Mitzvah Moments - Give to the Needy this Holiday

“Think outside the box.” Give someone the gift of giving to someone else. Here are some ideas.

• Blood Bank of the Redwoods. Give the gift of life - give blood, the need is especially great during the holidays. Call 545-1222 for blood bank hours and blood mobile locations.

• Give the ultimate gift - life to a local woman! Tracie Skaggs, who has lived in Guerneville for more than 30 years, still needs a kidney. Tracie and her husband, Mike, have given so much to the community. Remember her Halloween Haunted House fund raisers and “Elves with Attitudes,” where she and her partner at All About You Beauty Salon adopt several families at the holidays, making sure everyone in the household gets gifts.
Tracie has been on peritoneal dialysis for over a year, making it hard for her to work and continue her community service. She could wait more than seven years for a deceased donor, but a living donor is somewhere in our community. It’s easy to be a living donor––I know, because I am one––and a kidney from a living donor is the best option for Tracie. Please spread the word––may you or someone you know “share your spare.”
Find out more about kidney donation and see “The Gift of Life,” a video, at www.ucsfhealth.org/kidneytransplant/?gclid=CK_y6L6r3JkCFRwwawodjSVyWA or call 1-800-482-7389. www.kidney.org transplantation/livingDonors/info.cfm, is also good. Tracie needs a donor with type O or O- blood, but paired donation programs mean someone with another blood type could still donate. Leave Tracie a message at 707-695-7591 if you’re interested in being a possible donor.

• The Living Room, Santa Rosa’s daytime drop-in shelter for homeless women and children, needs gifts by December 15th––especially items for women (umbrellas, socks, combs & brushes, jewelry (may be used), gloves, wooly scarves & caps, small makeup or manicure kits) and teenage boys (movie passes, M & L sweatshirts, watches, hand-held games). Go to www.thelivingroomsc.org contribute.htm or call 707-579-0138 to donate money.

• The Volunteer Center’s Secret Santa Program delivered over 13,000 gifts in 2008. Adopt a Secret Santa Gift Heart––go to www.volunteernow.org; www.santa09.htm for where you can find them and more information.

• The Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program has many drop-off sites locally. Go to santa-rosa-ca.toysfortots.org/local-coordinator-sites/lco-sites/donate-toys.asp or call 707-584-5886 for locations and more information. You can donate online, too.

• Firefighters’ Toy Drives. Drop off new unwrapped toys at fire stations in Forestville, Santa Rosa, and Sebastopol (which also takes used toys in great condition.) Look for Graton firefighters’ donation barrels at the post office and Andy’s Produce.

• Sleep Train’s Secret Santa Toy Drive benefiting the Children's Village of Sonoma County and the Valley of the Moon Children’s Foundation ends Dec. 12th. Take any new, unwrapped toy or game to the Santa Rosa store at 2795 Santa Rosa Ave. or donate online at www.sleeptrain.com/page.aspx?nid=151. If you miss this opportunity, their (new) pajama drive is from January 4th to February 21st.

• Help a dad or mom in the service read to their kids. Support the USO’s “United through Reading” program, which has video cameras and libraries at most USOs, both in the US and overseas, so parents can read a bedtime story to their children via web cam. Or donate to help buy phone cards for “Operation Phone Home.” While you can’t specify who will get your gift, you can make it in honor or memory of someone. If you don’t know anyone in the service, check out the wall of honor at the main post office in Santa Rosa for a name or two. Check out other USO programs at www.uso.org or call 1-800-876-7469. If you are an American Airlines frequent flier, you can get 125 miles for every $25 you donate––you have to do this by phone.

Local Food Banks need your help all year, but especially now. See last month’s Gazette and and the website GazExtra! for one near you. Many local charities have benefits during the Holidays. See the Gazette’s calendar for information.

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Local Fire Departments Come Together in Friendly Competition to Collect Lifesaving Blood for Patients in Need

Fire departments around Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties have come together again to participate in Blood Bank of the Redwoods’ 4th Annual Bucket Brigade during November, December and January. Participating fire departments will recruit community members, colleagues, friends and family to donate lifesaving blood in an effort to collect the most blood and win the Bucket Brigade Trophy. The competition will help blood inventory levels during the winter months, which are greatly effected by seasonal illnesses, weather conditions and family travels.

Last year 40 fire departments competed in 34 blood drives with a total of 1155 participating donors. The 3rd Annual Bucket Brigade Trophy was proudly carried away by Geyserville Fire Department, who won the contest with 102 donors. We are very thankful to all of our donors for their care and continued support toward local patients and Blood Bank of the Redwoods!

The notion of a Bucket Brigade originates from the Great London Fire of 1666, where lines of townspeople created “brigades” and passed buckets of water from the town’s water source to the fires that threatened their community. This contemporary Bucket Brigade brings our community together in the same way, not to fight fire but to save lives through blood donation.

Participating Fire Stations:
Anderson Valley Fire Department, Brooktrails FD, CAL Fire & Cloverdale FD, CAL Fire & Wilmar VFD, CAL Fire Napa, CAL Fire Ukiah, Covelo VFD, Forestville FD, Fort Bragg FD, Geyserville FPD, Glen Ellen FD, Goldridge FD, Graton FD, Healdsburg FD, Kenwood FPD, Lakeport FD, Lakeville FD and San Antonio VFC, Little Lake FD, Long Valley FPD, Mendocino FPD, Middletown FD and CAL Fire, Occidental FD, Petaluma FD, Rancho Adobe FPD, Redwood Coast FD, Redwood Valley-Calpella FD, Rincon Valley FD, Rohnert Park DPS, Russian River FPD, Santa Rosa FD, Sebastopol FD, Sonoma Developmental Center FD, Sonoma Valley Fire & Rescue, South Coast FD, Ukiah FD, Ukiah Valley FD, Windsor FPD

4th Annual Bucket Brigade Competition

2009 - 2010 Blood Drives Listed by Date

Dec. 12th 10:00am - 2:00pm Middletown FD and CAL Fire Lake 21095 State Hwy 175 Middletown 95461

