Many children and teens have experienced the death of a loved one during the pandemic. This is a difficult time for anyone grieving a loss. Livingston’s Grief and Bereavement Program recognizes the value children and teens receive from sharing their grief experience with their peers. Our groups provide support, connection and validation that they are not alone.
Geography professor Somayeh Dodge receives two early career awards for studying movement.
The last day to apply is March 31, 2022! HousingIsKey.com is still accepting and reviewing applications for the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief Program, which can help protect tenants from eviction through the end of March. Funds for rental reimbursement are prioritized for those based on their time of submission and the highest risk of eviction. Even if you aren’t sure if you are at the highest risk, you are still encouraged to apply to help protect yourself from eviction. To learn more and to connect with local partners for application assistance, visit: vchsa.org/community-events/basic-assistance-community-events/californias-covid-19-rent-relief-program. Receive more information, check eligibility and apply at HousingIsKey.com today or call 833-430-2122.
CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) graduates, friends and families will celebrate 2022 Commencement in-person.
Commencement will consist of four in-person ceremonies spread out over the weekend of May 21 and 22 to allow for social distancing. There will be a morning and an afternoon ceremony on both Saturday and Sunday, with different academic programs scheduled for specific times and dates.
President Richard Yao, Ph.D. said he is thrilled that his first commencement ceremony as the permanent president of CSUCI will be fully in-person.
“These students have worked hard for this moment, and we are delighted to be able to offer them, their friends, and families a full in-person experience,” Yao said. “The past three years have been filled with challenges that these students met with resilience and determination, and we could not be prouder of them. This also gives our faculty, who have been equally resourceful, a chance to celebrate this day along with the graduates. I am honored to be the president of such a dynamic campus community.”
An online art exhibit and virtual conversation series organized when the COVID-19 pandemic kept people from connecting in person has become an in-person exhibit that examines the concept of community.
“Common Ground: Artists Reimagining Community” opened Feb. 17 in the William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art on California Lutheran University’s Thousand Oaks campus and will be on display through April 8.
In May 2020, while California was in the early months of its COVID-19 stay-at-home order, Cal Lutheran adjunct art faculty member Jennifer Vanderpool and Rachel Schmid, curator of collections and exhibitions, began assembling the original virtual exhibit. Inspired by community aid efforts that started with individuals issuing pleas to their connections, Vanderpool decided to employ this as a curatorial strategy. She invited 10 artists to exhibit who, in turn, each invited an artist who then asked another. The project continued to grow like a web to eventually include 24 artists when it launched online in November 2020.
VENTURA SCORE: QUICKBOOKS ONLINE AND BEST ACCOUNTING PRACTICES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
March 8 @ 10:30 am
This live, interactive webinar session is designed to help you understand the features, functions and benefits of QuickBooks Online for small business owners as well as assist you in implementing accounting best practices to manage your business finances including COVID-19 Funds and Forgiveness. Juliana Ramirez from JR Bookkeeping will live answer your questions related to the subject matter including live demonstrations. You are highly encouraged to bring your own questions and situations to be solved or used as an example during the live demonstrations.
SANTA PAULA — Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG), a nonprofit organization that aims to help young students and the community understand the farm origins of their food and the importance of local agriculture, spread its message to more than 15,000 students and community members in 2021.
“One of SEEAG’s goals is for the public to better appreciate our local farmers, ranchers and farmworkers who grow the food we eat,” says Mary Maranville, SEEAG founder and CEO. “The food supply chain from farms to our tables is a journey we don’t often think about, but we should.”
SEEAG’s Farm Lab at Petty Ranch in Saticoy welcomed over 1,600 second graders, including low-income, Title 1 students, for a hands-on farm experience. “In addition to the wonderful experiential education benefits that Farm Lab gives students,” says Maranville, “it also gets kids outside off their devices and tech, which improves their mental health and wellbeing.”
As I sit down to write this article, the Russian army is waging war on its neighbor, Ukraine. This is of enormous concern in Europe and around the world. But there is a different kind of war in our own midst that threatens to undermine the very foundations of our country’s success as a nation.
Until recently, education of our children and young adults was something that we valued – something in which we took pride and strove to provide for them. We thought it was important that our children were learning math and history and music. We used to admire young people who chose to go to our colleges and universities. Now we also recognize that higher education is not the only path to financial and personal success.
