When it came to making a decision, golf wasn’t the first choice; but it was the only choice. For the first twelve years of his life Joey Herrera played baseball, basketball, and even flag football. But as soon as he decided to focus on golf like so many in his family, there was no turning back.

“I always loved basketball, but unfortunately due to my height that was never a realistic choice.

My Dad took me out to the golf course more often and I realized I could succeed without having to worry about physical limitations. I fell in love with the game in such a short amount of time and was motivated to get better each and every day.”

Herrera has the pedigree to play at the highest level. His father, Bill, played golf at the University of Southern California. His sister, Megan, won a state championship at Santa Barbara City College after picking up the game in her freshman year of high school. His cousin Troy played golf at St. Bonaventure before him as well.

“My first aspiration was to play golf at USC. I’ve grown up a Trojan fan all my life and knowing my Dad got to that level has just motivated me even more to work on my game. This was something I wasn’t sure was possible a couple years ago, but I know now that I can get there if I keep working. It’s been great having my sister develop along with me, and wanting to beat my cousin, who is basically a brother, has definitely helped me get better. My grandpa, Dr. William Herrera, has been taking my cousin and me out to Saticoy Country Club for as long as I can remember. It is a top-notch and difficult course that has definitely taught me how to play the tricky courses. The staff there has been incredibly welcoming and my cousin and I plan on following in my Grandpa’s footsteps and play there when we are old and gray.”

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American Red Cross of Ventura County

For the first time in eight years, the American Red Cross in Southern California has issued an emergency call for blood and platelets, urging all eligible donors to give now to replenish an extremely low summer blood supply.

Blood donations through the Red Cross in Southern California and across the country have fallen short of hospital needs for the past few months, resulting in about 39,000 fewer donations nationwide than what’s needed, as well as a significant draw down of the overall Red Cross blood supply. The Red Cross strives to keep a five-day blood supply available at all times to meet the needs of patients every day and be prepared for emergencies that would require significant volumes of donated blood products. Currently, however, the Red Cross has less than a five-day supply on hand.

“Right now, blood products are being distributed to hospitals faster than donations are coming in, which is why we are making this emergency request for donations,” said Dr. Ross Herron, chief medical officer of the Red Cross West Blood Services Division, which includes the Southern California Blood Services Region. “Donations are urgently needed now to meet the needs of hospital patients in the coming days and weeks. If you’ve thought about giving blood and helping to save lives, now is the time to do it. It’s the blood donations on the shelves that help save lives when an emergency occurs.”

How to Help
To schedule an appointment to donate, use the free Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). The Red Cross is extending hours at many donation sites to allow for more donors to make an appointment to give. Donation appointments and completion of a RapidPass online health history questionnaire are encouraged to avoid longer wait times. Donors with all blood types are needed.

Those unable to give can still help by encouraging others to give through a SleevesUp virtual blood drive at redcrossblood.org/sleevesup, giving of their time through volunteerism or making a financial donation to support Red Cross humanitarian work across the country and around the world.

Who Blood Donations Help
Every two seconds in the United States blood and platelets are needed to respond to patient emergencies, including accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant procedures, and patients receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease. The Red Cross must collect approximately 14,000 blood and platelet donations every day for patients at about 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide, including more than 120 healthcare facilities in Southern California.

Because of generous donors, the Red Cross is able to provide blood products to patients like 11-year-old Mae Rainey, who needs regular blood transfusions as part of her treatment for a blood disorder.

“I am very grateful for the opportunities that the Red Cross has given us to get her to her healthiest state,” said Caleb Rainey, Mae’s older brother.

Watch Mae’s story to learn how blood donations can make a lifesaving difference.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities:

Ventura County

Thousand Oaks
7/18/2016: 1 - 7 p.m., Thousand Oaks Inn, 75 W Thousand Oaks Blvd.
7/19/2016: 2 - 8 p.m., KLOS Radio Thousand Oaks, 75 W. Thousand Oaks
7/20/2016: 2 - 8 p.m., KLOS Radio Thousand Oaks, 75 W. Thousand Oaks
7/21/2016: 2 - 8 p.m., KLOS Radio Thousand Oaks, 75 W. Thousand Oaks
7/22/2016: 2 - 8 p.m., KLOS Radio Thousand Oaks, 75 W. Thousand Oaks
7/25/2016: 1 - 7 p.m., Thousand Oaks Inn, 75 W Thousand Oaks Blvd.

Ventura
7/20/2016: 2 - 8 p.m., EP Foster Library, 651 E Main St.
7/22/2016: 2 - 8 p.m., EP Foster Library, 651 E Main St.

