On Monday, September 19 Catholic Charities of Ventura County had an open house to unveil their new food pantry.  The design and building of the pantry was a collaborative effort with many local businesses and volunteers helping out, including the Seabees of Port Hueneme.  The Seabees volunteers dedicated 500 hours to demolishing the old pantry and building the new one.

Monday was a day to celebrate the community coming together to making the new food pantry a reality.  The open house also showcased the rest of the organizations that share space with Catholic Charities, including Family to Family a nonprofit organization that has prepared and served healthy meals to its community members in need since 1983 and School on Wheels a nonprofit dedicated to the enhancement of educational opportunities for homeless children from kindergarten through twelfth grade.

On June 13, two $2000.00 Maria Cavallo Scholarship awards were presented.  This awards one or more graduating high school seniors who has served at least 100 hours in the auxiliary, has maintained a 3.50 GPA or better, and who will be attending an accredited college or university and taking courses in the healthcare field.

Delyla Rivera joined the program in July, 2013, and has worked 362.5 hours in the Gift Shop.  While attending Buena High School she had a 3.77 cumulative GPA.  At Buena, she has played on the varsity tennis team, receiving the most valuable player award in 2015.  Additionally, she has been a member of the mock trial team as well as a Red Cross volunteer and a math tutor.  Delyla has been accepted at the University of California at Santa Barbara as a biology major.  Her career goal is to become a clinical pathologist.

Casey O’Neil became a Junior Volunteer in September 2013 and served 241 hours as a Desk Receptionist/Flyer.  She has been active at Foothill High School as a member of the Bioscience Academy, and has been on its leadership team which coordinates several bioscience events.  She has been a Renaissance student every semester.  She is a member of the National Honors Society and the Society of Women Engineers.  She will graduate with a 3.8 cumulative GPA.  While active in her church, she gone on a mission to an orphanage in Nicaragua and served as a volunteer at Vacation Bible School every summer.  Casey has had the unique experience of working at Coastal Marine Biolabs, which is a graduate level research facility.  She has been accepted at the University of Portland in Oregon where she will major in biology.  Upon the completion of her education, she plans to become an Occupational Therapist.

On July 11 Ameet Rahane received his $2000.00 award.  He joined the Junior program in July 2013.  Ameet has served over 417 hours both in the Critical Care Unit and as a Desk Receptionist/Flyer.  He attended Foothill High School where he has a 3.9 cumulative GPA.  As member of the Bioscience Academy he served on its leadership team.  He is the founder and president of the school’s programming club.  Ameet has volunteered in the school library, has played in the jazz band, and participated on the swimming and water polo teams.  He is a member of the California Scholarship Foundation and is a member of the  National Honor Society.  Ameet speaks four languages and has trained himself in multiple programming languages.  he has held a Navy engineering internship and has worked at the Ventura County Medical Center, Ventura County Library and Abednego Book Shoppe  Ameet will attend the University of California  Berkeley where he will major in molecular and cellular biology.  He plans to become a neurosurgeon.

by Elizabeth Rodeno

Our summer program, Lights, Camera, Action, a digital storytelling program in conjunction with the city has wrapped. A dozen students worked so hard, explored not just camera, directing and editing but concerned themselves with the finer details of art direction, costume design, hair and make-up. They are leaving the program with a fully rounded filmmaking education. These aspiring filmmakers will be enjoying online film schools like those that can be found at www.friendsinfilm.com/online-film-school/. Judging from there performance in their storytelling programming, they could make strides in the film industry.

Week one of our Summer Digital Storytelling program found the students outside at the water treatment plant and estuary by the harbor. These 11 through 13 year olds grabbed the gear and took a tour of the plant, learned about water and filmed on location. It’s always a special treat to get out in the field, set your shots and roll camera. They had a blast. They returned to the studio for interviews and then on to editing. Not to mention, it was one of those beautiful Ventura days that reconfirms why we live here.

The 2016 CAPS Media Digital Storytelling Week Two class wrote and directed their own dramatic pieces. As is traditional, the students had a special screening for their famiies to show off their handiwork. At the end of the day, they were sad to leave. If they can do it, so can you. We send a big thanks to the talented instructors and interns for sharing their skills.

The Ventura County Fair Parade is around the corner and we will be there, capturing it all live from the CAPS Media production truck at the corner of Main and California. We love to watch the bands, horses, cars and locals decked out along Main Street. Locals Tim O’Neil and Jerry Breiner will emcee the show. Not only will coverage of the parade be live on channel 6, we will be live streaming it on the website as well. But wait, there’s more as we will rebroadcast the following week. You can relive the magic of the parade.

We are all over the web so check out social media pages including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and You Tube. View it all on our frequently updated website. Don’t forget about the training classes and professional gear we offer. A yearly membership at CAPS is only $25, a best bargain for you media types, students and organizations to share your story. Go to www.capsmedia.org or call 805-658-0500 for more information.