Community Memorial Health System nurse, Vicki Graves, is a recent recipient of the Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nurses, a peer-elected awards program the hospital participates in each quarter. Nurses are nominated for the DAISY awards by patients, family members and colleagues. Graves, a registered nurse in the CMH Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, is known at the hospital for her compassionate care, concern, and dedication to patient health.

Each quarter, a nurse is selected to receive the Daisy Award by an awards committee. At a presentation given in front of the nurse’s peers, patients and leadership, the honoree receives a certificate of commendation for being an “Extraordinary Nurse.”

By Karen Helen Szatkowski

The Kiwanis International of Ventura, co-hosted by Oxnard and Thousand Oaks clubs, put on their 13th Annual Event to honor many of the local firefighters and several citizen heroes at the Crown Plaza Hotel on the Ventura Beach on September 11th.

The evening ceremonies were opened by the Ventura City Firefighters Pipes & Drums accompanied by the Ventura County Honor Guard which was an exciting and moving start. Many city and county dignitaries and fire officials were in attendance as well, introduced by the Mayor of Ventura, Cheryl Heitmann.

The first honoree, Captain John Harber, was presented the Firefighter of the Year by the Santa Paula Fire Department.  Captain Harber took a school program under his wing which gained wide praise.

The Ventura County Fire Department awarded a Firefighter of the Year from each of the five battalions starting with Firefighter Joseph Dullam of Battalion 1; Captain Richard Toukdarian of Battalion 2; Firefighter Ryan Flitt of Battalion 3; Firefighter Mark Villasenor of Battalion 4 and Firefighter Lucas Beller of Battalion 5.  Exemplary first responders all.

Firefighter Josh Massie earned the Firefighter of the Year in the Oxnard Fire Department as his IT talent allowed the change in the vitally important radio program to mature smoothly.

Paramedic/Firefighter Chad Panke, Firefighter of the Year with the Fillmore Fire Department, has been involved in implementing the County of Ventura’s Cardiac Arrest Management Program as well as the EMS system.

Paramedic/Firefighter Drew DeRousseau, as Firefighter of the Year for the Ventura City Fire Department is known as the “question man”.  Drew wants to know why, when, where, what and who. In his 3 1/2 years with the Department he has found many answers.

Fire Engineer Torrey Anderson of the Federal Fire Department moved from volunteer firefighter at the Fillmore Fire Department to the Federal Fire Department in 2007 as a full-time employee.

Many of these recipients were not able to attend the ceremony as they were deployed to fight the walls of flame scorching Northern California.

Along with these lauded public servants, Kiwanis awarded Citizen Hero Honors to people that jumped in and saved others in danger.  Maria Esparza happened upon a burning car on the freeway and managed to pull an infant from the back seat while Brian Neilsen, who also stopped to see if he was needed, pulled the driver out of the car.  Josh Powers, visiting the beach during a nasty rip tide, swam out and saved a friend and his own fiancée who were both very close to drowning. Lastly Richard Rychlowski rescued a neighbor from a fire consumed home next door just seconds before help arrived.

This joke was included in a recent issue. We just couldn’t wait until April Fool’s Day. We apologize for our warped sense of humor. Not only will the statue of Father Juniper Serra remain there forever, but he is now a Saint having been recently elevated to Sainthood by Pope Francis.

After Pope Francis announced that he would canonize Father Junipero Serra it turned out that Serra is a very controversial person and there are many who object to him becoming a Saint.
In order for this not to become a controversy in Ventura the City Council has replaced his statue, located across from City Hall with this statue of Ventress The Ventura Pier Creature . This sea creature was first reported and named in the Ventura Breeze.

The Ventura creature

By Tanner and Kai

An amazing sight was to be seen
The most exciting, indeed, of the whole year
A sea creature who sometimes is seen
In the waters near the Ventura Pier

Came out of the sea, ashore, as you can see
In the fabulous photo of the two in the Breeze
To have her baby did this creature dear
Sweet Sea Monster Dee

A wonder I’m sure to never see again I fear
For soon back out to sea she will be
Sweet Sea Monster Dee
And her baby boy Driftwood Lee

Dick Zizic, Harold Kennedy, Dick Baldwin, Tony Jankowski and somebody in a Breeze cap celebrating Harold’s birthday at the Vagabond Coffee Shop.

In observance of the Labor Day holiday, the employees of E.J. Harrison & Sons will be taking the day off on Monday, Sept. 7, As a result, Ventura and Ojai residential customers will have their trash and recyclables or green waste collected one day later than usual during the week of Sept.7-11.

The regular schedule will resume the following week.

For more information, call 647-1414.

By Jill Forman

Five hundred and thirty-six dollars.  Think about that amount; many folks spend that monthly on the payment for a nice car, or going out to eat every week, or spending a modest weekend away.  Five hundred and thirty-six dollars.

For other families, that amount stands between them and homelessness.  That is the average amount the Homeless Prevention Fund gives to families to keep them in their home.  For some families it is as little as $200.  Think about how close such families are to the edge of financial disaster at any time.  Imagine living like that every day.

Our article in the Breeze generated over 10 calls, as more people became aware of the services offered.  Desperate people, with maybe a “three day notice” saying, essentially, pay your back rent or lose your home.  Due to lack of financial resources, the Fund was able to keep only 8 of these families housed.  We referred the others to alternative sources in hopes they might be able to help.

What the article didn’t generate was donations.  The Fund is 100% dependent on individual and faith community contributions.  Six local congregations donate frequently and generously, but there are over 90 houses of worship in the city.  The Fund is currently in the red, a frequent occurrence as there is so much need.

Keeping a person or family in their home is the most economical way to keep homelessness from spreading.  Once the home is lost, it can take thousands of dollars to rehouse them: first and last month’s rent, security deposit, and other fees.  And then many landlords won’t rent to them because they have an eviction on their record.  So they end up in motels, or on the street.  Those are not safe ways to live, and it ends up costing the taxpayers for law enforcement, 911 calls, ambulance transport and ER visits, and other services.

One of our donors, not a wealthy person, gave up his daily cup(s) of expensive coffee for Lent, and donated the amount saved to the Fund.  And then just kept it as a monthly donation and keeps the fancy stuff for an occasional treat.  Another one gives donations as wedding and baby gifts, feeling that a safer and more just world is the best gift a new couple or new baby can have. me.

Donations can be made at vhpf.net.  Five dollars.  Ten dollars a month.  100% of all contributions go directly to keeping people housed.

Five hundred and thirty-six dollars — often much less –keeps a family housed.

What about you? Will you help?