12/ Imperial Valley Alive! / Summer 2019

Summer 2019

2

Summer 2019

Atlantic to play at the Mecca of golf, St. Anthony’s Golf Course in Scotland. Ron’s diary of their adventure is in this edition.

A summer Believe it or not, not everyone eyes the challenge summer doldrum and the possibility of monsoons with the anxiety of a possible IRS audit. Jill Deen and her brother, Joe Robinson, scan the summer sky eagerly Valley Alive are firm believers in the axiom waiting, watching, hoping for a good storm cloud. The self-described “weather “perspective changes perception.” geeks” love weather, the odder the better.

Heck, it is why we founded this They share what they learned to become magazine nearly four years ago. You Storm Spotters whose keen eyes help can argue with folks who want to gripe the U.S. Weather Service give early about what’s “wrong” or “missing” about warnings about thunderstorms and other the region. But it won’t get you very far. potentially dangerous weather events. And However, if your purpose is to unveil we will share with you some fascinating what is unique, captivating and waiting to information about clouds. be tried in the Valley, the result is totally And there are scores of other fascinating different. Or, in other words, a different folks worth reading about, and getting perspective, a totally different, and to know, like the four high-achieving compelling, picture. daughters of Robert and Sylvia Aguirre of Admittedly, summer temperatures and Imperial, who have taken lessons learned humidity – here and most anywhere – from their parents to become leaders can challenge just about any truism. But in their fields. There are great day-trips for this edition, we happily accept that worth visiting, like a trip into history at the challenge. Therefore, in this magazine, heat isn’t about temperature; it is about the Territorial Prison in Yuma. And there is much to read, to learn about and to do. passion that drives and fulfills people.

If that isn’t enough to shake you from And, speaking about drivers, check a summer slump, consider this summer out our cover story. Just take a look at conundrum. Why is August the most the passion local golfers put(t) into their popular birth month? That is what the sport. Some swing so far as to play on Center for Disease Control found after the professional circuits. Others, like the Rev. Ron Griffin, pastor of the First United analyzing 2017 data.

By the time you finish wondering, fall Methodist Church in El Centro, and a won’t be far behind.  couple of his pals winged it across the

Publishers' Message Did you know:  The dog days of summer refers not to oppressive mid-summer heat, but rather to Sirius, the Dog Star, that rises around this time of year.  The 1,062-foot-tall Eiffel Tower grows more than 6 inches taller in the heat of summer. Thanks to the principle of thermal expansion, the iron structure expands in the summer and shrinks in the winter.  People are happier in the summer, when the days are longer, than when days shorten in the winter. That was the conclusion of a 2011 study published in the journal Science. After analyzing the tweets of some 2.4 million people around the world over a two-year period, researchers found summertime tweets were significantly happier.

We hope you enjoyed that brief dive into summertime trivia. Just searching for odd summer entertaining facts gave us a nice break from the season exhaustion many of us experience as summer continues.

Just taking a break – even a brief one – can change your perspective, which can change so much more. We at Imperial

TOP LEFT TO RIGHT: Susan Giller, William A. Gay, Sue Gay, Peggy Dale. BOTTOM FRONT: Bill Amidon, Alejandra Noriega.

- Photo by Joselito N. Villero Summer 2019

3

INDEX |

Volume 3, Number 4 EDITORS & PUBLISHERS Bill Gay Sue Gay Susan Giller Peggy Dale

CONTRIBUTORS Jayson Barniske Stefanie Campos Ron Griffen Brian McNeece Dylan Nichols

Siblings Joe Robinson and Jill Deen discuss the clouds.

- Photo by Susan Giller

COVER PHOTO Joselito Villero

DRIVE | Golfing has rich history in the

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Alejandra Noriega Alejandra Pereida

Imperial Valley, Page 6

WEB DESIGNERS

Playing St. Andrews is

Jesus Uriarte Sergio Uriarte

chance of a lifetime for three El Centrans, Page 7

SALES

Bill Amidon Jayson Barniske Jessica Garcia Sue Gay John Lovecchio

WATCH | Storm-spotting siblings have eyes on the skies, Page 8

SOCIAL MEDIA Marissa Bowers

ADVERTISING

bill.amidon@reliancepr.com 760-693-5330

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Send name, address and email address along with $20.00 (plus tax) for annual subscription to:

Reliance Public Relations, Inc. P.O. Box 1944 • El Centro, CA 92244

www.imperialvalleyalive.com IMPERIAL VALLEY ALIVE! is published quarterly

by Reliance Public Relations, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical for any purpose without the written permission of Reliance Public Relations, Inc.

4

Summer 2019

RESPECT | ON THE COVER: Ryan Maring is the course pro at Del Rio Country Club in Brawley.

- Photo by Joselito N. Villero

Four sisters honor their country, Page 10

CREATE | El Centro dentist, wife becoming expert wine-makers, Page 12 Digital artist blends talent, faith, Page 14

CURATE | Yuma Territorial Prison honors its past,

Page 20

Randy and Alicia Miles check the progress of their aging wine.

- Photo provided by Randy Miles

INSIDE | Publishers' Message, Page 3 Cloud map, Pages 18-19 Calendar, Pages 28-29

Prisoners line up in this mural-sized photo on a museum wall in Yuma. - Photo by Mickey Dale

Summer 2019

5

DRIVE | Valley’s first course, opened in 1926, is the William P. Bell-designed course at the Del Rio Country Club in Brawley.

Its website boasts it is a “challenging 18 holes of tree-lined … old-style course with narrow fairways and small Bermuda greens.” The course is home to the Elmer Sears Lettuce Tournament.

Started in 1929, the tournament is one of the oldest amateur events in California.

Desert Trails RV Park and Golf Course is “a 404-site RV park that is located around a 9-hole executive golf course.”

Rio Bend features the Lakeview Golf Course, a 9-hole par 33 golf course, is “nestled in a peaceful setting with lakes, mountain views, and beautiful greens and fairways.”

The Barbara Worth Country Club golf course was built in 1927 and is a course “steeped in history … (and has) a classic tree-lined gem designed by noted course architect Lawrence Hughes.” It is an 18hole, par 72 course.

No matter the reason, golf is a popular sport all across the globe. The top golfers in the world right now all come from different backgrounds and different lifestyles, yet they all still share a love for the game like golfers right here in the Valley.

Ryan Maring, Course Pro at Del Rio Country Club: Age: 44 Hometown: El Centro

Maring, a PGA professional, found his career in life fairly early on. He picked up the game his senior year of high school and learned even more while working part-time at Broken Spoke in El Centro.

He tried his hand on the professional side, traveling part-time as a mini tour player from 2000 to 2002, before working to become a PGA member and focusing on “the business side of golf” and A lifestyle, teaching it to others.

He got to know Bob Gelesko, then the passion, even head pro and general manager for 26 a career years at Del Rio Country Club. Gelesko offered him the assistant position at Del Rio. When Gelesko took the position For some the sport is a passion. Those of head golf professional and general are the golfers who play regularly, who manager at Ram’s Hill Golf Club in read about it, watch it on television. For Borrego Springs, Maring stepped into some the lure of golf is so strong they Gelesko’s shoes at Del Rio. That was in will cross the “pond” that is the Atlantic to July 2018. play at the granddaddy of all courses, St. How did you start getting into golf?

Andrews in Scotland.

I started in about 1992, in my senior Imperial Valley is home to several CONTINUED | PAGE 26 courses enjoyed by local golfers. The

Golf Driving it home

By Dylan Nichols

6

One of the great beauties of golf is that it appeals to people for different reasons, as local golfers will attest.

For some, golf is a nice way to spend time with friends with some half-serious competition. For others, golf is a lifestyle, even a career.

Summer 2019

| DRIVE

St. Andrews: Flying 'home' for the love of the sport (Editor’s Note : The Rev. Ron Griffen, pastor of the First United Methodist Church in El Centro, agreed to chronicle a trip he and two El Centro friends took to Scotland to golf at St. Andrews. Here is his account of the experience.)

By Ron Griffen “Someday I hope to bring my grandchildren here to Scotland — not to show them what golf is, but what golf isn’t — that it isn’t about $200 million resorts and $200,000 membership fees, that it isn’t about six-hour rounds, and three-day member-guests, that it isn’t motorized buggies, Cuban cigars, and cashmere head covers. It’s a game you play simply and honorably, without delay or complaint — where you respect your companions, respect the rules, and respect the ground you walk on.”

—George Peper, editor and author of “Two Years in St. Andrews: At Home on the 18th Hole”

July 7th, 4 a.m.

Today is a travel day. My good friends David (Tyler) and Bill (Plourd) and I are heading to Scotland to play golf. It is the 65th Annual St. Andrews Rotary Club Golf Tournament, and because we’re Rotarians (or, in David’s case, son of an El Centro Rotarian, and, himself, a Paul Harris Fellow) we were able to apply for entrance. So, here we go. Mokulele Airline to L.A., L.A. to Boston, Boston to Edinburgh, arriving there at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday the 8th.

(From left) David Tyler, Ron Griffen and Bill Plourd stand on the famous Swilcan Bridge on the Old Course at St. Andrews golf CONTINUED | PAGE 28 course in Scotland. - Photo provided by Ron Griffen

Summer Fun has just begun Apply today

VACATION LOANS as low as 9.24

%APR*

Now offering up to $2,500 for 36 months!

Limited time only

Annual Percentage Rate. All applicants are subject to credit approval. Rate and terms are subject to change without notice. A $2,500 loan at 9.24% APR requires 36 monthly payments of $79.82. Promotion valid through September 30, 2019.