Dec. 13th 01:00pm - 4:00pm Santa Rosa FD 1775 Yulupa Avenue Santa Rosa 95405

Dec. 13th 11:00am - 2:00pm Long Valley FPD 44920 Willis Avenue Laytonville 95454

Dec. 14th 03:00pm - 7:00pm CAL Fire Petaluma & Wilmar VFD 3825 Bodega Ave. (Wilmar Station) Petaluma 94952

Dec. 14th 03:00pm - 7:00pm Sonoma Valley Fire & Rescue 630 2nd Street Sonoma 95476

Dec. 15th 03:00pm - 7:00pm Fort Bragg FD 141 North Main Street Fort Bragg 95437

Dec. 16th 03:00pm - 7:00pm Forestville FD 6554 Mirabel Road Forestville 95436

Dec. 16th 03:30pm - 7:30pm Glen Ellen FD 13445 Arnold Drive Glen Ellen 95442

Dec. 17th 02:00pm - 5:30pm South Coast FD and CAL Fire Sea Ranch 38901 Ocean Drive Gualala 95445

Dec. 19th 10:00am - 1:00pm Russian River FPD 14100 Armstrong Woods Road Guerneville 95446

Dec. 20th 01:00pm - 4:00pm CAL Fire Ukiah 2690 North State Street Ukiah 95482

Dec. 20th 01:00pm - 4:00pm Little Lake FD 111 Commercial Street Willits 95490

Dec. 28th 03:00pm - 7:00pm Goldridge FD 4500 Hessel Road Sebastopol 95472

Dec. 30th 03:00pm - 7:00pm Ukiah FD 293 Seminary Avenue Ukiah 95482

Jan. 7th 03:00pm - 6:00pm Rancho Adobe FPD 11000 Main Street (Station 2) Penngrove 94951

Jan. 8th 03:00pm - 7:00pm Rincon Valley FD 45 Lark Center Drive Santa Rosa 95402

Jan. 8th 04:00pm - 8:00pm Geyserville FPD 20975 Geyserville Avenue Geyserville 95441

Jan. 9th 11:00am - 3:30pm Anderson Valley FD 14281 Hwy 128 Boonville 95415

Jan. 9th 11:00am - 3:30pm Redwood Coast FD 19601 South Hwy 1 Manchester 95459

Jan. 11th 03:00pm - 7:00pm Mendocino FPD 44700 Little Lake Road Mendocino 95460

Jan. 12th 08:00am - 12:00pm Petaluma FD 198 D Street Petaluma 94952

Jan. 16th 10:00am - 1:00pm Lakeport FD 445 N Main Street Lakeport 95453

Jan. 16th 01:00pm - 4:00pm CAL Fire & Cloverdale FD 1001 S Cloverdale Blvd. Cloverdale 95425

Jan. 19th 02:30pm - 7:00pm Healdsburg FD 601 Healdsburg Avenue Healdsburg 95448

Jan. 20th 01:00pm - 4:00pm CAL Fire Napa 1199 Big Tree Road St. Helena 94574

Jan. 22th 02:30pm - 6:30pm Rohnert Park DPS 5200 Country Club Dr. (Station 2) Rohnert Park 94928

Jan. 23th 10:00am - 2:00pm Windsor FPD 8600 Windsor Road Windsor 95492

For More information, contact Blood Bank of the Redwoods

707-545-1222

www.bbr.org

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Holiday Toy Drives of Sonoma County

Taking Care of our Children on the Holidays

Below is a story of one family's personal efforts to provide toys for homeless children. There are Toy drives throughout Sonoma County as we approach the Holidays - Please participate in one close to you and let us know of Toy Drives not on our list. Please e-mail information to vesta@sonic.net

Christmas in October Fundraiser for Homeless Children

My family and I were sitting around the dinner table when my oldest son Aidan, who is almost 7, asked, “Mom, can I help give some food to the kids who don’t have any?”. After I wiped the tears from my face, I gave him an absolute firm “yes!”.

That night we got on the computer and started researching places where we might be able to help. We came upon Catholic Charities out of Santa Rosa. They were excited to hear from us and have been extremely helpful from day one.

It started out as possibly bringing cupcakes to the kids, or helping to serve dinner, but my son wanted more. We suggested to Catholic Charities maybe a toy drive. I requested that they send us a list of all of the children living in the shelter with their names, age and gender. Two days ago, I received this list. There are 60 children living in the shelter with their families, ranging in age from 2 weeks old to 15 years old.

Aioli Delicatessen organized a toy drive for these less fortunate children to bring a smile to their faces in this tumultuous and uncertain time in their lives. We assigned people a boy or a girl with an age.They in turn buy a gift that was age appropriate and brought it to Aioli in Forestville.

Community support made it happen! We thank everyone who participated to this a worthy cause.

http://www.srcharities.org/

Autumn Opitz
Aioli – A Gourmet Delicatessen
6536 Front Street
Forestville, CA 95436
707-887-2476

SONOMA COUNTY TOY DRIVES FOR THE HOLIDAYS:

Fire Departments:

Graton Fire: http://www.gratonfire.com/
Please bring new, unwrapped gift to:
• Graton Post office on Ross Road
• Graton Fire Station on Ross at Graton Rd.
• Graton Commuity Center, Graton at Edison on Dec. 13th
• The barrell at Andy's Market on Hwy 116 North

Forestville Fire: http://www.forestvillefire.org/
Please bring new, unwrapped gifts to:
• Forestville Fire Dept on Mirabel Road
Toys will be distributed to The Forestville Giving Tree Program and Toys for Tots

Sebastopol Fire: http://www.ci.sebastopol.ca.us/fire.shtml
Please bring new, unwrapped gifts to
• Sebastopol Fire Station on Bodega Hwy west of downtown.
If you have ideas and gifts for pre-teens and teens it would be very helpful - thank you.

