Are you, or do you know, a high school student living in the FUSD attendance area? If so, here is an opportunity you can’t miss. The International Lions’ Club of Fillmore is once again hosting a Student Speaker Contest on February 7, 2022 at 6:30pm at the Fillmore Scout House. The contest is open to all high school students living in the Fillmore Unified School District attendance area. The topic of the speech is “HOW CAN KINDNESS REUNITE OUR COUNTRY?”. The speech must be at least 5 minutes long and should be within 8 minutes. (points will be taken off if longer than 8 minutes). All speakers will receive a cash prize. The winner would go on to present the speech at the District meeting. Each level winner would advance to the next level of competition. The ultimate winner will receive a total of $21,450.00 to be used for university, college or career study. Interested students must fill out an interest form which can be picked up at the Fillmore High School office, Sierra High School office or by calling Gaylynn Brien at 360-521-5647 or Lynn Edmonds at 805-907-6576.

Fillmore City Council is being asked to rename and dedicate the street adjacent to the Sheriff's Substation as Max Pina Street. Max gave 53-years of service to Fillmore, recognized by five commendations from 1992-2018 as Deputy Sheriff and in related offices. This recommendation is supported by Duke Bradbury, Vice President of Thin Blue Line of Ventura County, Assistant Sheriff Chris Dunn, and Max's daughter, Jessica Pina-Felix, and the thousands who benefited from his service. Commendations and honors (including the Medal of Valor, highest in Sheriff's Dept.) form a more detailed story of Max's life; see next week's Gazette.

Our Civic Pride Volunteer Committee is back in Action with the selection of a “Holiday Yard of the Month”.

The Holiday “Yard of the Month” will be chosen from decorated homes and yards within the entire Fillmore community. Civic Pride Committee is putting out a “call” to all the creative and clever, to get their decorating done early, so a photo of the winner and a list of “honorable mentions” may be put in the newspaper. People can enjoy making a tour of the neighborhoods.

We invite you to make your suggestions for best decorated yard by phone or email to, Linda Nunes, 805-302-7527 or email to Lsnunes1411@gmail.com . A member of the committee will be making the selection between December 6-12, to give people a weekend to get decorations put up.

The award will be a $40 gift certificate to Otto and Sons Nursery. The Klittich Family have generously continued this award support over the years and committee members have seen a positive affect in our neighborhoods, as people “spruce up” their yards.
Sadly, there will be no Christmas trees on Central this year because of the difficulty in obtaining and maintaining living trees. BUT, we are asking people in the community to donate their old artificial, 6’ + trees to begin a collection for future years. We would need a minimum of 16 trees.

Steve McKeown has offered to pick up donated trees. His cell number is 805-904-5424.

Enlarge Photo

Our Civic Pride Volunteer Committee is back in Action with the selection of a “Holiday Yard of the Month”.

The Holiday “Yard of the Month” will be chosen from decorated homes and yards within the entire Fillmore community. Civic Pride Committee is putting out a “call” to all the creative and clever, to get their decorating done early, so a photo of the winner and a list of “honorable mentions” may be put in the newspaper. People can enjoy making a tour of the neighborhoods. We invite you to make your suggestions for best decorated yard by phone or email to, Linda Nunes, 805-302-7527 or email to Lsnunes1411@gmail.com . A member of the committee will be making the selection between December 6-12, to give people a weekend to get decorations put up.

The award will be a $40 gift certificate to Otto and Sons Nursery. The Klittich Family have generously continued this award support over the years and committee members have seen a positive affect in our neighborhoods, as people “spruce up” their yards.

Sadly, there will be no Christmas trees on Central this year because of the difficulty in obtaining and maintaining living trees. BUT, we are asking people in the community to donate their old artificial, 6’ + trees to begin a collection for future years. We would need a minimum of 16 trees.

Steve McKeown has offered to pick up donated trees. His cell number is 805-904-5424.

Dignity Health—St. John’s Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) and St. John’s Hospital Camarillo (SJHC) have received the American Heart Association’s Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines ® -Stroke Quality Achievement Award for their commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines.

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the U.S. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds, and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and speeding recovery times.

Get With The Guidelines-Stroke was developed to assist health care professionals to provide the
most up-to-date, research-based guidelines for treating stroke patients.

“St. John’s Hospitals are honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to helping our patients have the best possible chance of survival and after a stroke,” said Darren W. Lee, President and CEO of St. John’s Regional Medical Center and St. John’s Hospital Camarillo. “Get With The Guidelines-Stroke makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis to improve outcomes for stroke patients.”

Each year program participants apply for the award recognition by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, participants also provide education to patients to help them manage their health and rehabilitation once at home.