Summer 2019

7

WATCH |

Storm Spotters

Weather geeks on alert for wind, squalls

By Susan Giller

8

Jill Deen and her brother, Joe Robinson, make no bones about the fact that they are weather nerds. Or geeks. Or weather junkies. The lifelong Imperial residents wear their passion for the wind, the clouds, a torrential downpour, a tornado or just about any kind of natural phenomena like a badge of honor.

Their enthusiasm gushes in torrents of often harrowing stormrelated adventure tales they love to tell. And their knowledge of the subject is impressive. As clients of the wildly popular Jill Deen’s Barber Shop in Imperial can attest, Jill rarely tunes her shop television to anything but the Weather Channel. She’s also the go-to person for advice about the newest and best weather apps. Joe knows and reads clouds the way a fortune teller reads tea leaves, only with a lot higher degree of accuracy about impending weather changes.

But, don’t try to talk to either Joe or Jill outdoors because their eyes will rivet to the clouds.

“We’re not tornado chasers or anything crazy like that,” Jill said.

“But I’ll be the first one outside when a storm is brewing to check out the clouds. It’s just so exciting.”

Jill and Joe come by their keen interest in the sky naturally.

Their father is Dugan Robinson, a former longtime Imperial Valley crop duster and private pilot. Now the duo is marshaling their weather enthusiasm. They became certified storm spotters Summer 2019

Top photo: Brother and sister Joe Robinson and Jill Deen of Imperial have become official weather spotters. - Photo by Susan Giller Bottom: Thanks to the clouds, Imperial Valley skies often provide brilliant sunsets, such as this one in late July. - Photo by Peggy Dale for the National Weather Service (NWS) after completing a SKYWARN® training program in April.

Registered and with personal Spotter ID numbers, the two are part of the volunteer, “boots on the ground,” the local eyewitness force that assists the Weather Service. Spotters fill in information gaps to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and, even more importantly, of localized storm watches and warnings.

The Weather Service so values the input from voluntary local observers that it started the SKYWARN® Program in the 1970s.

It offers free training sessions at locations throughout the country for those willing to become spotters. A schedule of upcoming sessions, including those held locally, as well as information about the program is available at https://www.weather.gov/

Joe Robinson and Jill Deen look over a poster that illustrates various cloud formations. - Photo by Susan Giller SKYWARN. Today, there are between 350,000 and 400,000 trained volunteer storm spotters nationwide. The NWS website states, “Storm spotters are the citizens who form the nation’s first line of defense against severe weather … their efforts have given communities the precious gift of time – seconds and minutes that can help save lives.”

Joe and Jill completed the class when it was held at the county Office of Emergency Services in Heber in April. They and 20 or 30 others received a deluge of information delivered by a Phoenix-based NWS instructor. The class learned details about cloud formations, clues to identify potential severe weather features and specifics about what and how to report information to the NWS. They left armed with cloud charts, documents full of weather details and directions about staying safe during storm activity.

Data, including full-color images of clouds ranging from mammatus to stratocumulous and shelf cloud, clearly helped Joe up his game as a cloud whisperer.

They also learned about the limitations of such highly regarded technologies as the Doppler Radar that heightens the need for storm spotters, especially in areas such as the Imperial Valley.

For instance, Joe said the class learned the closest NWS Doppler radar is based in Yuma. It angles slightly above the horizon, so it reads only from about 7,000 feet above the Valley.

“That means there is a lot of weather here that’s not going to be picked up,” Joe said. So local flash flood watches and warnings are often based on storm spotter information.

Now Joe and Jill are among about 95 local storm spotters in the Valley, including some that are first responders and a number that are See Cloud graphic amateur, or Ham, radio operators.

“It was an excellent class,” Jill illustration on said. “They did a great job of pages 18, 19 to see explaining everything.”

What made the session even how approaching better was, “It was so much fun weather changes to get together with other weather Jill added. are written in the dorks,” Yet, Joe and Jill do take potential danger of weather phenomena sky.

CONTINUED | PAGE 32 Summer 2019

9

RESPECT |

Adriana Aguirre-Page

Alexzandria Aguirre

Aguirre Sisters

Andrea Aguirre-Bailey

Letting parades pass them by simply isn't in this family's mantra

came with “tough love.” He noted that Anamarie, now in the top 1 percent of the Air Force’s enlisted force, “was always Robert Aguirre rousted his two testing the waters.” granddaughters out of bed early on June Robert and Sylvia were married 22. They had to prepare for the parade just out of Central Union High School. that was to pass by the Aguirre house in Anamarie was their first child, followed Imperial early that morning.

-by Jerry Herman, Hello Dolly two years later by Andrea. There are Andy Ruiz Jr., Imperial native and eight years between the births of Andrea heavyweight boxing champion of the and Alexzandria. Adriana came a year later. world, was the subject of this hometown celebration. The Aguirre “No one gives you a book on how to be parents,” said Robert. The granddaughters, Anabella, 9 and Brailynn, 7, were setting up a lemonade stand in the front yard of the home, also known as Aguirre daughters got their Air Force heritage from their dad, who Sylvia’s Antiques. The house is just down the street from the spent six years in that service. He worked with jet fuels then later parade’s end at Imperial High School. became a dental technician.

Before the end of the warm day, as the girls handled the The Air Force, Robert said, “instituted a lot of values and morals in lemonade, Robert was handing water out freely to thirsty parade me.” participants.

After getting out of the Air Force, Robert tried civilian dental Letting parades simply pass them by isn’t in the Aguirre family’s mantra, no matter whether it’s on the street or in life.

While Andy Ruiz is making his mark in a stunning and public fashion, his story typifies the moxie of Imperial Valley residents when they make up their minds to achieve their life’s dreams. Take, for example, Robert and Sylvia Aguirre’s four daughters: Anamarie (mom of Anabella and Brailynn), Andrea, Alexzandria and Adriana.

Each in her own way is leading in life’s parade.

Two of the Aguirre daughters have successful military careers and are veterans of the wars in the Middle East. All four are in government service. Two are in health-related fields, and the other two are in the military as well as Homeland Security.

All four hold bachelor’s degrees. There are four masters’ degrees among them so far with another master’s as well as a doctorate in the works. And, as Robert and Sylvia point out—there are seven grandchildren and one more on the way.

So, how did this parade of success happen?

In growing up, “We gave them a free hand to do their best,” said Sylvia who contends she was a stay-at-home mom. However, at the same time she also built her home-based antique shop in Imperial.

Robert and Sylvia Aguirre of Imperial. - Photo Provided by the Aguirre “‘I can’t’ was not part of their language,” she says.

Family Robert pointed out that sometimes this freedom to do their best

By Bill Gay

10

Anamarie Aguirre-Muntean

"...Before the parade passes by I've gotta get in step while there's still time left I'm ready to move out in front...¨

Summer 2019

Q&A 1. What is your fondest memory of growing up in the Valley?

Alexzandria: I would say my fondest memory would be how my family and I would spend the summers. My parents always ensured we had something to do, whether it was going to Sunbeam Lake, or making a trip to San Diego, specifically to Mission Beach Tower 13, where my family has gone for years.

The Aguirre sisters. - Photo Provided by the Aguirre family technician work at first, then opened a trucking business in the Valley. At one point, he was running a three-truck hay hauling operation. “I took the girls to work with me,” he said. “I taught them everything I knew” including how to do welding. After being a hay hauler for 15 years, Robert became a certified crane operator and spent 18 years with the operating engineer’s union before becoming medically retired.

Meanwhile, said Sylvia, as the mom “I taught them how to be feminine.” She added, “We also taught them how to use your head to work.”

Sylvia also spent her time as school room mother for the girls and “with whatever was needed.”

All of the Aguirre daughters were in sports. “Their (Imperial High School) letter jackets look like Christmas trees,” their mother said.

Sylvia and Robert recently returned from “a trip of a lifetime” to Normandy, France, where they spent Memorial Day and watched Anamarie as she went about her military duties at the famed D-Day battlefield and cemetery. “Who would have ever thought…” said Robert.

But being the parent of a service member is not easy. That is especially emphasized as they deploy. Robert recounted taking Alexzandria to an airplane that was going to carry her to Afghanistan and the war there. He was thinking: “If only I could trade places with her…”

So, who are these Aguirre women?

Anamarie Aguirre-Muntean, 37, is in the Air Force and recently completed her second master’s degree. She has deployed into Middle East combat operations in support of Operations Southern CONTINUED | PAGE 30

Anamarie: All the memories that came with growing up on the east side of Imperial. My fondest memories included climbing the huge tree in our back yard, and winding up our tire swing so we could get the full spin effect. My dad attempted to build a treehouse for us, and it came crashing down. We had two empty dirt lots on our property and when it did rain, my sisters and I would go "mud skating,"...it's pretty much a "real" thing -- think ice-skating for those that grew up with snow. I remember riding my bike to Valley Market and bringing back groceries. I'd voluntarily ask to wash the car so I could drive to the car wash two blocks away when I was learning how to drive. Running after the school bus when we'd miss our stop. Growing up in the Valley gave us character for life.

Andrea: My fondest memory of growing up in the Valley is the sense of community throughout the area. The "smalltown" feel, community connectedness, and social cohesion is something I reflect on often. I think about how the people in the Valley always come together and celebrate the unique identity of the community. I also love that I grew up in an area along the border full of culture, diversity, and unexpected beauty.

Adriana: My fondest memory of growing up in the Valley was when I was about 7 or 8 years old and being able to go with my dad trucking. I remember that he would come and wake me up in the early morning and say “get up and get dressed so we can go.” On the way we would stop for a donut and milk and then we would be on our way. Once at our destination he would unload his trailer load and then we would help him clean it up for the next load. After, we would sometimes stop by a place we used to call little Disneyland. It was always so exciting to go with him because it was a new adventure.