Arte Para la Gente:
The Collected Works of Margaret Garcia
Now – Spring 2022
at the Museum of Ventura County
Arte Para la Gente explores artist Margaret Garcia’s vast body of work that captures and encapsulates culture, family, and urban life. Over the past four decades, Margaret Garcia has been a leader in the L.A. Chicano Art Movement, championing women, community, and those individuals who are marginalized by society. Her most recent works, many shown here for the first time, were painted in Ventura County.
?Learn more here.
Sponsored by
Lazer Media
KXLM 102.9 • KLJR 96.7 • KOXR 102.1
and The Port of Hueneme
We are currently living in a time that will surely be written about in history books. There continues to be a lot of uncertainty about the future, what it will look like and who will shape it. Nevertheless, we must persist. With your support and donations, we will persist.
To bring some positive and hopeful news to you today, we are sharing the inspiring work of our 2021-2022 Fellows. Your donations have helped to make this work possible. Our Fellows are all demonstrating extraordinary leadership and ingenuity in carrying out their projects. We hope you find inspiration in their work and the impact they are having in the community.
We at MVC care deeply about creating bold and relevant programs to share our county’s diverse artistry and history in-person and online. Preserving, expanding, and making accessible our Research Library and Collections. We find what we share with you, our community, and our visitors very meaningful.
But we need your help. Our visitors come to us with different needs and values, and we want to understand them so we can best serve you. From how museums (like ours!) can support your wellbeing in these tumultuous times to how we address challenges our society is facing, we need to hear your thoughts.
To learn more about how we can do this, we are participating in a national survey of museum-goers, sponsored by the American Alliance of Museums. This survey will provide us with data from our visitors as well as nationwide results for context, helping us be more effective in the coming months and in the communities we serve.
Girls Inc. of Carpinteria on March 3 announced it received a $50,000 grant from Cottage Hospital Foundation to provide buffering services to local girls and support growth in the organization’s ‘STRONG’ program, which combines physical activity, nutrition, and a healthy living curriculum to engage the mind, body and soul.
The awarded funds will enable Girls Inc. of Carpinteria to focus on three critical areas to support overall health for the girls it serves, including:
Director Delila Moseley brings a diverse slate of choreographers to UCSB Dance Theater’s first live shows in two years.
COVID-19 Update
Since Monday, there have been 108 new COVID-19 cases reported and 9,152 new tests completed. There are 44 people hospitalized and 9 in the ICU.
There have been 9 new deaths of community members between the ages of 36-94. We extend our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of the 1,434 community members who have passed away throughout the pandemic. The R-effective for Ventura County is 0.65, meaning that the spread of COVID is likely decreasing.
Updated state masking guidance: In California, starting March 1, masks are no longer required for unvaccinated individuals, but strongly recommended for all individuals in most indoor settings. After March 11, in schools and child care facilities, masks will not be required but will be strongly recommended. Masks will still be required for everyone in high transmission settings like public transit, emergency shelters, health care settings, correctional facilities, homeless shelters and long-term care facilities. For more information visit: https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/02/28/governors-newsom-brown-and-inslee-announce-updated-health-guidance/
Premiere Party: Fieldnotes: Lynn Hanson & A Narrative: John Robertson
Saturday, March 12, 2022, from 4 PM to 6 PM
Free admission
Join Ventura artists (and couple) Lynn Hanson and John Robertson for the March 12 premiere of their concurrent exhibitions, Fieldnotes: Lynn Hanson and A Narrative: John Robertson. The side-by-side exhibits span thirty years of each artist’s work, including drawings, paintings, assemblages, and more. Admission to the event is free, and reservations are not required. Fieldnotes and A Narrative will be on view March 12 to July 10, 2022.
California Lutheran University’s Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS) is offering new programs to prepare religious leaders and laypeople to work for social and environmental change with online options.
PLTS will launch a master’s degree program in spirituality and social change in September to address the need for educational programs for Lutheran deacons while also serving those interested in ministering in other roles and Christian faiths.
Dear Ventura County CoLAB Supporters,
We are busy preparing for our biggest event of the year – Our Spring Bash! We are so excited to welcome you to our NEW venue – the beautiful Petersen Ranch in Somis on April 30th! This is an event you won’t want to miss!
Click Here to Purchase Your Tickets or to Sponsor the Event!
Do I really need a colorectal cancer screening?
The answer is yes if you’re 45 or older, and earlier screening may be recommended based on your risk factors.