The Giving Tree Program:
Front Street Hair Salon
6681 Front Street in Forestville
Please bring unwrapped, new gifts until December 23rd.
Benefits children from Sonoma County Family, Youth and Children's Maintenance Program (Child Protective Services)

River to Coast Children's Services
Give Santa a hand this year by donating a toy or gift certificate for a child, ages toddler through teen. Please drop off donations at River To Coast Children’s Services. For gift ideas, check out the Christmas Tree in Westamerica Bank, in downtown Guerneville.

Guerenville Holiday Community Dinner & Toy Drive
Friday Dec 25 1-4p.m. Guerneville Vet's Hall on the corner Church & 1st Street. Bob Burke plays Santa, Russian River Sisters and The Metropolitan Church of Guerneville co-sponser this community-wide free dinner. All welcome!!! For donations or to volunteer please call-Leslyn Dooley 869-0660 or Mary Mount 695-3980. Also we are Toy Driving this year on our own sooo please call Leslyn Dooley 869-0660 or Mary Mount 695-3980 for pick up or drop off. We needs to gifts for peole of ALL ages quite honestly!

Redwood Gospel Mission Homeless Shelter
Please drop toy donations to any Redwood Gospel Mission store at:
1821 Piner Road, Santa Rosa
http://www.srmission.org/

Thru Dec 24 ~ Children's Village Toy Drive ~ I'd like to extend this offer to all of you and your friends, family and co-workers... in an effort to collect as many toys and gifts for the Childrens Village Christmas Party, Family Optometry Center will be hosting toy drive here in the office from now until Christmas: 1559 Farmers Lane, Santa Rosa, CA 95405, 707-571-2020, http://www.familyoptometrycenter.com/ There will be a box in the lobby for unwrapped toys and we are also giving each person who comes in with an unwrapped toy $25 off their purchase along with a gift. We will be providing Christmas Trees, filled stockings, dinner and a morning of fun for the children at The Children's Village as well as a 'house stocking' for each of the 4 houses on site. Any donation is greatly appreciated. www.redwoodempire2030.com

Grub for Gifts Exchange
Peter and Annette White, owners of Sugo Trattoria in downtown Petaluma, wanted to help. They have created a weeklong “Grub for Gifts Exchange” in their restaurant to benefit Toys for Tots. Visit Sugo Trattoria for lunch or dinner Dec. 14 – Dec.21, 2009, bring in a new, unwrapped toy and receive a free order of Sugo’s acclaimed Bruschetta Trio. Happy Holiday’s from Sugo Trattoria’s Family to Yours! Sugo is located at 5 Petaluma Blvd. South, Petaluma, 707-782-9298, www.sugopetaluma.com

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Camp Meeker News

I feel like Rip Van Winkle here. When last we spoke, I was writing for the late and much lamented Russian River Monthly, which ceased operations last spring. Let me give a shout out to George Klineman, my fine and hard-working editor at that paper. Of course I’m in good hands now: west county journalism has few better friends than Vesta Copestakes.

Let’s see if I can recap the interregnum between my last column and now. Actually, it was pretty quiet there in Camp Meeker for a while. No sewer controversy, no cell tower controversy. Speaking of that cell tower, it could be said that the last chapter of that episode was written a few weeks ago, when the “reMeeker” slate swept four candidates into office at the Camp Meeker Park and Rec board, leaving Cathie Anderson as the only returning board member. We congratulate Jeffrey Fawcett, Seth Murchison, Michael Ming, and Lynn Watson on their victory and wish them the best. They have announced an ambitious agenda and they will certainly need our help in enacting it. For that matter, we are down four “concerned citizens”, so we’ll all need to step it up.

Before we discuss that future, let’s take a moment to thank the outgoing Board members – Fred Meyer, Gary Helfrich, Amy Lemmer, and Aimee Crawford – for their hard work and their many accomplishments. The most visible of those accomplishments can be seen down by the post office. There, instead of a decrepit old dam and a choking bramble of blackberry vines, you will see an elegant new pedestrian bridge crossing a peaceful, natural looking creek bed. It’s not natural, of course – the new creek bed is the result of some hard engineering work by local firms Prunuske-Chatham, Streamline Engineering, Questa Engineering, and a metric ton of hard organizing and funding work by the Camp Meeker Park and Rec Board (CMRPD), the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District (GRRCD), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

I was wandering down there yesterday. It’s pretty exciting. You can walk through the whole area from the culvert to upstream of the firehouse if you’re willing to get your feet wet. It looks like it will be a nice place to walk, to picnic, to spend time with friends. You have to visualize a bit – I don’t know how much work remains to be done. At any rate, the new trees planted will take some time to grow to their full potential.

The other big thing the outgoing board did for us is they kept a fairly ruinous sewer project from being imposed on us. While nothing eventually came out of the hundreds of hours those board members spent keeping up with the tonnage of tedious lawyerly reading, something nothing is the best possible outcome. Our incoming board will have to take up the mantle here and lead us toward a wastewater solution that works for Camp Meeker in coming decades.

I’m excited about the future in Camp Meeker. It’s true that things got pretty heated as we tried to decide the cell phone tower issue. I’m hoping we can all learn from our mistakes on that one, and work in a more civil, neighborly and cooperative fashion on our many important future projects, from the wastewater issue to the sudden oak death issue. Once we tackle those important issues, we will have earned some fun. We can get started on that “cultural revival” the reMeeker folks are touting. I can’t wait to get started, and for future issues I will be researching and reporting the illustrious cultural past of our lovely little forest.

One last note before I go. Outgoing board member Fred Meyer took some pretty nasty personal shots in the last couple of years, from people who disagreed with his political positions. Consider this about Fred: you don’t have to guess where he stands. He speaks his mind, even if he knows you’re not going to like what he says. Even though he’s not on the board any more, he’s still our VFD Fire Chief, and I hope you shook his hand and thanked him at the spaghetti dinner a couple of weeks ago. He’s earned it.

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"Wastewater to Fuel" Project Earns Switzer Fellowship and Recognition for Catherine Hare

Catherine Hare of Rohnert Park has been awarded the prestigious Switzer Environmental Fellowship for her research on a local "Wastewater to Fuel" project conducted with Biology Professor Michael Cohen.

