/.

by Brian Balke Hypnosis Rising

If we bite our nails or watch too much TV for long enough, changing our habit may seem too hard. We can suffer – or look for help. Life coaches, religions, meetups and recreational sports: any and all might bring encouragement and direction for change.

But what if that doesn’t work? What if our mind is wounded?

In medicine, that’s a familiar fear. When I had back pain, I worried that I might need surgery. To my relief, I healed through yoga. Stretching and strengthening solved the problem!

With the mind, we have the same options. Psychologists and psychotherapists are licensed to treat wounded minds – minds that are missing parts or overly sensitive. They are the surgeons of mental health. By law, hypnotherapists offer “vocational and avocational self-improvement.” We are the yoga instructors of mental health. We help clients change themselves.

As with our bodies, we need to control mental stress to avoid serious injury. A TV addiction can lead to a job layoff or divorce. Then we have plenty of cause to be depressed.

But why hypnotherapy as opposed to buying a friend? The psychologist Irving Yalom described psychotherapy as teaching relationship skills – a kind of friendship. How is hypnotherapy different?

Hypnosis is not a technique, but a way of learning. In hypnosis, the subconscious immediately adopts welcome suggestions as behaviors. Those changes affect the connections between our neurons and the flow of blood – a natural surgery. This happens efficiently because the critical part of our mind is comfortable and doesn’t protest, “Well, that’s not going to work!”

When in hypnosis you learn like you did before you started to doubt yourself.

Let’s compare this to psychology, which uses drugs to modify thinking. Two chemical systems control our basic emotions: dopamine creates euphoria and norepinephrine creates fear. Imbalance between euphoria and fear is the cause of several psychological disorders. The two are kept in balance by the reasoning part of our brain.

Where a hypnotherapist would strengthen reason and balance euphoria and fear, the psychologist prescribes drugs that amplify the weaker emotion. This is like using a brace to straighten someone’s back, rather than using exercise to balance their muscles

Just as in maintaining our bodies, adjusting the operation of our minds prevents serious breakdowns. Hypnotherapists help you make minor adjustments before they become major problems. And as hypnosis is a learning process, several approaches can be tried until the right one is found.

Let’s think of hypnotherapy as “mental hygiene.” Just as with dental hygiene, we should not be ashamed to clean up our behavior. In fact, it’s the best way to avoid more serious problems. Your dental hygiene can be managed by a dental professional in your area. This Dentist in McAllen for example even offers sedation dentistry for those people who are particularly nervous about going to the dentist for any mouth-related issues. That way there should be no excuses in improving your dental hygiene. Or any health-related problems for that matter.

Many psychological and physical problems are driven by anxiety. Even if you don’t have a behavior challenge, every hypnotist will help you to remember what it feels like to be relaxed. It’s an experience worth trying and might be the first step in bringing your whole self to life.

Welcoming a new baby to the family is exciting, but it can be tough for first time parents if finances are tight and your service member is deployed. Operation Homefront’s Star-Spangled Babies program provides these new and expectant parents with early childhood education tips, baby supplies, and a support system when loved ones are far away, making it easier for service members and their growing families to welcome their newest addition.

Sister companies, the NALA and STARKART and their respective offices in Encino and Ventura are hosting donation drives for the program from now until March 15. Donated items can be dropped off at 1891 Goodyear Ave, Suite 620, Ventura.

Items needed include diapers (any size), wipes, toys 0-12 months, teethers, rattlers, stroller toys, push and pull toys, onesies, blankets and towels, and hygiene products, such as diaper cream, lotion, and baby shampoo. Bigger items are always welcome, such as gyms, jumpers, soothers or sound machines, baby monitors, and baby carriers/wraps.

“We are honored to help this altruistic organization help our nation’s military families,” said Tiffani Tendell, Vice President – Communications and Business Development at the NALA, which has introduced a multitude of diverse small businesses to one of its many top-rated charity partners via its collective cause marketing program.

Operation Homefront is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so they can thrive — not simply struggle to get by — in the communities they have worked so hard to protect.

Ninety-two percent of Operation Homefront’s expenditures go directly to programs that support tens of thousands of military families each year.

To donate directly to Operation Homefront, please visit www.operationhomefront.org/donate.

School Resource Officer Matt Thompson spent time reading to local students in honor of Read Across America Day! The national effort kicked off 21 years ago. The day celebrates reading and the birthday of author Dr. Suess who published over 60 children’s books including classics like Green Eggs and Ham and Go Dog Go.

Ventura County Libraries offer free reading times and activities for our local kids throughout the year. Learn more at https://www.vencolibrary.org/youth/kids.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you will go.” Stated Dr. Suess.