Derek Pekar: A Born Competitor

There’s a great deal of respect and tough love between head coach Kory Anderson and his protege Derek Pekar.

by Mira Reverente

High school senior Derek Pekar had some memorable parting gifts for his alma mater, Ventura High School – two impressive finishes at the recent CIF State Championship Finals.

The 18-year-old finished 8th in long jump and 9th in the 110m hurdles at the finals held over Memorial Day weekend in Clovis. It was Pekar’s second appearance at the state finals, with his junior year being the first.

“I’m comfortable competing,” he says, when asked if he ever gets the jitters. “I visualize a lot and watch videos of my races.”

The Ventura Tigres is a youth track and field club for boys and girls between the ages of 7-16.The season runs from Mid-February through late May/early June.-

He attributes a lot of his mental tenacity to track and field head coach Kory Anderson. “He pushes me. I wouldn’t have gotten into decathlon if not for him,” says Pekar who started running with the Ventura Tigres at age 6.

“There’s a lot of tough love definitely,” says Anderson. “But over the years, our relationship has evolved from coach-athlete to friends where there’s a great deal of respect and trust.”

Anderson was one proud coach after hearing that his star athlete earned admission to the University of Virginia this fall. “I have no doubt he’ll do really well there,” he says of his protege.

The coach describes Pekar’s work ethic and success. “He’s successful because of concentrated effort. He has done everything I’ve ever asked him to do,” says Anderson who is on his 14th year of coaching.

“He’s never anxious or stressed,” he adds. “He’s just a born competitor.”

Anderson also talked about the incredible support system the coaching staff has. “We are blessed with good athletes, parents and coaches. We are really fortunate.”

Pekar’s parents have showed nothing but all-out support for their second-born. His older brother, a Marine, also ran for Ventura High School. “Between the two of them, they’ve probably missed two meets in four years of competing in high school,” says Pekar.

Other notable showings from Ventura High School: Carlos Aviles placed 9th in shot put. Aviles is headed to Ohio State this fall. Junior Madeleine Locher came in 10th in the 3200m.

Operation Splash celebrated completion of 11th year with Family Float Night

The aim of the program is to teach children how to become water-safe.

The Ventura Aquatic Center hosted a fun event on Friday, May 31, to celebrate the completion of another successful year of Kaiser Permanente’s Operation Splash program which provides free swimming lessons for underserved youth in our community. For the past 11 years, through the Operation Splash grant, more than 400 elementary school children each year receive free swim lessons at the Kimball Aquatic Center in Ventura through the City’s PEAK afterschool program.

As the school year comes to an end, to celebrate the culmination of this year’s program, the Ventura Aquatic Center held a special private Float Night for all of the Operation Splash kids and their families. This free event provided open swim time in the main pool and activity pool for the children and their families from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and despite the chilly evening the pools were filled with laughing children – fulfilling the Operation Splash goal of making sure children are safe in the water.

The aim of the program is to teach children how to become water-safe in a fun and healthy environment and teach them that healthy activities like swimming can positively impact their health. The Operation Splash program has been a huge success here in Ventura and to help celebrate, Kaiser Permanente was on hand at the event, passing out healthy eating information and KP-branded beach balls which quickly filled the pool with a rainbow of color. Balls were bouncing back and forth as children who might not have even ventured into the pool at the beginning of the school year confidently swam back and forth tossing them to each other.

Since its inception in Ventura, Operation Splash has helped thousands of local children learn to swim. Many of the children who started in the program during the early years have gone on to become excellent swimmers, participate in competitive swimming and water polo and become junior lifeguards.

Operation Splash is part of Kaiser Permanente’s Healthy Eating, Active Living, (HEAL) efforts to reduce obesity in the community by increasing opportunities for safe physical activity and access to healthy and affordable foods. Kaiser Permanente has granted nearly $7 million for Operation Splash since the program’s inception more than 12 years ago.

For more information about Kaiser Permanente’s participation in Operation Splash, please visit the web site at https://community.kp.org/about/program/operation-splash.

