Winter is not over yet! We are perilously low on funds for the Winter Coat Drive. Warm coats for local kids! If you can help, please visit http://www.wintercoatdrive.com

I just received this email from CM1 Michael G. Robb regarding the “Adopt a Sailor Program” I participated in this year. I thought I should let you know there is still time to have one of our military man or woman currently away from home for Christmas and in need of a family to take them in for a home cooked Christmas dinner. It is also important to note that CM1 Robb has passed the reigns to another coordinator, CM1 Gregory Baez, who is listed in his email as the current contact for the program. “Thank you so much for making this years’ Thanksgiving dinner a memorable one for our students! Your kindness and generosity to our local Seabees and Airmen cannot be understated. Thanks to you, 78 of your service members were able to enjoy a nice, homestyle
Thanksgiving! Communities involved in this years’ event include Agoura Hills, Oxnard, Camarillo, Yorba Linda, Point Mugu, Fillmore, Port Hueneme, Moorpark, Simi Valley, Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks, Long Beach, & Sunland - a very large footprint indeed!

Now it is time for Christmas. A number of you who were unable to have students for Thanksgiving had expressed some interest in doing something similar for Christmas dinner. If you or anyone else that you know of are still interested in having some of our students over for Christmas dinner, please e-mail or call CM1 Baez at the following number: CM1 Baez 805-982-1190 (gregory.baez@navy.mil)

Our students are really appreciative of the opportunity to CONTINUED »

Since both Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Friday this holiday season, Fillmore city resident customers of Santa Clara Valley Disposal will have their trash and recyclables collected on Dec. 26 and trash and green waste collected Jan. 2, one day later than usual both weeks.
The regular collection schedule will return on Friday, Jan. 8, 2010.
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.

Phillip Cecelio Diaz, 23 years of Fillmore, California and Sarah Elizabeth Kelly, 23 years of San Jose, California had their “Tie the Knot” celebration on December 5, 2009 in Austin, Texas in the presence of their family and friends. The “Tie the Knot” celebration followed their marriage, at a private ceremony, in Virginia Beach, Virginia on September 2, 2009.
Phillip is a 2004 Fillmore High School graduate now serving in the United States Navy. Phillip is a Navy Petty Officer Second Class currently stationed at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Phillip and Sarah met while they both station aboard the USS McFaul (DDG-74). Phillip is an Information Technician Petty Officer Second Class (IT2) assigned to an Explosive Ordinance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU). Phillip reenlisted in the Navy in October of this year for an additional three years of service and plans on making the Navy his career.
Sarah is a 2002 graduate of Oak Grove High School in San Jose, California. Sarah is also serving in the United States Navy and currently aboard the USS McFaul (DDG-74) berthed at the Norfolk Naval Base in Norfolk, Virginia. Sarah is a Navy Petty Officer Third Class and a Cryptologic Technician (Technical) (CTT3) aboard the USS McFaul.
Phillip is the son of Richard and Carolyn Diaz of Fillmore and CONTINUED »

Conway Spitler

What a great gathering for the Christmas Parade! Even better are the pictures taken by the Fillmore Gazette of the Christmas Parade! If you haven’t been online for the Fillmore Gazette you should take the time to view the “doings” in the City of Fillmore. It is a shame that more individuals don’t participate in these parades. The parades show off what is going on in the city, schools, and community.

How would you like to receive a water bill for over $25,000? That was in the mail to the Spitler household this past week. The bill was taken to the city and they exchanged it for $146.77! This was a little shocking to say the least.

Hope the New Year is good to you and yours!

The Fillmore Soroptimists are raising funds to bring a limestone Peace Pole to City Hall. The pole will say “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in seven languages, and will be dedicated in a ceremony on September 21, 2010.

The Fillmore High School “S” Club is organizing workshops to make 1000 or more origami (Japanese paper folding) cranes to incorporate into the dedication. These workshops will begin this month (see below) and continue until September 2010. For each workshop there will be a suggested donation of $1 per person. Donations go towards the purchase, shipment, and installment of the Peace Pole and toward the “S” Club.

In Japan, crane-making has become a historical tradition. After the bombing of Hiroshima in World War Two, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park was built. Sadako Sasaki, a young girl diagnosed with leukemia after the bombing, was inspired to make cranes because as a Japanese saying goes: “to make 1000 cranes is to have a wish granted.” She passed away before she could finish, but her friends graciously completed them and buried them with her. In 1958, a statue of Sadako holding a golden crane was revealed at the park. At the foot of the statue is a plaque that reads, “This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in the world “A glass case was also installed at the park, where Japanese come from all over to pay respects and leave cranes in the case.

