Rotary President Kyle Wilson welcomes Councilmember Carrie Broggie to Fillmore Rotary.

Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Carrie and her husband, Scott, moved to Ventura in 1987 where they raised their three children, Amanda, Matthew, and Kevin. In 2010, when they became “empty-nesters,” they sold their home and moved to Fillmore. Carrie became active in the community initially be being appointed to the Film Commission. In 2014, she ran for and won a seat on the city council, and is now mayor pro tem. When Carrie is not busy with city council matters, she works at the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office where she has been a legal assistant since 1993.

While campaigning for City Council, Carrie was invited to a Rotary meeting by Cindy Blat, a long-time Rotarian. At the time, Carrie knew little about Rotary, but she had somehow conceived the idea that it was really an organization made up of older, retired men. Nevertheless, since Carrie had only lived in Fillmore for a mere four years, she thought attending a Rotary meeting would allow her the opportunity to meet more Fillmorians – not a bad thing to do when one is campaigning for votes!

At that first meeting, Carrie realized she’d had a misconception as to what Rotary was really all about. She learned quickly about the work they do for the local community, their efforts to battle polio worldwide, and their genuine friendship and comradery for one another. (Not to mention that the members turned out to be a diverse group of men and women of all ages!) From that very first meeting, Carrie has experienced the welcoming spirit and kindness by this group of early Wednesday morning risers, and she has witnessed many other guests treated likewise.

So what started out to be a breakfast to meet potential voters has become an integral part of Carrie’s life. She has forged lifetime friendships, and she knows that long after she retires from her day job at the District Attorney’s Office and her city council seat, she will be rising early on Wednesdays to join her fellow Rotarians for breakfast.

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One Step a la Vez is an after school teen and community center where youth learn from each other and mentors, and where responsibility to self and community are modeled and explored daily.

One program of the center is a twice monthly food distribution. One Step youth members organize and hand out food to 80-100 families each distribution.

This program would not be possible without One Step volunteers Paul Benavidez, Bob Carson, Bill Dewey, Tom Wilson, Hank Weishaar. Twice a month, rain or shine, they donate their personal vehicles, fuel, time, physical labor and community spirit to drive to Food Share in Oxnard, choose the best produce and food available and bring it back to Fillmore to be handed out.

Volunteer Rosa Stamm donates her time to help distribute food, clean up afterward and then teach the One Step youth what they might cook with the available produce and food.

Site Director Ricky Miranda notes, "Our volunteers are a constant. Staff and youth members may change but they are a constant. This is so important. They come every time and they create a continuity for us."

One Step food distribution in partnership with FOOD Share occurs the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at 4pm. 421 Sespe Ave. Fillmore, CA For more information call 805-625-7067

Community Memorial Health System will hold a free prediabetes/diabetes seminar on Saturday, April 16, from 9 a.m. to noon at Community Memorial Hospital, 147 N. Brent St., followed by a series of workshops held during April and May.

The seminar, to be held in CMH’s eighth-floor Nichols Auditorium, will provide information on a variety of topics at the following times:

 9 a.m. – What is Prediabetes/Diabetes?, presented by Debra Ouyang, M.D., specializing in endocrinology
 9:30 a.m. – Complications/Prevention, presented by Loquintha Rex, DNP, Nurse Practioner
 10 a.m. – Metabolic Syndrome, presented by David Lyons, M.D., specializing in internal medicine
 10:30 a.m. – Expert panel, presented by Drs. Ouyang, Lyons, nurse Practioner’s Rex, Andrea Ricketts and registered dietitian Jennifer Girtsman
 11 a.m. – Blood sugar screenings and HGBA1c (optional) by CMHS medical residents.

Follow-up, one-hour Wednesday evening prediabetes/diabetes workshops also will be held. They are: What is a Carbohydrate and Label Reading? on April 20; Exercise on April 27; Medications/Self-Management on May 4; and Celebrity Chef Cooking Demonstration on May 11.

The workshops will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. in the eighth-floor Nichols Auditorium. A one-time $10 materials fee must be paid prior to the first workshop. The maximum class size is 24.

For reservations and more information, email healthaware@cmhshealth.org or call the CMHS HealthAware program at 805/667-2818.

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.

