The 15th Annual Troop Turkey Drive continues to be the largest fundraising event that Troop Real Estate, Inc. has every year. By raising approximately $70,000 to purchase food from Albertsons, over 3,100 families (a minimum of 25,000 people) received a full Thanksgiving dinner this year.

This event is supported by many generous donors, and relies on over 26 corporate sponsors, including Albertsons, All Valley Escrow, Better Health and Wellness, Consumer's Title Co., DCH Toyota of Simi Valley, Dr. Victor Muradian DDS, Farmers Insurance, First Honda, First Kia, First Nissan, Harrison Industries, Infiniti of Thousand Oaks, Kirby Auto Group of Ventura, Prospect Mortgage, Rusnak BMW, Simi Auto Spa, Simi Hills Men's Club, Simi Sunset Rotary, Simi Valley Buick/GMC, Simi Valley Hospital, Skinny Wimp Moving Co., TRC Medical, Union Bank of Simi Valley, Wells Fargo Mortgage, Troop Real Estate, Inc. and Utopia Entertainment, as well as hundreds of private donors and volunteers who were also involved. Troop Real Estate was able to meet both goals to feed over 25,000 people and encourage more community involvement than ever before.

All turkeys and trimmings were distributed Thursday, November 20 through Monday, November 24. Each qualified family received a 14-18 lb turkey and all the trimmings for a complete Thanksgiving feast. The turkeys were larger than expected this year, so the food went further, leaving families generous amounts of leftovers to carry on through the weekend.

The Troop Turkey Drive thanked 750 U.S. Naval families for their service at the Seabee Base in Port Hueneme with a turkey dinner, assisted scholarship families through the Boys and Girls Club and hundreds of other families selected by food agencies in Ventura County communities. The food was moved by Skinny Wimp Movers, and volunteers delivered Thanksgiving meals to non-ambulatory seniors, touching thousands of lives.

There were four main distribution areas: Troop Real Estate, Inc. of Simi Valley fed both Simi Valley and Moorpark areas, Troop Real Estate, Inc. of Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks both fed areas within the Conejo Valley, Troop Real Estate, Inc of Ventura fed the families of Ventura, Oxnard and Channel Islands, and Troop Real Estate, Inc. of Santa Paula and Ojai both fed families in that area of the valley.

"Thank you to our huge Troop family for your hard work, support and kindness," said CEO Brian Troop. "This idea that started with 10 families has grown to have a major positive impact on families in need in all of our communities."

This community outreach program was launched by Troop Real Estate's Simi Valley Realtor® Alex Gandel in 1999 to collect funds to purchase the fixings for a complete Thanksgiving meal and distribute the food to qualified families through food banks in their local areas. A continued practice company-wide year after year, the Troop Turkey-A-Thon enjoys continued success due to support and efforts from the Troop family of agents, affiliates, private volunteers, donors and corporate sponsorships.

Every year, Troop Real Estate professionals throughout Ventura County reach out to their friends, family and clients for donations. Troop hopes to inspire more community involvement each year to help change the face of poverty and starvation in our communities. Every donation makes a big difference!

For more information or to continue donating for next year, contact your Troop Real Estate professional, or call 805.426.0623, email turkeydrive@troop.com, or visit www.troopturkeyathon.com.

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"BLUE LIGHT CHRISTMAS SPECIALS" This Thurs, Fri, and Sat, December 18th, 19th, and 20th. Come to the Alumni Office in Fillmore and get that last minute Christmas gift for your favorite Fillmore Flash. (Sorry, no shipping offered at this time). They will have Alumni and Flashes Sweaters, Hoodies, Fun T-Shirts, Ball Caps, Wine Glasses, and lot's of Bling!! All donations help support the F.H.S. Alumni Association and only the activities and functions affiliated with the Alumni Association. Hours are as follows. Thursday, Dec 18th. 9:00am to 12:00 noon. then again that afternoon from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. Friday, Dec 19th from 9:00am to 12:00 noon, then again that afternoon from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. Saturday, Dec 20th from 9:00am to 1:00pm only. The Alumni office is located at the McNab Building next to the Sheriff's Station in Fillmore. 540 Sespe Ave #6 Don't miss the Alumni's "BLUE LIGHT CHRISTMAS SPECIALS" for your Favorite Fillmore Flash!!

