While at Arroyo Verdi Park Michael Gordon took this lovely photo of a Calandrinia Spectabilis in bloom. At least that is what he called it. Next month he thinks that maybe the Prickly Pear Cactus will bloom.
Category Archives: This ‘n’ That
Project Understanding announces 2017 Shining Star Award Winners
Matt and Dawn Bianchini of Richard H. Bejune Memorial Foundation, Janine Dykstra and Sheldon who presented their Shining Star Award.
Project Understanding of San Buenaventura held their annual “Shining Star Awards” on Thursday, February 9, at the Poinsettia Pavilion. The evening event was a celebration where they honored their outstanding community volunteers and partners and was highly attended by city officials, legislative representatives, local business owners, the faith community and supporters.
Among the honorees were Meg Perry and Gina Norstedt – Administration Volunteer of the Year; Karen Collier and Carolyn Tabor – Tender Life Volunteer of the Year; David Ensminger – Tutoring Volunteer of the Year; Nita Perkins – First Step Volunteer of the Year; Joanna Norstedt – Food Pantry Volunteer of the Year; Oxnard Monday Club – Philanthropists of the Year; CAPS Media – Collaborating Partner of the Year; Richard H. Bejune Memorial Foundation – Community Partner of the Year; MortgageCouch – Business of the Year; Ventura Seventh-Day Adventists Church and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church – House of Worship; Janine Dykstra – Employee of the Year; Carol and Larry Dawes – Donors of the Year; Charleen Morla and Kellie Meehan – Board Members of the Year; Karol Schulkin – Shalom Award; and Lynn Geller – Shining Star Volunteer of the Year.
Ventura Councilmember Cheryl Heitmann served as Master of Ceremonies. Many community leaders presented awards, including several government officials: Michael Powers, Chief Executive Officer, Ventura County; Matt LeVere, Ventura Councilmember; Patti Quiroz, representing Sen. Hannah Beth Jackson; and Jeannette Sanchez-Palacio, representing Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin. County School Superintendent Dr. Stan Mantooth presented on behalf of the educational community.
Other presenters included Betsy Chess, Limoneira; Dave Schulze, Ventura Church of Christ; Sheldon Brown, Ventura Breeze; Lisa Anglin, Fidelity National Title; Rick Pearson, North Oxnard United Methodist Church (former E.D. of Project); Kevin Clerici, Downtown Ventura Partners; Aaron Shiah, ServiceMaster Restoration & Cleaning by Integrity; Suki Sir, Turning Point Foundation; and Dan Stevens, namesake of the Dan Stevens Shalom Award (former pastor of Orchard Community Church).
The event was generously sponsored by: Oxnard Monday Club, Riviera Bronze and the National Charity League Juniors of Ventura County.
“This was a pleasant event to honor our community volunteers and partners. It was great way to kick off our celebration for Project Understanding’s 40th Year Anniversary this year. The success of the past forty years truly could not have been done without the support, partnerships and dedication of those we celebrated tonight and those who have carried our organization and believed in our mission throughout the years,” said Jann Huling, President of Project Understanding.
Founded in 1977, Project Understanding provides hope by developing and directing resources for the purpose of transforming lives and community through justice, mercy and compassion. For 40 years, Project Understanding has been assisting people reach their highest attainable level of independence. For more information on Project Understanding, please visit www.projectunderstanding.org.
Temple Beth Torah
Temple Beth Torah presents, “The Magic of Purim Carnival.” The theme for this year’s carnival is magic; those who attend are encouraged to dress in costume (not a requirement). The location for the carnival is at Temple Beth Torah – 7620 Foothill Rd. The date is Sunday, March 12th, from 10:00 am – 12:30 pm. Admission is $12 per child and $10 for siblings. Activities at the event will include; a Magic Show, Rockwall/Bungee Jump, Bouncy, Games & Prizes, Glow Room, Live Music, Glitter Tattoos, and much more! Pizza, snacks, and homemade baked goods will be available for purchase as well.
For more information contact 647-4181.
Volunteers to be Honored at Wish Night 2017 Gala
Two volunteers will be honored by Make-A-Wish® Tri-Counties at the 8th Annual Wish Night gala on March 3 at the Hyatt Regency in Westlake Village. Meredith Garofalo/KEYT News Channel 3 has been named community partner of the year for her dedicated community outreach efforts. Francisco Bracho, M.D., will receive the honor of healthcare professional of the year for his tireless work for Wish kids battling life-threatening medical conditions and their families.
“Meredith and Dr. Bracho dedicate countless hours supporting the work of Make-A-Wish ®Tri-Counties. We are fortunate to work with these dedicated professionals and it’s truly an honor to recognize them for their service,” said Pattie Mullins, CEO, Make-A-Wish® Tri-Counties. Dr. Bracho has worked magic to support our program making it possible for wish kids to travel safely and experience the power of a wish.”
