Because of the heightened use of energy due to low temperatures and the increased use of candles, fireplaces and holiday lights, home fires during the holiday are a major concern for the American Red Cross. Nearly 47,000 fires occur during the winter holidays, claiming more than 500 lives each year. In Ventura County alone, the American Red Cross has responded to 25 home fires in the past year, free of charge, helping Ventura County residents recover from the devastation to their homes.

With the dramatically increased risk of fire and other dangers during the holiday season, the American Red Cross, Ventura County Chapter encourages the community to be cautious and to keep safety in mind while enjoying this holiday season. Follow these simple steps to help ensure you and your loved ones enjoy a safe and happy holiday:

If you would like to speak with a representative of the American Red Cross in Ventura County, please feel free to contact me at (805) 687-3322.

Sincerely,
Katrina Sill
Katrina Sill, Public Relations Associate
351 S Hitchcock Way, Suite B-200
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
805.687.3322
805.687.3344 fax
ks@surfmedia.com, www.surfmedia.com

Since both Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on a Saturday this holiday season, Santa Clara Valley Disposal will maintain its regular Friday trash and recyclables collection schedule on Dec. 24 and its trash and green waste collection schedule on Dec. 31.

As a special holiday feature, residents may put out twice the amount of trash at no extra charge during the two weeks following Christmas. Please make sure the trash is in bags. We will also collect extra recyclables, but please make sure to flatten all boxes.

Also, Santa Clara Valley Disposal is making it easy for their customers to recycle their Christmas trees. All customers need to do is remove the ornaments, hooks, lights, tinsel, bows, nails and tree stand, then cut the tree into sections no more than 4 feet long and place in the yard waste barrel on their scheduled pickup day.

Please note, however: Flocked trees cannot be recycled.

For more information, call 647-1414.

Ventura, CA. - Community Memorial Hospital is offering a free support group for stroke patients on the second Wednesday of each month.

Families, friends and caregivers of patients also are invited to attend the support group meetings, which run from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the eighth-floor board room at CMH, 147 N. Brent St.

A stroke happens unexpectedly and shatters the routine of daily life. This support group is designed to provide participants the opportunity to share their experience with others. Participants also gain vital information regarding strokes as well as learn coping and recovery skills at the meetings.

For more information, call (805) 667-2818 or email strokeaware@cmhhospital.org.

Community Memorial Hospital is a member of Community Memorial Health System, a not-for-profit health system, which is comprised of Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, and nine family-practice health centers entitled Centers for Family Health. The health system is located in Ventura County, California.

A message from Mrs. Chaney:

This is to let you know that I will be addressing the City Council on behalf of Grad Nite Live on Tuesday the 14th of December to ask them to allow us (Grad Nite Live) to continue using the property at the end of Orange Grove Ave for our storage of cars/rv's that we receive and especially an enclosed container that stores our Yard Sale donations. The property was given/dedicated to Super Seal and Stripe 6 or 7 years ago by the City and now the City Manager wants to ignore the previous arrangements. Please "tune in" or be there at 6 PM (new time) Tuesday December the 14th.

GRAD NITE LIVE needs all the support we can muster. If you need more information before the 14th call me at 524-4909 or 407-5759. Thank you, Mrs Chaney.

We need more votes!

Just click here... www.refresheverything.com/sespeauditorium ...and please pass it on to your friends and family!

Keep on voting, we need to get under 100 in the rankings to stay in the running for next month!

The top 100 runners-up from each category will be automatically transferred over to the next month's voting period.

THANKS EVERYONE!
Janet Foy

This year’s Piru Christmas theme contest was won by Natalie Martinez and Lupita Ruvalcaba 5th and 6th graders at Piru School.

This year’s Piru Christmas theme contest was won by Natalie Martinez and Lupita Ruvalcaba, 5th and 6th graders at Piru School.

