LifeWorks of Sonoma County offers an array of mental health services to our community. El Puente "The Bridge" is one of the many programs that LifeWorks offers. It builds a bridge between at-risk, gang-affiliated youth, their families, and the community. This is accomplished by in-home visits that include the entire family. Clinicians provide tools such as goal setting, self-esteem, emotional awareness, and a sense of purpose and community for the youth. They provide tools to the parents to build healthy boundaries and reinforce positive behaviors of their children.
LifeWorks Program Coordinator, Marbel Alverez, and Lead Clinician, Adrian Elizondo will go into detail about this extraordinary program and how it has affected the lives of many of our underserved members of the community in a very positive and profound way.
Marbell originally from a small Central American country Nicaragua who emigrated 26 years ago to Sonoma County and since that time resides in Santa Rosa, married with 2 children who are currently both college students. Her favorite hobby is hiking, who currently developed a group of women with the purpose of supporting selfcare, leading the women of the community so that they can continue to be mothers, wives but at the same time take care of themselves.
Marbell has been working at LIFEWORKS since 2006 She started as an educator in the EFC program then worked in the TBS program As Behavior Coach and currently works in the El PUENTE Program as a program Coordinator who works with parents and sometimes with youth.
Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, Adrian has been practicing psychotherapy for 7 years. He studied Psychology at Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM) and became a Licensed Psychologist in Mexico. Then came to the United States to complete a MA in Counseling Psychology at John F. Kennedy University. He is currently a Licensed MFT and is continuing the path of getting his Professional Clinical Counseling License. Adrian has worked providing counseling/psychotherapy at schools, homes, office, Probation Camp, Juvenile Hall, etc. Adrian’s psychotherapeutic approach has been influenced by his experiences in climbing mountains and for that reason he is interested in holistic mental health approaches and perspectives like Somatic, Transpersonal and Adventure/Wilderness therapies. He has experience working with children, teens and adults using trauma informed approaches, mindfulness, attachment theory, solution focused, systemic and psychodynamic. He is interested on combining psychology and climbing in nature. He believes that an intentionally guided wilderness/outdoor experience is a powerful tool for personal growth and healing trauma. Adrian has experience helping clients with depression, anxiety, trauma, behavioral challenges, oppositional/defiance, substance abuse, different types of abuse, self-harm, suicidal ideation, loss/grief, bullying, anger/aggression and low self-esteem. Adrian has been trained on Triple P Level 4, has a certification on Mindfulness Substance Abuse Treatment for Adolescents, and Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy Certification from California Institute of Integral Studies in 2017.
Herman Hernandez and Elsie Allen High School Foundation
Our Guest Speaker for Thursday, August 12, 2021, was Herman Hernandez, on behalf of the Elsie Allen High School Foundation. Herman has been involved with the Foundation since 2012, working along with founders such as Willie Tamayo, Brien Ferrell, Ross Andress, Carlos Ayala, and Mike Lopez. Among other things, Herman is on the Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Office of Education and a member of the Russian River Rotary Club. He is a native of Guerneville, attended Santa Rosa Junior College, and is proud graduate of San Diego State University!
The Foundation is the brainchild of people like Brien Ferrell, Ross Andress, and others, who recognized that Elsie Allen High School had not been fully supported by its community. Along with school administration, they started inviting community members to visit the campus and hear the amazing stories of its students. After getting important members of the community involved in helping fund the school, they developed a partnership between Sonoma State University, Cook Middle School, and Elsie Allen. The partnership’s goals were to get kids to start thinking about higher education and to ensure that if they successfully completed the program, they would be admitted to SSU. The group putting the partnership together then launched the non-profit 501(c)(3) Elsie Allen High School Foundation.
Over its short lifetime, the Foundation has raised over $600,000, given over 400 scholarships, and invested heavily in current students, teachers, alumna, and school facilities. In total, the Foundation has raised over $1,700,000! This year alone the Foundation has invested in 5 teacher grants, regional park passes for students, improvements to school facilities, and support for extra-curricular activities. Since 2015, the Foundation has provided over 400 scholarships. The Foundation’s endowment is now at $820,000, very close to its $1,000,000 goal. When fully funded the endowment will provide $40,000 per year for seniors and alumni! Another major project is to develop a mentorship program. Alumni have told them that this is the one thing they wish they had when they were in school.