Garofalo, a Santa Barbara resident, has worked as a meteorologist for KEYT News Channel 3 in Santa Barbara for three years.
As founding director of the program for Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Ventura County Medical Center, Dr. Bracho was instrumental in providing a local facility for treatment of many seriously ill children, especially those with cancer. He says it is a privilege to unburden these families with quality local care. The bonus is he can also refer those children to Make-A-Wish® Tri-Counties.
“One of my most memorable moments was getting a picture of a 3-year-old wish kid giving the “thumbs up” from the cockpit of a plane, on his way to a special place,” said Dr. Bracho. Several years later, MAWTC asked him to serve as Medical Advisor. “I was honored then as I am now. Make-A-Wish® Tri-Counties continues to be one of the brightest lights here in our area.”
Wish Night will be held from 6-9:30 p.m. and guests will have the opportunity to help make wishes come true through Fund-A-Wish. The evening also features heartfelt wish stories, a plated dinner, a wine wall, live music and silent and live auctions. Philanthropist and reality TV show personality Andrew Firestone will serve as master of ceremonies.
Last year Make-A-Wish® Tri-Counties granted over 90 wishes for local children throughout Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. This year’s goal is 100 wishes. For tickets and/or sponsorship information, visit http://tri-counties.wish.org/ or email [email protected] or call the Wish Center at 826-1178.
Audubon field trips and events
March 4 8:30 a.m. Hill Canyon at Santa Rosa County Park, Camarillo
Linda Easter 482-7537.
Hill Canyon has several habitats including chaparral, oak woodland, and riparian. We will look for woodpeckers, towhees, sparrows, hawks, swifts, and as many as five species of wrens. Park in the Santa Rosa County Park area where the charge is $2 per vehicle.
March 5 8:00 a.m. Work Day Hedrick Ranch Nature Area. Sandy Hedrick 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 and sun protection.
March 11 8:30 a.m. The Nature Conservancy Hanson Property.
Karl Krause, [email protected], 415-0188
This walk will be limited to 15 people. Participants will need to complete a TNC Liability Release and Waiver form prior to the trip. Please contact Karl Krause to reserve a space and obtain a blank release form.
This is an opportunity to visit the TNC Hanson Property along the Santa Clara River and see the habitat restoration work being done by the Nature Conservancy.
March 14 at the Poinsettia Pavilion, 3451 Foothill Road at 7:30 an informative presentation of two essential restoration and conservation projects that serve to protect and develop habitat in our area. Scientists from the Riparian Invasion Research Lab (RIVRLab) at UCSB are conducting a large scale restoration on over 200 acres of riparian habitat in the Santa Clara River in Santa Paula and Fillmore. The goals of this project are to remove the invasive giant reed Arundo and reestablish native woodland and scrub habitat to benefit wildlife, including the Least Bell’s Vireo and the Southwest Willow Flycatcher.
March 18 8:30 a.m. Foster Park David Lee 451-3504
Meet inside the entrance to the. There will be a good opportunity to see riparian species such as great blue and other herons, forest accipiters, neotropical migrants and various sparrows.
March 19 8:30 a.m. Wheeler Canyon Raeanne Koerner 701-1919
This canyon provides good birding opportunities. Looking for raptors, ground doves, Western Bluebirds and maybe a Lewis’ Woodpecker.
March 21 8:30 a.m. Krotona Adele Fergusson 415-4304
Krotona Institute is a theosophical study center, with acres of beautiful grounds, including grasslands, pines, oaks, and ornamental plants with lot of water features. Field Sparrow was seen here last winter a good place to discover raptors flying over.
March 25 8:30 a.m. Ventura Hillsides Jackie Worden [email protected]
Audubon members only are invited to visit a private ranch which Ventura Hillsides Conservancy (VHC) is working to purchase and preserve for hiking, biking, and nature loving. Coastal sage scrub, oak woodland and riparian corridors are found within the annual grasslands of this beautiful parcel. To reserve your spot and receive additional event details, RSVP to the Jackie Worden on or before March 15th. Space is limited to 25 participants and reservations are on a first come, first served basis.
BikeVentura is having a launch party
VCCOOL, a grassroots climate change organization is launching a new initiative, BikeVentura. A launch party is planned at the Bell Arts Factory, 432 N. Ventura Ave., on Saturday, March 4th from 7-10pm. Entertainment will be provided by The Salty Suites and there will be hors d’oeuvres provided by Scratch Ventura. There will be a cash bar with beer provided by Topa Topa Brewery. All proceeds benefit BikeVentura, a 501(3C) organization. The public is welcome, please RSVP for the event on The Ventura Bike HUB’s Facebook page.