Hare's study focuses on the capacity of aquatic vegetation to remove or "scrub" excess nutrients and other pollutants from treated wastewater and utilization of the harvested material as biofuel. She initiated the project in Cohen's laboratory as an undergraduate in Spring 2006 and advanced to a graduate program in Fall 2007.

The project has since gained national recognition with three awards, most recently winning a "Pearson Sustainable Solutions Award", and has garnered over $200,000 in funding from a variety of sources, including the California Energy Commission, Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the City of Santa Rosa.

Hare is the fifth Switzer fellow from the SSU Department of Biology in the past nine years. The fellowship program has been active for 22 years and has funded students from universities such as Harvard, Brown, Yale, MIT, UC Berkeley, UCLA, as well as a few CSU campuses.

The fellowship is granted to students who, like Hare, are "innovators, leaders, problem-solvers, focused on tangible results ... with strong leadership, communication and critical thinking skills."
Along with a $15,000 stipend comes lifelong membership in the Switzer Network, which provides awardees with training, career coaching and access to other Switzer Foundation grant programs.

Beyond her role as a researcher, Hare is also a devoted educator. Cohen says "she has superbly carried out her duties as a laboratory instructor for several majors and non-majors Biology courses."

Furthermore, she has been "an extraordinary mentor" to six of the nearly twenty undergraduates who have served in Cohen's laboratory since he joined SSU in Fall 2005.
Hare has presented her research to diverse audiences, ranging from local groups, such as the American Business Women's Association Wine Country Chapter, to scientific conferences, including a recent meeting of the Pacific Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Francisco.

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RR Community Honors Supervisor Carrillo Oct 23rd

On October 23rd, the Russian River Community will experience an evening celebrating and honoring its County Supervisor, Efren Carrillo. The evening is being billed as The First Annual Mexican Fiesta! which means more fun in years to come. “Mexican Food, Wine, Beer, Margaritas and Live Music” states the invitation.

And, of course, since Herman J. Hernandez and his lovely wife, Guillermina, are more or less the ring leaders behind the scenes, authenticity is primo! Guests will be entertained by The Mariachi (Los Caporales) and the Trios of Madrigal Musical Productions directed by Carlos Molina while dining on delicious Mexican food, prepared by Guerneville’s very own La Tapatia!

One might ask why such a large community-wide event to honor Efren when he has only been in office less than a year. The response to that question is as vocal and articulate as the number of people with whom Carrillo has been meeting in the Russian River Community. Without allowing any time for dust to settle after his swearing-in Ceremony, Carrillo immediately began scheduling appointments with the various community groups and individuals who represent the community: RR Recreation and Park District, Monte Rio Recreation and Park District, the RR Rotary, the RR Fire Protection District, RR Redevelopment Oversight Committee and other elected boards. Whether he was on a dais at more formal and structured meetings such as the one held by the Water District, or wandering between tables and chairs at the crowded budget meeting, or at one of the Homeowners’ Associations’ picnics such as the one held by Guernewood Park in Armstrong Woods this past August, Carrillo has been a constant presence in the community, talking and listening to the Citizens.

Before the election, Carrillo promised that he would have an “office set-up” in Guerneville. Reality has found him not at a desk in the Vets’ Hall as he originally envisioned, but rather, going out into the community and meeting with the people in groups, large and small, briefing them on what is happening in government at the County, State and Federal levels as well as trying to assist them in resolving conflicts, the shortages of funds and cuts in services. One of the locals observed that instead of an office day, the Supervisor probably should have promised that he would set up a room with a cot so that he could get some rest in between meetings.

“As Efren has worked hard to know and understand the issues and concerns of the River Community, it’s only fitting that we wish to show our appreciation to our Supervisor,” stated Hernandez. For that reason, the “Friends of Efren Carrillo invite one and all to the First Annual Fiesta honoring Fifth District Supervisor Efren Carrillo”.

In addition to Herman and Guillermina Hernandez, Event Co-Chairs are Michael Nichols, Tom Lynch, Michael de Proto, Wendel & Gwen Trappe, Laura A Wilson, Thera A. Buttaro, and Mike & Judi Reilly. The event will be Friday, October 23, from 5:30 – 9:30 at the Guerneville Veterans Memorial Building (Church St. & 1st St.). Sponsors Reservations are:
$ 300 Platinum, $ 200 Gold, $ 100 Silver or $20 Individual. It is highly requested that people call ahead for reservations: 707.293.67877 or www.efrencarrillo.com.

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Interfaith Charities Respond to Economic Need

By Cecile Lusby

The opportunity to attend a seminar on reducing poverty drew this writer to Resurrection Church in West Santa Rosa on September 28 to hear Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA and newly appointed by Barrack Obama to sit on the President’s Council of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Fr. Snyder’s presentation stressed that 39.8 million people now live in poverty in America, based on the 2009 guidelines naming $22,050 yearly income as the poverty line for a family of four. That 39.8 million is projected to reach 50 million before the recovery takes hold, due to the delay in jobs creation. One stark number stands out as reflecting the depth of current distress: Twenty-five percent (25%) of Americans do not have any tangible assets—no house, no savings, nothing other than their wages and expenses. Most individuals hidden inside these statistics are too young, too old, or too infirm to work.


CCUSA works to reduce poverty within Catholic organizations and in collaboration with many interdenominational charities, having blazed a respected path of good works serving homeless youth and families, the rural poor, and immigrant communities. Catholic Charities’ new goal is to cut poverty in half by 2020, and to this end Father Snyder seek discussions to change the public will to act to change policy in five areas of concern:
1. Hunger
2. Health Care
3. Housing
4. Job Training
5. Education

Catholic Charities focuses on these areas of concern to reduce poverty. Each benchmark presents opportunities at a local level in schools, clinics, and food pantries. We who serve in Sonoma County, as this writer does at the Interchurch Pantry of Sebastopol, function on the local level. Fr. Snyder suggested two reasons for such work:

1. The call of citizenship requires that we care about our community.
2. Faith-based organizations serve as a moral response to human suffering. People of faith have no other choice but to care and help.