Ventura Police Officer of the Year

Detective Acquarelli is a crime fighter in every sense of the word.

Congratulations to Detective Michael Acquarelli for being selected as the Office of the Year for the Ventura Police Department. He has served Ventura for 13 years. During that time, he has received the Medal of Valor for his heroic life saving actions during a critical incident and he was selected as the SWAT Team Operator of the Year in 2015 and 2018. As an officer, he has worked patrol, served as a field training officer and served as a detective in the street crimes unit.

He was promoted to Corporal in 2017. During his service as a Patrol Team Corporal and Field Training Officer (FTO), he set the tone for the team. He serves as a role model in the FTO program. He motivates and works with his fellow team members to help everyone achieve their full potential.He was selected and currently serves as the Corporal in the Special Enforcement Team assigned to Gang Investigations. He is an instructor at the Police Academy. The learning domains he instructs are Criminal Law and Search and Seizure.

He leads the Ventura Police Department’s active shooter and gun violence response training for the department and the community. He often gives active shooter presentations to businesses and church groups.

Corporal Michael Acquarelli is a crime fighter in every sense of the word. He is a problem solver, mentor, teacher, team player and trainer. He works hard and gives his very best to everything he does. He has devoted his life to serving and protecting our community.

We congratulate him for a job well done!

Ventura 805HELP chosen as Nonprofit of the Year

805HELP has been selected as a 2019 California Nonprofit of the Year by Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson. 805HELP Founder Emily Barany traveled to Sacramento, joining 100 other California-based nonprofits also receiving this prestigious recognition, as part of California Nonprofits Day on June 5th.

Now in its fourth year, California Nonprofits Day was formally recognized by Assembly Concurrent Resolution 62, authored by the chair of the Assembly Select Committee on the Nonprofit Sector, Assemblywoman Monique Limón. The day is organized each year by Assemblymember Limón and CalNonprofits. “Nonprofits are often hidden in plain sight,” explains Jan Masaoka, CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits). “California Nonprofits Day is an opportunity for our elected officials to celebrate the good work they see nonprofits doing in their districts, and for everyone to appreciate the collective impact of nonprofits in our communities.”

“If you had asked me 18 months ago what I’d be doing today, I could not have guessed it would be starting a nonprofit,” commented Emily Barany, 805HELP founder and owner of VISIONALITY, a consulting firm helping nonprofits transform vision into reality. “Who could’ve imagined back then the rapid succession of the tragedies our communities would be facing? What keeps me going are the stories. Like Wiley, a Thomas Fire survivor who lost everything and simply needed a pair of shoes. Or, an eight-year-old girl with brain cancer who we flew on our all-volunteer airline over highway 101, closed due to mudslides, for a critical appointment with her cardiologist at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles.”

Barany continued, “Being recognized as Nonprofit of the Year by Senator Jackson is an honor and lets me know that what are on the right track. I really feel like what we’ve built here in our community is needed globally and I’m inspired to scale our support for the recovery of communities around the world.”

805HELP began as ThomasFireHelp in December 2017 rising from of the immediate and desperate needs of local citizens in the Ventura and Santa Barbara communities who were facing disasters of unprecedented scale and destruction. Within six months of the Thomas Fire and resulting Montecito Debris Flow, the community suffered another catastrophic blow from the Holiday Fire that broke out in Goleta in July 2018. Six months later in November 2018, the Woolsey Fire began in eastern Ventura County only one day after the tragic and senseless Thousand Oaks Borderline Mass Shooting where 12 lives were lost and countless others devastated. It became clear that ThomasFireHelp needed to expand its service of connecting resources and help with need and 805HELP was born.

Calling all photographers for the 2019 Ventura Land Trust Nature Photography Contest and Exhibit

A solitary Giant Lupine stands over the southern end of California’s Carrizo Plain National Monument. Photo by Dan Holmes

Sustainability Now News
by Maryann Ridini Spencer
(@MaryannRidiniSpencer)

Ventura Land Trust is inviting all amateur and professional photographers to submit original nature photographs for consideration in the 2019 Ventura Land Trust Nature Photography Contest and Exhibit. The contest, which began in May, will run through July 13, 2019.