CONTINUED | PAGE 30

Summer 2019

11

CREATE | El Centro dentist Randy Miles and his wife, Alicia, stand beside the barrel in which their wine is aging in the Vinos Expresión winery.

- Photo by Brian McNeece

Wine Maker

By Brian McNeece

12

In a small block building in Ensenada, large oak barrels line one wall stacked three high. Each holds 225 liters, enough for 300 bottles of varietal wines from Baja’s famous wine country, Guadalupe Valley. One barrel of Cabernet Sauvignon belongs to El Centro dentist Randy Miles.

Hovering over Miles’ barrel is his nephew, Ivan Muro, who at 32 is a partner in Vinos Expresión: three young men having a go at commercial wine-making. Muro dips a large dropper into the barrel and draws out some of the rich red liquid. Miles and his wife, Alicia, hold their glasses out, ready for the important first tasting after nearly six months “on the oak.” Ivan and his partner, Julio, the actual scientist behind this project, also take a sample.

Randy holds up his glass to the light from the window, then drops it, swirls it, and smells.

Ivan and Julio look on like chefs waiting for the diner’s opinion. “Nice nose,” nods Randy. His wife, Alicia, agrees. “It seems older than six months. Maybe because it’s a bit too warm in here.” He gestures to the thermometer on a wooden post in the middle of the room.

He takes a taste, swirls it around in his mouth, letting in a little air over his tongue.

“I love it!” he says, and Ivan and Julio visibly relax. “But it’s maybe a little acidic.”

Julio nods his head. “That’s what I thought too.” Julio is small, wiry, and very serious.

Summer 2019

El Centro dentist crafts fine wine He has a degree in enology (wine making) from the Baja state university. He grabs a small box of lime from a shelf, which is used to neutralize the wine. A tiny bit of the white powder is dropped into each taster’s glass.

They pass around a stirring spoon. Time for a re-taste.

“That did it,” states Miles. “Smooths it out instantly,” “Good,” says Julio. “I’ll calculate the exact amount and add it to the whole barrel.”

A month later, Randy and Alicia are back for the bottling. The team of six enjoys cheese and crackers as they fill, cork, and label 150 bottles. This is Miles’ production for the season from his one American oak barrel.

The other half of the barrel now belongs to Vinos Expresión, payment for their expertise and labor in making the wine. With a blend of Miles’ cabernet and their own tempranillo, Vinos Expresión won a gold medal at this year’s International Wine Competition in Ensenada.

Randy and Alicia will take their wine back to their Rosarito condominium and then to the Imperial Valley a few bottles at a time.

In El Centro, Miles CONTINUED | PAGE 33

A portrait of the Mileses' Nebbiolo varietal wine that took second-place honors in competition recently at the Del Mar Fair. - Photo by Randy Miles

Bill Gates Jr.

Photography is in his genes

By Katie Luna, Brawley Chamber of Commerce Some say artistry is born out of passion and some contend artistry is in your genes. For Leo William “Bill” Gates Jr., photography was in his genes and it grew into a passion. He was born to Leo William and Ina Vae Gates in 1930, in the beautiful foothills of Las Vegas, New Mexico. From the time he was a wee baby, sitting comfortably in a bassinet drinking from his bottle, his mother had a camera ready.

“Mom was the photographer in the family,” said Bill. “Year after year, Mom had the camera and she never let an occasion go by without photographs. I never had the interest in it as a kid because it was something mom did.”

Then in 1950, he entered the service and during his stint, that dormant photography gene started to come to life. He had hoped to become an Air Force pilot. There was, however, an obstacle standing between him and the cockpit of a fighter plane, one he knew nothing about until he took his physical. Before pushups and a timed mile run, the Air Force first checked Bill’ s eyesight. Much to his surprise, he failed the test. He was colorblind; he could not distinguish between red and green.

Instead, he became an aircraft technician and was sent off to Texas for training, then to the Philippines, and later Korea for

JOIN Y! A D O T

&

Tina and Bill Gates. - Photo Provided by Bill Gates 18 months. He decided to take a camera along. The sense of importance of a picture began to form.

“I wanted to document my place in the world,” he said. While in the Philippines, he would shoot photos and get them developed on the base where he was stationed. Non-classified photos were put on an old-fashioned slide deck so that they could easily be transported and viewed on a projector.

After the service, Bill took a job with Citizen’s National Trust & Savings in Blythe. There, he met his beautiful wife, Tina, who was visiting her uncle. They were married in 1958 and moved to the Imperial Valley in 1970, later welcoming their three daughters.

CONTINUED | PAGE 35

Y E L W ERCE A

M M R O C B BER OF CHAM

INVEST CONNECT ity visibil e r o M ity redibi and c iness. ur bus for yo

WE ARE

YOUR BACKUP

RESOURCE HUB OPPORTUNITY PROVIDERS Contact us today to maximize your business. www.brawleychamber.com 760-344-3160 Summer 2019

13

CREATE |

Allyson Derma explains the story behind her art while in her office at Christ Community Church in El Centro. - Photo by Peggy Dale

Digital Art

Allyson Derma blends talent with faith

By Stefanie Campos

14

The lure of a local production of musical theatre drew hundreds to experience a plethora of talented children and adults.

Extraordinary performances of the “Newsies” cast members onstage delighted the crowd, but it was difficult not to take note of an unassuming piece of artwork on a table just inside Palmer Theatre’s lobby. There stood an autographed cartoon illustration of the cast, ripe for the taking to a silent auction’s highest bidder.

It would also be featured inside the newspaper-style program.

While it was hard to believe it was created by a young cast member, anyone who knows 22-year-old Allyson Derma would not find that a surprise.

Primarily self-taught, Derma is beginning to make a name for herself in the Imperial Valley community and beyond. The cast and crew noticed her art and that support spurred her to look into spreading her brand, Ally Cats Designs, into a full-fledged business. And to think it all started with a simpler version of her brand’s mascot, a casual drawing that eventually led to the purchase of an iPad and Apple Pencil and recognition of work that joined two of Derma’s favorite things: art and theatre.

Derma may only be 22, but she had a focused trajectory for herself as an avid FFA/4-Her, her sights set on a career as a Summer 2019

veterinarian.

“God had a totally different direction for me,” she says with her megawatt smile.

As Derma speaks, she is articulate and vivacious. She is confident and artsy, her long curly black hair casually hanging over her flowered, bohemian open caftan. She already has courses in science and biblical studies under her belt from Imperial Valley College, San Diego State University Imperial Valley and Calvary Chapel Bible College. She’s taken a detour from academia and invested her time in her calling to her church and is working as a director of the preschool program at Christ Community Church in El Centro.

She’s weighing her return to school to perhaps further her studies in music or art, but for now, she is perfecting her digital art craft and getting her brand out

At right is a drawing

by Derma of the cast of "The Newsies,¨ recently performed in Brawley.

in the social stratosphere. With an oďŹƒcial business social media account, she’s already earning some notoriety from the theater/acting community.

Derma is mindful of how she will use her talents. For now, Derma is merging her passion for her digital art with her faith and using her artwork for fundraising. “I always want to make sure people have the opportunity to see themselves as a cartoon, have themselves as a sticker, and have it at an affordable cost,� she said. “With digital art, you can share it and you can take it anywhere and it’s the same original quality,� she explains.

Derma moves from the inspiration for her work (theatre, a request, a fundraising theme) and starts with a pencil sketch on the iPad. She then builds the layers from color to the shading and lighting.

Creating the final product will take anywhere from one hour to six. In a compilation piece such as the “Newsies� cast, she spent upward of seven hours.

Derma markets her work through allycats.designs on Instagram or by email

at Allysonderma10@gmail.com.

So far, she has used proceeds for friends with mission trips and a gymnastics fundraiser. “I will continue to use my art as a tool,� she explained. “First of all, to make people feel special ... if I do ever sell it, it’s always going to go to a cause.�

Derma wants to create change as well, notably how people are self-conscious about their looks. “It’s only beautiful because that’s you,� she explained of her recreating the likeness of others. “If people can look at a drawing or a picture of themselves and think that it’s beautiful, then I feel like I did my job.�

As she eyes her future, possibly branching out with more merchandising, creating a children’s book, it’s all with her faith closely entwined. “Art is something that people use to escape the world,â€? she said. “And for me, it’s a way of worship. I use my talents to glorify Him only. ‌ God gave me this gift Derma (above photos) demonstrates her for a reason and I want to make sure I use digital art. - Photos by Peggy Dale it for His glory and nothing else.â€? ďƒŞ

 � � �

Best Hospice Care WINNER

TWO YEARS IN A ROW!

|

Summer 2019

15

farmers, the dealership bends over backwards to meet the needs of agribusiness.

“We are hands-on with the community and do a lot with local farmers,” Mawrence said. “We go out of our way to help them. If they have a vehicle that breaks down, we will take them a new truck, pick up their vehicle, service it and take it back to the farmer as soon as it’s done.”

El Centro Motors’ stellar reputation has earned them contracts to service vehicles for the Imperial Irrigation District, the California Highway Patrol, Police Departments of Brawley, El Centro and Calexico, the Sheriff’s Department and the U.S. Border Patrol.

Financing specialists at El Centro Motors Mike Morris stands by a completely rebuilt 1974 Ford Bronco in the showroom at work hard to find the best financing while El Centro Motors at 1520 Ford Drive in El Centro. - Photo by Jayson Barniske making sure car buyers are comfortable and understand the terms of the loan.

Cavanaugh laughed as he reminisced, “Back in the old days, before I started Commitment to working the dealership I took a cow in for service runs deep trade. Man, we were eating steaks for a while.”