Westlake Vilage, CA – Lydia Gable of Keller Williams Realty and Rick Winters of Winters Financial Group will host their 5th Annual Coats-for-Casa Pacifica charity event at Three Springs Park in Westlake Village, on Saturday, January 10th from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

With a huge truck load of snow delivered for the day, the event is a great opportunity to bring the whole family for complimentary snow play and sledding, coffee and smoothies, and winter crafts. All Lydia Gable and Rick Winters ask is that you don’t forget to bring new or gently used winter clothes of all sizes, including coats, sweaters, hoodies, mittens/gloves, winter hats and scarves, to benefit Casa Pacifica in Camarillo – a facility that provides emergency shelter, medical assessment and treatment, and a host of other services to children removed from their homes for abuse and neglect. The agency also provides community-based interventions for children and families in need. Visit http://casapacifica.org/ to learn more about Casa Pacifica’s 17 therapeutic programs. Last year, over 1,400 winter articles of clothing were donated – coats, sweaters, hats, gloves, and scarves.

“Casa Pacifica expects to care for and help more than 4,000 children this year, and struggling families,” say Lydia and Rick. “Your coat donation will help Casa Pacifica provide these children and their families a warm, basic necessity for the cold winter months ahead.”

If you are unable to share in the Winter Coat Drive fun but would like to donate, please contact Lydia or Rick to make other arrangements.

Casa Pacifica is a crisis-care and residential treatment facility for abused, neglected, or at-risk children in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. The agency is the largest non-profit provider of children’s mental health services in both counties and administers a number of community-based programs which are designed with the intent to strengthen families and keep children in their homes. For more information about Casa Pacifica visit its website www.casapacifica.org or call the Development Department at (805) 445-7800.

The Friends of the Santa Paula Blanchard Community Library invite all book lovers to their First-Saturday-of–the-Month and Mid-Week book sales. The next First-Saturday Sale will beJanuary 3, 2014, from 10AM to 2PM. The mid-week sales are every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 12 Noon to 2PM, except holidays. The sales are held in “The Back Stacks”, accessed from the north parking lot of the library at 119 N. 8th Street, Santa Paula, CA.

The January special will be American Heritage and Horizon hardbound magazines at $.25 each. There are also great choices in fiction, non-fiction, and children’sbooks with prices from $.50-$2.00.The unique collection of rare and collectible books start at $4.00.For more information email fobcl@yahoo.com.

Camarillo, CA - Camarillo Hospice, a volunteer hospice and grief counseling center serving Ventura County, offers practical and emotional support for individuals and families facing a life-limiting illness and/or dealing with the grief of losing a loved one.

As a volunteer hospice, Camarillo Hospice does not deliver medical care and does not require a life expectancy of six months or less. Patients do not need a doctor’s referral to avail themselves of assistance from Camarillo Hospice.

Among the many services provided are: caregiver respite, friendly visiting, life story recording, errand-running, transportation, education and resources on end-of-life issues.

All services of Camarillo Hospice are free and not subject to regulatory time limits.

Ongoing bereavement support groups and individual and family grief counseling are also available from Camarillo Hospice. In 2013 alone Camarillo Hospice provided assistance and support to more than 10,000 community residents.

For more information, please call the Hospice office at 805.389.6870,email info@camarillohospice.org or visit the hospice website at www.camarillohospice.org.

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The Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley is proud to announce an ambitious $113,000 renovation project to develop a Teen Study Room at their facility. As most people know the clubhouse site that the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley occupy is the old Fillmore High School Girl’s Gym from many years ago. The room being renovated is over 720sq. ft. and was the original girls shower room in the girl’s gym. A few years ago then CEO, Sheila Tate arranged to have the Seabees come in and demolish the shower stalls. After that, due to a lack of funding no further work was done.