Piru's North Pole Fantasy theme for the 33rd Piru Christmas Parade, scheduled for December 11th, Saturday, at noon. Immediately following the Parade will be our post parade festivities at the Piru Depot. The parade awards ceremony will commence at 2:00 pm.

Dan Torres & the new Piru River Band, also DJ Paul Viaz Inlakech Mariachi, Folklorco Dancers, Horse Shoe Tournament, Cash prizes, for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winner, please bring your own chair. Trackless Train rides, and more.

Don't forget great food TJ tacos, tamales, Elvia's tri tip, Poncho's Restaurant, U Scream Ice Cream, What'z Up Doggie, Railway Cafe, Paul's Kettle Corn, corn dogs, Fillmore Band Uniforms fundraising, Relay for Life, Mary's Jewelry, homemade items, Ray's Citrus labels, Photo-art say it with a word, and Dave's Woodworks.

Kids from the Sespe Players Musical Theater workshop will perform on stage at the Sespe Auditorium, 627 Sespe Avenue in Fillmore, Sat. Dec. 18th, 2 pm. There will only be one performance of this very popular and upbeat musical set in the early 60’s. This will be Sespe Players third Musical Theater Workshop Performance having completed “Grease” last spring and “The Wiz” last summer.

Please come out to support our children in the Performing Arts, their talent and dreams!

Admission is by donation to support the arts. No reservations required.

For information on future musical theater workshop performances, contact Priscilla Rzezuski (805) 524-0553.

As FFA members, we know that the motto “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve” is put into action by participating in different activities. We participate in Supervised Agriculture Experiences (SAE) which for most of our students is represented by raising their fair animal and taking the project to market. The SAE project is funded by the student. The student must show planning, managing and financial knowledge of the SAE project to be successful. Career Development Events (CDE) help us prepare for the job market by teaching students to think critically, communicate clearly and to perform effectively. Fillmore FFA students have been preparing for the job interviewing and public speaking contests which will be held in February. Throughout the year, students also attend conferences that promote leadership and team building. To help students attend these conferences, our FFA Booster Club have fundraisers. Some of you might have attended our Freedom Breakfast on the 4th of July or our Barn Dance which were both successful fundraisers.

The inspiration for our latest fundraiser came to us while at National Convention. While in Indianapolis, we had the opportunity to choose from hundreds of Ag related farms and companies to tour. While on a tour, we started thinking about how many Ag businesses we have in our hometown of Fillmore. We came up with the idea to make a calendar of our FFA members and local ag companies. The calendar would be sold as a fundraiser and our FFA members would get an opportunity to explore the different Ag businesses. For the past two weeks, FFA members have been visiting these businesses and taking a photo with them for the calendar. We have already been invited back to several of these locations for tours. The support of the owners and managers for this fundraiser has been greatly appreciated. The calendars will go on sale later this week for $10 each.

Brooke Aguirre is the Fillmore FFA Chapter Reporter

The Fillmore Citizen’s Patrol annual Christmas movie is being offered for free for all children on Saturday, Dec. 11th at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The movie this year is “Megamind”. Plan to attend this fun event!

The F.H.S. Alumni Association will be selling Alumni Coffee Mugs, and the 9 mile dvd in front of Von's on Friday, and Saturday, December 17th and 18th. There are a few commemorative programs from the 100th game that will be for sale to. Please come to Von's on the 17th, and 18th, and support your Alumni Association. These items will make the perfect Christmas for that special Alumni. If you wish to purchase these items before December 17th, and 18th, Please call the Alumni Office at 805-524-0416. Go Flashes!

’The Rotary Club of Ventura is currently conducting its annual Rotary “Coats for Kids” project, which benefits many underprivileged children and families in the west county area. This is the seventh year this project has been run by the Rotary Club of Ventura. This year, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department’s Headquarters, Fillmore, Ojai, and Camarillo area stations have joined forces with the Rotary Club to expand the program.

