The 12th Annual NAMI Ventura County Walk benefitting the National Alliance on Mental Illness will be on Saturday April 30, 2016 at the Ventura Promenade. Check in and registration will begin at 9:00 am with the start time for the 5k walk beginning at 10:30 am. The Walk will be held rain or shine. There will be a program from 10:00 am to 10:30 am which will feature speakers from the Ventura County community.

The Walk is a tradition that provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the facts of mental illness, to erase the stigma associated with mental illness, and to raise funds so that NAMI Ventura County can continue to offer all of their programs and services at no cost to persons who can be helped by those services. It gives everyone a chance to show their support for all of the efforts put forth by NAMI Ventura County.

NAMI bases their mission on the principles of support, education, and advocacy for persons impacted by mental illness. They provide classes for family members, providers, and persons with a lived experience of mental illness. They also present in schools, hold support groups for family members, and provide outreach to persons who come to see persons who are in the inpatient psychiatric units in Ventura County. NAMI Ventura County also has a Peer to Peer class for persons in recovery and a Connections support group for persons in recovery as well.

The Walk in Ventura County is a fun family event with activities for children and opportunities to socialize. It also provides our community with a way for us all to come together to show our support for needed services for all persons impacted by mental illness.

To register as an individual walker or to form a team and/or to find information about sponsorships please call 805.641.2426 or visit ww.namiventura.org.

The Official State Flower of California, the California Poppies, are blooming above Fillmore. The California poppy
(Eschscholzia Californica) was designated the state flower of California in 1903. All State Flowers Also known as the flame flower, la amapola, and copa de oro (cup of gold), the California poppy grows wild throughout the state.

Native Americans in California valued the poppy as a food source and for the oil extracted from the plant. Every year, April 6 is California Poppy Day and May 13th - 18th is Poppy Week. Gold is a theme in California symbols; the state colors are blue and gold, the state nickname is The Golden State, and gold is the official state mineral.

The Ventura County Garden Club will meet on Wednesday, May 4, 2016, at 1:00 PM at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 117 7th Street, Santa Paula. Lynne Godin, co- owner of "This is a Monarchy," will speak on Monarch butterflies. Rick Krause & Lynne Godin educate children and adults alike at local schools, butterfly encounters and garden clubs. Please attend and learn how to start your own butterfly garden at home. Light refreshments will be served. Members and guests are welcome.

The Fillmore Unified School District Board of Education is seeking volunteers to serve on a Citizens Bond Oversight Committee in accordance with Education Code 15266, Board Policy Administrative Regulation AR 7214, and Board Resolution 03-04-21.

The committee will review bond expenditures and report to the public whether these funds are being properly spent on school construction as specified in the measure approved by the voters. The committee will meet quarterly and consist of a minimum of seven members including, but not limited to one representative from each of the following groups: an active member of a business organization representing the business community located within the district, active member of a senior citizens’ organization, active member of a bona fide taxpayers’ organization, parent/guardian of a FUSD student, and another parent/guardian of a FUSD student who is also active in a parent-teacher organization. No employee, official, vendor, contractor or consultant of the district shall be appointed to the Citizens Oversight Committee. Committee members will serve at least one two year term. The committee will be selected by the Fillmore Unified School District Board of Education and committee meetings will be announced and open to the public.

If you are interested in applying for membership on this committee, please complete a Bond Oversight Committee Interest Form which can be obtained from the FUSD District Office, Business Services Department located at 627 Sespe Avenue, Fillmore, or see the District’s website at www.fillmoreusd.org.

The deadline to apply for the Ventura County [Civil] Grand Jury has been extended to April 22, 2016. Applications may be found on the Grand Jury web-site www.ventura.org/grand-jury or by calling (805) 477-1600. As an all-volunteer watch-dog group, service on the Grand Jury provides you with an opportunity to serve your community while learning about local government operations.

The Grand Jury investigates selected complaints received from the public. After investigating a complaint, the Grand Jury issues a written report which includes facts, findings and recommendations.

Basic requirements to qualify for service are: you must be a citizen of the United States, 18 years of age, a resident of Ventura County for at least one year prior to being seated, and with sufficient knowledge of English to conduct jury business. Computer skills are highly desirable. All eligible residents of Ventura County are encouraged to apply.

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Some phenomenal women from history made a visit to the stage at One Step a la Vez teen center on Saturday March 12th. One Step a la Vez hosted a staged reading of selected monologues from Terre Ouwenhand's poetic Voices From the Well. Brought to life were many influential women including conservationist and author Rachel Carson, American artist Georgia O'Keefe, aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, labor organizer Mother Jones and a fictional young woman based on the real stories of female child soldiers.

This event was visioned by the late Leslie Carson - a woman whose passion for theater and community was so far beyond evident it was contagious and magnetic. Carson and a close circle of friends had the idea to bring this programming to Fillmore in honor of International Women's Day (March 8th). Carson's passing in January did not stop the women she had recruited and cast for parts in the project from seeing it though. Doris Guthrie, Lynn Edmonds, Cynthia King, Jaclyn Ibarra, Ellen Dewey and Kate English continued to hone the production as a special memorial and tribute to their beloved friend.

Chano Ibarra stepped in to help stage and light the event and James Garvic set the sound system.

In honor of Leslie Carson a scholarship has been created, the Leslie Carson Heart on Fire Scholarship. This will be granted to a young woman demonstrating deep passion for the field she intends to embark upon. Donations to this scholarship may be made to One Step a la Vez, PO Box 192 Fillmore, CA 93016.

