Category Archives: This ‘n’ That
AIDS Walk
Diversity Collective Ventura County will host the 5th Annual AIDS Walk Ventura on March 2, from 9:00am-1:00pm in Park Plaza, in Downtown Ventura. Ongina, HIV activist and contestant in Ru Paul’s Drag Race, will host the event for over 2,000 participants.
There is no entry fee, and registration for AIDS Walk 2019 is now open. We will kick off the 5k walk at 10:00 am. Participants are welcome to take advantage of our free health fair, providing information and service from over 20 health-related agencies.
Diversity Collective is proud to host this event in partnership with Ventura County Public Health, and with the help of numerous volunteers and sponsors. Together, we can reduce and eventually stop the spread of HIV/AIDS in Ventura County.
Diversity Collective Ventura County is a community based nonprofit 501c3 organization promoting advocacy, education, and mental and physical health for the LGBTQ community in Ventura County, California via our community resource center, programs and community events. We are the parent organization of Ventura County Pride, AIDS Walk Ventura and The Diversity Gala.
Participants can register at www.diversitycollectivevc.org/aids-walk-ventura.
Sponsors are urged to contact Diversity Collective Ventura County at 805.644.5428 or email [email protected].
Ventura Audubon Society March Events
March 3, 8:00 am Work Day Hedrick Ranch Nature Area, Leader: Sandy Hedrick 805-340-0478.
Arrive at 8:00 for self-guided birding which usually yields some interesting birds. Work from 9am – noon. Long pants and boots or closed shoes are required. Bring water, gloves & sun protection.
March 10 2019, 8:30 am Port Hueneme Exploration/Bubbling Springs, Walter B. Miranda Park, and J Street Canal to the Port Hueneme Beach
Leader: Kay Regester 805-258-1025
Bubbling Springs is a fantastic place to view many gulls and ducks up close such as Mallards and Widgeons, warblers and hummers. Then we will check out J St Canal and walk the Hueneme Beach to the East, towards the estuary, and then to the West toward the pier where we will see a variety of gulls, grebes and shorebirds.
March 12, 7:30 p.m. VAS Monthly Program: Ventura Seabird Restoration on the California Islands… with Annie Little (USFWS) at the Poinsettia Pavillion – 3451 Foothill Road, Ventura (Free to the Public)
The presentation will highlight restoration efforts for seabirds on the Channel Islands and Baja California Pacific Islands, including invasive species removal, habitat restoration, and social attraction.
March 16, 8:00 am Carpinteria Salt Marsh, Leader: Tevin Schmitt 661-904-1563
The Salt Marsh Reserve is an excellent birding location due to the estuary, wetlands, and upland habitats. Special birds of concern can be found here, including Belding’s Savannah Sparrow, and White-tailed Kite. Several species of heron are often seen at once.
March 17, 8:30-10:30 am Camino Real, Leader: Reann Koener 805-701-1919
Camino Real is a grassy park surrounded by pines and eucalyptus and is an excellent place to see birds. Target birds will include Red Shouldered Hawk, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Yellow Warbler and Townsend’s Warbler.
March 19, 8:30 am Lake Casitas. Leader: Adele Fergusson 805-415-4304
Join us for a walk by the lake. We will be looking for hummingbirds, western bluebirds, blackbirds, grosbeaks, gnatcatchers as well as ducks, geese and waterfowl.
March 23, 8:30 am Lake Los Carneros and Santa Barbara Hot Spots, Leader: Adele Fergusson 805-415-4304
We will walk around this lovely lake, we should see a variety of shorebirds and possibly some rails, blackbirds, munia, white tailed kites, etc. Afterwards we will stop at a park in downtown Santa Barbara to see if there are any migrating vagrants. Bring your lunch and if we have time we will stop at the creek in Carpinteria on the way back to Ventura.
March 31, 8:30 AM Canada Larga; Leader: Linda Easter 818-519-2833
Meet near the beginning of the road off Hwy 33. We will carpool from that location as we walk and drive this long county road. Target species will include Barn Owl, Western Bluebirds, Lark Sparrow, Roadrunner, Phainopepla and various species of swallows.