“The benefit to buying, especially from us, is Ford Motors’ financing,” Morris said. “They part of a group that bought the dealership,

By Jayson Barniske use a tiered system to evaluate a person’s then called Edgar Brothers Ford about 60 ability to pay that looks at more than just a years ago.

Buying a car at El Centro Motors feels credit score.”

Then, it was on the corner of Fourth and more like working with trusted friends than Stable career and residential history also Main in El Centro, now the site of the El a business transaction. For Mike Morris and factors into Ford’s approval process.

Centro Regional Medical Center Outpatient his team at El Centro Motors, providing a “We work hard for people who have Clinic. personal, caring level of customer service a lower credit score to get their deals While ownership has changed, isn’t just a job; it’s a tradition and a source of approved,” Morris said. “Sometimes they pride. Service has been in the organization’s Cavanaugh said, it has remained familyhave to put a little extra money down(for) the owned and operated.

DNA for three generations over the “My dad, Earl Cavanaugh, started working bank to buy the deal. We also have the right dealership’s 60-year history. cars for people with challenged credit.” at the dealership and eventually started El Centro Motors at 1520 Ford Drive in El “Our goal is 100 percent credit approval. buying into it. He sold to Dennis Nesselhauf Centro received the Ford Motor Company’s We work with a number of different lenders in the early 2000s, who ultimately sold to prestigious “President’s Award Elite” in to ensure the best rates and credit approval current owners Robert Valdes and Mike February. “It is given to only 26 dealerships for all,” Morris said.

Morris,” he said. in the nation,” Morris said.

“We understand sometimes bad things Cavanaugh still loves his job. “It’s the Ford Motor Company literature states, happen to good people, he said, “If your people I work with. It’s fun to come into “In order to achieve the President's Award, credit is not great and you are afraid you are dealers must exceed customer expectations work. We have good techs who have been going to get turned down, this is the place for here over 30 years.” every day in every department. The pursuit you.”

In addition to new and used cars and of excellence requires passion, tenacity and Morris started with cars more than 40 Ford’s service department, the dealership hard work.” years ago as a 16-year-old washing Fords has Ford’s signature brand maintenance Closer to home, El Centro Motors this at a North Hollywood dealership. He department called Quick Lane, which year was named the Imperial Valley Press’ has worked at dealerships in Oregon, services all makes and models of vehicles Readers Choice Best New and Used Auto Washington, Arizona and Idaho. He moved Dealer. Its Quick Lanes was also a finalist in with the same quality of customer service to the Imperial Valley about 10 years ago. that EC Motors regulars expect. the Best Oil and Service.

And, he is as enthusiastic as ever about the Today’s state-of-the-art dealership has While accolades are always appreciated, future of the industry. grown dramatically over the last decade. the dedication to service and pride in the El Centro Motors’ sister Volkswagen El Centro Motors Marketing Director Mark dealership’s local, family-owned history dealership is now open and operating in Mawrence said, “Right now we have over drives deep. Mike Cavanaugh, El Centro Imperial.

Motors service manager, who has worked at 500 new and used cars on the lot and 105 “So stop in and see us now and once our the dealership for nearly 40 years, shares its employees.” new building is done in the fall,” he said.  With Ford trucks so popular among history. His grandfather, Fred Procsal, was

El Centro Motors

16

Summer 2019

Healthpeak

By Susan Giller As registered nurses, Jeffrey and Jaymee Chan were all too familiar with the growing need for home healthcare services in the Imperial Valley when they decided to become part of the solution.

They opened Healthpeak Home Health in 2011 to offer excellent professional and skilled care to those in need of continuity of care in a home setting.

“It was just the two of us when we started,” said Jaymee Chan. “We were giving free services to the community. Sometimes we drove for hours to see patients wherever they were.”

That dedication to patient care is based on the couple’s background in nursing. Jeffrey Chan is a former director of nurses at a long-term care facility. He also previously was a biology instructor at San Diego State University. Jaymee Chan was previously a treatment RN in a long-term care facility.

Healthpeak’s dedication to its vision of providing care has not changed since day one. But a lot has changed. Today

Providing quality continuity of care

Healthpeak, with offices at 1486 S. Imperial Ave. in El Centro, has grown dramatically.

It now employs a team of nearly 50 people, who are all focused on providing quality care to meet clients’ needs.

Healthpeak is a Medicare-certified home health agency, licensed by the California Department of Public Health Services and accredited by the Joint Commission. It provides a range of services including skilled nursing (RNs and LVNs), occupational therapy, speech therapy, diet counseling, medical social services and home health aide services.

Patients who need continuity of care and prefer to stay in their homes rather than be hospitalized or confined to a care facility are eligible for service once it is initiated by a doctor’s order. Healthpeak accepts Medicare and many medical insurance plans.

The Chans are proud that Healthpeak’s services have received a 5-star from the Centers for Medicare Services (CMS) based on patients’ feedback.

Reviews on Healthpeak’s Facebook page are equally complimentary. One reviewer

Jaymee and Jeffrey Chan. called the organization a “very caring and loving group of medical staff, they go above and beyond for their patients.”

Healthpeak now provides services in San Diego County.

Despite the agency’s growth, its dedication to quality care has never changed.

“We are very hands-on with our patients,” said Jaymee Chan. “Jeffrey still opens cases and sees patients almost every day. We are here to provide exemplary, individualized home health care for our patients while upholding the importance of their rights and needs. It is our goal for patients to get well and stay well.” 

Summer 2019

17

Cloud Map

A graphic representation of clouds commonly observed in the sky and what they are called.

By watching clouds and viewing their altitude and how they move in the wind, weather watchers and forecasters can anticipate and predict weather changes and impending storm activity. The international weather symbols convey a great deal of information about wind, moisture content of the air and other activity in the heavens.

cumulonimbus Very imposing cloud that can reach a thickness of 6 miles and whose base is very dark; it can trigger violent precipitation. Clear top.

18

Summer 2019

altocumulus Cloud composed of large white or gray flecks that sometimes form parallel layers; it foreshadows the arrival of a depression.

cirrocumulus Cloud formed of white or gray flecks or strips, often arranged in rows.

cumulus Fair-weather cloud with very clear contours; it has a gray, flat base and a white top with rounded protuberances. Little vertical development.

cirrus & cirrostratus Whitish layer that can completely cover the sky and that creates a halo around the Sun.

Graphic illustration by Alejandra Noriega

altostratus Mostly semi-transparent, sun or moon may be dimly visible.

stratocumulus Gray and white cloud arranged in more or less continuous rolled layers; it does not usually trigger precipitation.

stratus Gray cloud forming a continuous veil that is similar to fog, though it never touches the ground; it can trigger light precipitation.

cirrus Cloud in the form of wisps or separate strips; it usually appears in advance of a depression. Filaments (Mare’s Tails) high clouds.

nimbostratus Dense enoughto hide the sun or moon Summer 2019

19

CURATE |

Prison Life

Top photo: A model of the Yuma Territorial Prison in its heyday is in the prison museum.

Stroll through history at Yuma Territorial Prison

By Peggy Dale

20

The adobe walls and granite cells of the Yuma Territorial Prison are forbidding, even 110 years after they last housed prisoners. Time, searing heat, blistering winds and human scavenging have taken their toll, leaving behind ruins of what once housed some of the West’s most notorious inmates.

“Impossible to endure, more impossible to escape,” is how some described the prison whose remains still sit on banks above the Colorado River. If any prisoner had managed to escape – eight were shot trying – they would have faced strong currents of the river to the west, deadly quicksand farther upstream and desert sands all around.

The heat, especially, was unbearable. On a triple-digit early summer day, surrounded by recreated 18-foot prison yard walls, the “insufferable heat … that made the place an inferno” left little to the imagination of what incarceration must have been like in summertime.

Yet, for all the horrors they experienced, the inmates found themselves envied and resented by many Yuma Summer 2019

residents, said Tina Clark, historian, archaeologist and curator for the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area.

“They had good medical care and a hospital, as well as dental care and three square meals a day,” Clark said. They also benefited from sanitation – two bathtubs and three showers, electricity when it became available and a library that, with more than 2,000 books, was larger than any other in Arizona at the time.

The progressive ideals of prison reform “was the new paradigm of humane treatment of prisoners," Clark said.

Clark knows of what she speaks. The former San Diegan has made Yuma her home for the past 20 years or so.

She played a role in the restoration of San Diego’s fabled Gaslamp District and, when she and her husband moved east, she found herself doing the same for Yuma’s famous Territorial Prison.

Approved by the Arizona State Legislature in 1875, on July 1, 1876, the first seven inmates were moved into cells some had helped build. Men and women alike were imprisoned in Yuma until 1909, when inmates were moved to a new state prison in Florence, Ariz.

The prison, an iconic piece of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area, was put to new purpose the following years: it became the first home of Yuma High School from 1910 to 1914. The school’s mascot, the Yuma Criminals, is a name proudly retained to this day.

For the next several decades, the prison found itself

Women prisoners are featured in this exhibit. - Photos by Mickey Dale threatened by fl oods, fire and squatters. Portions of it were demolished to make way for a new rail line and bridge.

Great Depression-era and Dust Bowl refugees fl ooded the region in the 1930s, with some moving into the former prison in 1932. The last of the squatters were evicted in 1939.

A museum was built on the site of the former mess hall in 1940 with funds from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. In 1961 the prison became Arizona’s third state park.

Fast forward nearly 50 years and the museum that gained prominence during World War II found itself facing closure due to a lack of state funding. Closure of the area’s main CONTINUED | PAGE 34 Summer 2019

21

Calendar of Events August 5 Bunco Night with Imperial Valley Cancer Support Center 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Stockmen’s Club of Imperial Valley, 275 Marjorie Ave., Brawley.

