Category Archives: This ‘n’ That

Friends celebrate Charles’s seventh birthday

David & Faith Friedlander started K&FT with a shared passion to help others build strong and healthy relationships. Photos by Patricia Schallert

For over 23 years, “Kids and Families Together” has been serving foster, kinship and birth families throughout Ventura County. K&FT has become the leader in providing critical services and support to children, who have experienced trauma, abuse, neglect, loss, and multiple placements.

Charles, a favorite staff, four-legged member, Bernese Mountain dog, celebrated his seventh birthday with staff members and their families on February 15 at

Bright Spark Brewing on Market St. in Ventura. Charles also known as “Charlie” is a therapy dog and much loved by all the children.

Charles said ” February 3 was my 7th Birthday. As I celebrate another year, I am filled with gratitude for my life, my health, my family, my friends, my career and co-workers for belly rubs and treats and trips to the dog park. I am a very lucky and well loved pup.”

Kids & Families Together is a not-for-profit support, education, and counseling resource center that provides services for individuals and families in foster/resource care, kinship care, legal guardianship, adoption, as well as birth families.

Kids & Family Together mission is to strengthen relationships by providing safe, supportive help that keeps family members emotionally connected to one another.

Kids & Family Together
864 E. Santa Clara St.
805-643-1446
www.kidsandfamily.org

County Ventura St. Patrick’s Day Parade is on!

Entries for the Ventura Elks Lodge’s 32nd annual County Ventura St. Patrick’s Day Parade are now being accepted. The parade will commence at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 11, along Main Street in midtown Ventura.

This year’s parade theme, “Let’s Celebrate,” gives the entrants free rein to pick their own entry themes, whether it’s an upcoming event, a business anniversary or anything else that’s worthy of a celebration.

Among the county’s most popular annual community events, the St. Patrick’s Day parade was a tremendous success last year, returning after two years off, to a route lined with happy families having a great time on a beautiful sunny day in Ventura. This year, the parade will run the same midtown route it debuted last year, downhill along Main, from Lincoln Drive to Fir Street.

Entry to join in the parade is easy: Prospective entrants can simply go to the parade website and follow the basic steps to submit their forms and pay via PayPal. Entry deadline is Thursday, March 2; the first 100 entries will be accepted.

Our grand marshal this year is Ventura Elks Lodge No. 1430, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary! This beloved local lodge is a strong community organization that works diligently with our veterans and our young people, especially those in scouting programs, and has sponsored the St. Patrick’s Day parade since the very first one in 1988!

St. Patrick invites you to be in the parade. Register online at www.venturastpatricksdayparade.com.

If you have any entry questions, call parade coordinator Brian Brennan at 805-746-5955 or committee member Aaron Gaston at 805-340-8217. For other parade information, contact Jim Monahan at 805-340-1356 or Faye McDonald at [email protected] or 805-340-7525.

Ventura Music Festival present Austria’s great Mnozil Brass

On Thursday, March 2nd at 8pm, the Ventura Music Festival & Sterling Venue Ventures present Mnozil Brass in “GOLD” – a program of best works from this genius band’s 25-year career. Exactly who are the Mnozil Brass? A septet: six trumpets, six trombones and a tuba whose music embraces a mix of folk, jazz, pop and classical, resulting in “moments of sheer silliness and some of the finest brass playing imaginable.”

“We were only two weeks away from presenting Mnozil in 2020 and they were selling out”, said VMF CEO Susan Scott. “Then Covid hit and cancelled everything, but that was then and this is now. It is a huge pleasure to present Mnozil and to offer concert-goers a 20% discount to celebrate our first offering in 2023: the code: GOLD. Parking is plentiful and free at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center, located at 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard.

Tickets for this wildly entertaining, singular show range from $48 to $78 and are available online at www.AXS.com. Or, save on ticket fees and order directly from Sterling Box Office: 888-645.5006. Tickets are in Will Call for pickup night of performance.

www.VenturaMusicFestival.org | Phone: (805) 648-3146

“We are better together”

The River Community Church honored those who collaborate with them throughout the year.

The River Community Church, located at the corner of Kalorama and Santa Clara streets in downtown Ventura, is all about their community. On Sunday, February 5, at their Annual Church Meeting they honored those who collaborate with them throughout the year. From Mario Avilo (Downtown Ventura Clean Ambassador) and Scott Gulick (Downtown Ventura Safety Ambassador) to Community Partners Bruce Whitton (Bent Nail Services) and Jim Rice and Linda Jordan (Peirano’s Market).

The River showed their appreciation to those who give back to the city and to those who The River serves. Long-time donor awards were given to Charnell Smith of Aloha Steakhouse, Sharon Palmer of Main St. Meats, Orestis Simos and Alex Montoya of Water’s Edge and Mayur Patel of The Bayshore, Loop and Mission Bell Motels.