“We are pleased to recognize St. John’s Regional Medical Center and St. John’s Hospital Camarillo for their commitment to stroke care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., national chairperson of the Quality Oversight Committee and Executive Vice Chair of Neurology, Director of Acute Stroke Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.

“Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiatives can often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”

SJRMC and SJHC also received the Association’s Target: Stroke SM Elite Plus award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.

Additionally, both SJRMC and SJHC received the Association’s Target: Type 2 Honor Roll award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed with more than 90% of compliance for 12 consecutive months for the “Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score.”

About Dignity Health - St. John's Regional Medical Center
Founded in 1912, Dignity Health - St. John's Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) is a 365-bed, acute care, non-profit hospital located in Oxnard, Calif. Serving Ventura County for more than one hundred years, SJRMC has been named a Top 250 hospital by Healthgrades. As a leader in stroke care, SJRMC is the first and only Certified Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center in Ventura County and is a recipient of the American Heart Association's, Get with the Guidelines- Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. Designated as a STEMI Receiving Center, SJRMC is highly recognized for excellence in cardiac care and has been named a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care by Blue Shield of California. Its Cancer Center is accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. SJRMC is home to the only all-private room, Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Ventura County. Learn more at DignityHealth.org/StJohnsRegional.

About Dignity Health - St. John's Hospital Camarillo
Founded in 1974, Dignity Health - St. John's Hospital Camarillo (SJHC) is a 58-bed, acute care, non-profit hospital located in Camarillo, California. SJHC is designated as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission and a recipient of the American Heart Association's, Get with the Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. SJHC houses Camarillo&'s first-ever cardiac catheterization lab. The Emergency Department is accredited as a Level III Geriatric Emergency Department. Learn more at dignityhealth.org/StJohnsHospitalCamarillo.

About Get With The Guidelines ®
Get With The Guidelines ® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with tools and resources to increase adherence to the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 9 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org/quality.

SANTA PAULA, CA — Beginning Oct. 2, 2021, the Rotary Club of Santa Paula will once again be welcoming visitors to the Pumpkin Patch at Limoneira Ranch to celebrate the fall season.

In addition to offering one of the largest pumpkin patches in Ventura County, the Pumpkin Patch at Limoneira Ranch is home to a 5.5-acre Corn MAiZE that has been featured on CNN, National Geographic, CBS, NBC, Discovery, People Magazine and more.

Pumpkin Patch visitors will also have the opportunity to enjoy delicious food, face painting, a petting zoo, pony rides, hay rides and pyramids, live music, crafts, games, and the famous Pumpkin Chucker.

Located at 12471 Foothill Road in Santa Paula, the Pumpkin Patch will be open every Saturday and Sunday in October from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission is $10 per person, and children 2 years of age and younger are free. Certain activities — including the Corn MAiZE, pony rides, face painting, games, and food and beverage booths — have an additional fee.

“Every year, we strive to make our Pumpkin Patch bigger and better,” said Marilyn Appleby, president of the Rotary Club of Santa Paula. “After taking a year off due to the pandemic, we are excited to welcome the community back to our best Pumpkin Patch yet. We have plenty of tricks up our sleeves, and it’s sure to be a treat for all ages.”

The Pumpkin Patch attracts approximately 20,000 visitors from Southern California and beyond each year. To learn more, visit http://www.pumpkinpatchatlimoneiraranch.com.

ABOUT ROTARY CLUB OF SANTA PAULA
Founded in 1923, the Rotary Club of Santa Paula is the first and only rotary club in the city. The Rotary Club of Santa Paula serves the community through a variety of activities each year, including delivering food to those facing food insecurity during the holidays, providing scholarships to local students, operating the Pumpkin Patch at Limoneira Ranch, and more. The club meets each Monday at noon at Flight 126 Cafe. For more information, visit https://www.santapaularotary.org.

Veterans from all eras are reacting to the events in Afghanistan, such as the U.S withdrawal and the takeover by the Taliban.

You are not alone.

Veterans may question the meaning of their service or whether it was worth the sacrifices they made. They may feel more moral distress about experiences they had during their service. It’s normal to feel this way. Talk with your friends and families, reach out to battle buddies, connect with a peer-to-peer network, or sign up for mental health services. Scroll down for a list common reactions and coping advice.