Help raise funds to provide support, services, and supplies such as mastectomy bras, protheses, scarves and more.

Let the good times roll at … BUNCO NIGHT!

22

Summer 2019

The information included in the print version of Imperial Valley Alive! is what was available by publication deadline.

Visit our calendar online at www.imperialvalleyalive.com and submit your event information.

August 6 National Night Out 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Bucklin Park in El Centro.

Hosted by the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office.

August 9 Back to School Paint & Wine Extravaganza 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Hidalgo Hall, 410 S. Cesar Chavez Blvd., Brawley.

Food, fun, prizes, and a kids’ corner for children ages 8 and up.

Tickets are $35 per adult and $20 per child ages 8-15.

Proceeds will benefit the Imperial Valley Cancer Support Center, which helps people diagnosed with cancer with transportation expenses to treatment, support groups, and other services.

For information, call 760-351-1774.

August 15 Ambassador Baja Beach Party 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Imperial Valley Mall (Old Charlotte Russe location), 3451 S. Dogwood Road, El Centro.

“Hit the surf and network” with the El Centro Chamber Ambassadors in a relaxed and casual beach setting at the Baja Beach Party!

Cost is $15 per chamber member, $25 per nonmember. Member presale tickets are $10 each if bought by Aug. 8. Tickets include food and specialty drink sampling.

August 17 Water Day at Desert Museum

10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Imperial Valley Desert Museum, 11 Frontage Road south of Ocotillo, off Interstate 8.

Beat the summer heat with fun for all ages, from water gun fights to a splash pool to food, music, and presentations. This is a free community event.

August 24 4-H Kickoff 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Imperial Valley Mall (near Macy’s department store), 3451 Dogwood Road, El Centro.

September 7 Imperial Valley 9/11 Memorial Event & Stair Climb 6:30 p.m., California Mid-Winter Fair & Fiesta grounds, 200 W. 2nd St., Imperial.

For registration and team information, visit events.firehero.org

September 13 Purse Auction 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., El Centro Community Center, 375 S. 1st St., El Centro.

Sponsored by the Imperial Valley Coalition for Life and Mom-Sense. Tickets are $25 per person or $200 per table of eight.

Summer 2019

23

September 27-28

October 5

Imperial County Hemp Summit & Expo 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 27 and 28, Imperial Valley Expo, 200 E. 2nd St., Imperial.

Hosted by the Imperial Valley Economic Development Corp. (IVEDC) and the County of Imperial.

Tickets are available at the website hemp.ivedc. com. For information, call 760-353-8332.

Calexico Oktoberfest 5 p.m., Crummett Park, 840 Dool Ave., Calexico.

Event will feature craft beer, music and community activities.

September 28 CRCD's 3rd annual Casino Night Gala 6 p.m. to 12 a.m., Barbara Worth Country Club, 2050 Country Club Drive, Holtville.

Come join CRCD for its third annual Casino Night Gala celebrating its 13th anniversary! Keynote Speaker: Chris Byrd, 2018 Boxing Hall of Fame inductee.

24

Summer 2019

October 12 2019 Annual Sunny's 5K & 1 Mile Walk 6 a.m. to 11 a.m., 2417 Marshall Ave., Imperial.

Join the annual Sunny's 5K & 1 Mile Walk hosted

by Sun Valley Behavioral Medical Center. Proceeds from this race benefit foster children in Imperial County.

October 12 Imperial County 4-H Bike Ride 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., McCabe Elementary School, 701 W. McCabe Road, El Centro.

Free swimming, lunch, and fun! Make sure to bring a swimsuit and towel. We will be swimming in the RV Park swimming pool after the bike ride.

October 20 Imperial County 4-H Barbecue Noon to 5 p.m., Sperber Arena, Imperial Valley Expo, 200 E. 2nd St., Imperial.

November 2 Walk to End Alzheimer's-Imperial County 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., Bucklin Park, 1350 S. 8th St., El Centro.

Join us at the Walk to End Alzheimer's, the world's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer's care, support and research. The community will come together to advance the fight against the disease. Registration is free and can be done at alz.org/walk. ďƒŞ

Growing produce

A yearround job

“Summertime … and the living is …¨ Not all that easy, if you are an Imperial Valley vegetable grower.

Long before tender shoots emerge to become part of the nation’s winter salad bowl, growers and their farmworker crews are already hard at work.

“I’m busier than ever,” said Andrew Colace, owner of AMC Farms in Brawley who serves on the Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association Board of Directors. “People have no idea how much work actually goes into growing produce in the Valley.”

There are fields to prepare. Seeds to select and order. Other summer activities include mandatory training to give; contracts to write; and planting and harvest schedules to develop. Market conditions and the economics must be considered to decide if a crop should continue or be swapped out. All this must happen before planting a single seed.

IVVGA Executive Director Kay Day Pricola said the amount of work and responsibility shouldered by local growers is immense.

In reality, the Valley's year-round growing conditions equates to year-round work for all aspects of farming.

“Our members are always busy. That’s what it takes to provide us all with the safest, freshest and most nutritious fruits and vegetables,” she said. “IVVGA speaks with a unified voice to ensure the produce industry can thrive.”

Many Valley growers, including those cultivating vegetables and melons, also plant other crops, often on the same acreage. Crop rotation is key component of farming.

For instance, long-time Holtville area grower Ralph Strahm, grows sugar beets, alfalfa, alfalfa seed, onions, carrots, sweet corn, potatoes, cantaloupe and melons, Sudan grass, Bermuda grass and Bermuda seed on Strahm Farm’s 4,500 acres.

Some field crops, like alfalfa, which is in the ground longer to allow for multiple cuttings, rotate with produce. On the other hand, Strahm said, “Wheat is quick. It comes off early and gives the ground a chance to rest” before produce is planted. Planting for some produce starts about the second week of September, other crops are planted in October.

This year, Strahm said he’s planning to plant onions, both yellows and reds, and carrots, some grown conventionally and organically. His farm grows both market carrots, whole, and those processed into baby carrots. Each crop grows from a different type of seed and their maturation periods differ. This is why planting and harvest schedules are complex even before the weather issues add further complications.

This year, his farm has eliminated from its crop lineup sugar beets, potatoes and sweet corn. Also gone this year are lettuce, broccoli and all of the other leafy greens for which the Valley is famous.

“I’ve seen it coming for years,” he said. “And, it’s a shame. But with labor costs in California, we can no longer compete with Arizona or Mexico.” Asparagus, once a viable crop in California is virtually gone, although the Imperial Valley still has asparagus seed production.

CONTINUED | PAGE 35 Summer 2019

25

GOLF CONTINUED FROM | PAGE 6

pushed in the direction of, “Hey, I can make a living doing some golf.”

Who are some of the golfers that you follow on tour right now?

I’m a fan of the older guys, you know (Jack) Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, those guys. I’m a big Tiger (Woods) guy. Even some of the younger guys, Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka, those are the guys that I enjoy watching play on tour.

Hank Baran, owner of Grasso's Italian Restaurant and former Professional Golfer: Age: 58 Hometown: Brawley Hank Baran, professional golfer - Photo Provided by Hank Baran year of high school. My buddies and I … just decided to golf our senior year. It was a lot of fun, so I kept at it.

What do you find appealing about the sport?

I like that you can never get it …

You can’t perfect it. There is always something to improve. It really is the most difficult sport you can play.

Is there anyone who has helped you the most with golf in your life?

For me, it started at Broken Spoke Golf Course in El Centro. The previous owner, Wes Kirby, gave me a job and I went to work there after high school.

That gave me the introduction that really

26

Summer 2019

Baran made a name for himself in professional golf while playing on the PGA Tour from 1986 to 2002. He was a pro golfer on the Australia, New Zealand, Asian, United States and Canadian Tours. His best worldwide ranking was No. 294.

He stepped away from the tour after marrying his wife, Sue, and becoming a parent. “I fell out of love with the tour and in love with family life,” he said. The opportunity arose to move back to the Valley, which he and Sue and their nowgrown daughters Victoria and Alexandria did. Hank and Sue bought Grasso’s from his parents in 2003.

Today he is on the Board of Directors for Del Rio Country Club in Brawley. For several years he coached the Brawley Union High School girls’ golf team to five straight IVL championships.

How did you start getting into golf?

It was my dad... Hanging with him on the course really made me fall in love with the game. It was junior high when I realized that I wanted to play golf for a living.

What do you find appealing about the sport?

I love that you get to be around really good people... The integrity of the sport is so important. You may have to call a penalty on yourself or your playing partner. There are referees and rules officials... but all penalty situations come down to your word. It is truly a gentleman’s game.

Is there anyone who has helped you the most with golf in your life?

My dad got me into the game and helped me along. He is my biggest fan...

I always looked up and actually got the chance to play tournament golf with guys like Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Tom Watson... I would study the best players in the world and tried to learn ...

Who are some of the golfers that you follow on tour right now?

I’m a big Tiger Woods fan. I really enjoyed watching him come back last year to win the Masters. It was great for the game of golf. There are so many good young players now ... that it will be fun to watch them develop.

What do you miss most about pro golf?

I miss the competition side of the tour, the thrill of playing with the best players, the excitement of the final round, the large galleries and the feeling everyone is watching you. I also miss all the

practice and preparation and then using your knowledge and experience to make your dreams come true.

What do you like best?

I enjoyed being involved with the best people in the golfing industry. I enjoyed the players, media personalities and most of all the fans. It gave me the chance to meet my wife, Sue... and she has been the best thing that has come out of golf for me. It gave me my family.

Demi Preece, incoming junior at Imperial High School Age: 15 Member, Imperial High golf team How did you get involved in golfing?

About five years ago we saw an ad for golf lessons at Barbara Worth Country Club. I was in dance, but I told my parents I would like to try golf, and so I tried it, and I liked it.