“Ventura is home to spectacular seascapes, stunning wide-open spaces, and unique wildlife,” said Ventura Land Trust Development and Marketing Director, Adrienne Stephens. “We decided to hold a contest because we felt capturing nature’s beauty through the work of local photographers is a creative and fun way to highlight Ventura Land Trust’s mission to permanently protect the land, water, wildlife, and scenic beauty of the Ventura region for current and future generations.”

The contest, the first of its kind for the Land Trust, encourages individuals to explore Ventura’s natural beauty with their camera, whether it’s in their backyard or a public space. Entrants can submit up to three original nature photographs of wildlife, landscapes or scenic beauty by July 13. There is a $20 per person entry fee.

The esteemed panel of judges for the contest include Dan Holmes of Ventura, a professional freelance photographer, California Master photographer, and PPC Certified Image Competition Judge; George (Hutch) Hutchinson of Westlake Village, an accomplished amateur photographer and longstanding member of Photographic Society of America; Sherron Shepard of Ventura, an accomplished photographic artist, PPA Master Photographer, and PPC Certified Image Competition Judge; and Luisa Hyatt of Santa Barbara, art curator for Rincon Brewery.

Final judging for the contest will occur between July 14 and 16, and all finalists will be informed by email. Submissions will be judged on subject, composition, framing, lighting, and overall “wow” factor. All Finalist and Winner photos will then be publically announced at an Opening Reception on September 5 to be held at Rincon Brewery, 4100, Telegraph Road, where the images will be exhibited (and available for sale) from September 5 through November 30, 2019.

“Ever since my childhood, when I would pour over the beautiful photos in National Geographic, I’ve loved nature photography. I’m so excited that the walls of Rincon Brewery will soon be covered with the Land Trust’s contest winners. It will be a beautiful sight!” said Stephens.

For complete contest information, and to download the application, go to venturalandtrust.org and click on the Photography Contest tab. For more information, contact Adrienne Stephens, [email protected] or (805) 643-8044.

The Ojai Valley Lavender Festival to burst forth in bloom

The festival draws thousands annually to Ojai.

Lavender magic returns for the 16th year as Ojai festoons herself in fragrant, purple glory to celebrate an especially bountiful and breathtakingly beautiful season of local lavender. While drought and fire affected last year’s crop, Mother Nature has been most tender with temps and generous with rain in 2019 to produce a banner year for the versatile herb.

Always held the last Saturday in June to coincide with Ojai’s peak lavender bloom Festival will be Saturday, June 29th, 10am-5pm at Libbey Park. The festival draws thousands annually to Ojai for a family-friendly day of art, music, food, games, speakers, prizes and over 100 vendors offering a wide array of lavender and lavender-inspired products, including oils, vinegars, honey, aromatherapy and beauty products, culinary items, candles and of course plenty of freshly cut, dried and potted lavender. Local shops, restaurants, wineries, breweries, java cafes and overnight accommodations love to participate in the lavender celebration, too, and many feature unique lavender items and sales specials.

The sober side to this exciting event is that 2019 will be the final festival, at least as of the moment of this writing. The Ojai Valley Lavender Festival (OVLF) committee – tiny but fierce – has produced this incredible event for 16 years. The all-volunteer team lead by Executive Director Neil Friedrichsen, President Cindy Mullins and Vice President Joy Brown, is ready to retire. Yes, it’s a lot of work but it brings so much joy to so many. Hopefully another group or organization will step up and assume the lavender mantel to carry the festival into the future. Interested? Please contact Cindy Mullins at www.ojaivalleylavenderfestival.org to learn more.

Start with a 10:00 am performance by musician Richard Kaller on Libbey Park’s front patio. The all-day music lineup at the gazebo will feature the Old Time Fiddlers, District 8 at 10:00 am; Hal Waite and the Gaddis Boys at 11:15 pm; Lynn Mullins and Coyote Creek at 12:30 pm; Smitty and Julija at 1:45 pm, Cindy Kalmenson and the Lucky Ducks at 2:45 pm; and Jon Gindick at 3:45 p.m.