Recently CCUSA has been working with some governmental agencies, such as HUD and Children’s Health Insurance Program, while adding to input and design of the new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. ARRA is a new bill that attempts to create jobs and restore economic growth with the basic intention of protecting those in greatest need. See www.opencongress.org. As government money dries up, the new challenge is to find local non-profits or private donors to help fill the gap in giving.

Father Snyder reminded the participants that activists are beginning to study American poverty by comparing it to other countries and using the United Nations model for analyzing any nation by its quality of life and human development according to three standards.

1. Long, healthy life
2. Access to Knowledge
3. Decent Standard of Living

Somewhere between 1980 and 2005, the quality of life in the USA, as measured by the above criteria, dropped from second in the world to twentieth place. We have to take a hard look at our infant mortality rates and increase health care coverage for our children. To help ensure access to knowledge and education, we need to recognize that every day in American 6000 youngsters drop out of school. Students reading below grade level at the end of third grade are at great risk of failure for the balance of their school years, and intervention before this point could help retain students. To pursue the hope of a decent standard of living, we need to maintain job-training programs for our youth, or retraining for adults in industries where layoffs have most affected our workforce.

Fr. Snyder left a quote from Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world; Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”

Readers can step up to help agencies combat poverty and its effects. Contribute to the Food Bank, Interchurch Pantry, or other charities who work for ‘food security’, be a mentor to a young person, call the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County and offer your time at 573-3399, or write your congressperson to grant health insurance to all children, if not all citizens.

Catholic Charities of Santa Rosa: http://www.srcharities.org/

Volunteer Center, Santa Rosa: http://www.volunteernow.org/

Redwood Empire Food bank, Santa Rosa: http://www.refb.org/

Elisha’s Interfaith Food Pantry: http://www.ccum.us/pantry/index.htm

California Harvest Interfaith Food Banks: http://www.californiasharvest.com/food.htm

The Sebastopol Interchurch Food Pantry: http://www.sonic.net/~sebumc/outreach_descriptions.htm#food_pantry

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Ceres Food Project Benefits Cancer Patients

Food & Wine Event to Benefit Local Cancer Support Organization

Lynmar Winery’s beautiful gardens will be the site of a unique community celebration and fund-raiser on Saturday, September 19th. Benefiting The Ceres Community Project, the event features local farms, food purveyors and wineries who have rallied around the non-profit’s unique mix of providing meals, teaching young people to cook, and promoting the importance of a healthy diet.

Along with Lynmar Winery, the event will feature wines from Iron Horse Vineyards, Skip Stone Ranch and Outpost Winery. Redwood Hill Farm & Dairy and Gourmet Mushrooms, both ongoing supporters of The Ceres Community Project, will create pairings with two of the wines. The other pairings will be created by Ceres’ volunteer teen and adult chefs, who each week prepare about 500 meals for local families dealing with life-threatening illness, primarily cancer. Each pairing will include food grown by Ceres’ many farm partners including First Light Farm, Laguna Farm, Meadow Song Farm, Lynmar Winery and Skipstone Ranch. Whole Foods Market Sebastopol, a major food donor to the organization, will be offering a selection of desserts.

The event celebrates the broad spectrum of community support that has enabled The Ceres Community Project to support hundreds of local families during the past two years. Founded in March 2007, Ceres has provided nearly 35,000 delicious, nourishing and free meals to local families touched by cancer and other illnesses. More than 200 teens have spent time in their kitchens, learning about cooking and eating healthy foods and discovering the joy of contributing to others.

Nearly 11 million Americans are now living with cancer and another 1.5 million will be diagnosed with the disease in 2008 according to the American Cancer Society’s recent report, Cancer Statistics 2008. The report also affirms the growing connection being made between what we eat and the state of our health. JoEllen DeNicola, Ceres’ Nutrition Director, comments “The literature from the American Cancer Society and the American Institute of Cancer Research agree that about 1/3 of all cancer deaths are directly related to poor diet, overweight and/or lack of physical activity – things that are in our control. At The Ceres Community Project we are committed to educating our clients, teen chefs and the larger community about this link and about what we can do to improve our chances of living a healthier life.”

As one of the organization’s clients explains, the weekly delivery of free meals can literally mean the difference between eating and not eating. “I think . . . I really should eat something and go to the refrigerator and see a container. I taste it and think WOW, this is really good. And then I have seconds. I have kept my weight on and just can’t thank you enough.”

Tickets for the Food & Wine Evening are $50 to $100 each sliding scale, and the event is limited to 150.

To order tickets, mail a check to Ceres Project, PO Box 1562, Sebastopol, CA 95473 or email LynmarEvent@ceresproject.org.

www.ceresproject.org to earn more about The Ceres Community Project

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Graton's Former Fire Chief Ed Cordoza Passed On

Fire Chief Ed Cordoza is the second man from the right

Graton Fire’s Flag Flies at Half-Mast

Our flag flies at half-mast for the one of the original fire chiefs that actually helped install the flag pole and build part of the station. On Friday, August 14th, former Fire Chief Ed Cordoza passed away. Chief Cordoza was one of the founding Graton firefighters in 1949, before it was even officially recognized, and served as its fifth fire chief for five years during the 1960’s.

After retiring, Ed returned to serve Graton Fire as a Board Director for 12 years. During his tenure as firefighter, chief, and director, he accomplished many things, including gathering lumber from abandoned chicken coops to build the north section of the fire station. Chief Cordoza also replaced an army surplus truck that had been retrofitted to hold a water tank with an actual water tender fire engine to supply water during fires. “He was one of the finest chiefs; he got along with everyone“, said Lee Walker, a former firefighter that fought alongside Chief Cordoza and eventually became a fire district board member himself.