What do you like about it?

It’s an independent sport. It’s all about me, if I mess up I can’t blame anyone else. I like the pace. It’s slow and calm. It’s different every time. You play different courses.

What are some of the challenges?

The different layouts are challenging. Some have longer or shorter holes. Some have more sand or water; more obstacles make it harder. I like to practice.

Besides the Imperial Valley, where do you play?

I’ve played mostly in San Diego -- Encinitas Ranch, Twin Oaks. Coronado is really pretty. You can see the bridge. I play with the San Diego Junior Golf Association. I’ve played girls my age from China, Canada, from all over the world. I get to meet a lot of people.

Where do you see yourself after graduating high school and college?

Once I am out of high school, I see myself playing golf for a university. After college, if I can make it into pro golf, I would like to. 

Demi Preece pauses during practice. - Photo provided by Preece family

Summer 2019

27

GOLF CONTINUED FROM | PAGE 7

We hired a cab to St. Andrews, about an hour drive from Edinburgh. We found the condo we had rented and settled in. Turns out the condo is right above Molly Malones, an Irish Pub, so we had lunch there. Fish and chips.

The afternoon was spent settling in, buying food and beverages (we ARE in Scotland after all.) Bill and I attended Mass at St. James Catholic Church followed by a light dinner. Then bed. Trying to adjust to jet lag.

Sunday, July 9th We will attend the tournament reception in the evening, but the golf doesn’t start until Monday, so, naturally, we head to the golf course for a warm-up round. St. Andrews ... is called the Home of Golf.

The first golf course, called The Old Course, is 600 years old. The original designer of the course is Mother Nature. It is a links course, meaning it lays between the sea and the livable land. It’s quirky.

It’s beautiful. Every bunker on the course has a name, the most famous being Hell Bunker (it really is hard to get out of once you’re in it). The Swilcan

28

Summer 2019

Bridge dissects the 18th fairway, and is famous for iconic players, Nicklaus, Palmer, Tiger, standing on it, waving to the spectators, or saying “goodbye,” playing their last competitive round there.

A little more of the history of the Old Course: King David I of Scotland granted the land to the people of St. Andrews in 1123, to be used for recreation and golf. Golf became so popular that in 1457 King James II banned golf, worried that the men were playing golf so much that it took away from their archery practice at a time invasions from the English were a threat. The ban continued until 1502.

The first Open was held there in 1873 and intermittently since. The next time the Old Course hosts the Open will be 2021.

We played the Strathtyrum Course, part of the Links Trust group of courses. It’s a fun course, par 69. The weather was good. Temps in the 50s and a little wind. I shot a 79. That evening we attended the reception complete with a welcome from the St. Andrews Pipe and Drum band.

We took a picture standing on the Swilcan Bridge.

Monday, July 10th The first of a two-day game. The Eden Course.

Officially opened on July 2, 1914. Par 70. My tee time was 8:48 a.m. Bill and David would follow with their pairings.

I met Mika, from Finland, and Bert, from Switzerland.

There were 26 countries represented by 260 golfers for the tournament. My caddie, Gary Porter, handed me my driver. I’ve never been so nervous. But I hit a good shot, and wound up bogeying the hole. The format is a modified Stableford, meaning you get points for how you score. In this case, based on your handicap, if you par a hole you get 2 points, birdie it and you get 3. Bogey it and you get 1. A higher score gives you a zero.

You don’t want zeros. A score of 36 points would match your handicap. I finished with 25 points. I had no energy, and figured that was the jet lag. Tomorrow we play the Old Course.

Tuesday, July 11th The Old Course. Jack Nicklaus said if he could play one last course it would be the Old. Same for Bobby Jones. Gary and I pair well. He’s good at knowing what to say, and when to say it. We made it around bern, the

Road Hole, Swilcan Bridge. I wound up in The Valley of Sin, which is in front of the 18th green. Wound up with a bogey, but I scored 37 points.

That evening we found out what and where we would play on Wednesday. Five teams of nine were announced to play a sort of Ryder Cup format. We just missed being on the North American Team. The next 45 players would play the Jubilee Course in a Quatch game, which simply means “cup,” and refers to the friendship of sharing a drink together. I made the cut.

Quatch here we come.

Wednesday, July 12th Up to now we had relatively good weather. Not today. There were 35 mile-an-hour winds, gusting to 40. It was just 46 degrees. Light rain at times. I had on

four layers of clothes. I froze. But I managed to score 29 points, missing three fairly short putts. My playing partner, Bret, is from Calgary. He and his wife, Kelly Ann, met us for drinks and food at the Jigger Inn, right off number 17 of the Old Course. All in all a good day.

Thursday, July 13th The game today is Friendship Foursomes, played on the Strathtyrum course. It rained all day. I had on five layers, and was warmer than yesterday. Bill and David had paired up and my partner didn’t show, so we got permission to play an alternate shot format. The rain limited the game to 9 holes, but Bill and I played 18. We had a “game” between us, match play, and I got hot (a relative term in the cold, rainy weather for sure), and got him 3 and 2. He bought me lunch and a Guinness.

The St. Andrews Pipe and Drum Band. Photo by Ron Griffen That night we attended the banquet, and talked about possibly coming back next year. It was an amazing week, making new friends, playing some wonderful golf courses, good food and drink (yes, we had a few “wee drams” of Scottish whiskey). I even ate a Scotch Egg.

Friday, July 14th

Homeward bound. How do I sum up? George Peper said it best. “It’s a game you play simply and honorably, without delay or complaint — where you respect your companions, respect the rules, and respect the ground you walk on.” 

Summer 2019

29

AGUIRRE CONTINUED FROM | PAGE 11

Sylvia Aguirre watches her visiting granddaughters, who were selling lemonade at the recent parade honoring boxing world champion Andy Ruiz. - Photo by Peggy Dale Watch and Enduring Freedom and is currently stationed in Stuttgart, Germany in the office of the Superintendent, Headquarters Individual Reservist Readiness and Integration Organization, Detachment 8.

And in just 19 years of service, she has risen to the rank of Chief Master Sergeant, the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force. By law, only 1 percent of enlisted personnel in the Air Force can hold that rank.

Andrea Aguirre-Bailey, 35, now has plans to parade past her older sister’s educational achievements. With a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, San Diego and a master’s from San Diego State University, Andrea is working on her doctorate from the University of Chicago. She also is with the military, but on the civilian side.

Andrea chose the health field and is currently a public health educator at Quantico Marine Base and also spends time at the Pentagon where she is Health Promotion Program manager at the Headquarters of the United States Marine Corps. Andrea’s job, according to her Marine biography, is to enhance “the health and wellness of service members in the armed forces in order to optimize the military readiness and resiliency of America’s war fighters.”

Winston Churchill once referred to drilling military reservists as “twice the citizen,” because of their simultaneous service in civilian as well as military life. While the saying has been adopted as the Army Reserve’s motto, it applies as well to the third Aguirre daughter, Alexzandria, 27, and her Air Force Reserve career.

Normally, Alexzandria can be found at her civilian job as a customs

30

Summer 2019

and border protection officer in the Calexico area. But periodically she shifts into her staff sergeant uniform with the Air Force and works in cyber security at the Special Operations Command Central at MacDill Air Force Base.

In her 10 years of Air Force service, Alexzandria has deployed to the Middle East in support of operations Enduring Freedom, Inherent Resolve, New Dawn and Iraqi Freedom. She also holds a master’s degree in forensics and her bachelor’s in criminal justice.

The Aguirres’ youngest daughter, Adriana, is a behavioral health consultant with the State of Oregon. She works with veterans, the homeless and senior citizens who receive state aging and disabilities services. As a behavioral consultant, she helps providers in homes and facilities that have clients with dementia, Alzheimer’s, traumatic brain injuries and other mental health concerns.

Adriana Aguirre-Page, 26, graduated with honors from Northern Arizona University and is currently pursuing her master’s degree with the objective of becoming a licensed clinical social worker.

The story of Andy Ruiz Jr. exemplified the grit and determination of Imperial County’s citizens. With the Aguirre daughters, here are another four who are also leading a parade.

Robert Aguirre summed up his daughters’ accomplishments. “I keep saying that a lot of things I wish I had done, they are living.”

And the parade will continue into the upcoming Aguirre generations.

As Anamarie noted, “the values, morals and work ethic I was taught growing up will always be instilled in me and now I will pass it on to my children.” 

Q&A (continued) 2. What would you advise young women who would like to follow your footsteps into higher education and a career?

Alexzandria: My advice to women would not be to follow in my footsteps, but to create your own path. Always challenge yourself and set goals, surround yourself with positivity and plan a future. Always live today like it's your last, make decisions based off the consequences of your actions.

Anamarie: Don’t sell yourself short. Don't be afraid to take risks. Just because you don't come from much or a big city, doesn't mean you can't succeed. Shape your future into

what you want it to be. I've been fortunate to travel the world in the military capacity that I serve; this is the life that I have chosen and it has been an amazing journey.

Andrea: As a Latina, there have been many times when I've been the only female in a room full of executives. Or the only person of color at high-level meetings. Often times, people are surprised by my experience and education. Still, thinking about where I grew up and that I am Mexican-American grounds me and gives me the opportunity to be a role-model for Latinos where there are often not very many. With that, I say to young women, don't let fear hold you back from your dreams. Being scared is a perfectly normal response to taking risks. Without risk, innovation, change, and new endeavors could not be possible. Challenge the status quo and embrace the learning that happens along the way.