Current CEO and former San Cayetano Elementary School Principal, Jan Marholin has taken on this project so that the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley can offer after school support and resource opportunities for our local teens in Fillmore.

Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long and the Ventura County Board of Supervisors have donated $25,000 towards this project. Other donors include Seneca resources $15,000 and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 1245. In –kind labor is being provided by Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters Local #150 with Mercy Urrea taking the lead. Also providing in-kind labor and materials is Jeff Bode and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 952. We also appreciate equipment and material donations from EJ Harrison and Sons, Fillmore Rentals , Granite Construction and Joe Diaz of Fillmore Welding.

Our first step of this project was completed on Saturday December 6th. A big shout out of thanks to: Mercy and David Urrea , Joe Duran , Tommy McNary, Matt Mynatt, Jon Duran, Anthony Ventura , Greg Baca, Romeo Ruiz, Jose Cobian, Michael Mariscal and Tony Franco for donating their Saturday. Thank you also to our wonderful architect, Doug Nelson of Mainstreet Architects.

We are excited about this project as it will directly benefit our local Fillmore youth. We have not reached our financial goal and would appreciate any donations from the Fillmore Community. Your donations are an investment in the youth in your community. Donations can be sent to: BGCSCV Teen Study Room Project, PO Box 152 Santa Paula, CA . 93061

The Humane Society of Ventura County is asking for the public’s help in order to care for and feed 10 neglected animals recently rescued from a ranch in Moorpark.

On Dec. 9, Humane Society Officers brought into protective custody two Brahma bulls, two heifer cows and six horses. Most of the animals are considered emaciated and are being housed at HSVC’s shelter in Ojai. There are already five horses from three different cases now pending charges in Ventura County Superior Court at the facility.

HSVC Shelter Director Jolene Hoffman said "it can take several months of ongoing care to get the animals back to full weight.” The shelter will be feeding them over six bales of feed per day plus supplements. The Humane Society also is in need of funds to cover the extreme cost of medical for all the animals and farrier care for the horses.

“These are tough times for people, but there is no excuse for the neglect that these animals have suffered,” Hoffman said.

Pictures of the emaciated animals can be found on HSVC’s website and updates will be posted regularly on their Facebook page.

Donations may be brought to the Humane Society shelter at 402 Bryant Street in Ojai or sent to P.O. Box 297, Ojai, Calif. 93024. You can also donate online at www.HSVC.org. For more information, please call (805) 656-5031.

The Humane Society of Ventura County is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1932. It does not receive federal, state or local tax dollars to operate and relies solely on private donations.

A light will be shining on the Hospice “Light Up A Life Tree”
These names were received between 11/29/14 and 12/8/14:

FILLMORE IN MEMORY OF:
Eric (Rick) Godfrey
Bret Godfrey
Vena Godfrey
Louis and Grace Meehl
Terry Meehl
Kathy Black
Bill (Smitty) Smith
Francine Pittman
Francis Caffro
Bernice Caffro
Lloyd Michel, Jr.
Neva and Donald DeYoung

PIRU IN MEMORY OF:
Carolina R. Avila

SANTA CLARA VALLEY HOSPICE HOME SUPPORT GROUP, INC

In observance of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, the employees of Santa Clara Valley Disposal will be taking the days off. As a result, Fillmore residential customers will have their trash and green waste collected on Saturday, Dec. 27, and their trash and collectables on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015, one day later than usual.

The regular Friday trash collection schedule in Fillmore will return on Jan. 9, 2015.

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, Harrison 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. Flocked trees now also can be recycled.

For more information, call 647-1414.