The Foundation is vitally important to EAHS. This is an under-served population. The majority of school families earn less than $50,000 per year. 73% of the families are low income. 27% of the area’s population are English learners. 91% of the school’s students are people of color. The help provided by the Foundation is absolutely necessary to support the school and enhance the students’ chances for higher education and better-paying jobs.
Herman also gave a shoutout to the many Sunrise Rotarians who have supported EAHS and the Foundation for many years. Ross and Stacey Andress were pivotal to the development of the Foundation and to its Interact club. Carolyn Anderson, Merle Hayes, and Rich Randolph have also been long-time backers and dedicated supporters.
Thank you, Herman, for everything you and others do to enhance the education of this amazing student population. We are all big fans of Elsie, its students, and its Foundation!
On a regular basis, our resident photo pro Warren Smith, submits pictures of what is going on at the weekly meetings. You can always find the most recent pictures at the websites photo journal called "Meeting Sighting" Please note that all the meeting photos for the entire Rotary year are at this location with the most recent on the last page.
Thanks for all the great pictures Warren!Link to Meeting Sightings. The most recent are on the last page!
It was the first Hybrid Sunrise Rotary Meeting of the soon-to-be-post-pandemic summer of 2021, held at Franchetti's as well as on Zoom.
President Jennifer Adams presided at the podium backed by a screen of virtual members each in their remote "frames".
The president graciously acknowledged several members including Del Raby and Peter Hoberg who had arrived at the restaurant at 6 a.m. in order to prepare for this momentous meeting. As well as others, including Stacey Drucker-Andress and Steve Amend who were responsible for the breakfast enjoyed by all present.
Jennifer called upon a fellow Jennifer (Hembed? Rogers? Hembed-Rogerrs?) to give the thought for the week, which encouraged all to stay positive, no matter what ....
"A woman woke up one day and saw that she had 3 hairs on her head. She said, 'Today I will braid my hair.' The next day she woke to find 2 hairs and said 'Today I will part my hair.' When she woke on the third day to only 1 hair, she said, 'Today I will wear my hair in a pony tail.' And when she woke to no hair, she celebrated. 'Today I do not need to do my hair!'"
As well as acknowledging birthdays, anniversaries and dealing with the raffle, President Jennifer announced that her "Woo Woo" administration includes astrology and reminded all that we are currently under the sign of Leo.
Earlier this week I struck up a conversation with a friend about alien abductions. It brought back a crazy memory from my 2017 visit to Sedona, AZ. During my stay, I convinced my mom to go with me on a UFO and Stargazing tour. We were ready to head into the desert and search the sky using night-vision goggles for flying saucers. Sadly, that evening there was cloud cover, and our trip got canceled.
I learned that night vision goggles, clouds, and UFO hunting are incompatible. Fortunately, our UFO guide refunded our money and stayed for a while to regale us about her abduction experiences. Our guide’s name is Melinda Leslie. She’s a world-renown medium, psychic healer, and alien abductee. Believers and non-believers in our crowd stood in awe as she gave us her detailed account. It was riveting.
She was able to recall her abductions with the help of hypnotherapy. She educated us on the different types of aliens she encountered: the greys, the greens, and the reptiles. Her flesh was probed, prodded, and her eggs were harvested. She was one of the 200 abductees in the Coronado mass alien abduction in 1994. President Clinton and his secret service were also in Coronado at that time but remained unscathed.
August always presents itself as a spectacular month for stargazing-especially in the desert sky. Meteor showers reign supreme this time of year, and night vision goggles will work due to the consistent lack of cloud cover.
Up for an adventure this weekend? Maybe hunt for some UFOs?? If you come across an unidentified flying object, it’s worth a high five!
Standing on the dock, waiting, hoping for that magic movement on the line ~ will it come or is all this hype of fishing like the legend of snipes?
OK ~ at this stage, size does not matter! In fact, Preston Thomas, Lotasha's son demonstrated great skill in catching and landing this fry with a minimal size, barbless hook! The fish got a renewed lease on life when the tender couldn't hold on to it. Nevertheless, Preston pressed on and took the prize for the most caught and biggest, a 10" rainbow.
Callan Brumbaugh, Rich Randolph's grandson soon caught up with Preston.
Now that is more like it!! Preston's #2 ranked #1 is size. Before the worm bait ran out, Callan and Preston had landed 2-3 respectable trout. Next, to clean or pay to clean: Was it unanimous? Not really. Both young anglers were curious of the fish's innards, but not in agreement as to who was going to have the honors. In the end, they each pinch popped a swim bladder, and settled on observing a pro do their work.