BikeVentura is a political action and advocacy initiative, tasked with coordinating with city and county government throughout Ventura County to insure bicyclist safety, bicycle-centered active transportation and road use. Readers may be familiar with The Ventura Bike Hub, another VCCOOL program, that is closely aligned with BikeVentura. “BikeVentura was created to serve the needs of our community through education, empowerment and advocacy,” said Yvonne Adan, acting Executive Director. “Through our Bike HUB, our Kids Club program or our collaboration with local government, BikeVentura brings the community together and is helping to build better bicycle culture in Ventura,” said Heidi Buccola, VCCOOL Board Member.
Roasted chicken with vegetables is on the menu
Having grown up in the restaurant business, Judy Gilliard pursued her love of the hospitality business and obtained a degree in Hotel Restaurant Management from Santa Barbara Community College, and received her teaching credentials in food and food technology from the University of California.
Judy wrote a column “Simply Entertaining” for Emeril Lagasse on emeril.com for three years. Judy has authored 10 cookbooks, had both a local and syndicated radio show and did a regular TV cooking segment for the CBS station in Lincoln, NE. She has been teaching cooking classes for the home cook that focuses on good, healthy, and fast in the Midwest for the last several years.
Now returning to her home town she is teaching classes at VACE (Ventura Adult and Continuing Education) and Barranca Vista Center along with a catering service. Most people don’t realize how expensive setting up a hospitality business is but because Judy has been in the industry so long, she knew to get Hospitality Finance to help pay for the last bits of equipment she needed before opening.
Now you can get processed foods out of the pantry, by learning to cook with natural, simple, budget-friendly foods. The recipes and techniques are designed to help you get or keep you in good health by creating meals with the fresh foods of the seasons, including vegan and vegetarian options.
Her first class is on Tuesday, March 7th from 6-8pm.
Barranca Vista Center, 7050 Ralston St, 644-6542
$80.00 (Resident) $88.00 (Non-resident)
$28 material fee to instructor at first class
Check Judy’s website to see what is on the menu for each month www.chefjudy.net
Blues with the Breeze
On Feb.24 the Ventura Breeze presented the Equinox Ensemble Latin jazz blues band at Squashed Grapes (2351 E. Main). The evening was a great success as the standing room only crowd enjoyed the great music and fine Italian food from Cordello’s.
Ventura County Grand Jury to hold open house
On Thursday, March 9 the Grand Jury will host an open house for prospective jurors and interested members of the Ventura County community. Join the current Grand Jury along with public officials 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Grand Jury Chambers at 646 County Square Dr.
An all-volunteer group, the Grand Jury investigates selected complaints that have been initiated by the public. After investigating these complaints, the Grand Jury issues written reports which include facts, conclusions, and recommendations.
Basic requirements to qualify for service are: you must be a citizen of the United States, 18 years of age, a resident of Ventura County for at least one year prior to being seated, and have sufficient knowledge of English to conduct jury business. Basic computer skills are desirable. All eligible residents of the Ventura County community are encouraged to apply.
Applications are available online at the Grand Jury website www.ventura.org/grand-jury, or by calling 477-1600. Applications will be accepted until April 7, 2017.
Tender Life Maternity Home Walk-A-Thon
Project Understanding of San Buenaventura is pleased to announce its annual Tender Life Maternity Walk-A-Thon. The walk will be held on Saturday, March 4 at The River Community Church located at 889 Santa Clara St. Registration begins at 9:00am, and the walk starts at 9:30am.
This two-mile walk will take participants on a route around Ventura, from Thompson Blvd. to the Ventura Beach Promenade, with a returning stroll alongside downtown Ventura’s surrounding streets. The walk will end at Tender Life Maternity Home located at 871 E. Thompson Blvd. where all walkers will be able to tour the home, meet the residents of the program, and learn more about Tender Life.
“Our annual Tender Life Maternity Walk is one of our biggest fundraisers. Donors, alumni and current residents come together in a community to walk along each other to support Tender Life. This is a great event and really brings the ‘village’ together as one,”says Karen Johnson, on-site Case Manager of Tender Life.
Proceeds of the walk-a-thon will be used to operate Tender Life Maternity Home. For over three decades, Tender Life Maternity Home has been devoted to serving abandoned pregnant women and children by providing food, shelter, and personal growth opportunities in a caring home where “courage meets compassion to build new lives.” It currently houses up to six homeless, pregnant women, who receive good pre-natal care and life skills training to prepare them for independence.
To register for the Tender Life Maternity Walk or for more information, please visit http://www.projectunderstanding.org or contact Karen Johnson 653-7474.