Chief Cordoza leaves behind his wife, Eleanor, five children, and numerous grandchildren. His memorial service will be held on Wednesday, August 19th at 12:30 at the Pleasant Hills Memorial Park in Sebastopol. The family has requested that donations be sent in lieu of flowers to the Graton Firefighters Association, PO Box 80, Graton, CA 95444.

Bill Bullard, Deputy Chief
Graton Fire Protection District
3205 Ross Road, P.O. Box A
Graton, CA 95444
mailto:bbullard@gratonfire.com
http://www.gratonfire.com
707-823-5515 ext. 3
707-823-7251 fax

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J.D. Kaiwi - Forestville Icon - Died July 7, 2009

J.D. Kaiwi - Forestville's resident volunteer and social butterfly, died unexpectedly July 7, 2009 of Swine Flu and heart complications.

J.D. is the kind of person who shows up wherever people are gathering for a good cause or just community get-together. Always cheerful and full of energy to help out, he's been part of so many benefits and volunteer efforts over the years he was voted as Forestville's Volunteer of the Year in 2008.

His passing gives us a good opportunity to ponder how important is it to show our appreciation for people's efforts while they are still with us. Not even 50 when he died, J.D. was chosen as the perfect candidate for recogntion in our small community. Volunteers are a vital part of any small town without the services of an incorprated area. From serving food at Hollydale Community Club events to picking up trash at the annual Forestville Youth Park BBQ, J.D. has been a dependable source of positive contributions.

In 2008, the Forestville Planning Association provided grant money to hire J.D. to be our downtown clean-up man. It was just a small fund, but J.D. took to the task with his usual passion, and our downtown looked a whole lot better for his efforts. Merchants and residents appreciated his efforts so much they tried to fund him for 2009. We were just getting ready to raise money to hire him again when we learned this news.

Mornings at Bo'z Cup Coffee cart on Mirabel Road, days at Speer's Market, and late afternoons at Rotten Robbie gas in downtown Forestville will not be the same without J.D.'s daily banter. People who have been in contact with J.D. should get checked for Swine Flu to make sure they didn't contract the disease from spending time with him.

If there's anything we can learn from J.D., it's live the best life you can, give with all your heart and remember that giving recognition to people who make your town a home is vital. Do it now. You never know when they might be taken from you.

Thanks J.D. for all you have done for our home over the years.

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Day Laborers Train to be Health Promoters

Day Laborers Take Health into their Own Hands

By Christina Zapata
On Tuesday June 16th, West County Health Centers Inc, awarded day laborers certificates for completing a ten -week training on how to be a health promoter.

Health promoters are part of an international phenomenon in which people with little access to medical services, often the poor and elderly, use trained community members as coaches in preventive health.

The group of 10 graduates, day laborers from Centro Laboral de Graton, are eager to get to work. Some workers plan to outreach to other day laborers in the area, such as Cazadero, Fulton, and Guerneville corners.

Carlos López, Health Outreach Worker for Centro Laboral de Graton said, “Workers asked me what the next step is for the newly trained promoters. ‘You tell me’ I responded.” Carlos envisions that the graduates will approach workers at other corners to see if they’re interested in starting soccer teams- “social team building activities such as sports are great ways to begin discussions on health,” López added. “Our intent is not to impose ourselves, we’ll see what direction workers at the corners want to take.”

The good news is that day laborers are ready to put their training into practice. That’s because all of the day laborers completing the training are immigrants. Immigrants are healthier upon arriving to the U.S. and the “immigrant health advantage” declines over time . Immigrants are at higher risk than the general population for diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. Because of the conditions in which they live, they are also at risk for sexually transmitted infections, poor nutrition, and alcoholism. Health promoters are ready to take on, in a small way, the health issues impacting their peers.

In this period of economic insecurity, it’s urgent communities do what they can to avoid costly care. Prevention that is sensitive to the experiences of day laborers through health promotion is really a great way to address continued health and wellbeing.

The trainings were made possible by Centro Laboral de Graton’s partnership with West County Health Centers, Inc. (WCHC). WCHC and CLG promote health through education, access, and care.

Reference: Castañeda, X., Ross, R., Villalobos, J.; Migration, Health, & Work, Facts Behind the Myths, University of California, Berkeley, Secretary of Health of the Government of Mexico and The California Endowment Joint Policy Brief. (2008).

Article Provided by
Graton Day Labor Center
www.gratondaylabor.org

2981 Bowen St
Graton, CA 95444
(707) 829-1864

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MIX IT UP Magazine for Young Adults

My name is Ed Troxell and I just graduated from Sonoma State University with a B.A. in Communications. I just wanted to let you know about MIX IT UP Magazine, issue 2 is now out. MIX IT UP Magazine is a comprehensive source of information written for young adults on topics that matter most: health, work, travel, and entertainment. We are a publication dedicated to building confidence, expanding perspectives, and shaping a promising future.

MIX IT UP will be the one-stop magazine if you will for young adults both males and females. It is a free, bi-monthly magazine that will be distributed to the North Bay (San Jose to Chico), hitting most of the major colleges and places young adults gather.

I created MIX IT UP Magazine last year as part of my senior project, a graduation requirement for SSU, here in Santa Rosa. Given today’s economy and the way the job market is I decided to create the next step in my life. I have always had a passion for the magazine industry and after working for awhile at Make Magazine out in Sebastopol I realized that I just need to start my own and see where it goes.

I feel that 2009 is the time for change and trying something new. This is the biggest risk I have ever taken and I am facing it head on. The goal is to have advertisers support this so that we can continue to be a free print publication while tying in the web. Online we have videos from stories in the print edition as well as an online version. As we continue to grow we will be putting extras on the website.

It would be great if you could just let people know about MIX IT UP Magazine and spread the word. People like what they see in MIX IT UP and I have made it a personal goal to do everything I can in order to keep it going. While I know everything is going online, there is still a need from consumers for print. They still love to touch and feel things in their hands. That is why I want to continue mixing print and online so that readers can get the best of both worlds.

Feel free to check out our website, http://www.mixitupmagazine.com, which has all of our information, including our media kit.