FARM WATCH: MINDSET OF A THIEF
A message from Detective Chip Cadman:
Farm Watch readers, on Sunday (March 6th), Sheriff’s Deputies were patrolling in the unincorporated area of Santa Paula due to recent avocado thefts. While in the 1700 block of South Mountain Road, Deputies were able to detain and later arrest (S) Jorge Chavez (34 years) for petty theft with priors [666(a) California Penal Code], and receiving stolen property [496(a) California Penal Code], now both Proposition 47 misdemeanors.
During their investigation, Deputies discovered Chavez walking away from a local avocado property carrying sweatpants made into a make shift backpack, over his shoulder, loaded with avocados. Chavez told Deputies, he was given permission from the property owner to harvest the fruit. Deputies contacted the owner of the property and quickly established this was a lie. Chavez then explained to Deputies: It was the ranch owner’s fault for not building a bigger fence to keep him out. Chavez said, he was not responsible for the theft since the fence did not protect the avocado trees very well. Deputies learned Chavez was responsible for similar thefts and booked him into the Pre-Trial Detention Facility, because his criminal behavior was likely to continue.
Several properties in this area have previously been the victims of avocado thefts. If you own property in this area, please take additional steps to protect your property and report suspicious activity to Sheriff’s Dispatch. Based upon Chavez’ statement, it is clear in the mind of a thief, it is the property owner’s fault for not taking steps to prevent a theft from occurring. If you have been the recent victim of a theft, please contact Sheriff’s Dispatch and request a deputy respond to your location to take a crime report, so we can try and tie this suspect to more crimes. Please look at the below posted photograph of the suspect and see if you recognize him as being on your property. A collaborative effort will help us prevail over criminals.

03/06/2016
Jorge Chavez
The following advice is always wise if you suspect illegal activity on your property:
• Call the Sheriff’s Office immediately at 911.
• Be a good witness, note suspect descriptions such as age, height, weight, facial hair, clothing, and shoe type.
• If a vehicle is involved, obtain a license plate number and note vehicle color, body damage, bumper stickers, camper shell, after market tires and wheels, etc.
• Provide the dispatcher with information about the time and last known direction of travel.

Be alert and stay safe!
Chip

Geoff Dean – Sheriff
Gary Pentis - Undersheriff
Steve DeCesari - Assistant Sheriff
Guy Stewart - Assistant Sheriff

The Ventura County Rose Society will hold its monthly meeting on Thursday, March 24, 2016 at the Ventura County Office of Education Conference Center at 5100 Adolfo Rd., Camarillo.

The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for advice from Consulting Rosarians and refreshments, We will have our Little Rose Show at 7:00 P.M. Our presentation will begin at 7:30 P.M.

The VCRS meeting will feature Jolene Adams, former American Rose Society President, who will be speaking about roses. Jolene's expertise and knowledge will certainly provide an excellent lecture.

Visitors are always welcome to our VCRS meetings. For more information contact; Janet Sklar at 818-337-9970 or Dawn-Marie Johnson at 805-523-9003. Our website is http://www.venturarose.org/

We have lived on Galvin Lane for 16 years and started with a blank canvas. We put in all new brick flower beds and walkway to the front porch. We love White Birch trees so planted 2 groups of them in the front yard along with a Forest Pansy Redbud flowering tree.

In the backyard we have a tree that was grafted with 6 different varieties of fruits that is special to us.

I like to plant things I can cut and bring into the house, Roses and Lavender with Mexican Heather as groundcover that has a beautiful purple flower.

The bird bath is special to me; it was my moms. She was a wonderful gardener and loved flowers.

My husband Ray does all the lawn and tree care, I care for the plants.

We take pride in our home and yard.

After six years of a vision and the past 18 months on the job, the new Tom McGrath Teen Study Room at the Boys & Girls Club in Fillmore is now open for teens. Years ago Board Member Tom McGrath had a vision to change the old girls shower room (The Fillmore Club used to be the old girls’ gym from Fillmore High School) into a room for teens to study and do their school work. The Fillmore Club has a daily attendance of 120-165 youth and no place for teens. Tom was able to begin the project about six years ago when he arranged to have the Seabees come in and demolish the shower stalls. They cleared away some of the rubble, but then due to a lack of funding the room sat. Unfortunately in the following years Tom passed away and the room still sat. About 18 months ago the project came alive again and County Supervisor Kathy Long gave now CEO Jan Marholin $25,000 to restart the project and also introduced her to the men and women of IBEW 952 and also Local 150. These wonderful people donated their time and labor on the weekends to help build this room. The project also involved the Tom McGrath family who ran a matching funds campaign targeting friends and family. Jan Marholin was also able to secure donated materials such as drywall, concrete, rebar, etc to help cut building expenses.