El Teatro de la Esperanza, founded and active at UCSB in the 1970’s, promoted justice through storytelling; a 50th anniversary conference will celebrate its legacy.
Since Friday, there have been 402 new COVID-19 cases reported and 11,704 new tests completed. There are 44 people hospitalized and 9 in the ICU.
There have been 4 new deaths of a 67 year old male, 73 year old female, 90 year old female, and a 94 year old male. We extend our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of the community members who have passed away throughout the pandemic. Wellness Everyday offers grief and loss support and resources.
The R-effective for Ventura County is 0.51, meaning that the spread of COVID is likely decreasing.
Students at public and private K-12 schools in Ventura County and throughout California will no longer be required to wear masks after March 11, regardless of their vaccination status. Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration made the announcement today, saying COVID-19 conditions have sufficiently improved to warrant the change.
The state’s decision to lift the mask mandate for students is in line with guidelines issued Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC says schools should only mandate masks when COVID cases and hospitalizations are high in the counties where they are located. Ventura County’s rates are in the medium category according to the CDC’s website.
In recognition of Ventura County Community College District’s commitment to the success of its Hispanic/Latino students, Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine™ named the District’s colleges among the Top 100 Colleges and Universities for Hispanics. The national magazine’s 2021 annual Top 100 issue recognized Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura colleges in the categories of Total Enrollment for Two-Year Schools and Total Associate Degrees Granted for the 2019-2020 Academic Year.
February 28 @ 12:00 pm
Are you thinking of starting a new business of your own but don’t know where to begin? Join SCORE Santa Barbara for an Interactive Business Start-Up Webinar Session led by Greg Loosvelt and Eric Saltzman to learn key elements that will help you be successful.
The Southeast Ventura County YMCA is hosting camps during spring break for students in the Simi and Conejo valleys. The Simi Valley Family YMCA camp is March 28 through April 1 and the Yarrow Family YMCA camp (serving Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, Westlake Village and Agoura Hills students), is April 18 through April 22. Camp is scheduled to coincide with local school district spring breaks.
Simi Valley camps will be at Atherwood Elementary School (2350 E. Greensward St., Simi Valley) and White Oak Elementary School (2201 Alscot Ave., Simi Valley). Spring break camp in the Conejo Valley will be at Willow Elementary School (29026 Laro Dr., Agoura Hills).
The Economic Development Collaborative is partnering with the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, the California Academy for Economic Development, and Edison International to promote the statewide Outsmart Disaster campaign which equips businesses with the tools and resources they need to be prepared for disaster.
We have extraordinary people serving our Health Care Agency! Dr. Thomas Duncan is the Trauma Medical Director at the Ventura County Medical Center. He works alongside a team of highly trained nurses and technicians to care for people suffering life-threatening injuries. Their work is truly remarkable.
“In order to save lives on a minute-by-minute basis, it takes a well-groomed trauma center with skilled trauma teams. A fastidious trauma team is the equivalent of a successful sports team that has many important components to be triumphant. Trauma is no accident, and most traumatic situations are preventable. Working in concert with the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, our aim is to achieve zero preventable deaths.” Learn more here.
Monday March 07 6:00 – 9:00 PM
Auditions will be held at Teatro
321 W 6th St. Oxnard
More info / Más información
Global studies scholar Jan Nederveen Pieterse pinpoints three key factors in effective Covid-19 response.
For the first time since 2019, Community Environmental Council (CEC) is hosting Santa Barbara Earth Day in person. The one-day event, in and around the Arlington Theatre, features a wide array of activities to generate the inspiration and motivation needed for building community support to tackle climate challenges.
In partnership with the regional Economic Development Collaborative (EDC), Santa Barbara City College is pleased to announce the opening of two satellite Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) where – at no cost – professional consultants work one-on-one with business owners and entrepreneurs to help them start-up, grow and navigate today’s complex business environment. The Centers are located at the Schott Campus (310 W. Padre St.) and at the Wake Campus (300 N. Turnpike Rd.).
From the broken ‘forty acres and a mule’ promise to the tragedies of the subprime crisis, Black Americans have found themselves both the unintended and fully intended victims of over one hundred years of racially motivated ordinances, practices and policies.
As a nation we have much to mourn as we have systematically prevented, and inhibited communities of color from fully participating in the American Dream. During this Black History Month, I invite you to re-exam for yourself how discriminatory lending, nefarious use of eminent domain, and the displacement of communities of color, have prevented the wealth building opportunities routinely afforded the white middle and upper classes.
