The Bank of America Charitable Foundation has awarded Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation a $12,000 grant to support Cabrillo’s HomeOwnership Center’s financial literacy and homeownership programs.

Omar Madrigal, CEDC HomeOwnership Center Director; Heidi Reyes Education and Counseling Services Manager and Margarita H. De Escontrias, Chief Executive Officer, received the grant check from Midge Campbell-Thomas, Bank of America’s Market Manager for Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, along with Yeni Vazquez, CEDC HomeOwnership Counselor.

The center offers foreclosure mitigation, pre- and post-purchase homebuyer education, and credit and counseling sessions to those interested in improving their economic situation. NeighborWorks certified and HUD-approved counselors provide all services in both Spanish and English.

“This grant will provide 400 low- to moderate-income families in Ventura County access to counseling services that will help them navigate the homeownership process,” said HomeOwnership Center Director, Omar Madrigal.

Madrigal said he is grateful for the support Bank of America and its commitment to the community and Cabrillo.

The CAPS Media crew recorded the City of Ventura Mayor’s Arts Awards at the Museum of Ventura County. The annual program honors outstanding contributions to the cultural community by city residents, artists, educators, organizations and business leaders. Mayor Erik Nasarenko recognized the 2017 recipients. The Mayor’s Arts Awards gala is airing on CAPS Media throughout the month.

CAPS Media produced a special video recognizing the Ventura Police Community Foundation’s “We’ve Got Your Back” campaign. Local citizens and businesses stepped-up to help fund the vital program to purchase lifesaving protective vests for police officers facing high-powered assaults in the field. The successful campaign provides for high-impact vests to be included in every patrol car and response vehicle. The CAPS Crew also covered the Coffee with a Cop event at Café Ficelle where Ventura police officers and residents met, mingled and shared a fine cup of coffee in an informal, friendly environment.

CAPS Media also produced a special video capturing the moving memorial service honoring Ventura County Fire Department’s fallen hero Captain Scott Osler who died in the line of duty. The service airs on CAPS Media Channel 15 throughout the month.

Representative districting is moving quickly in Ventura and every Ventura resident is encouraged to get involved in the determination of the district mapping for the city council representatives. Go to www.CityofVentura.CA.Gov/districtelections to get all the info on the process and how to add your suggestions for dividing the city into representative districts.

CAPS Radio, KPPQ 104.1 FM and CAPS Television (Channel 6 & 15) are streaming programming on the web 24×7. Now everyone in and outside of Ventura can enjoy the diversified programming on CAPS Media on cable, on the radio airwaves and streaming on the web. Go to capsmedia.org to see what’s on and get direct access to television and radio programming with the click of a button.

CAPS Media’s mission is to create an engaged and informed community through participation in electronic media. Our goals are to Engage, Educate and Inform. This is a good time to explore becoming a CAPS Media Member/Producer. Orientation is held on the first Thursday of every month. HD videography/camera classes are on the 2nd Thursday, Final Cut postproduction editing classes are on the 3rd Thursday, and CAPS Radio (KPPQ, FM 104.1) holds classes on the 4th week. CAPS Media Member/Producers receive hands-on instruction in videography, video editing, radio production and more. All classes begin at 6pm at the CAPS Media Center. Once trained member/producers may check out CAPS Media’s video cameras and other production equipment and book postproduction editing suites to craft the program they want to share. Details of training and signups are at capsmedia.org/events.

Anyone who lives, works or attends school in the city of Ventura may become a Member/Producer. Annual membership fees are only $25 for an individual and $75 for a non-profit organization. CAPS Radio DJs require an additional annual fee of $50. For complete information go to capsmedia.org.

The annual Storm Day training conducted by the Ventura Public Works Agency took place on November 1 to prepare for a major disaster in Ventura County. The eighth annual Storm Day training was conducted at two sites, one in Ventura: The Dent Basin and in Simi Valley at Las Liajas Dam.

More than 200 personnel from Ventura County Public Works Agency departments participated in the event. Exercises were designed to simulate the effects of and earthquake and severe storm to two of the counties 56 dams. Karl Novak, Deputy Director of the Watershed Protection District led the efforts at Dent Basin. “Practice makes perfect.” He said.