Sincerely,

Ed Troxell
MIX IT UP Magazine
Publisher / Executive Editor
ed@mixitupmagazine.com

Blog: mixitupmagazine.wordpress.com

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Under One Roof - HIV/AIDS Education and Support

UNDER ONE ROOF

...helping to generate unrestricted funds for agencies that provide HIV/AIDS education and support services.
www.underoneroof.org

The Under One Roof Story

Under One Roof is the only non-profit retail store of its kind in the entire world, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for San Francisco Bay Area men, women, and children living with HIV/AIDS.

Under One Roof inspires and unites community volunteers, donors, staff, sponsors and merchant supporters to support of our common cause: generating unrestricted funds for non-profit agencies that provide HIV/AIDS education and support services, including promoting positive, healthy lifestyles.

Since 1990, Under One Roof has donated more than $4 million in unrestricted funds to approximately 30 participating San Francisco Bay Area HIV/AIDS service organizations (“ASOs”).

As the AIDS epidemic changes and public funding sources diminish, Under One Roof's mission has become more critical than ever.


How Under One Roof Works

Under One Roof raises funds by selling items in our San Francisco store and via our website. For about 85% of the items we sell, we purchase wholesale merchandise. We then sell these items via our retail and online stores. Approximately 15% of our items are donated by retailers and vendors, the proceeds of which help cover our operating costs. We also raise funds by sponsoring a variety of ­special events.

After covering our operating expenses, we distribute 100% of our profits back to our participating agencies, allowing them to raise funds without any expenditure of operating funds, staff or marketing — a significant benefit in an era of diminished public sector funding. Our favorable payment terms, freight terms, and pricing from wholesalers, as well as generous merchandise donations, allow us to give higher profit margins back to our participating agencies. On average, each participating HIV/AIDS organization receives a 40–50% annual return on their investment.


A Modest Start — A Bright Future

Under One Roof was born in San Francisco in 1990, when a group of friends, wanting to help fight the AIDS epidemic ravaging their friends, family and community, had an idea: Create a small retail shop and donate all the profits to local HIV/AIDS service organizations. That first year, they simply sold gifts and wrapping paper during the winter holiday season from a little corner of the Names Project’s storefront on Market Street in the Castro district. Customers were thrilled they could support people affected byHIV/AIDS simply by giving gifts. And so began an enduring Under One Roof tradition — “giving the gift that gives twice.”

Several years later, Under One Roof blossomed into a year-round retail store on Castro Street. The new store was a truly collaborative effort: Agencies came together to sell merchandise, volunteers ran and staffed the store, corporate partners provided funding, vendors and retailers donated merchandise, and customers shopped their hearts out. All together, all “Under One Roof.”

In 2008, 18 years and more than $4 million in ASO donations later, Under One Roof moved across the street to 518A Castro Street — to a storefront triple the size of its previous location. In addition to retail in-store and online sales, Under One Roof now sponsors a variety of in-store and offsite fundraising events.

“The gift that gives twice.” From a few holiday gifts and some wrapping paper has emerged one of San Francisco’s most-recognized and beloved non-profits dedicated to helping people living with HIV and AIDS. As long as there’s a need for these services and thanks to your support, Under One Roof will be here to help.

www.underoneroof.org

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Global Student Exchange Promotes International Relationships

A Grassroots Approach to International Relations

By Jasper Oshun

Our world has never seen a time of greater need for human compassion, understanding, and tolerance. Human to human interactions have declined in favor of technological distractions that promote a shorter attention span. More people have access to more information than ever before, yet international relations are dominated by heads of state and CEO's of multinational corporations. I believe that at the local level, we have the potential to recognize commonalities across cultural lines, and collaborate with foreign communities to find solutions to local and global problems. Our objective, at the Global Student Embassy (GSE), is to foster communication between communities that promotes and solidifies grassroots international relations through the world's greatest untapped resource: the youth.

It is an unfortunate reality that high school students are often disregarded as potential agents of social change. Tremendous potential exists for social change to come from a mobilized and directed youth movement. GSE promotes service learning by empowering young people to become leaders in their community. Our student ambassadors learn hands-on skills while making a meaningful contribution to the global community. I believe that our ambassadors represent a growing shift in consciousness that will encourage young people to invest more time in both their local and global community.

GSE is expanding, both locally and internationally over the next 8 months. Windsor High School will incorporate GSE's curriculum into its Nueva Arts School. Service projects such as the community garden GSE has created at the Village Park in Sebastopol would benefit from an artistic eye. We look forward to seeing GSE thrive within the creativity and openness of the Windsor High curriculum.

Lucas, Yasha Mokaram (a third director of GSE), and I recently returned from a 6 week recruiting mission to Tanzania and Kenya. The educational structure of Tanzania (where we are establishing a scion of GSE) is daunting. The highly centralized Ministry of Education, which prides itself on position of power, has little connection to its high schools, yet retains all the decision making power.

Overcoming the necessary red tape in Tanzania is counter to our philosophy of grassroots organizing, yet we still believe in the tremendous potential of GSE in Morogoro, Tanzania. Over a week and a half of meetings with students, professors, administrators and teachers from 4 different high schools, the Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), and the regional office of education, we were excited to have an action plan for a new model of GSE.

We selected two rural development students, Rogers and Godfrey, who—assuming we find adequate funding—will enroll in a Master's program in which they will develop and coordinate an unprecedented university to secondary school partnership in accordance with the philosophy of GSE.

Four local high schools are forming GSE clubs that will send 10 delegates to meet with Rogers and Godfrey at SUA once a week. These students will discuss international relations, learn basic computer skills, communicate with their counterparts in Perú, Argentina, and Sebastopol, and research, plan and develop service projects that will benefit their community.

After meeting with local students, Rogers, Godfrey, Lucas, Yasha, and I were extremely impressed by the articulation, energy, and commitment of Morogoro high school students. Four to eight students from Morogoro, and one to three each from Perú and Argentina will travel to Sebastopol as delegates in January 2010.

