Page 56 - Sonoma County Gazette - January 2018

Jan 6 ~ Paws for Love Foundation - gala held on Feb 10. Volunteers for: picking up donations, setting up auction space and working event night monitoring auction tables, selling raffle tickets and art by shelter pets, or passing trays of hors d’oeuvres. 10-11a, Finley Community Complex, 2060 W College Ave, SR, 707- 799-6151, pawsforlove.info, Ellyn@ pawsforlove
Jan 15 ~ Creek Stewardship, 10th Annual MLK National Day of Service - Piner Creek. Heavy rain cancels, in light rain the work continues. Tools and snacks provided. 1-3p, 3215 Coffey Ln, SR: MLK Park, rain or shine. 10-1p, 1208 S Hendley St, SR, srcity.volunteerhub.com, 707-543- 3845, srcity.org
Jan 22 & 25 ~ Schools of Hope United Way - Volunteer tutor orientation. Jan 22; 5p; Jan 25; 9a, United Way of the Wine Country, 975 Corporate Ctr Pkwy, Ste 160, SR, 707- 528-4485, unitedwaywinecountry.org, ana.gouveia@unitedwaywinecountry. org
Beginning Feb 1 ~ Help Seniors
and others with tax returns The Sonoma-Napa district of the Tax-Aide program is looking for more volunteers for the upcoming tax season. Minimum commitment of 4 hours per week from Feb 1 to mid-April, plus training time in January. All needed training provided at no cost. aarp.org, taxaide4sonomaco@ yahoo.com
Ongoing Needs
Petaluma Arts Center - Immediate openings for two gallery greeters to welcome visitors to the arts center. Petaluma Arts Center, 230 Lakeville St., Petaluma, 707-762-5600, petalumaartscenter.org, tparedes@ petalumaartscenter.org
Redwood Empire Food Bank - Volunteer at the Redwood Empire Food Bank at refb.org. Redwood Empire Food Bank, 3990 Brickway Blvd, SR, 707-523- 7900, refb.org, kwest@refb.org
Jewish Community Free Clinic - health center free care to anyone in need: Nurses and medical providers. 4-6p, Jewish Community Free Clinic, 50 Montgomery Dr, SR, 707-585-7780, jewishfreeclinic. org, jewishfreeclinic.org
Catholic Charities - Seeking groups of 5-10 volunteers willing to provide, prepare, and serve meals. Scheduling is flexible. 707-528-8712, nmendoza@srcharities.org
- one-hour weekly visits. Help seniors engage in their communities. Jewish Family & Children’s Services, Sonoma County Region, 1360 N. Dutton Ave Ste C, SR, 707-303-1510, jfcs.org, BarbaraT@ jfcs.org
Free Family Photography – Needed for families who have lost everything; a bright space with natural light for the photography; hair and makeup artist Margot Duane, margotduane.com
Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns about Falls - 8 hours of training and co-leading two eight-session programs Adult & Aging Services, County of Sonoma, 3725 Westwind Blvd, SR, 707- 565-5936, djacoby@schsd.org
Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) - 2-4 hours a week offering advocacy, friendship and emotional support to a child or young adult in foster care. 707-565-6375, sonomacasa. org, info@sonomacasa.org
Cotati Chamber of Commerce - help with events throughout the year 707-795- 5508, cotati.org, chamber@cotati.org
Sonoma Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District - Gain new skills and understanding of the outdoors 707- 565-7366, sonomaopenspace.org
HealdsburgCenterfortheArts-retail,show installation, special events, publicity, strategic planning & organization, 130 Plaza St, Healdsburg, 707-431-1970, healdsburgcenterforthearts.org, info@ healdsburgcenterforthearts.org
Restorative Resources - Volunteers from diverse backgrounds. Restorative Resources, 2934 McBride Ln, SR, 707- 542-4244, restorativeresources.org
KOWS 92.5FM Community Radio - DJ’s or show hosts: No experience needed, all training given. PO Box 1073, Occidental, 707-861-9873, kows92-5.org, kows@ sonic.net
Meals on Wheels Drivers needed - in the Guerneville and Santa Rosa area. 3 hours Mon-Fri mornings or afternoons. 30 Kawana Springs Rd, SR, 707-525- 0143, councilonaging.com, lgalten@ councilonaging.com
Ceres Community Project - 7351 Bodega Avenue, Sebastopol, 707-829- 5833, ceresproject.org, newsletter@ ceresproject.org
Bistro chef, servers, dishwashers - for dining guests made to order, chef- inspired entrees. Shifts are Mon-Fri, 10- 1:30p, Sebastopol Senior Center, 167 N High St, Sebastopol,707-525-0143 x121, lgalten@councilonaging.com
Marine debris training - learn about tracking, removing debris and safety protocols for the Sonoma Coast. 11-2p, N Salmon Creek Beach, 3095 Hwy 1, Bodega Bay, sonomacoast.surfrider.org, cea@sonomacoast.surfrider.org
Stewards of the Coast - retail, Welcome Center, docents; Office; Mobile marine van, a.k.a. the Steward Ship. Job training. 707-869-9177, sarah@stewardscr.org, stewardscr.org
United Way of the Wine Country - Many needs, 975 Corporate Center Pkwy, Ste 160, SR, 707-528-4485, unitedwaywinecountry.org, uwwc. general@unitedwaywinecountry.org
Sebastopol Center for the Arts - Gallery, receptionist, opening nights and events. Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 South High Street, Sebastopol, 707-829-4797, sebarts.org/, catherine@sebarts.org
Risky Business . . .