Our cranes will represent Fillmore's wish for Peace in our CONTINUED »

Reflecting the true reason for the season, Moon Valley Nurseries of the Piru-Fillmore area has come forth with two significant efforts to support the upcoming 32nd Annual Piru Christmas Parade & Festival as well as support the valley’s seasonal holiday dressings. This year’s celebration, organized primarily by the Piru Neighborhood Council, celebrates with the theme “Merry Christmas to Our Soldiers”. More than 60 current and former Piru residents have been identified by the committee for active or prior military service. They will be honored during the parade and festival and many of them will be on hand during the day. These brave Americans have served our country from the period of World War II to current conflicts.

In preparation for this salutation, Piru’s historic downtown will be graced with over a dozen potted Juniper trees to decorate the area’s business district, compliments of Moon Valley Nurseries. Local community and youth groups will decorate these trees, once placed on the town sidewalks, with colorful trimmings. This will truly light the way for the spirit and will be in place throughout the holiday season. These temporary ornamental trees will adorn Center Street in the downtown area between Main and Orchard Streets. This comes just in time for the annual parade, scheduled for noon on Saturday, December 12, 2009. The parade will be followed with a community festival and continuing with music until 10 pm.

The festival will feature music by DJ Chuck Castro, CONTINUED »

Volunteers and community organizations in Piru have been busy preparing the town and surroundings to show their support and honor those that have and continue to serve America in our Armed Forces. This year’s celebration is a tribute and recognition of our country’s men and women who so bravely serve our country with the theme “Merry Christmas to Our Soldiers”. This 32nd annual event is set for Saturday, December 12th in the heart of the historic downtown district, with the parade set to launch at noon and followed by a day-long celebration.

This celebration will literally cover bases from A-Z, or Army to Zavala, as the locals are set to celebrate the season and pay tribute to Piru residents, past and present, that have and continue to serve in various branches of our military. The volunteer committee, working in partnership with the event organizing local Piru Neighborhood Council, has been set on dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s to make this another successful and memorable celebration of the town and its contributions.

The parade begins at the west of Center Street CONTINUED »

On 11-08-09, I lost my cat in Laguna Piru. It has white paws, his body is grey with white. Please call me at 870-688-5831 for reward $25 if found! --- Janet Z.

en espanol: 11-08-09, Perdi mi cato en Laguna Piru ay regunpesa $25. eso es grey e blanco y patas blanco.
Por favor llamo 870-688-5831 --- Janet Z.

California Highway Patrol

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) will be collecting toys during its annual CHiP’s for Kids toy drive. Donations of new, unwrapped toys will be accepted at the Ventura Area CHP office located at 4656 Valentine Rd. in Ventura. Toys collected during the CHiP’s for Kids toy drive will be given to less fortunate families in Ventura County. Questions regarding the CHiP’s for Kids program may be directed to Officer Steve Reid at (805) 477-4100.

Since both Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Friday this holiday season, Fillmore city resident customers of Santa Clara Valley Disposal will have their trash and recyclables collected on Dec. 26 and trash and green waste collected Jan. 2, one day later than usual both weeks.

The regular collection schedule will return on Friday, Jan. 8, 2010.

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.

Dear Friends:
It is a few days before Christmas. The sounds of footsteps, clatter and laughter scatter in the single-file line. The kids are waiting with anticipation to see Santa at the North Fillmore Community Storefront. Every year the Fillmore Volunteer Fire Department and other civic organizations collect donated toys to give to the kids who would otherwise not be getting toys this Christmas. There are more children in this line than in years past. My seven-year-old looks on with awe and curiosity. I tell him that many children are not getting presents this year because their parents have lost their jobs; lost their homes or there just isn’t anything extra to buy presents; that in this line where they stand exposed to the late afternoon chill for their one toy it will be their only Christmas present. He goes quiet. With saucer eyes he indignantly asks: “Mom, why won’t Santa give presents to these kids?”

I look at the line with a different kind of awe. None of the kids have on coats. My mind judges immediately “Did the children forget their coats? They knew it was cold and that the wait was long.” The line snaked as the little boy tucked into his mother and the realization hit me like the cold wind- he didn’t forget his coat. He doesn’t have a coat.