The drills were aimed at coordinating and practicing to quickly shore up and limit water leaking from an effected dam. Using a technique of sandbag configurations called boils to constrain leaks and use of large tarps to stop any seepage or leaks.

The scenario allowed officials to gauge the effectiveness of county crews, and first responders to a real emergency. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services, along with VCPWA activated several sites including its emergency Field Operations Centers.

Specific goals of the exercise were test the involved agencies emergency response plans and evaluating the effectiveness of inter-agency procedures. The drill was designed to uncover areas needing improvement in emergency response plans.

School on Wheels staff member Ian Chan is running 52 marathons in 2017 to raise awareness about homeless children. The Ventura Marathon was his 49th of the year and he came 55th out of 1008 runners with a personal best time of 3:15:18!

“Why am I running 52 marathons this year? Over 500,000 children experience homelessness in California each year; this campaign is about raising awareness and giving hope to a population all too forgotten and neglected. The hardest thing has been fitting the races into my busy year.”

Catherine Meek, Executive Director of School on Wheels said, “We are so proud of Ian and his amazing achievement of running a marathon every week. We hope people will support him in his goal of raising awareness about the staggering problem of homeless children in our communities.”

To help with his goals go to https://www.gofundme.com/ianchanrunning.

The Museum of Ventura County and California Resources Corporation will host a “Moment of Gratitude,” 8:30–9:30 a.m., Nov. 9, at the Museum’s Smith Pavilion. The event is an opportunity for Executive Director Elena Brokaw to thank city and county officials and the community for their support throughout the Museum’s fiscal challenge, and to provide an update on the Museum’s progress to date. Also on the agenda will be the introduction and welcome to the newly-elected board of directors, and a special presentation from California Resources Corporation.

“The incredible support and commitment the Museum has received from community members, corporations, such as California Resources Corporation, and both city and county officials, has enabled us to avert a museum closure and develop a new path toward sustainability,” said Brokaw. “As we continue to plan for 2018, we want to pause and give thanks to everyone for recognizing the value the Museum brings to Ventura County.”

Brokaw reached out to city officials and Ventura County’s board of supervisors this past July to request public funding to help the Museum keep its doors open. The Ventura County Board of Supervisors voted to give the Museum $155,000 for six months, with the direction of the money going toward helping assess the collection and determine what it will take to keep that maintained. The Ventura City Council approved $125,000 for six months.

In addition to the many popular exhibitions and quality programming provided by the Museum, the main museum campus in downtown Ventura and the agricultural museum in Santa Paula are the storehouses for a comprehensive collection of artifacts, photography and personal memorabilia documenting more than 150 years of the region’s history.

The Nov. 9 event is free to the public, however a reservation is required. Please visit http://bit.ly/2ynRSmR to reserve your spot. For additional information, please call 653-0323.

The Rotary Club of Ventura South will host its 29th annual Trivia Challenge fundraiser in support of the Ventura County Library’s Adult Literacy Program on Wednesday, November 15. The event begins at 6:00 p.m. at the Wedgewood Banquet Center, 5882 Olivas Park Dr.

The popular event features a “Jeopardy-like” game in which teams of three people compete for trophies by answering a variety of questions on topics ranging from history to entertainment to sports and general trivia. Teams fall into four categories: Youth (under 25), Service Club (e.g., Rotary, Kiwanis, etc.), Business, and Individual Just for Fun. Entry fees are $375 per team and $125 for individuals . Spectators are welcome for $10. Hors d’oeuvre will be served and cocktails and soft drinks will be available for purchase.

All proceeds from the event will support the Ventura County Library’s READ Program, which provides free one-on-one tutoring for adults who want to learn to read. The program also provides free books, special programs for dyslexic adults, computer-assisted instruction, second language reading instruction, and family literacy activities.

Additional details and sign-up forms are available on the Rotary Club of Ventura South’s website: venturasouthrotary.org, or by calling Don MacDonald at 657-8194 or Marty Moss 208-9292. Information on the Library’s READ program is available online at vencolibrary.org, or by calling 677-7160.