Adriana: I would say, don’t let others tell you what you can and can’t do for yourself. Have ambition and drive, challenge yourself to meet your goals and once you have met those goals use those accomplishments to continue to challenge yourself. It doesn’t matter how long it takes you it only matters that you finish and are proud of the person that you are becoming. Travel the world and figure things out as best as you can. Use your life experiences to help guide you to your passions in life and never let can’t be part of your vocabulary.

3. If you could change anything about your childhood, what would you change?

Alexzandria: There is nothing that I would change about my childhood, the challenges that I have faced have made me who I am and have made me a stronger person for what has yet to come.

Anamarie: Absolutely nothing. Even though we didn't have

much growing up, my parents tried to make it work for all of us; although, it was hard to see at the time. However, I wouldn't change anything because it has made me the person I am today. The values, morals and work-ethic I was taught growing up will always be instilled in me and now I will pass them onto my children.

Andrea: The experiences from my childhood have shaped

the person I am today. To change anything about my past would be to change who I've become and where my life's journey has gone. I wouldn't change anything.

Adriana: There is absolutely nothing that I would change about my childhood. Every event in my childhood has helped me to become the successful person I am today. All the way from how my parents raised me (and continue to support me) to having to figure things out on my own. My childhood was the best but it was also hard at times, but having to figure things out is a part of life and learning how to do things on your own will help determine the motivation that you have to make things happen for yourself as an adult. With parents who support you but also make you do something with yourself, it will just make you appreciate them that much more once you step into life as an adult. 

Summer 2019

31

STORM CONTINUED FROM | PAGE 9

very seriously. It is a lesson they learned early in life from flying with their parents, Dugan and Helen Robinson, in Dugan’s Navion, single-prop, four-seater. Joe would be the co-pilot and Jill, the navigator.

“In those days,” Jill said, “there were no satellite images or Doppler radars. You navigated by following the map and looking down at roads and other landmarks.”

On one memorable trip, the family was flying back from Texas on about Sept. 9, 1976, when they flew into a wall of clouds over Arizona. Unwittingly they had flown into the path of what would become known as Tropical Storm Kathleen.

The epic hurricane had moved up the Pacific Ocean along the Baja peninsula before slamming into California and Arizona.

Ultimately it caused catastrophic damage in Ocotillo and the Imperial Valley as well as elsewhere in California and Arizona.

In all, 12 deaths in the region were attributed to the storm. And by the time it left, Kathleen had caused $160 million in damages, including the devastation of much of Ocotillo and the destruction of portions of Interstate 8 and the bridge over the wash heading up Mountain Springs Grade.

At the time, the Robinsons only knew they faced banks of menacing clouds on all sides. Dugan quickly decided to land on an abandoned airstrip in Dateland, Ariz. Later that day, the family would fly as far as Yuma and rent a car to return to Imperial.

“That gave us a real good scare,” Joe said.

Talk turns quickly to other exciting storms like hurricanes and tornadoes and storm cells. And, a little weather envy emerges.

“I guess,” Joe says, “I like storms because we don’t get them here.”

Jill’s only disappointment since becoming a storm spotter is, “I Joe Robinson and Jill Deen look over a cloud chart. haven’t gotten to report anything yet.”  - Photo by Susan Giller

(760) 337-1400 & (760) 970-4074 2415 La bRuChErIe Rd, ImPeRiAl, Ca 92251 & Iv MaLl 3451 DoGwOoD Rd. El CeNtRo, Ca 92243

ClAsSeS OfFeReD InClUdE:

ZuMbA InSaNiTy lIve sPiNnInG HyBrId TrAiNiNg CrOsS TrAiNiNg cOrE dE fOrCe HeAlTh & WeLlNeSs AgeS 50+ aNd mOrE

32

Summer 2019

WINE MAKING FROM | PAGE 12

shows off his Baja wine along with other bottles that he made right there in his garage. “When I was looking to buy our oak barrel for the Guadalupe Valley wine, I stumbled upon a wine supply shop in San Diego. People were making wine right there, from kits. We signed up that same day.”

“We were learning from Ivan about wine making in Ensenada, we also learned from Gi Claussen at Curds and Wine in San Diego. Initially, we just had to show up every couple of weeks for an hour to perform the next step in the process. We fermented the must (the juice, skins, seeds and stems of crushed grapes) in six-gallon containers called carboys, adding yeast, bentonite, and following instructions. Oak chips or cubes replicate the aging in a barrel. Each kit made 30 bottles of our own wine.

“After a while, we didn’t need help from the shop. Plus, I realized that I could play, have some fun with the wine. Gi told us, ‘Ask any five winemakers a question and you’ll get 10 different answers.’ I figured I could experiment with my wine.” He gives a wry smile, “But don’t ask me what I do. It’s proprietary.”

Miles continues, “We’ve made 10 different red wines, some blends, some varietals, including a batch of Syrah-Nero D’Avola from grapes grown in Ramona. We’ve

graduated from using kits.”

In his fourth year making wine, Miles brims with excitement and enthusiasm.

Anybody who has met Randy at a Rotary meeting, a backyard gathering, or in his dental office has learned of his great love for making wine. “It all started when I was at a wine-tasting in Ensenada and learned that my brother-in-law was making wine with my nephew Ivan. I thought, I want to do that.”

Miles said that his love affair with the Guadalupe Valley began some 30 years ago. “Through Rotary, I was doing volunteer dental work at the Thousand Smiles clinic in Ensenada and heard about Guadalupe Valley. There were only a handful of wineries then. We visited the Russian winery Bibayoff, L.A. Cetto, and La Doña Lupe. I just kept going and watched it grow.”

Today, the Valle de Guadalupe has become the jewel of all of Mexico for wine making and innovative culinary arts. With over a hundred wineries and plenty of restaurants and rustic hotels, tourists are coming from around the world.

“It seems like every time we go, which is about once a month during the summer and fall, there is a new winery, restaurant, or B&B. The creative energy in Valle de Guadalupe is something to behold. Some

Ivan Muro of Vinos Expresión serves wine directly from barrel in which it is aging.

- Photos provided by Randy Miles of the wineries are small and some are huge, but all of them have a unique sense of design and beauty.”

“After doing the Rotary clinics for so many years, Alicia and I decided that we loved Baja so much that we bought a condominium in Rosarito. The wine country is only an hour away.”

Miles continues, “I suggest trying some of the small wineries, like Pijoan, Viñedos Garza, or Decantos.”

For a unique dining experience? “Try Finca Altozano. The food is unique to Baja and the setting too.” 

Summer 2019

33

PRISON CONTINUED FROM | PAGE 21

tourist attraction wasn’t an option for many Yumans. The Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area, along with Yuma residents united under the moniker “Yuma Territorial Prison Chain Gang,” raised tens of thousands of dollars needed to rescue the park. Clark’s expertise came into play during this time.

Since the pending closure in 2010, the prison museum has blossomed under the leadership of Prison Manager Mike Guertin and Clark’s vision and know-how. It deftly tells the story of the prison’s beginnings and its final years, of the personalities of inmates and the people responsible for them.

Walking with Clark along what remains of the prison is to delve into its past. One can feel the despair of those held behind bars: six beds and inmates crammed into cells barely big enough to contain them. The “Dark Cell,” dug into granite forged by river and sediment, echoes with chains rattling against iron cages and across stone fl oors. A cage was built to hold prisoners driven insane.

The prison and the land that surrounds it are near and dear to Clark. She knows well their story, from their importance in the history of the Southwest and their roles today. Long before the prison was built, this area played a major and historic role. It was home to the Yuma Quartermaster Depot, the major supply depot for Army forts in the territory from 1865-1883. The river crossing, what Clark calls one of the most expensive pieces of real estate in the Southwest, was on the southernmost route for early European explorers and Gold Rush miners alike.

A visit to the Territorial Prison and Colorado River State Historic Park within the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area (YCNHA) are well worth the short trip east of Imperial Valley. Visit www.yumaheritage.com for information on what the YCNHA has to offer, as well as ongoing efforts to enhance the visitor experience.

To arrange a tour of the Yuma Territorial Prison, visit www.yumaprison.org for hours, fees and parking information. 

A poster of Pearl Hart, a renowned bandit and one of few female inmates housed in Yuma Territorial Prison, is on display in the prison museum. Photo by Peggy Dale

34

Summer 2019

BILL GATES JR. CONTINUED FROM | PAGE 13

Bill Gates Jr. in a photo taken by his mother while they were fishing. - Photo Provided by Bill Gates As Bill continued his career in banking, he kept his camera handy. While out visiting clients or driving through the Valley he would stop and take photos of landscape and scenery.

He said it was his passion to, “document places that people often drive by and don’t stop or look long enough to appreciate.”

Bill stumbled on his modern-day acclaim

GROWING CONTINUED FROM | PAGE 25

for his photography almost by accident.

While he was the executive vice president of what was then Valley Independent Bank, he decided to present a slideshow of his photos at the bank’s annual public meeting. The purpose was to connect the bankers, both local and from out of town, with the clients they served.

He showed pictures of local agriculture, business, and people. The public enjoyed seeing photos of themselves and people they knew. When VIB built its new location in El Centro, the company knew it needed Bill’s pictures to adorn the walls of the branch.

Soon, many local businesses followed suit and today Bill’s photography can be seen in offices throughout the Valley.

Bill still has a passion for photography.

He has learned that a photographer who is color blind can still photograph a beautiful scene if he trains his eyes well enough.

“The camera doesn’t see the way the eye sees. We can see shadow and light differently than cameras. That’s why people appreciate the special moments captured by a photographer and his camera.”

Bill’s photography can be viewed on his website, billgatesphotography.smugmug. com. 

In July, Strahm’s farm was preparing for his produce season by holding mandatory annual pesticide safety training. Heat stress training comes later.