Leona Rollins, from the City of Ventura, shared her gratitude to The River for helping with the Foul Weather Shelter during the months of December 2022 through March 2023. The River opens their doors as an intake facility when the weather becomes inclement, and makes sure those being housed for the night get to the designated hotel and receive meals from partnering churches during their stay.

Mayor Joe Schroeder was another guest who learned of the many opportunities where The River meets the needs of those in the city. Sometimes it is the weekly drive-through Food Pantry, while other times it may be a hot lunch or a bag of food for the day to the under-resourced in the area.

Mayor Schroeder stated “ Just before I left for college my father walked me over to a neighbor’s house that we were not close to. She was an old widow and looking back I’m sure she struggled financially. While this was my only free week that summer my father thought it would be a good idea if I painted Mrs. Williams house for a very small amount. He told me that neighborhoods fail and therefore a town can fail if we don’t individually reach out and help each other. He believed that the highest form of giving was donating without being asked.”

“When I look at the “community giving” at the River church the social impact is obvious. I asked the congregation how we can activate more citizens so the Ventura community would continue to improve. The answer was, one person at a time. Jim Duran is the Lead Pastor and his example of community giving should inspire all of us to help our neighbors.”

Sunshine and Dustin Cheek were recognized for their faithful efforts in volunteering in this area.

Other non-profit organizations that The River partners with are Tender Life Maternity Home and The City Center Transitional Living, and those attending heard a personal testimony from a resident from each program.

That’s when you see where housing the homeless and their children are so important to helping change lives. Also honored for going above and beyond in their volunteer efforts were Ted Alan (Tender Life) and Dale Harmon (The City Center) who are currently overseeing major renovations at each of the facilities.

Lead Pastor Jim Duran stated, “We are better together”, because he knows that The River cannot operate on its own and is thankful for all those who are in collaboration with these three non-profits. If you would like more information about The River Community Church, visit their website at TheRiverCommunity.org.

Ensemble Theatre Company (ETC) announces the company’s first design competition

Ensemble Theatre Company (ETC) announces the company’s first design competition, which will recognize one artist, 18 and older, to submit an original image that represents one of its three upcoming productions:  Selling Kabul, The Children or Seared. The artist can use any medium as long as the image can be submitted in a digital form (PDF 17”x17” at 300dpi). The winner will receive a $500 cash prize and the opportunity to partner with ETC’s artistic and managing directors to design the artwork for the entire 45th season.  If the winning artists images are used to promote the season, the winner will receive an additional $2,500.

Interested individuals can obtain additional information about the contest at https://etcsb.org/design-competition/. Deadline for submissions is February 28, 2023, and the winner will be announced on March 15, 2023.

Participants went on a half-mile educational walk along the coast

This annual event is a visual opportunity to provide awareness about rising sea levels. Photos by Patricia Schallert

On Saturday, January 21, the City of Ventura hosted a press conference and coastal walk along the Ventura Beach Promenade with distinguished officials and local environmental partners during the annual King Tides event.

Deputy Mayor Jeannette Sanchez-Palacios was joined by U.S. Congressman Salud Carbajal, Assemblymember Steve Bennett, County Supervisor Matt LaVere, Brian Brennan of the Beach Erosion Authority for Clean Oceans and Nourishment (BEACON), Zach Plopper of the Surfrider Foundation, and Acting City Manager Akbar Alikhan.

This annual event is a visual opportunity to provide education and awareness about rising sea levels and coastal erosion for local coastline communities like Ventura. The term “King Tide” is used to describe an especially high tide event when there is an alignment of the gravitational pull between the sun and moon. When King Tides occur during floods or storms, water levels can rise higher and have the potential to cause great damage to the coastline and coastal property.

“Ventura boasts seven miles of beautiful sandy beaches and valuable shoreline,” said Public Works Director Phil Nelson. “These yearly tides are a humble reminder that our coastline is vulnerable and highlights the innovative measures the city and many community partners have taken to combat erosion to help preserve our shoreline.”

 

Learn more about King Tides at www.coastal.ca.gov/KingTides.

 

 

Ventura High School student-athlete named California girls cross country player of the year

Engelhardt has also maintained a weighted 4.50 GPA in the classroom.

In its 38th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade announced Sadie Engelhardt of Ventura High School is the 2022-23 Gatorade California Girls Cross Country Player of the Year. Engelhardt is the first Gatorade California Girls Cross Country Player of the Year to be chosen from Ventura High School.

The award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field.

The 5-foot-7 sophomore raced to the Division 2 individual state championship this past season with a time of 16:57.84, leading the Cougars to a fifth-place finish as a team. Engelhardt also won the Woodbridge Classic, the Southern Section Championships and the Champs Sports West Regional Championships. She took 10th at the Champs Sports National Championships, earning All-America honors in the process.