Fillmore FFA is selling 2015 Calendars as a fundraiser his year! This supports the kids in the chapter by sending them to different conferences, workshops, contests, buying FFA Jackets, and so much more. The calendar is advertised by different local businesses and farms in Ventura County and modified from last year to have an even better product! Each calendar is wrapped to prevent damage, designed by students, and are only $10! Please come find any FFA members who will be selling the calendars or feel free to email Jessica Manginelli at jmmanginelli@yahoo.com, or call or text at (805)509-0451 to get more information or buy a calendar. Thank you!
Jessica Manginelli
Fillmore FFA Secretary

Ventura, CA - The Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) will soon unveil its new fleet of intercity buses, which are funded through California’s Proposition 1B.

The dedication of the fleet and unveiling of the new service branding will occur at 10:30 a.m. following the organization’s monthly Commission meeting on December 5, 2014. The event will take place at Camarillo City Hall, located at 601 Carmen Drive. The ceremony is expected to last approximately 30 minutes.

The 14 new clean-diesel MCI motorcoaches are a long-awaited addition to VCTC’s intercity bus service, which recently celebrated its 20th year of service. Sporting a bright blue exterior and prominently displaying the new VCTC Intercity Bus branding, the new coaches feature high-back seats, foot rests, LED reading lights, and electrical outlets. The vehicles also include pull-out bike storage trays in addition to front-mounted bike racks, which allow for the safe transportation of at least four bicycles.

“The Ventura County community is the true beneficiary of these new high-quality vehicles,” noted VCTC Executive Director Darren Kettle. “Not only will they provide more comfortable and enjoyable travel for our customers, but the entire community can benefit from their increased cost-efficiency and improved performance.”

The new VCTC Intercity Bus fleet was funded using a portion of California’s Proposition 1B, which allocated nearly $20 billion in general obligation bonds to address air quality and safety projects such as public transportation. The Prop 1B funding allocated to Ventura County is being utilized to fund street and highway improvements, rail safety projects, transit vehicles, and other transit improvements.

VCTC Intercity Bus (formerly VISTA) provides inter-community bus service throughout Ventura County. For more information about VCTC and VCTC Intercity Bus, visit www.goventura.org or call 800-438-1112.

Ventura, CA - Community Memorial Health System holds regularly scheduled Smoking Cessation classes.

The eight-session class covered over seven weeks includes confidential sessions on how to handle smoking urges, how to handle stress and moods and how to handle slips. Sessions on weight, exercise, lifestyle balance, meditation and life without cigarettes also will be covered. Discounted nicotine replacement therapy products are also available to program participants.

The classes are located at the CMH Cancer Resource Center, 2900 Loma Vista Rd., Suite 105 in Ventura.

The classes are Mondays from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Registration is required. For registration information for the next class and cost details contact the CMHS HealthAware at healthaware@cmhshealth.org or call 805/667-2818 or (805/652-5339 Español).

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, and 12 family-practice health centers entitled Centers for Family Health. The health system is located in Ventura County, California.

Stroll the enchantingly lighted gardens, view handmade and unique decorations, visit the traditionally adorned historic buildings, join the festivities, and enjoy holiday themed music and entertainment. A Christmas Market, book sale, and seasonal food complete the holiday fare.

A 2:00 performance by the Newhall Nazarene Celebration Choir of excerpts from “I’ll Be Home for Christmas" will highlight the December 6 entertainment. This is a swing-time radio musical about family and hope set in 1941. A 3:00 performance by the educational / performance group Women of the Bible of “The Three Queens”, will highlight the December 7 entertainment.. This lighthearted presentation depicts the Nativity from the perspective of the wives of the Three Wise Men.

Step back in time where the history, myth, and romance of old California still linger… and experience the sights, sounds and aromas of Christmas at Camulos – A Fiesta of Lights .

Reservations are not required but are appreciated. The suggested donation is $5 and children under 12 are free. See www.ranchocamulos.org for more details.

Rancho Camulos Museum and National Historic Landmark is on Highway 126, 2 miles East of Piru and 10 miles west of the I-5 at the Santa Clarita Newhall Ranch Road exit. Contact: Info@ranchocamulos.org / 805-521-1501