The room has cutting edge technology and will soon have maker space platforms. Also, by having this new room , it will be the first time that the Club has been able to house a reading library for kids. The teens will be able to have lessons in financial literacy and instructions on filling out job applications and how to interview for a job. This truly is a team effort of support and a win win for our local teens.

Written by Paul Melvin Benavidez, MFA

Last week I wrote about the growing interest in meditation and mindfulness training due to scientific research. During the weekend, a Gazette reader called me about the article and wanted to know more about “mindfulness training” because he heard the term used by the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Defense Secretary during the 2017 Defense Budget Request held on C-Span February 23rd. During the session, General Dunford responded to several representatives’ questions about mindfulness training. Here is one of his comments: “mindfulness enhances the resiliency of our marines and sailors...of our forces...mitigate PTSD...deal with the challenges...focus on the challenges they are confronted...there is a lot of promise to enhance the capabilities of the force with mindfulness training.” In other words, what the General was saying is that meditation practice does what science is telling us it does, that it creates in the individual the state meta-awareness - heightened visual, intellectual, audio, keenness; spaciousness for creativity; a dramatic decrease in stress levels; less reflexive emotion and much more. The growing popularity of meditation practice is real.

Do a “military mindfulness” internet search. You’ll be astounded at a number of hits you receive. It’s not just the Armed Forces who are using it. Go ahead, do a corporate mindfulness search, then healthcare and dementia. Now, if we can just get the U.S. Department of Education to adopt a meditation program in K through 12 for students and teachers! We’re talking about shaping and reshaping the brain called neuroplasticity, thicker cortical walls, building robust cognitive skills, better attention, focus and decision making. The truth, increased gray matter is not just for the Armed Forces, it’s for all of us young and old.

Stay tuned for more on the Science of Meditation and your health. Next week: Public Enemy #1

Leah Kopp of Ventura has been selected to serve as this year’s Irish Belle for the 2016 County Ventura St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade begins at the San Buenaventura Mission on Saturday, March 12, at 10 a.m. and moves up Main Street by the Judges Stand on Chestnut and continues to Laurel Street.

Kopp is a senior at Foothill Technology High School in Ventura. She is a scholar-athlete who played basketball for Buena High School until this year when Foothill for the first time offered boys’ and girls’ team sports in basketball, soccer, cross country, water polo and track. Last year Kopp was selected to First-team All Channel League, second-team All-County and first-team Academic All-County.

Kopp has also participated in two missions to Mexico, one to deliver clothes and food to poverty-stricken families near the towns of San Vincente and San Rafael, and the other to bring supplies and provide sports activities for children at the Door of Faith Orphanage in La Mision, Mexico. Kopp has been a member of the Kiwanis and Culinary clubs at Foothill, and is a continuing member of iLife bible study at Ventura Missionary Church.

Kopp’s duties as the parade’s 5th Irish Belle are to attend promotional activities supporting the parade and to ride in the convertible that leads the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee entry. Tim O’Neil, a committee member and parade announcer, said, “We are proud to have Leah as our Irish Belle this year. Her courage and commitment to community service are reminiscent of the work ethic and pioneering spirit of the families who helped Ventura become a bona fide city in the year 1866.”

The theme of this year’s parade is to celebrate 150 years of Ventura’s history. The Grand Marshals are descendants of five of Ventura’s historic families: The Chumash, E.P. Foster Family, Olivas Family, Smith Hobson Family and Harrison/Moraga Family.

The Ventura County St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee is accepting entries for the parade. For entry forms or more information about the parade, visit www.venturastpatricksdayparade.com, or call 643-4275

The Fillmore 2020 Civic Pride Committee is once again planning for a beautiful Flower Show. The dates for the 2016 Fillmore Flower Show are April 9th and 10th at the Active Adult Center, 533 Santa Clara Street in Fillmore. The theme for this year is “Fillmore in Bloom”. While only Fillmore residents may enter, the public is encouraged to attend. Public viewing is 1-4 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

See the Fillmore Flower Show website for more details. Mr. Bob Crum has a lovely youtube slideshow of the flower show. Both of these places will give you an idea of the beauty of “Fillmore in Bloom”.

Every year local gardeners bring many beautiful roses, iris, other single stem cut flowers, bouquets and arrangements (including the very popular miniature arrangements and bouquets), potted plants and dish gardens to display at the flower show. In addition, there are youth flower arrangements and a youth composition competition.

The Fillmore Flower Show is not only a long-standing tradition, it is also a thoroughly fun event. Whether you would be a first time entrant or have been participating in the flower show for decades, plan to bring something from your garden on April 9, 2016.