His crews also were in the process of prepping the ground for produce by doing “heavy tractor work to break up big clods of dirt and flattening everything.” Leveling the fields is another key component of farming here.

Later, he said, furrows will be plowed for the specific crop.

Organic fields get special treatment.

Those fields are “solarized” with plastic sheets to kill weeds and pathogens.

“It’s a great tool,” he said. “Especially in the desert, where we have long, hot days.”

While many growers do take a little time for well-earned rest and recreation, Strahm isn’t among them this summer.

He’s had his foot up recuperating from surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon.

We are pleased that he is on the mend.

Yet, he and other growers rarely take a vacation from the concerns that come with farming. They are responsible for the bounty produced here that feeds the nation and helps fuel the Valley’s economy. It is an awesome responsibility. 

Summer 2019

35

Imperial County Behavioral Health Services

Family Resource Centers

Help Available at High School Campuses

I

36

mperial County Behavioral Health Services now offers services on high school campuses in Brawley and El Centro.

While the agency offers programs for high school age youth through its Youth and Young Adult Outpatient Clinics (YAYA), having a physical presence on a high school campus is a new approach.

“Last August we started collaborating with both Brawley Union and Central Union High School Districts to expand our services by establishing an oncampus presence at their Family Resource Center locations,” said Sylvia Bazan, a YAYA manager. “Our main goal was to expand services to the adolescent population and to have easier pathway to the services they need.”

One in five children between the ages of 13 and 18 have or will have a serious mental illness, according to the National Alliance on Mental Health, known by the acronym NAMI. The statistics grow even more grim, with suicide listed as the third leading cause of death in Summer 2019

those between the ages of 10 and 24.

Fifty percent of all lifetime cases of mental health begin by age 14 and 75 percent by age 24.

By having a presence on two of the Imperial Valley’s high school campuses, ICBHS Youth and Young Adult Services have stepped up their game in reaching out to those within the youth population who might be at risk for or who already are suffering from mental or emotional distress.

Previously, Brawley and El Centro youth seeking help would have to leave campus to meet at one of many Behavioral Health Services facilities throughout the Valley. While transportation is a factor in an offsite meeting with a counselor during school hours, so is the amount of time students were missing out on classes for counseling off-campus and for parents who may miss work in order to transport them to their appointments.

“Besides transportation and having to miss school, there’s a lot of stigma regarding coming to our traditional clinic site,” Bazan said. “We thought

that by offering services at a school site, we could minimize the concern about stigma and increase the probability they would come in for services.”

This new approach offers confidentiality, said Jessica Aviles, YAYA manager. “By going to the FRC (Family Resource Center) site where Behavioral Health services is just one of many services offered, no one knows what service is provided except the student alone.”

Students are referred by school staff, such as the principal or a counselor, the FRC coordinator on campus, or they can come in on their own without a referral.

“We are accessible for them to come seek out services,” Aviles said.

Before school started last fall, YAYA staff reached out to the Brawley Union and Central Union High School Districts, explaining the steps they were taking by educating teachers and employees about adolescent mental health information and that they would develop a regular presence on campus.

Both districts have supported the efforts.

In Brawley, students have also gotten onboard primarily through outreach and social media exposure through the Mental Health Awareness and NAMI clubs. As a result of this encouragement and support by peers, the number of students requesting services has steadily grown.

“We do outreach through the clubs and at school in general, going to classrooms, having booths available during lunch time, letting them know we’re there and we’re available,” Aviles said.

“Students are coming and asking,” Aviles said. “We’re projecting a need for more staff.” Hours of service also have been extended in Brawley, with the clinician and clerical staff on campus four days a week.

Bazan said having services through the schools makes it easier for students to seek treatment.

“We felt being available for students and parents makes it more accessible.

It’s a 45- to 60-minute free period for them, not a core class, so we pull them out to do intake, therapy, things like

that. It seems the kids are liking that.

They’re going to school, doing their academics, and then they get a pass calling them out to go to FRC. They see a therapist, get a regular session and go back to class. It flows into their regular schedule.”

Anyone can seek help through the program. In El Centro, Behavioral Health Services programs are available through Central, Southwest, Phoenix Rising and Desert Oasis, all part of the Central Union High School District.

Brawley covers BUHS and Desert Valley High School.

“We accommodate the student and the parent and will go to the school if the student can’t come to the FRC site to do the intake,” Bazan said.

The program has blossomed as the school year passes.

“In the beginning when we went in, we would provide assessments, therapy, referrals. But being there opened it up to a lot more services including the addition of case management when needed,” Bazan said. “We have started making a progress on eliminating the stigma

associated with mental and emotional struggles. We are experiencing many more opportunities for connecting with students on campus.” Aviles already is working on next school year and what that will look like.

Anyone can seek help, Bazan said.

“We’re physically at the school so we’re servicing 14- to 18-year-olds,” she said. Both Bazan and Aviles said a lot of the teens seeking help come in with relationship problems with parents or boyfriend or girlfriend.

“We see those whose school difficulties are causing increased anxiety or depression, domestic violence between couples,” Aviles said. Other issues they’ve come across are difficulties faced by teen parents as well as teens impacted by bullying or by grief and loss.

Their vision is to expand services to other high schools.

“We’re in the business of enriching our relationship with the students, schools and the community,” said Aviles, “of making ourselves seen, available and known.”

202 N. Eighth St. • El Centro, CA 92243 For an appointment or assessment please call:

800.817.5292 • 442.265.1525 www.co.imperial.ca.us/behavioralhealth

Summer 2019

37

Lizeth Ramirez, health program manager at ECRMC - Photo provided by ECRMC

Bridge for

Newborns, Families

38

El Centro Regional Medical Center announces its partnership with the Imperial County First Five Commission with a recent $76,575 grant to implement its Bridges for Newborns and Families Project, a program that promotes, educates and provides breastfeeding assistance for Imperial Valley residents.

Lizeth Ramirez, CLEC and Lactation Health Program Manager at ECRMC, will implement the Bridges for Newborns and Families project (BNFP) through the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding in hospital implementation.

According to a statement published by the World Health Organization, every facility providing maternity services and care for newborn infants should implement the following 10 steps: 1. Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff.

2. Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy.

3. Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.

4. Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within half an hour of birth.

5. Show mothers how to breastfeed, and how to maintain lactation even if they should be separated from their infants.

6. Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breast milk, unless medically indicated.

Summer 2019

ECRMC works to change breastfeeding culture

7. Practice rooming-in — that is, allow mothers and infants to remain together – 24 hours a day.

8. Encourage breastfeeding on demand.

9. Give no artificial teats or pacifiers to breastfeeding infants.

10. Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital.

Through the program, El Centro Regional’s goal is to increase breastfeeding support in the hospital and in the community. According to the California Newborn Screening, Imperial County has one of the lowest exclusive breastfeeding rates statewide. According to the rates, any breastfeeding in Imperial County within the first 24 hours is at 91.9 percent, versus the state at 93.9 percent. Exclusive breastfeeding is at 42.1 percent in Imperial County, while the state rates are at 69.6 percent overall.

The Lactation Department is working in collaboration with the Maternal Child Department and the Education Department and Research Center to improve exclusive breastfeeding rates at ECRMC in looking forward to aligning with legislation that will require the hospital to adopt the 10 steps by 2025.

Ramirez joined ECRMC’s Lactation Department in 2001 and returned in 2012.

Her passion for teaching breastfeeding is

driven both by the health of babies and their mothers. She cares about the overall health of the Valley, which struggles with high obesity rates and other related chronic health conditions.

“I really love Imperial Valley people,” she said. “They’re very warm and they adopt you as family. They are a very friendly people.”

The 10 steps are key to changing the breastfeeding culture in the Imperial Valley, and for Ramirez, that starts with the staff at ECRMC. “Something really important to remember is working on the 10 steps doesn’t mean they’re forcing you to breastfeed.” Ramirez said. “It means we want to enable all mothers in their breastfeeding journey by creating strategies that can help them succeed.”

The Ten Steps implementation will be a future investment for breastfeeding as the cornerstone of child nutrition, health and development in Imperial County, she explained.

ECRMC’s Lactation Department provides one-on-one breastfeeding in-hospital support, a breast pump loan program, free breastfeeding classes, free lactation support groups, as well as work in collaboration with local agencies and the Imperial County Breastfeeding Coalition.

“When they deliver the baby here it’s easy to breastfeed when they know, when they get the education they need and when we empower those moms to do well at the hospital,” said Ramirez.“We’re here to help people and to assist.”

Ramirez is grateful the Imperial County First Five Commission chose ECRMC as a grant recipient for the 2019-2020 year.

“I would like to thank Julio Rodriguez, the director of Imperial County First Five Commission, for providing this opportunity to continue helping mothers because we want them to breastfeed their babies. We want to help in creating a healthy community. " In addition to that, we need to be ready to comply with the global strategy from Healthy People 2020 that is ‘by 2025 increase at least to 50 percent the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months.’”

ECRMC’s Lactation Department held a free community resource fair to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week on Aug. 3 in the ECRMC Community Education Center at the Imperial Valley Mall.

More information about breastfeeding is available by contacting Ramirez at 760-3708526 or by email to Lizeth.Ramirez@ecrmc. org. 

more specialties, more access, more caring...

MORE THAN A HOSPITAL

Outpatient Centers A Calexico Outpatient Center 495 Birch Street, Calexico, CA 92231

B Medical Office Building

1271 Ross Ave., El Centro, CA 92243

C El Centro Outpatient Clinic 385 W. Main St., El Centro, CA 92243

D El Centro Regional Medical Center 1415 Ross Ave., El Centro, CA 92243

When it comes to healthcare, you have choices. more than one of them.

760.482.5000 ecrmc.org Summer 2019

39

40

Summer 2019