Page 39 - Sonoma County Gazette - August 2017

To all Forestvillians (and those who wish they were) What an honor to take over writing this column from Richard Naegle. It was Richard who got me involved in local projects in the first place. His enthusiasm for all things Forestville was catching. “Volunteer ” he said, “you’ll like it.” He was right. I’ve met some of the best people on the planet thanks to his encouragement. Because of that I feel a part of this community, and that feels good.
According to those whose grandparents pioneered this town, and you
know who you are, I’m a latecomer. In October of ‘89, in my 40s and newly divorced, I was looking for a new start. Ideally someplace if I was too broke to travel, I wouldn’t mind. I was lucky to have landed here. Was luckier yet in 2000 to have married the sweetest guy, a teacher better known as “Mr. Bob” to his students. Getting to chaperone dances, attend soccer games and witness what amazing kids this next generation has produced has been a joy. Bob still substitutes, mostly at El Molino High School. He loves it because he loves those teens and they can tell.
There’s a New Sheriff in Town
For 25 years I worked as a fundraiser for Sutter Hospice. Those fundraising skills were put to the test when writing a grant to Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District awhile back to acquire the land for our Downtown Park. The community needed to match the money Open Space would donate, and Forestville came though, making us the only town with TWO privately managed parks. So treat them well, they belong to you! Pitch in, be a good neighbor, pick up trash, attend the fundraising events and farmer’s market. Their success is our success.
We have excellent news from the Sheri ’s Dept. Per an e-mail sent by Lt. John Molinari, “I am pleased to announce, starting this Wednesday July 19th Deputy Daniel Avina will join the sta out at the river substation to focus on the homeless issues we have been experiencing. Deputy Avina will work with residents and businesses in the lower river area, addressing the myriad of issues relating to homeless encampments including problems with loitering and drinking downtown.”
Good Neighbors...And speaking of a good neighbor, our jewel of a nonprofit right here in town is Food For Thought. Did you know they have expanded their mission to provide Food + Love to those with serious illnesses, along with helping those with HIV throughout Sonoma County? Now that’s
The Guerneville Community Alliance volunteers spearheaded an e ort to
get a dedicated deputy in the lower
river area to exclusively address issues surrounding the homeless. These
e orts we on-going for about a year
and a half, which included drafting
the petition and gathering signatures, collection community survey data, writing about it in the River Community Advocates Gazette column, meeting and communicating frequently with Sheri ’s command sta and Supervisor Hopkins, attending Board of Supervisors meetings, and organizing a meeting for a large group of merchants to talk directly with Supervisor Hopkins and the Sheri ’s Dept. command sta . It took a long time and a lot of e ort from the community.
a neighborly thing to do! We are proud of them. Since they now help more people than ever, let’s help them back. This is where you can come in.
Refrigerated items delivered to those too sick to drive need to be transported in specialized insulated bags. Right now they need 9 new bags for their new clients. Even though they are expensive, they will last for years. If 9 of us pitch in and “Adopt a Bag” (or even half a bag) that will save FFT money that can be used to purchase food. Doesn’t that sound important? Each bag is $288. Look into your pocketbook and see if this is something you can do. It would mean a lot! Contact Kaaren Van Dyke at 887-1647. She would love to hear from you. Let’s do this. www.givedirect.org/donate/ to donate online
It wasn’t easy, but we as a community
collectively coming together and getting
involved with some organized e ort is starting to pay o . A special thank you to Marcy Cooper and Sandy Reilly for the petition signatures gathering they spent their weekends collecting, and to Mario Torrigino for presenting the petitions at the Board of Supervisors meeting during the budget hearings. We very much credit and thank Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, Lt. Molinari, and Capt. Essick (who is running for Sheri ) for their e orts to make this happen. They all have de nitely gone the extra mile for our community. We have great faith that they have chosen someone who is the best professional for this position. We look forward to meeting Deputy Avina, and letting him know how grateful this community is to have him.If you would like to contact Deputy Avina
and welcome him, or let him know about a homeless related problem in your neighborhood, his e-mail address is Daniel.Avina@sonoma-county.org. More good stu is on the radar for August regarding the $750k allocated by the Board of Supervisors for CDC to deal with homeless issues on the river.Stay tuned for further updates as they become available. If you would like to learn more about the Lower River Area Community Alliances, become involved as a volunteer, or if you have some community concerns or solutions you would like to share, you can like our Guerneville Community Alliance and/or Russian River Alliance
FB pages. You can also contact Mark Emmett at 707-529-0534 (Guerneville) or Chuck Ramsey at 707-239-1639 (Monte Rio).
If you would like to learn more about the Lower River Area Community Alliances, become involved as a volunteer, or if you have some community concerns or solutions you would like to share, you can “like” our Guerneville Community Alliance and/or Russian River Alliance (Monte Rio) FB pages.
August 26 NEW Event...Haberdash! While you are on the phone, make reservations for their brand new event on Saturday, August 26, 5:30 to 9:30. Think fun, eclectic, retro, punk. I’ve seen the decorations and it’s going to be spectacular. They know how to create award winning events! This dance party will replace their fall Calabash, so expect music, amazing food, and lots of wine. Don’t miss it. Call now for tickets 887-1647, or go online at fftfoodbank.org
August 15 Forestville Business EXPO...is happening at our Downtown Park on August 15th. Forestville is chock full of entrepreneurs. Come see what amazing services and products are right here in our town. It’s fun and free. I’ll be there.
August 9 Community Meeting...And although we think we live in the best spot on the planet, we do have our challenges. There has been an uptick in crime. I wonder if it’s the same person breaking in to the Methodist Church and other places. To address our concerns Jennifer Abrao, the Community Services Officer for the Sheriffs Crime Protection Unit will come talk about how together we can ensure this remains a safe place to live. Hear what she has to say on August 9 from 6:30 to 8 pm at the United Methodist Church, Covey Road just down the corner from Front Street.
August 12 Sunset Dinner...If you are like me and love the history of Pond Farm Pottery, you have a chance o wine and dine on site with the Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods. Their Sunset Dinner looks amazing, September 16 they host their famous Old Grove Concert. Get tickets! www.stewardscr.org
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