Communicating end of life decisions will be the focus of a free Ethics in Healthcare event Community Memorial Health System is holding as part of its 2016 Speakers Series on Thursday, April 21, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Museum of Ventura County, 100 E. Main St.

Jim Hornstein, M.D., CMHS Bioethics Chair will moderate the latest Ethics in Healthcare event being held in recognition of National Healthcare Decision Day.

The event, entitled “Goodbye to ‘Death Panels,’ Hello Patient Care - A Must Event for Adults to Understand & Complete Their Own Living Wills” will feature presentations on “How to Complete an Advance Directive,” by Diana Jaquez, R.N., manager of CMHS Palliative Care, and a “Toast to Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment,” by Teri Helton, R.N., president of the Ventura County POLST Coalition. Each attendee will receive an advance directive and POLST form. Presenters will review the forms and help attendees complete them. A notary will be available.

Beginning at 4:30 p.m., attendees can arrived before presentations to visit exhibitors with information about elder living, services and programs from local hospice and home healthcare agencies, CMHS Social Services and Palliative Care Services, and representatives from Mission Home Health, Los Robles Homecare, Aegis Living of Ventura and Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice.

Registration is free but reservations are required. To secure reservations visit www.cmhshealth.org/rsvp or call Brown Paper Tickets at 800-838-3006.

Community Memorial Health System is a not-for-profit health system, which is comprised of Community Memorial Hospital, Ojai Valley Community Hospital, along with the Centers for Family Health serving various communities within and located in Ventura County, California.

This month, Valley Express celebrates one year of connecting people in the Heritage Valley to resources in their community: schools, work, churches, hospitals, grocery stores, and senior centers. In honor of their year of service, Valley Express is sponsoring an anniversary contest.

To join the one-year anniversary celebration, community members are invited to enter into a random drawing for one of six $25 VISA gift cards by going to the Valley Express website, www.valleyexpressbus.org, and doing one of the following before April 29:
1. Take a short 10-question quiz testing local Heritage Valley knowledge; or
2. “Follow” Valley Express on Twitter or “Like” Valley Express on Facebook, and post a comment with the hashtag #FelizAniversario.

Valley Express service launched in March of 2015, operating two routes in Santa Paula, one in Fillmore, and one in Piru. After twelve months of operation, the service has expanded to include a secondary route in Fillmore, and additional weekend service to/from Piru. In addition, the Valley Express operates door-to-door services for seniors and disabled patrons, as well as for residents that live in far-reaching areas of Heritage Valley.

Valley Express runs on both weekdays and weekends. It also provides supplemental, seasonal bus service in Fillmore and Santa Paula during the school year to accommodate additional student riders.
“Valley Express dial-a-ride and fixed-route services connect people in Fillmore, Piru, and Santa Paula with the most important destinations in their communities,” said Ginger Gherardi Councilwoman for the City of Santa Paula. “The system makes it convenient for people to get to the places they need to go.”
Monthly fixed-route ridership has grown from roughly 5,800 when the service debuted in March 2015 to nearly 8,000 in February of this year, with ridership topping over 10,100 during October 2015.

Valley Express service is provided through a cooperative agreement between the cities of Fillmore and Santa Paula, the County of Ventura, and the Ventura County Transportation Commission. It is administered by the Ventura County Transportation Commission. The fixed-route and Dial-A-Ride service is the Heritage Valley’s own community-based transit program, replacing the former VISTA Dial-A-Ride service sponsored by VCTC.

Day passes, monthly passes, and discounted passes for youth, seniors, and persons with disabilities are available. To learn more about Valley Express bus services, both fixed-route and Dial-A-Ride, call (800) 438-1112 or visit www.valleyexpressbus.org. Remember to visit www.valleyexpressbus.org before April 29 to enter the Valley Express one-year anniversary contest.

Ventura County Library is celebrating 100 years of service! Please join us to celebrate our Centennial on April 20, 2016 from 4 to 7pm in the E.P. Foster Library Topping Room at 651 East Main Street in Ventura, CA from 4 to 7pm.

Historical exhibits open at 4pm, presentations and speakers will be at 5:30pm. A “Tell us your story” booth will be featured. Catch up on the library’s history, share your library memories, and see what others have shared as well. Get a glimpse into what the next 100 years hold for Ventura County Library!

Ventura County Library System:
Inspiring our community to explore, discover and connect.
The Ventura County Library is available 24/7 at www.vencolibrary.org

The Community Memorial Healthcare Foundation is holding its 43rd Benefactors’ Ball on Saturday, April 16, with proceeds benefitting the new Community Memorial Hospital.

Three notable individuals will be recognized at this event with the prestigious Cephas Bard Award, named after the founder of the first Community Memorial Hospital. Awardees recognized at the event are: CMH Physician – Dr. Thomas Golden, CMH Retired Physician – Dr. William Hart, and Community Leader of the Year – Barbara Meister.

Festivities begin at 6 p.m. at the Historic Mission San Buenaventura in O’Brien Hall. Dinner is set for 7 p.m., with dancing and music at 8 p.m. The evening is black tie optional. For information, tickets or sponsorship, visit www.benefactorsball.org, or call the foundation office at 805-667-2881.

The event represents an opportunity for residents to support community-based healthcare. The new Community Memorial Hospital will feature advanced medical technology, all private rooms and a considerably larger emergency department.
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, along with the Centers for Family Health serving various communities within and located in Ventura County, California.