Please join Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid’s third annual CONTINUED »

By Carole Power

The Positive Place for Kids (aka Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley) is always cooking up something for kids to do and learn. Included in the long list of things for member kids to do is participating in a cooking class. Under the direction of faithful volunteer Lia Verkade, who is from the Netherlands, every Tuesday and Thursday the Club members get to congregate in the kitchen of the Fillmore Clubhouse (565 First St.) to learn the art of cooking, kitchen safety, sharing and cooperative working. Their current project is to share their recipes from home. The kids are currently working on a recipe book, which is a compilation of their collective recipes that will be a gift for their parents at Christmas.

Recently the class made Dutch Pancakes, under Lia’s watchful eye, which received an enthusiastic vote of approval from the entire class. Who knows, there may be a budding Emeril Legasse or Rachel Ray in the group! Wouldn’t that be great? At the very least these enthusiastic young people are learning to take care of themselves and others. A great lesson to learn at any age.

Programs of this type are promoted at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley. With the guidance of the Club’s national organization, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, though the Club’s Five Core Areas the Arts, Health & Life Skills, Character & Leadership, Career & Education, and Sports Recreation and Fitness, Club members learn positive life skills like gang avoidance, cooperation with others, and self care. These valuable tools that will last them throughout their lives, which will naturally be passed on to their future friends and families, making our communities a better place for everyone.

Club membership is only $25 per year and provides afterschool programming for children from the ages of 6 to 18 years old. There are three Club locations in the Fillmore area, the Neil C. Schmidt/Fillmore Clubhouse (on First St.,) the N. Fillmore Clubhouse (at the Fillmore Police Storefront on Lemon Way,) and the Rancho Sespe Clubhouse in the Rancho Sespe Apartments on Telegraph Rd. There are also eight sites in Santa Paula, the Las Piedras Clubhouse (at the Santa Paula Police Storefront on 13th Street,) the Harvard Clubhouse (1400 E. Harvard Blvd.) and in six schools in Santa Paula. (Barbara Webster Elementary, Thelma Bedell Elementary, Glen City School, McKevett School, Blanchard School and Grace Thille School.) Of course, the Club cannot provide all these services for its current membership of over 700 youth with only $25 per child per year. Additional funding comes from national and local governments, local businesses and community groups and individual donors who appreciate the value of the Club in the community.

You, too, can help with this individual growth and community betterment. Make your tax deductible contribution to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley by sending a check to Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley, PO Box 18, Fillmore, CA 93016-0018. Or by calling the Club at 805-525-7910 and donating from your credit card. There is no donation too small that it won’t help a child, so, please, contact the Club with your help today. The Club thanks you and the kids thank you!

On November 24, 2009 the Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley released a notice to the media and club families that the Clubs would be closing for the foreseeable future due to significant financial constraints. The Board of Directors was not aware of this decision at the time and quickly rescinded that notice. We regret any confusion this may have caused and apologize for this miscommunication to our members, their families and the communities we serve.

Since that time the Board of Directors have met together as well as with the staff of the Clubs. We view the actions of the Executive Director as an internal personnel matter and by policy will not be discussing it. We wish to emphasize that we are committed to keeping the Clubs up and running. The Board and the Club’s Staff are passionate about serving the youth in the Santa Clara Valley and believe the Boys and Girls Club is a positive place that provides so many worthwhile programs.

The current recession we are all experiencing has stricken the country and adversely affected many companies and individuals. Clearly the economy has also affected most non-profit organizations including our own Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley. Many of our generous donors in the past have been hit hard by this recession and have temporarily had to reduce or curtail their support for our organization. We are confident this is a temporary situation.

As we approach the beginning of the New Year, we are asking for the help of all the communities we serve. If you are committed to the belief of keeping our youth engaged in positive programs and off the streets, we would encourage you to send a donation of any amount to: P.O. Box 152, Santa Paula, CA 93060 or P.O. Box 18, Fillmore, CA 93016.

We want to take this opportunity to thank all of those generous companies and individuals who have so kindly donated in the past. Your contributions are needed now more than ever! The Board also wishes to acknowledge our Club Staff who cannot be thanked enough for their commitment and dedication to our children who they care for so completely. They are making the difference on a day-to-day basis.