Honoring the achievements of women worldwide on International Women’s Day is a special cause for celebration to The Greater Contribution, a Thousand Oaks non-profit founded in 2006 by women who wanted to make a greater contribution to the world by helping those most in need.
For the past 16 years, the organization’s grassroots fundraising has empowered thousands of women in remote villages of Uganda, Africa, with micro loans so that they can start their own businesses and lift their families out of poverty. Coming from a place of dignity and respect, the two-year program includes literacy and business skills training, along with mentoring and peer counseling to create a life-changing impact.
The partnership between the Port of Hueneme and the City of Port Hueneme goes into full gear supporting the local non-profit Reel Guppy Outdoors youth program. Reel Guppy Outdoors runs its youth programs off Port Hueneme Pier and is now able to expand to Channel Islands Fisherman’s Wharf as the result of funding from the Port-City Community Benefit Fund (CBF) and other local sponsors. Activities of the local non-profit include, fishing, whale watching and outdoor field trips providing an alternative for youth to get out on the water. Engaging in outdoor fishing can provide an individual with positive benefits such as breathing fresh air, engaging in active problem solving, socialization, and even achieving a sense of excitement when a fish tugs on the fishing line, making this an ideal fit for funding out of the CBF.
The Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) is a refundable credit that businesses can claim on qualified wages, including certain health insurance costs, paid to employees. Qualified employers can claim a credit against:
50% of qualified wages paid, up to $10,000 per employee annually for wages paid between March 13 and Dec. 31, 2020
70% of qualified wages paid, up to $10,000 per employee per quarter for wages paid in the first three quarters of 2021
Spotlight on the Ventura County Medical Center
Today we are celebrating Felicity who is 4 years off treatment! We are so grateful to Dr. Francisco Bracho, Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist and his team at the Ventura County Medical Center who treat young people like Felicity. We have such exceptional doctors and medical professionals touching the lives of children and families in our community every day. The Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases at VCMC is the only cancer treatment facility for children and adolescents in VC. Before this center opened, children in Ventura County had to travel to LA to receive specialized care.
David, this is your older self writing a letter to you from nearly 70 years in the future. I have a perspective that people acquire only after having lived through several decades, watching their own children and grandchildren navigate the rivers that are their lives.
At your five years of age, you are living in relatively prosperous times. The world is ten years down the road from the end of World War II, and people are still rejoicing as they build back their lives in a booming economy. The adults around you are creating their families, and that Baby Boom bulge will travel down time like a rodent travels down the gullet of a python. Take full advantage of the opportunities that are going to be laid at your feet. As you become older, you will see that the young people won’t have what your generation takes for granted.
Download iNaturalist on your smartphone, grab your sneakers and come on down to CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) on Saturday, Feb. 19 to join in the annual BioBlitz.
CSUCI students of all majors and members of the community are invited to wander around campus anytime between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. this Saturday and take photos of any plants, flowers, fungi, insects, birds, or trees that catch your eye. The iNaturalist app will identify what you’ve just seen and upload it to their global citizen science database of plants, flowers, fungi, trees, insects and animals found on and around the CSUCI campus – and the world.
No scientific background is required, just a smartphone, the app and a healthy sense of curiosity about the world around you.
The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is pleased to announce its second annual Earth Day poetry competition with this year’s theme, Climate Change: Our Impact. Santa Barbara County writers of all ages are invited to use poetry to interpret the effects of climate change and our role in a variety of ways, with separate judging categories for youth (ages 17 and younger) and adult writing submissions. The competition is intended to honor Earth Day while highlighting the importance of standing up to protect the planet’s dwindling natural resources and working against the threats of climate change. The deadline to submit work for consideration is Monday, March 21, 2022 at 5 p.m.
The Ventura County Office of Education is pleased to announce that Oak Park High School’s Team A is the winner of the 2022 Ventura County Mock Trial competition. Westlake High School’s Team A came in second, and Newbury Park High School’s Team A took third place. The winning teams were announced during a live virtual awards ceremony this evening following the final rounds of competition. For the second consecutive year, Mock Trial was held virtually due to the pandemic. Tonight’s final rounds were streamed live so friends, family and the public could watch the participants argue their cases.
A total of 30 teams from 22 high schools throughout Ventura County participated in this year’s competition, which began on February 8. Here is how the top eight teams placed:
