Starting May 22,  the Ventura County Medical Center’s (VCMC) Emergency Room, operated by Seaside Emergency Associates, Inc. will be accompanied by new, caring faces as high school and college student volunteers begin their positions as Emergency Room Greeters.

Volunteers from various schools throughout Ventura County, including Foothill Technology High School, Ventura High School, Camarillo High School, and Ventura College, will be guiding and assisting patients, family members, and visitors while they are waiting in the department. Not only will they be interacting with patients and their families, but will be in direct communication with nurses and staff regarding inquiries of patient conditions for visitors.

This volunteer position provides not only training and knowledge to our future nurses and doctors of a Level II Trauma Emergency Room activity, but also continued involvement and efforts as a Ventura County community member.

For more information or to join the volunteer team please contact:

Margarida Eidson,Operation Manager
Seaside Emergency Associates
216-7277 or [email protected].

Ventura Family YMCA is offering day/sleepaway camp to make sure kids and teens in Ventura are adventurous, active and healthy this summer. YMCA camp programs are much like the well known school trips by Allnatt in that they offer youth fun and unique experiences with an opportunity to explore the outdoors, meet new friends, discover new interests and create memories that last a lifetime. However, they can be organised during school holidays so that parents can have a break too.

Summer is the ideal time for kids to get up, get out and explore. But, for some kids summer means no access to recreational and educational activities to help them learn, grow and thrive during out-of-school time. As a result, some kids can experience learning loss and gain weight twice as fast than during the school year. Attending Ventura Family YMCA summer camp is a wonderful opportunity for kids to keep their minds and bodies active.

Summer camp is all about a wide variety of new experiences and exploring the outdoors. YMCA camps have a new adventure for every child and teen.

Day and sleepaway camps offer fun, stimulating activities that engage the body and mind, and also help children and teens learn the importance of nutrition to help improve their healthy eating habits.

While in the welcoming environment of camp, youth have a chance to learn new skills, and develop confidence and independence by taking on new responsibilities and challenges. Camps offer cognitive learning and social-emotional development opportunities for achievement.

Summer camp is an unforgettable experience that will give each camper memories (and camp traditions) that will last a lifetime. Youth return to school with plenty of camp stories to share!

The Ventura Family YMCA offers a wide variety of camps. And, to ensure that all youth have the chance to experience camp, the Ventura Family YMCA offers financial assistance to those in need. If you’re interested in helping send kids to camp this summer, you can donate to the Y at www.ciymca.org/give

For more information, visit www.ciymca.org/ventura or contact Julie Obrien, Youth Programs Director at 642.2131 or [email protected] .

Swan Lake is one of the most famous ballets in the classical repertoire

Footworks Youth Ballet presents for the first time Tchaikovsky’s famous classical ballet Swan Lake in two full-length performances at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center at 2:00 p.m. on June 3rd and 4th. The tragic love story is about Odette, a princess who has been cursed by an evil sorcerer to become a swan by day but changed back to human form by night—a spell that can only be broken by a prince who swears his eternal love for her.

Swan Lake is one of the most famous ballets in the classical repertoire with demanding choreography for both principal dancers and the Corps de ballet. For those unfamiliar, Corps de ballet is the group of dancers who are not soloists, working as one beautiful unit with as many as 18-24 dancers. Their synchronized movements and formations on stage provide a backdrop to the soloists but are in every way a magical component to the overall presentation. As artistic director Kirsten Oakley explains, “The Corps work is very demanding and requires much discipline to be done well. “

The challenge doesn’t stop there. Being a youth ballet, Oakley has challenged her dancers (ages 6-18) with versions of the classical choreography used for this ballet by large-scale ballet companies. She states, “Surprisingly, the students are so excited and thrilled to be learning it, in spite of the difficulty.”

Oakley also challenges her senior dancers in principal roles partnered with male guest artists, an opportunity not often found in youth ballet companies.

Founded by Kirsten Oakley, Footworks Youth Ballet was created with the goal of providing a place for young people to thrive and grow through the joy of dance as they learn the art and discipline of classical ballet. Technique classes are offered through Oakley Ballet Center.

For each ballet production, Footworks Youth Ballet hosts a sold-out performance for over 3,000 school-aged children. Most of the tickets for the children are provided at the reduced fee of $5.00  and many of the students qualify for free tickets.