Engelhardt has fundraised for Runners for Public Lands to help memorialize a teammate who was killed by a distracted driver. She has also volunteered locally at running events and marathons in addition to working at a local running store. “Sadie Engelhardt overcame illness that interrupted her training on multiple occasions to demonstrate why she is still one of the most impressive athletes in the country,” said Erik Boal, an editor for DyeStat.com. “In addition to winning a state championship and the Champs Sports West Regional title, she earned All-America honors at the Champs Sports National Championships. Sadie also produced one of the best 3-mile cross country performances in prep history, clocking 15:42.60 to prevail against an exceptional field at the Woodbridge Classic.”

Engelhardt has maintained a weighted 4.50 GPA in the classroom. She will begin her junior year of high school this fall.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.

To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade.

Bikes & Furniture Gift~Away!

When you give…we can give to those who need it the most!

Heart 2 Heart, a program of Kids & Families Together (K&FT), hosted a New Bikes & Furniture Gift~Away event on Friday, January 20, 2023. “With the generous donations from our community, we were able to provide 21 Ventura County foster, adoptive and kinship families with new bikes, new printer cabinets, folding tables, and other home décor,” said Jeni Futvoye, K&FT’s Community Resource Manager. The children in attendance were very excited to receive their bikes with one caregiver saying, “the child in my care now has a bike they can ride with their siblings!” K&FT is grateful for the support from individuals and ongoing partners who give so generously. “When our community gives, we can then give to those who need it the most!”said Jeni Futvoye.

Founded in 2000, Kids & Families Together has been serving foster, adoptive, kinship, and birth families throughout Ventura County. For over two decades K&FT has become the leader in providing critical services and support to children who have experienced trauma, abuse, neglect, loss, and multiple placements. K&FT is unique in that they provide counseling services, education, support and strategies to connect caregivers and parents to the children in their care. With programs like Heart 2 Heart, K&FT is able to wrap their arms around the entire family to help them raise healthy, nurtured children that thrive. To learn more about the programs and the services K&FT provides, please visit https://www.kidsandfamilies.org/

K&FT would like to thank the many volunteers that came out for this event. “We can’t do these events without their help!”, said Carrie McAuliffe Sandoval, Heart 2 Heart co-founder. With your support, K&FT’s programs make a powerful and impactful difference in the lives of foster, adoptive, kinship, and birth families throughout Ventura County. To support events like this visit: https://fundraise.givesmart.com/form/DYmnzg?vid=59elz To learn about K&FT’s many volunteer opportunities, visit: https://www.kidsandfamilies.org/seeking-volunteers/

Community Memorial Healthcare Debuts New Master Brand

Community Memorial Healthcare, formerly Community Memorial Health System, is proud to debut a new master brand that better reflects the mission and values of the organization, as well as the breadth of services it provides across west Ventura County. The modernized brand includes a new logo, vibrant colors, and an updated naming architecture. 

The brand, which officially launched January 22, 2023, provides a fresh look for Community Memorial, the locally-owned, not-for-profit health system of choice in Ventura County. The organization remains committed to its independent status and will continue to provide the exceptional care the community has come to know and trust. 

“The goal of this project was to unify Community Memorial’s hospitals, health centers, programs and services under a single, highly recognizable umbrella with consistent presence across the county,” said Jamie Maites, Community Memorial Healthcare Vice President, Marketing & Development. “We wanted the look and feel of the brand to reflect our community and the high quality care we deliver.” 

The new umbrella name, Community Memorial Healthcare, replaces Community Memorial Health System as the enterprise name. Other key name changes include:  

  • Community Memorial Hospital – Ventura, previously Community Memorial Hospital 
  • Community Memorial Hospital – Ojai, previously Ojai Valley Community Hospital 
  • Community Memorial Health Centers, previously Centers for Family Health and Midtown Medical Group
  • Community Memorial Foundation, previously Community Memorial Healthcare Foundation

Community Memorial Healthcare’s new logo, a layered wave, is a nod to Ventura County’s coastal location. The layers symbolize the various parts of the organization — from physicians and caregivers on the front lines to those behind the scenes — all working together to deliver exceptional care. The logo colors were carefully chosen to represent caring (blue), wisdom and compassion (purple), and wellness and vitality (bright green). The wave will replace a number of disparate logos currently being used across Community Memorial’s locations and programs. 

“A tremendous amount of research was done in the planning of this change,” said Mick Zdeblick, President & CEO, Community Memorial Healthcare. “We asked a lot of questions and received input from stakeholders, team members, and our community. We learned that residents are looking for a partner and advocate in their healthcare who will understand their needs and evolve to keep meeting them over time. This new brand represents our commitment to being that partner for our community.”  

Community Memorial’s new website, mycmh.org provides a single virtual front door to all that Community Memorial Healthcare has to offer. Features of the new site include expanded information on services, physicians, and locations, as well as enhanced access to the patient portal, find a doctor tool, and free health risk assessments. 

Community Memorial’s new brand launches in conjunction with a multimedia advertising campaign designed to showcase the new brand and share more about the organization’s philosophy.