The festival speakers’ tent will present Renee Roth at 12:00 pm with “Greywater Reclamation,” and Amanda Mullins at 2:00 pm with “Make Your Favorite Foods Nutritious and Delicious.”

Art, including entries in the 2019 Ojai Valley Lavender Festival Art Contest, will be on display and for sale in the festival’s art pavilion.

OVLF’s popular Passport Game will offer fun, adventure and plenty of chances to win great prizes donated by festival vendors.

Another favorite, local Frog Creek Lavender Farm will again join the festivities, offering farm visits with U-pick lavender at its Upper Ojai farm 10:00 am- 5:00 pm on festival day, June 29th, and 10:00 am-3:00 pm weekends through July. www.frogcreekfarmojai.com for directions and details.

As a nonprofit organization, the Ojai Valley Lavender Festival has long supported the community through scholarship awards and community grants. This year’s $2,500 OLVF David Mason Scholarship Award goes to Claire Hankins. Additional $2,000 OVLF Scholarship recipients are Karen Romero Sanchez, Angela Zirpolo, Aliyah Zweig and Giovanni Torres.

The free event offers free parking managed by Chief Peak 4-H, with complimentary parking shuttles run by HELP of Ojai. OVLF warmly thanks these organizations, as well as Ojai/Ventura Teen Challenge, Von’s, Ojai City Council, and OVLF’s many new and returning volunteers, vendors and festival guests, for helping to make the Ojai Valley Lavender Festival a joyful, memorable, and successful community event year after year. It’s been a really great romp through the lavender. Learn more at www.ojaivalleylavenderfestival.org

Tattooing For Change

Local tattoo artist preps Nichole Franklin for a tattoo for the SNAFI fundraiser.

by Amy Brown

It’s 9:30am on a Sunday and there’s already a long line out the door at Roses and Rivets Gallery and Body Art studio in Santa Paula. Folks had been queued up for some time, waiting to be tattooed by Steph Sparrow at her second annual fundraising event for Still Not Asking For It (SNAFI), a tattoo flash fundraiser event for sexual assault and rape survivors. All proceeds go to organizations which aid in prevention, healing and justice of survivors. Ventura resident Sparrow was selected as the only tattoo artist in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties to participate in the national event, and she chose the Coalition for Family Harmony’s rape crisis center in Oxnard as the organization to receive the money raised from her efforts in the event.

Sparrow tattooed participants from morning into the night, and raised $2,200 for the Coalition, twice what she raised in the event last year. Flash events have pre-drawn tattoo designs relevant to the cause, and available at a reduced price.  Customers are tattooed on a first come, first served basis. “Word definitely gets around that I’m doing it, and it’s kind of intense, with hardly any time for bathroom breaks or to eat, it’s crazy!” said Sparrow.

She shared that she was expecting the crowds, but wasn’t expecting the number of people who also shared their own stories of rape or incest during the event. “The tattoo chair is always kind of a confessional, and I’ve had people tell me about their childhood abuse; it’s a really powerful thing,” said Sparrow. “Tattooing itself gives people the sacred space to own their own bodies; it’s such a powerful ritual. Tattooing did that for me. I’m honored that so many people came out to support the event, and to see so much money being donated to the Coalition.”

Nichole Franklin, a native of Ventura and currently residing in Santa Paula, was one of the first in line for the event. “Steph is a phenomenal artist, plus, she’s a pilot, has been a teacher and a musician—she’s basically my spirit animal,” said Franklin. “This is a great cause—all the events she does are great—but this one is a little more personal for me,” said Franklin, who chose a whimsical Stegosaurus tattoo design with the words “Don’t Touch” below it, in homage to the SNAFI cause.

“We’ve basically been waiting our whole lives for a woman-owned tattoo shop in this area,” said Morgan Williamson, as she waited patiently to get a cute baby porcupine design with “Don’t Touch” under it on her left forearm. When asked why she chose that design, she said “It’s an adorable way to get a little bit of closure, now I’ll be able to look down at something pretty.”