Swan Lake, presented by Footworks Youth Ballet

Sat. June 3, 2.00 pm

Sun. June 4, 2.00 pm

Oxnard Performing Arts Center

Tickets $14, $18, $22

Call 486.2424 to buy tickets, or order online at footworksyouthballet.org  

The Ventura College Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Robert Lawson, will present the 9th annual Henry Schwab Violin/Viola Final Competition Concert. Three talented young musicians selected at the preliminary audition held on March 25 will perform a classical violin or viola concerto of his or her choice, by memory:

Cameron Andras, 18, violist, Hindemith’s Schwanendreher Viola Concerto

Jamie Lee, 16, violinist, Mozart Violin Concerto #4

Arjun Pillai, 15, violinist, Bruch Violin Concerto #1

After the concert the judges will announce the completion’s winners.

A total of $3,000 will be donated in the memory of Henry Schwab, a renowned violinist, concert master and teacher, who tried to instill in his students the love and study of classical music

The concert will be held on June 10, 2017, 8:p.m. at the Ventura College Performing Arts Center, 4700 Loma Vista Road.

Tickets at box office $15 general, $5 students faculty and seniors.

On Friday June 2, from 5:00 – 7:00 pm, the MERITO Foundation will award prizes to the top fifty 5th-12th grade students from Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties who authored energy efficiency, water conservation, or waste reduction project proposals for their school campuses, or educate a community about ocean acidification. The event will take place at the Museum of Ventura County in downtown Ventura.

The awards ceremony will recognize the creativity, innovation and environmental stewardship of students and teachers participating in the 9 month-long EECCCOA Program during the 2016 -2017 school year. The top twelve project proposals will be presented with cash and/or in-kind prizes for each student group.

The following Ventura schools will have students present or display their project proposals:

• Buena High School
• De Anza Middle School
• EP Foster Elementary

The Multicultural Education for Resource Issues Threatening Oceans (MERITO) Foundation is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization based in Ventura.

The EECCOA Challenge empowers students to address climate change and ocean acidification by providing students with the tools to research, design and innovate environmentally sustainable models their schools can adopt, or develop Ocean Acidification (OA) awareness campaigns that inform their communities.

Each summer, the Ventura Unified School District provides a nutrition program. This program provides lunch at no charge to children 1-18 years of age.  Summer Nutrition is not based on income qualification.  It is available for all community children regardless of their school year qualification for free and reduced price meals. Lunch will be available June 19th through August 4th.

Ventura Unified School District is committed to providing nutritious foods during the summer months so that students may return to school healthy, energized and ready to learn!

Participating sites this summer include the following:

• Pacific High School
• Ventura High School
• Elmhurst Elementary School
• E.P. Foster Elementary School
• Portola Elementary School
• Sheridan Way Elementary School
• Will Rogers Elementary School
• Lunch served: 10:45am – 12:00pm

• DATA Middle School
• Anacapa Middle School
• Lunch served: 10:30am – 12:00pm

• YMCA
• Lunch served: 11:00amm – 1:00pm

• E.J. Harrison Boys and Girls Club
• Robert Addison Boys and Girls Club
• Lunch served: 11:30am – 12:30pm

• Bill Le Farve Boys and Girls Club
• Buena Vida Apartments
• Encanto Del Mar Apartments
• Lunch served: 11:30am – 1:00pm

• Westpark Community Center
• Lunch served: 12:00pm – 1:00pm

• Ojai Community Site
• Roth Apartments
• Lunch served: 11:30am – 1:00pm

Summer is just around the corner and the Ventura Family YMCA encourages children and parents in our community to explore the many benefits of swimming, while also keeping safety top of mind. In Y swim programs, participants can enjoy water sports, enhance or learn new techniques, meet new friends and develop confidence, while also learning safety skills that can save lives.

“Drowning poses a threat to the health and well-being of people nationwide, particularly among children. Research shows that participation in aquatics safety programs and swim lessons significantly reduces the risk of drowning, said Margo Byrne, Chief Operations Officer, Channel Islands YMCA. “Teaching children how to swim and be safe around water not only saves lives, it builds confidence and is an important life skill.”

As part of National Water Safety Month in May, the Ventura Family YMCA encourages parents to take an active role in fostering a relationship between their children and swimming—beginning with water safety.

In addition to learning lifesaving water safety skills, children can increase their physical activity by swimming. Swimming also motivates children to strive for self-improvement, teaches goal orientation and cultivates a positive mental attitude and high self-esteem. It also teaches life lessons of sport and sportsmanship, so that children can learn how to work well with teammates and coaches and how to deal with winning and losing.

As a leading nonprofit committed to youth development, the Y has been a leader in providing swim lessons and water safety for more than 100 years. The Ventura Family YMCA continues to help youth and adults experience the joy and benefits of swimming, so they can be healthy, confident and secure in the water. There are a variety of programs to choose from. To ensure that everyone has an opportunity to participate, financial assistance is available to those in need to help cover the costs.

For more information at the Ventura Family YMCA, visit http://www.ciymca.org/ventura/ or call 642-2131.