How did they taste? Mmm with notes of bacon!
Treat yourself to a true summer delight and go fishing with a friend. Two if you are so lucky!
M.J. Girard is currently an on air personality on KOWSfm.com His “Roots of Rock” is broadcast every Sunday morning at 7 AM
Ah, the “Dog Days” of Summer…makes one look for shade and a saucer of water!??…okay, a brew or Chardonnay would work much better!
Last week we rolled back to Up State New York for the Woodstock Experience, what a wild trip to the late sixties …when times were so much different, not necessarily better, but carefree for the most part.
The Beatles extravaganza is over, 13 Sundays of memory tickling tunes progressing from their initial explosion on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964, to their ultimate last impromptu live performance on the rooftop of their crumbling Apple Corp. enterprise in 1970. They collectively dominated the pop music scene and introduced us to the variety of English bands that instilled the connection of the “Mother” country that never really was lost.
This Sunday’s Roots of Rock will feature the R&B group “Kool & the Gang” in celebration of the life contribution and recent passing of one of their founding members, Dennis “Dee Tee” Thomas, who joined brothers Robert “Kool” Bell and Ronald Bell, along with Robert “Spike” Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown and Ricky West.
The group was formed in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964 as Lincoln High School students calling themselves the “Jazziacs”. Smith didn’t attend the same H.S. but was a close friend. The Bell brothers father and uncle were both pugilist. Miles Davis would often stop by their apartment to visit as he was interested in becoming a boxer himself.
They had limited success until the release of their fourth album “Wild and Peaceful” in 1973 which featured two top ten cuts: “Jungle Boogie” & “Hollywood Swinging”.
A “dry period” ensued until their partnership with Brazilian producer Eumir Deodato and singer James “JT” Taylor in 1979.
Their hits will be played along with other artists of the same era. Collectively Kool & the Gang have sold over 12 million combined albums and singles here in the U.S., over 70 million worldwide and have won numerous accolades to include two Grammys and seven American Music Awards.
Thanks for tuning in…the show is archived on KOWSfm.com
The Rotary Club of Nice Riviera Côte d’Azur has tackled an outsize number of projects in France and beyond in recent years. It worked with a sister club, the Rotary Club of Norwich, England, to install a rainwater recovery system in Ho, Ghana, and has done fundraising for cancer research. The Rotarians also donated to a charity that purchased garden planters valued at more than $6,000 for local pediatric medical facilities in Nice. The club also raises funds for cancer research. At local grocery stores, in exchange for a donation of 1 €, club members offer tokens used to unlock shopping carts.
South Africa
When COVID-19 shutdowns heightened hunger in his country, Rex Ifechukwude Omameh turned his family’s living room into a sandwich assembly area to prepare food for those in need. Omameh, who is a member of the Rotaract Club of Blouberg and the Rotary Club of Blouberg, and his family members made the effort a Friday tradition. Fellow Rotaractors sometimes help prepare the sandwiches, and most of the food is given to the Milnerton Community Action Network for distribution. Omameh has spent more than $1,500 on food, and a bread company has also pitched in to provide some of the bread and soup. Omameh also received contributions to defray the project’s costs as a birthday present.
This story originally appeared in the August 2021 issue of Rotary magazine.
Rotary Club of Santa Rosa Sunrise - Founded June 30, 1986
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The Rotary Club of Nice Riviera Côte d’Azur has tackled an outsize number of projects in France and beyond in recent years. It worked with a sister club, the Rotary Club of Norwich, England, to install a rainwater recovery system in Ho, Ghana, and has done fundraising for cancer research. The Rotarians also donated to a charity that purchased garden planters valued at more than $6,000 for local pediatric medical facilities in Nice. The club also raises funds for cancer research. At local grocery stores, in exchange for a donation of 1 €, club members offer tokens used to unlock shopping carts.
When COVID-19 shutdowns heightened hunger in his country, Rex Ifechukwude Omameh turned his family’s living room into a sandwich assembly area to prepare food for those in need. Omameh, who is a member of the Rotaract Club of Blouberg and the Rotary Club of Blouberg, and his family members made the effort a Friday tradition. Fellow Rotaractors sometimes help prepare the sandwiches, and most of the food is given to the Milnerton Community Action Network for distribution. Omameh has spent more than $1,500 on food, and a bread company has also pitched in to provide some of the bread and soup. Omameh also received contributions to defray the project’s costs as a birthday present.