Caring Connections JFCS Senior Home
And that brought me to you-know-what! Back to politics and the Clown-in- Chief’s little sleight-of-hand strategy to hopefully distract us from whatever heat is currently bearing down on him... He just tweets his spotlight on something else.
I haven’t figured out – yet – why the January column always seems more challenging than the other months put together!
I suspect it’s because the end of one year and the beginning of a new one inspires both looking back and projecting forward – and that can get really dicey.
Looking back over 2017 is risky! From several angles, its amazing political chaos is a mandate for pretty serious 2018 projections! I don’t want to miss a single heartbeat of the DC shenanigans unfolding almost minute by minute; can’t afford to miss a trick. Add in the escalating environmental crises, poverty, hunger and terrorism threats, and who can, in good conscience, afford to
forget for the holidays? There simply is not enough tinsel to out-bling it or loud enough bells to drown it out. It seems that I spent a lot of energy being angry
– even outraged – in 2017, about politics alone. Even wrote a few more of my meager $10 & $15 checks than usual...
This is no argument for seeing only the dark side. Speaking for myself, without those wonderful interludes of natural beauty, friendships, love of family, pride of community and celebrations of faith and hope – where would the strength and motivation come from to fight those other fights?
Nevertheless, quandary sneaks in from time to time and jars us from any possible Utopian blurr. One’s mind gets wrapped around frustrations of how and why to act or help or just make some difference, someway. (And there’s my father’s voice again reminding me to make a difference through what’s close at hand.)
Looking forward from 2017 provides a lot of challenges! I started to consider taking on the “Me, too” subject that seems to have erupted with startling numbers and deafening volume. Then...I got all tangled up in the arguments concerning what – exactly – qualifies as “sexual harassment?” Is good old, good-natured flirting in jeopardy now, having been equated to prurient groping? And how can anyone dare to imply that those two are in any way similar to actual sexual violence, rape and debauchery?
Then there are the stupid questions like: “Why did they wait so long to speak up? Why now? Isn’t it just being politically opportune? “ (...questions asked
by individuals completely and obviously clueless and uninformed about the devastating dynamics and pressures on such victims – their lack of options, choices and even courage at the time of such assaults...) It didn’t seem to be
a good idea to write that column until I could take a deep breath and better organize my thoughts.
I got pretty far along in another direction thinking once again about
the phenomenon of the massive impacts of electronics in early childhood education. I’ve been doing a little survey to see how many children, under
or about 12 years of age, I could observe reading a book! Boy, have I been disappointed! Yet, on the other hand, it seems that hardcopy books are gaining ground again, and the boom in digital books seems to be slowing! All the bookstores I visited looking for gifts were booming! The problem is old as
the hills, in my opinion, and is really about the difference between “and” and “either-or.” It happens every time some new-fangled delight comes along! Throw away the familiar and embrace (unconditionally) the shiny new object! Later...
So, that’s how I got around my focus dilemma – I talked about it. And that just leads me back to Farewell to your 2017 and whatever joy or tears came your way. And Hello to 2018 – we’ll fight the good fights if they come our way. And they will.
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