Spearheaded by the Rotary Club of Ventura and in partnership with Ventura South Rotary, Ventura East Rotary, and Oxnard Sunrise Rotary, the project is designed to collect, clean and distribute over 10,000 coats and jackets of all sizes. The Rotary Club of Ventura organizes the project. The Ventura County Star, Gold Coast Broadcasting and Four Seasons Cleaners are the project’s sponsors.

The goal of the project is to provide children and adults with warm coats for the winter season that they would not otherwise be able to have. Donated coats may be either new or used. They are collected at various locations throughout the west county area, picked up by volunteer members from the various Rotary clubs, and taken to Four Seasons Cleaners of Ventura, where they are cleaned free of charge. Four Seasons Cleaners then returns the coats to the Rotary Club of Ventura for distribution. Recipients of the cleaned coats are service organizations and schools in the community including the Boys & Girls Club of Oxnard and Ventura, the Rescue Mission, The Salvation Army, local churches, and Casa Pacifica.

Last year 7,000 coats and jackets were given to children and adults in the greater Ventura community. The Rotary Club of Ventura also distributes coats at its annual Christmas Party in December. Last year over 50 needy elementary school students from Lincoln, E P Foster and Sheridan Way schools were able to select coats for themselves and for members of their families. Hundreds of coats were also distributed via local service organizations to those in need in the Saticoy area and the city of Fillmore, with the assistance of the Sheriffs West County Headquarters Station. This year the club will again distribute coats and jackets to children from the same schools, and will expand their outreach to support coat distributions to those in need in the communities of Saticoy, El Rio, Camarillo, Ojai, and Fillmore.

In addition to the regular collection box sites that have been used in past years and which can be found at www.venturarotary.org., the Sheriffs Department has provided additional collection locations at police stations and some city government locations in Camarillo, Ojai, and Fillmore. A box is also located next to the Headquarters patrol station desk located at the Sheriff’s Complex at the Government Center in Ventura. Donations of coats and jackets of all sizes will be gratefully accepted through December 31, 2010.

Ventura, CA. - Community Memorial Health System kicks off its 2011 seminar series with a free seminar on Tuesday, Jan. 11 focusing on the minimally invasive treatment of fibroids, benign tumors in a woman’s uterine smooth muscle.

Dr. Lois Barnes and Dr. Srisawai Pattamakom, Ventura obstetrician-gynecologists, will lead the seminar that will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in Community Memorial Hospital’s eighth-floor Nichols Auditorium.

Drs. Barnes and Pattamakom will discuss symptoms of fibroids, which typically start in women in their 30s. Symptoms include heavy and prolonged periods, pain in the pelvis and during intercourse, and infertility. The seminar will delve into traditional treatments for fibroids and also provide information on alternative and minimally invasive procedures, including hysteroscopic myomectomy and robotically assisted laparoscopic myomectomy.

Dr. Barnes received her medical degree from the University of California at Davis and Dr. Pattamakom earned her medical degree from Northwestern University. Both are active members of the Community Memorial Hospital medical staff.

Admission is free, but space is limited, so reservations are required. Call (805) 652-5436, or visit www.cmhshealth.org/rsvp.

Community Memorial Hospital is located at 147 N. Brent St. in Ventura.

Community Memorial Health System is a not-for-profit health system, which is comprised of Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, and nine family-practice health centers entitled Centers for Family Health. The health system is located in Ventura County, California.

Oxnard, CA. - Community Memorial Health System’s Healthy Women’s Program is hosting a Community Outreach Day which offers free mammograms and healthcare education to the first 35 women who qualify. This event will take place at the Center for Family Health in Oxnard on Saturday, January 29.

The women will arrive early at the CFH office at 2361 E. Vineyard Avenue where they will be transported to The Breast Center at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, and then back to the Centers office.

In 2009, an estimated 194,280 new cases of breast cancer occurred in the United States, and early detection and awareness is the key to fighting this life-threatening disease. The Healthy Women’s Program provided through Community Memorial Health System benefits women in the community who are uninsured, under-insured or lack funds to pay for mammograms and follow-up treatment, if necessary.