About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

The public and the media are invited to join the Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center (S.P.A.R.C.) for a special adoption event Saturday, July 23, in conjunction with local television stations seeking to “Clear the Shelters.”

The second annual “Clear the Shelters” event takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday July 23. Many dogs and kittens will be available for adoption at the Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center, 705 E. Santa Barbara St. in Santa Paula. Media coverage is welcome.

S.P.A.R.C is especially seeking adopters looking for larger dogs, as well as adult cats and about 45 kittens. Adoptions for big dogs at the special $20 adoption fee will begin a week prior to the “Clear the Shelters” event, on July 16, to allow time for processing adoptions and doing necessary checks. All animals adopted are spayed, neutered, microchipped and have up-to-date vaccinations.

S.P.A.R.C. Spokeswoman Nicky Gore-Jones said the shelter has been inundated with big dogs recently, many of them pit bulls that are friendly and highly adoptable.

“We looking for adopters who understand that having a dog does require some effort in training and exercise and is a lifetime responsibility,” she said.

“When dogs arrive at S.P.A.R.C., scared and stressed, our goal is to help them through regular exercise, basic training and lots of love, so they can readjust and be ready to be adopted to their forever home. At S.P.A.R.C. we firmly believe that in order to have a well-balanced dog, it must feel like a member of the family.”

As part of the No Kill, No Excuses mission, S.P.A.R.C. also offers low-cost spay and neuter services to the public for their current pets at only $10 per animal, in an attempt to stem the flow of animals into the shelter in the future.

“Clear the Shelters” is being held at 55 animal shelters throughout Southern California in conjunction with NBC 4, KNBC and Telemundo 52. The national pet adoption drive is being organized by NBCUniversal-owned TV stations to raise awareness about the overpopulation of local animal shelters and to encourage people to adopt shelter pets. Participating shelters, including S.P.A.R.C., will offer a reduced adoption fee of just $20 per animal (if the application is approved). In 2015, 20,000 animals were adopted nationwide through this event nationwide.

“This initiative offers the community an opportunity to welcome a new addition to the family and be part of a national day of action,” said Telemundo 52 Los Angeles President and General Manager Celia Chavez.

S.P.A.R.C. is a private, non-profit, no-kill animal shelter in Ventura County. SPARC is a place where homeless animals are brought for humane care without risk of being killed due to lack of space, illness or injury. S.P.A.R.C. relies solely on private donations. Visit http://www.santapaulaarc.org or call the shelter at (805) 525-8609.

To learn more about “Clear the Shelters” and locate other participating shelters, visit nbcla.com/cleartheshelters or telemundo52.com/desocuparlosalbergues. The public is encouraged to follow the effort and post pet photos on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with hashtag #ClearTheShelters @NBCLA and #DesocuparLosAlbergues @Telemundo52.

After a month since the last city council meeting, the council was ready to knock out a small, but important agenda. The meeting started with a public comment from Carmen of Santa Paula. She provided an open invitation to a public hearing for the proposed power plant in Santa Paula. She urged the city of Fillmore to fight against this power plant due to her concern for the fumes and the effect the pollution would have on the community. The hearing is set for Thursday July 28th at the Santa Paula Community Center.

Next was a presentation from the Junior Fair Board. The Ventura County Fair starts August 3rd and continues until August 14th. The theme this year is “County Fair with Ocean Air” and the Fair Board encourages citizens to participate in the annual art contest pertaining to the theme. The Fair Board also wanted to enlighten the people of Fillmore of the special entry days. Dollar Day will be August 3rd. Feed the Need Day will be August 4th, and any person to donate 5 cans of food before 3 PM will receive a free return admission ticket. The ticket is valid from August 8th to August 11th. Youth Day is August 5th and all children ages 12 and under will be admitted free all day.

Seniors and Persons with CONTINUED »

Enlarge Photo

This past weekend we watched Fillmore Girls Softball 8U All Star team compete among the top Southern California teams in the State C Championship. The little ladies battled their way through 6 games to place in the top 6.

They have worked extremely hard towards this goal and are not only fierce competitors but all-around great kids.

These athletes now earned a spot in the State C Regional tournament next week July 15-17th. The girls need Fillmore’s support with fees and costs to transport all 14 players to San Diego.

Please mail in donations to: Fillmore Girls Softball 8U, P.O. Box 221, Fillmore, CA 93016 or visit our Go Fund Me page https://gofundme.com/fillmore8Ugirls

Thank you in advance for your support,
Proud Parents of 8U All Stars

Photos and Video by Bob Crum