Gold Coast Concert Chorus and Ventura College Chorus premiers words
The Gold Coast Concert Chorus (GCCC) combined with Ventura College Chorus, under the direction of Elizabeth Helms, will present their second concert of the 2018/2019 season on Saturday, March 16, 2019 at St. Columba’s Episcopal Church in Camarillo. The concert will feature three remarkable choral works by renowned American composers. Frostiana: Seven Country Songs, a seven-movement suite of songs composed by Randall Thompson to selected poems of Robert Frost will be followed by Requiem written by Mack Wilberg for the legendary Mormon Tabernacle Choir in 2007. However, the centerpiece of the concert is Words, a short composition focused on bullying at school and on-line culture authored by Joan Szymko, an acclaimed composer and dynamic choral conductor based in the Pacific Northwest. GCCC has jointly commissioned this piece as a part of choruses to benefit the programs and services of Chorus America.
Szymko explains the purpose and the structure of her composition, ”Words attempts to both reveal and to reach three distinct groups: the bullied, the bullies and bystanders who enable bullying by doing nothing.”
GCCC is a non- audition community chorus that brings together a diverse group of 100-plus singers who desire to expand their musical talents and share their love of the choral music with the community of Ventura County.
For more information, go to GoldCoastChorus.org or call 805-616-7269
Membership event held for VBG
Dr. Joseph Cahill poses next to artists rendering of improvements to Ventura Botanical Gardens.
On a recent Saturday, at Spice Topia in Ventura, Ventura’s Botanical Gardens held a membership event from 11 am to 3 pm.
“There are many aspects to the botanical gardens. It’s a place to explore, it’s a place of rejuvenation and relaxation, and at the same time, there is an educational component,” said Joe Cahill, Executive Director. Over 3000 plants are now in the garden’s collection, and that is scheduled to double in the next year,” he added.
Annual membership to the Gardens is $45 per year and EBT cardholders get free membership, with all the benefits of paid membership. There are free guided tours that members can signup for, and eighteen and under are free of cost. Educational groups and their group leaders are always free.
You’ve been challenged Ventura!
by Sergio Coppa, MBA Marketing Manager
Ventura small businesses and organizations have been challenged to unleash the power of their community. Joining forces with Vitalant, formerly United Blood Services, is a winning formula for patients in our community. Together, we transform lives each and every day, right here at home. Opportunities to be an agent of positive change don’t come by every day, but by accepting this challenge and by challenging your employees, vendors, friends, family, and social media tribe to transform lives, that’s just what you’ll do. Take the challenge to build a donation team who will use their gifts to promote your own blood drive in Vitalant’s Ventura donor center.
Patients supported by Ventura area blood donations require 100 donations every day. Many people believe that most blood is needed after major disasters. However, daily personal emergencies and ongoing medical needs of local patients require a constant and ready blood supply. It’s the blood already on hospital shelves that saves lives. Over the past 5 years the community’s donor base has been shrinking as the donor population ages. Because of this, the call to action for new donors is a continual process by Vitalant and blood donation centers across the country.
Oftentimes, the reason a person donates is because someone close to them is in need of a transfusion and then they become very passionate about blood donation and influence their friends and family to donate. Educating potential donors to ignite that passion before someone is affected by a personal tragedy is one reason for this challenge, the more donors we have as a community, the more secure our blood supply will remain.
How you can participate: Dedicate and book a day to sponsor your drive from April 1 through June 30 and recruit a minimum of 10 team members to sign up to be ready to donate. Donors who donate at your drive will receive credit for your challenge team. The team with the most donations from April 1 – June 30 will not only receive bragging rights, but will receive a trophy, an advertisement in the Ventura Breeze, with a write up about how awesome your team is. With a congratulatory post on Vitalant’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages. Plus, your team will receive a scrumptious coffee and pastry breakfast.
Contact Laura Segura to join the challenge at 1.805.406.7602 or by e-mail at [email protected].
Vitalan, 2223 Eastman Ave, STE A, Ventura, CA 93003
Project Understanding: Serving People in Need in Ventura County-Part 2
A group of volunteers is sorting Thanksgiving baskets
Sustainability Now News
by Maryann Ridini Spencer (@MaryannRidiniSpencer)
Project Understanding, founded with the support of the community and many faith-based congregations has been serving Ventura County for over 40 years. Their goal of moving clients out of homelessness providing support, food, housing, and educational programs, has been instrumental in fostering hope and transforming lives of thousands of individuals.