Resources available right now:
• Veterans Crisis Line - If you are having thoughts of suicide, call 1-800-273-8255, then PRESS 1 or visit http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/
- For emergency mental health care, you can also go directly to your local VA medical center 24/7 regardless of your discharge status or enrollment in other VA health care.
• Vet Centers - Discuss how you feel with other Veterans in these community-based counseling centers. 70% of Vet Center staff are Veterans. Call 1-877-927-8387 or find one near you.
• VA Mental Health Services Guide - This guide will help you sign up and access mental health services.
• MakeTheConnection.net - information, resources, and Veteran to Veteran videos for challenging life events and experiences with mental health issues.
• RallyPoint - Talk to other Veterans online. Discuss: What are your feelings as the Taliban reclaim Afghanistan after 20 years of US involvement?
• Download VA's self-help apps - Tools to help deal with common reactions like, stress, sadness, and anxiety. You can also track your symptoms over time.
• Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) - Request a Peer Mentor
• VA Women Veterans Call Center - Call or text 1-855-829-6636 (M-F 8AM - 10PM & SAT 8AM - 6:30PM ET)
• VA Caregiver Support Line - Call 1-855-260-3274 (M-F 8AM - 10PM & SAT 8AM - 5PM ET)
• Together We Served -Find your battle buddies through unit pages
• George W. Bush Institute - Need help or want to talk? Check In or call:1-630-522-4904 or email: checkin@veteranwellnessalliance.org
• Elizabeth Dole Foundation Hidden Heroes - Join the Community
• American Red Cross Military Veteran Caregiver Network - Peer Support and Mentoring
• Team Red, White & Blue - Hundreds of events weekly. Find a chapter in your area.
• Student Veterans of America - Find a campus chapter to connect with.
• Team Rubicon - Find a local support squad.
Common Reactions
In reaction to current events in Afghanistan, Veterans may:
• Feel frustrated, sad, helpless, grief or distressed
• Feel angry or betrayed
• Experience an increase in mental health symptoms like symptoms of PTSD or depression
• Sleep poorly, drink more or use more drugs
• Try to avoid all reminders or media or shy away from social situations
• Have more military and homecoming memories

Veterans may question the meaning of their service or whether it was worth the sacrifices they made. They may feel more moral distress about experiences they had during their service.

Veterans may feel like they need to expect and/or prepare for the worst. For example, they may:
• Become overly protective, vigilant, and guarded
• Become preoccupied by danger
• Feel a need to avoid being shocked by, or unprepared for, what may happen in the future

Feeling distress is a normal reaction to negative events, especially ones that feel personal. It can be helpful to let yourself feel those feelings rather than try to avoid them. Often, these feelings will naturally run their course. If they continue without easing up or if you feel overwhelmed by them, the suggestions below can be helpful.

Strategies for Managing Ongoing Distress
At this moment, it may seem like all is lost, like your service or your sacrifices were for nothing. Consider the ways that your service made a difference, the impact it had on others’ lives or on your own life. Remember that now is just one moment in time and that things will continue to change.

It can be helpful to focus on the present and to engage in the activities that are most meaningful and valuable to you. Is there something you can do today that is important to you? This can be as an individual, a family member, a parent, or a community member. Something that is meaningful to you in regard to your work or your spirituality? Such activities won’t change the past or the things you can’t control, but they can help life feel meaningful and reduce distress, despite the things you cannot change.

It can also help to consider your thinking. Ask yourself if your thoughts are helpful to you right now. Are there ways you can change your thinking to be more accurate and less distressing? For example, are you using extreme thinking where you see the situation as all bad or all good? If so, try and think in less extreme terms. For example, rather than thinking “my service in Afghanistan was useless” consider instead “I helped keep Afghanistan safe.”

Finally, consider more general coping strategies that you may want to try including:
• Engage in Positive Activities. Try to engage in positive, healthy, or meaningful activities, even if they are small, simple actions. Doing things that are rewarding, meaningful, or enjoyable, even if you don’t feel like it, can make you feel better.
• Stay Connected. Spend time with people who give you a sense of security, calm, or happiness, or those who best understand what you are going through.
• Practice Good Self Care. Look for positive coping strategies that help you manage your emotions. Listening to music, exercising, practicing breathing routines, spending time in nature or with animals, journaling, or reading inspirational text are some simple ways to help manage overwhelming or distressing emotions.
• Stick to Your Routines. It can be helpful to stick to a schedule for when you sleep, eat, work, and do other day-to-day activities.
• Limit Media Exposure. Limit how much news you take in if media coverage is increasing your distress.
• Use a mobile app. Consider one of VA’s self-help apps (see https://www.ptsd.va.gov/appvid/mobile/) such as PTSD Coach which has tools that can help you deal with common reactions like, stress, sadness, and anxiety. You can also track your symptoms over time.
• PTSD Coach Online. A series of online video coaches will guide you through 17 tools to help you manage stress. PTSD Coach Online is used on a computer, rather than a mobile device, and therefore can offer tools that involve writing.

If you develop your own ways of adapting to ongoing events and situations, you may gain a stronger sense of being able to deal with challenges, a greater sense of meaning or purpose, and an ability to mentor and support others in similar situations.