“These women have nowhere else in the county to go to get these services; that’s why they come to us,” said Petra Luna, education manager for Centers for Family Health.

The Healthy Women’s Program is made possible through funds raised by the Community Memorial Healthcare Foundation’s annual Gold Dust Gala, along with the generous support of the Wallis Foundation.

To find out if you qualify for this program, call 805/651-2661. For more information on the Healthy Women’s Program visit www.cmhshealth.org/healthywomen.

Community Memorial Health System is a not-for-profit health system, which is comprised of Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, and nine family-practice health centers entitled Centers for Family Health. The health system is located in Ventura County, California.

Ventura, CA – The Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation’s NeighborWorks® HomeOwnership Center (HOC) will kick off a local Loan Scam Alert Campaign on Friday, December 10 with two important events aimed at educating the community about home loan modification scams and how homeowners can protect themselves. The campaign was initially launched by NeighborWorks America at the request of the U.S. Congress to educate and empower homeowners to protect themselves against loan modification scams, find trusted help and report illegal activity to authorities.

CEDC’s first event is a Faith and Community Leaders Workshop which will be held on Friday, December 10 at CEDC’s office in Ventura from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Confirmed speakers at the event include representatives from the Ventura County District Attorney’s office, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Ventura County Coastal Association of Realtors, the Real Estate Fraud Advisory Team and CEDC’s foreclosure prevention experts.

Faith-based and community leaders interested in attending the morning event must pre-register by calling 805.659.6868 or e-mailing kmejia@cabrilloedc.org as space is limited.

A free Loan Modification Scam Alert Workshop will be held for the general community on Friday, December 10 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. for English speakers and from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. for Spanish speakers at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center located at 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard, CA 93030. The public will learn how to prevent becoming a victim of a loan modification scam and will learn about the various options that are available to individuals who are at risk of foreclosure.

The foreclosure crisis has CONTINUED »

Sespe Players, Fillmore's community theater group, has been accepted for the Pepsi Refresh Project Grant. You can vote now at http://www.refresheverything.com/sespeauditorium

or

The grant will “Refresh Sespe Auditorium with new curtains, lights and sound”. Sespe Players has applied for $50,000, and to win this grant, the community must vote on a daily basis, for the “project they want”.
No one knows how old the stage curtains are in the auditorium! There is no stage lighting or sound system! So the Fillmore School District could really use our help in getting this wonderful asset “Refreshed”!

Sespe Auditorium is located in the Fillmore School District Building, at 627 Sespe Avenue. Sespe Players has used this stage for many years to produce wonderful plays and musicals for the community. Recently we have had Musical Theater Workshops and acting classes as well. The District uses the stage for graduation ceremonies, community forums and rents the facility to other performing entities.

You can go online to refresheverything.com register to vote. We hope to have everyone online voting for Sespe Auditorium! We will be up against some very tough competition from other very large communities, but , if we get the word out to all our email, Facebook and Twitter friends from everywhere, we could really pull this off!

Thanks you all for your support!
Janet Foy
Sespe Players

The Tiger Cubs of Pack 3400 recently visited the Piru Library. Pictured is librarian Cindy Escoto and “the Pack”.
Enlarge Photo

The Tiger Cubs of Pack 3400 recently visited the Piru Library. This visit helped them complete an achievement about Learning About the Past, which they need in order to earn their Tiger Cub patch. The librarian, Mrs. Cindy Escoto familiarized the boys with the library, and then read a number of stories with the boys. The stories focused on life in the past. Of special interest was a true story in which the characters traveled to California, ending up at Rancho Camulos. It was an evening that the boys are sure to remember for a long time.
Cub Scouting is a family-oriented program designed to teach character, citizenship, and leadership skills through fun and educational activities. If your 1st through 5th grade son is interested in joining Cub Scouts, please contact Pack Leader Sean Morris: (805) 524-1014 or seanm@wildblue.net.