In the meantime, we are fundraising in preparation for this June’s service projects to Argentina and Perú. Lucas will be leading 5 students from Analy, Nonesuch and Windsor high schools to Santa Fe, Argentina. The Argentinean students and teacher who traveled to Sebastopol last January are planning activities such as an on-field ceremony during Santa Fe's most anticipated soccer game of the year (Colon v. Boca Juniors), fishing trips up the Paraná River, and family barbeques. GSE is planning to establish Pasta para Progreso, a pasta making business whose proceeds will benefit an underfunded school.

In June, I will lead a group of students, and talented young adults to Zurite, Perú. We will contribute our labor, as well as $7,000 towards a $60,000 irrigation canal project. The municipality, the association of farmers, and GSE are teaming up to support the completion of the 2.5 km canal and irrigation system that will enable 150 families to cultivate their fields year-round.

We ask for public support of our international projects and the travel of student ambassadors. Please join us for a night of community investment beginning at 6:30 pm May 29th, at the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center. The gathering will include dinner, live music, updates of our projects and overall vision, a silent auction, and a chance to meet like-minded activists in your community. I invite you to learn more at www.seb.org/global.html.

Jasper
Global Student Embassy
707.829.1026
7910 Swartz Ave
Sebastopol, CA 95472

Global Student Embassy - Morogoro, Tanzania

Morogoro is an underdeveloped city 2 hours west of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. The community of Morogoro is known for its commitment to education. In February, Jasper, Lucas, and Yasha traveled to Morogoro, teaching cultural and educational workshops to secondary (high school) level students. They were successful in creating GSE clubs at four secondary schools in the Morogoro Area. The clubs will meet regularly with student coordinators from Sokoine University of Agriculture, and discuss political, cultural, and social issues at the local and global level.

With financial, organizational and spiritual support from GSE the Tanzanian students have proposed to build a youth center in Morogoro that will sustain itself through the business of providing internet services and computer classes to members of their community. The Morogoro Youth Center (MYC) will be a place for students to share ideas and collectively organize community service projects in a community with an approximate average annual GDP per capita of only $400.

In January, 2010 students from Morogoro’s GSE branch will visit the local communities of Sebastopol and Windsor, helping to implement community development projects here in Sonoma County. In June of 2010, students from Sonoma County will complete the exchange, visiting the Morogoro community and investing themselves in the realization of the proposed community development projects.

Students in Morogoro lack some of the basic school materials that we take for granted here in the United States. Participants in the Global Student Embassy in Morogoro still have no public place to gather and exchange ideas. The lack of affordable internet prevents them from accessing the global community. Please help us to create the very first Morogoro Youth Center, a place for the youth of Tanzania to become future global leaders!

Global Student Embassy - Santa Fe, Argentina
Pasta para Progresso

Directed by Edit Chalita, the GSE students in Santa Fe have begun to fundraise and work with their family and friends to support their vision for rebuilding a poorly funded local primary school. Our community project in Santa Fe includes building a playground at the school, painting the school, and establishing a business to provide a sustainable source of funding for the school and the operation of GSE Santa Fe.

The five Argentineans who traveled to Sebastopol (Edit, Sebastian, Fiama, Natalia and Matias) are currently at work setting up a small pasta business. With GSE funds they will purchase a pasta-pressing machine. Students and parents will have part time employment producing raviolis, spaghetti, pene, and empanadas. The production will take place in the kitchen of the school after school hours. 50% of the profits generated from sale of the pasta will go toward supporting travel and participation in the Global Student Embassy. The other 50% of the profits will go directly towards the school for books, supplies, and other costs.

The Sebastopol and Santa Fe students will work together to build a playground with a basketball hoop and small soccer goals. The supplies for this project will be provided by GSE. The funds were raised in communities in both Santa Fe and Sonoma County. Over the course of 4 weeks the students will build the playground support the pasta business while living with their host families in Santa Fe. After the work Sebastopol students will have 18 days to travel and see different cities in Argentina.

We greatly appreciate any support you can offer towards the realization of our goals!

Global Student Embassy - Zurite, Perú

Zurite is a rural pueblo of 1,000 inhabitants located on the western edge of the Anta plain. The plain, a lake until drained by the Conquistadores, is now filled with pastures, familial agricultural plots, and small settlements. Most of Zurite’s inhabitants live a semi-subsistence lifestyle. Families work their fields, own a small store, raise guinea pig, work as day laborers, teach at local schools, or perhaps hold a municipal position. Most families consume a portion of their harvests and sell the remainder. The agricultural fields yield quinoa, potatoes, maize, large bean pods, and alfalfa. Zurite has a high school, a central plaza, a couple of stores selling groceries and household essentials, a police station, church, and soccer field. GSE, Zurite is directed by Tomás Ruíz López, a religious studies professor, and Uriel Villena, a dentist and local restaurant owner.

Tomás and Uriel have worked hard with student ambassador Yeni Sihua Quispe to work with the community of Zurite in developing a proposal for an irrigation canal. The project will be a joint venture with costs shared by the Global Student Embassy, the Municipality of Zurite, the Farmer’s community, and the Commissioner’s Office of Zurite.

The irrigation canal will be built of concrete, .5m x .5m, and will reach a distance of 2.5km. The $60,000 canal project will allow for the irrigation of 40 hectares and will benefit 150 families, a total of 450 people. The canal will allow for year round agriculture.

The Objectives of the Canal
1) Improve the crop yield and productivity of local agriculture.
2) Increase the economic investment of the beneficiaries and elevate the level of life.
3) To sustainably use the local water and land resources.
4) To reduce the risk and vulnerability of crop loss in high altitude farming.
5) To develop an organized system of efficient distribution of water and good management of the irrigation infrastructure.
6) To extend the reach of irrigation to new croplands.
7) To decrease the percentage of those aged 16-30 leaving Zurite in search of employment in the cities.

GSE ambassadors and staff plan to complete this 2.5km irrigation canal in June-July through a commitment of manual labor and $7,000.

You can support our efforts by purchasing sections of the canal for $25/meter

I invite you to learn more at www.seb.org/global.html.

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