How Project Understanding serves people in need in Ventura County
First Step Center
Individuals needing assistance provide information on their special circumstance at The First Step Center. Intake forms can be found online at projectunderstanding.org or by visiting Project Understanding, 2734 Johnson Drive, Suite E, Ventura, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, (805) 652-1326. Afterward, clients are evaluated and contacted by an Intake Specialist who puts together a game plan for the client including objectives, resources, and referrals which might include DMV reduced fee vouchers, utility payment assistance through Community Action, and rental assistance through H2H.
Food Pantry
Project Understanding’s Food Pantry provides groceries on a weekly basis to families and individuals in need. A majority of the food on their shelves is donated or purchased from Food Share. For help with food, clients are invited to come to the Pantry, 2734 Johnson Drive, Suite E, Ventura, 93003, (805) 652-1326, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday. A picture ID is required.
Housing
Homeless to Home (H2H)
For homeless requiring help to find housing, the H2H office is open weekdays 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. The requirements for the intake portion of the application include:
• Proof of Income (last 2 check stubs, SSI/SSA/Disability award letter or bank statement if direct deposit, food stamps, and/or unemployment stubs).
• Proof of Address – rental agreement; if renting a room or a letter from the landlord
• Proof of Dependents/Custody – rental agreement (if listed on it), legal paperwork and awarding custody,
• If homeless, an ID and mailing address are required.
For homeless looking to find housing, contact H2H at (805) 231-2299, weekdays, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Hank Koozehkanani is Program Manager.
Shore at the WAV
Shore at the WAV provides Case Management of previously homeless families and individuals obtaining them permanent, supportive housing subsidized by Section 8 funds. The office is open weekdays, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Appointments are required by calling (805) 628-3332. Kristie King is the Case Manager. Requirements for consideration are the same H2H.
Intake forms for both H2H and Shore at the WAV can be found at projectunderstanding.org.
Tender Life Maternity Home
Located at 871 E. Thompson Boulevard in Ventura, Tender Life Maternity Home provides homeless pregnant women with safe housing and various support services promoting self-sufficiency. Program requirements include that a client be homeless and pregnant (with no other children), a phone and in-person interview, at least 30 days of sobriety (proof if available), no felonies preferred (decided on a case by case basis), proof of legal status, proof of income (or Cal Works). Severe mental health clients are not able to be housed. Domestic violence clients must have completed a 30-day domestic violence shelter before being considered. Intake forms are found at projectunderstanding.org.
Tutoring
The Tutoring Centers at Project Understanding
Students grades K-5, recommended by their instructors, are assigned to volunteer tutors who provide one-to-one assistance with school work. Currently, Project Understanding has 11 tutoring centers throughout Ventura County, in El Rio, Oxnard, Santa Paula, Saticoy, and Ventura. For more information, contact Tutoring Manager Carolyn Pillado, (805) 652-1326 x303.
Project Understanding “Giving a hand up, not a handout.” Find out more at projectunderstanding.org
Ventura County Fair announces 10th annual poster contest for county youth
James Lockwood Fair Public Relations and Marketing Director congratulating the 2018 winners.
The 2019 Ventura County Fair has announced the Call for Entries for the 10th annual poster contest. The contest is open to young artists in grades 5 – 12 who reside in Ventura County.
The theme of the 2019 Fair is “A Country Fair with Ocean Air” and will serve as the familiar guideline to the imagery.
Artwork may be created in any medium but may not include the use of glitter, metallic paint, or 3 dimensional objects attached to the artwork.
Poster designs will be judged on theme, originality, composition and skill. Entries will be accepted until the entry deadline, Friday, April 5. Entries can be brought to the Fairgrounds administration office at 10 W. Harbor Blvd. in Ventura. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8AM until 5PM. Please note Fairgrounds offices are closed daily from 12-1PM for the lunch hour.
Prizes will be awarded to the top three entries, First prize: $500, Second Prize: $250, Third Prize: $100. All contestants will receive 2 admission tickets for the 2019 Ventura County Fair.