Sparrow who has been tattooing for 12 years, is essentially a modern Renaissance woman; with a PhD in Music Composition, she was also a former college professor, and currently holds a private pilot’s license, and is an avid long-distance runner on the Ventura trailheads. Opposing stereotypes comes with her territory and her brand. “Every single day is an exercise in combatting stereotypes,” she says of her shop, and being a woman-owned business, not to mention tattoos in general. “Tattooing is an outlet of self-ownership, and self-expression, and to be able to empower other people in that way in a safe space is a real honor.”

Focus on the Masters celebrate 25 years

“All These Amazing People” have been profiled by FOTM.

by Jill Forman

Donna Granata believes that artists’ stories can inspire. Her nonprofit, Focus on the Masters, endeavors to share those stories along with their works, demonstrating the importance of the arts to a healthy community. “Art can save lives, my own personal journey is proof of that.”

FOTM literally started in Donna’s kitchen. Disabled from an accident, in pain and battling depression, the recent Brooks Photography graduate was trying to focus on what she could do instead of her limitations, driven by “a need to find what was nurturing to my soul.” She was on the verge of losing her home, had no income, and took a brave step: she started a nonprofit. Her own story is as inspiring as those the FOTM artists tell.

As a photographer, she was already submerged in the art community; a graduate project she had done for Art City became the basis for what organically grew into a bona fide art archive and library. At her offices in Ventura, there are fireproof cabinets with art, documents, sketch books, show reviews, video tapes and so on from many area artists. And of course, all the research is digitized and safely stored. “It’s a treasure trove of humanity,” Granata rejoices. Archives contain hours of interviews and extensive research on each subject.

In the beginning, she started going through old photos and found images of well-known local artists which she would share. Her first Artist Spotlight presentation was a lecture on Beatrice Wood, then a friend suggested she interview some of these artists as part of future productions. As she says, “the penny dropped” for her future mission of sharing art with the community. “Art is a mirror of society; it’s common humanity.” As an example, she tells about one artist from an abusive home whose art tells the story of pain and fear. “It takes courage to allow yourself to be vulnerable.” People hear these stories and don’t feel alone; they see what the artist has done with their experience, turned it into art.

Learning To See is FOTM’s art education program offered through the schools, “…empowering your child with the gift of creative and critical thinking.” This outreach is ideal for 7th and 8th grade, but appropriate for any age. Every lesson is based on the life and work of one of the artists. Cross-curricular it can include geography or science as relates to the artists’ life. The students love that they are utilizing the work of living artists in their community. The pieces the students make is always exhibited throughout the community; kids get to see their work up in libraries, coffeehouses, etc. There is also a partnership with turning Point, teaching art to those with mental illness and exhibiting their work. A flyer from a recent show says, “A celebration of the creative spirit!”

FOTM’s archives are used by books, magazines, museum and gallery support staffs. Students use her resources for master’s theses. The highest profile exhibition utilizing her information was at the Getty, of Horace Bristol and Dorothea Lange. Getty staff came to FOTM to do the research on Horace Bristol, including two full filing cabinets of his memoirs.

FOTM presents the Artist Spotlight series monthly at the Museum of Ventura County. A gala celebrating their 25-year anniversary will be September 14. A cultural excursion to Oaxaca celebrating Dia de Los Muertos happens October 29-November 5. Details, tickets or reservations for all these events can be found at focusonthemasters.com

Mathnasium of Ventura official ribbon cutting

Mathnasium of Ventura recently held their official ribbon cutting and on Saturday, June 8, they officially introduced themselves to the community and showed off what they are all about. There was plenty of family friendly fun including games, food, music and prizes and of course plenty of math. At Mathnasium, they make math make sense. Mathnasium have been the math experts for over 15 years and are so excited to open their doors in Ventura. www.mathnasium.com/ventura/events for more information. Located at 1746-B S. Victoria Ave. 805-525-MATH (6284).