The winning design will be featured on posters, souvenirs, advertisements, social media and other Fair promotions. Second and third place winners will also be used in various applications. All contest entries will be displayed in the Youth Expo at the Ventura County Fair.
The Ventura County Fair will begin its annual 12-day run Wednesday, July 31 and continue until Sunday, August 11.
Rules, deadlines and other information can be found on the Fair website, www.venturacountyfair.org. For more information about the contest call 648-3376 or send an email to [email protected]. (Please put “Poster Contest” in the subject line)
Entry Into the 2019 County Ventura St. Patrick’s Day Parade just got easier
Last year’s parade drew a record crowd in the thousands.
Parade entries are now being accepted for the 31st annual County Ventura St. Patrick’s Day Parade, scheduled on Saturday, March 16, along Main Street in downtown Ventura.
It will please prospective entrants to know that the entry process has become much easier this year. Just open the parade website and follow the simple all-online procedure to submit your entry form and pay via PayPal. Entry deadline is Thursday, March 7; only the first 100 entries will be accepted.
The County Ventura St. Patrick’s Day Parade is presented each year by the Ventura Elks Lodge No. 1430. Last year’s parade, honoring first responders in the wake of the devastating Thomas Fire, drew a record crowd in the thousands.
The 2019 parade promises to be another heartfelt event. With the theme “Memories of the Past,” it will feature a very special grand marshal contingent: an esteemed lineup of past grand marshals led by the one and only Jim Monahan. A longtime and much revered civic leader including on the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, Monahan stepped down this year after 41 years as a Ventura City Council member.
For more information on the parade and to enter, visit venturastpatricksdayparade.com.
If you have any entry questions, call Elks Club chair Lance Baird at 805-415-2053; parade committee member Dan McGrath at 805-231-2779; or parade committee member Aaron Gaston at 805-340-8217.
For other parade details, contact Faye McDonald at [email protected] or 805-340-7525; Tim O’Neil at [email protected] or 805-320-3181; or Jim Monahan at [email protected] or 805–643-4275.
Volunteers replace community dome cover at River Haven
The dome is a gathering place at River Haven.
by Jill Forman
Young adults swarmed over the skeleton of the large geodesic dome in the center of River Haven. A lift was lowering a giant canvas covering. Outside and inside the dome Turning Point staff, volunteers, reporters, residents (and dogs) gave advice, took pictures and helped pull on the new cover which was stiff and hard to unfurl and place. Overhead, a drone recorded the event. It was quite a scene.
Thanks to a grant from the Kenrose Kitchen Table Fund, River Haven is getting some much-needed upgrades: the new dome cover, solar panels for each residence with small individual refrigerators, and stoves for the Community Dome. Residents are grateful; the refurbished dome will be “…warmer, cleaner, and collect less dust.” And the future installation of solar panels will allow them to have better lights and their own refrigerators. At the moment they have solar-powered lanterns, and cold food can only be stored in four refrigerators in the large dome. The new stoves in the dome will replace a “camp stove” that has been shared by the 20-22 residents.
In addition to the food storage and preparation, the dome has multiple couches, chairs, desks and shelves. It is a gathering place with room for everyone, so making it more comfortable and efficient will be a welcome improvement. New windows make it much lighter and more cheerful, and the windows are easily replaceable.
“This is exciting,” said a resident.
Many of the volunteers have on t-shirts that say “Service Above Self.” This is Rotaract, a group associated with Rotary; they are young professionals – teachers, real estate agents, engineers, sales executives, bankers – who are a service arm of the organization. At one moment, they were indeed “Above,” many of them climbing all over the dome and adjusting the new exterior. First they had to spend a good hour talking out screws and other devices fastening the old cover to the foundation and door frames.
Students from Ventura College’s Human Services program helped out also, as did an intern from the Solar Tech Program at Moorpark College. The intern will be coordinating the installation of the mini solar systems for the individual residences.
River Haven is a transitional living facility operated by Turning Point Foundation, which offers 14 community-based mental health programs at 11 locations. 85-91% of the residents are able to obtain permanent housing. Jason Meek, Executive Director of Turning Point, states “We are a community resources, accessible to everybody.”