Direct Magazine - February 2018

CULTURE, COMMERCE, AND COMMUNITY IN VISALIA AND TULARE — THE HEART OF THE SOUTH VALLEY | FEBRUARY 2018

M A G A Z I N E

Tulare County HHSA

A Helping Hand Can Make All the Difference

VIRTUAL VALLEY

GARDENING

WARREN REPORT

Making Music Has Never Been Easier

“Edible” Compost

Stay Tuned

C U LT U R E , C O M M E R C E A N D C O M M U N I T Y I N V I S A L I A A N D T U L A R E — T H E H E A R T O F T H E S O U T H VA L L E Y

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INSIDE FEBRUARY 2018

PU B LIS H E D BY

4 TULARE COUNTY

DMI Agency 801 W. Main St. Visalia, CA 93291 ADMINISTRATION & EDITORIAL

Executive Editor KAREN TELLALIAN Operations Manager MARIA GASTON CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

DR. BENJAMIN M. LARSON C. S. WYATT GREG CULTRA IMAGINEU JIM BARLOGIO KELLEY PETTY LEE LITTLEWOOD MARITA DIAMOND PENNEY R. SICK RYAN STILLWATER SHARON PLEIN SUE BURNS TODD OTO WARREN GUBLER GRAPHIC DESIGNER

COVER STORY

Health and Human Services Agency

F E AT U R E S

8 Virtual Valley

Making Music has Never Been Easier

10 Meet A Local

Gail Zurek: President/CEO for the

Visalia Chamber of Commerce

DEPARTMENTS 7

Valley Oak SPCA

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Recipe Box

13

PRO-PT

14

Visalia Chamber

15

Tulare Chamber

16

Money Matters

18

Visalia First

20 Craft Corner 21

Visalia Rescue Mission

19 Tulare County Library

23 Auto Shop

Did you know?

24 Character Counts

22 Gardening

25 Kids' Library

"Edible" Compost

26 VUSD Who We Are

27 SPCA 28 College Prep 29 Crossword

FRANK MIRAMONTES

30 Goings-On

ADVERTISING SALES

32 Warren Reports

ads@dmiagency.com 559.739.1747 SALES OFFICE

801 W. Main St. Visalia, CA 93291 559.739.1747 • fax 559.738.0909 email: direct@dmiagency.com B U S I N E S S M A N AG E M E N T

Malkasian Accountancy, LLP Gary Malkasian, CPA Jeffrey Malkasian, EA

Direct Magazine is published twelve times a year and is distributed via direct mail to nearly 33,000 homes in Visalia. An additional 2,000 magazines are circulated at distribution points around Visalia and Tulare. Views expressed in columns are those expressed by the columnist and not necessarily those of Direct Magazine. We are dedicated to serving the community. Please call us for questions, comments, article suggestions or for information about local events at 739-1747. Fax us at 738-0909 or email us: direct@dmiagency.com.

Online Issue at: www.issuu.com/dmiagency ©2018 DMI Agency

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presented by the senior coalition

Thursday, February 15, 2018 Doors open at 9:30 am | Program starts at 10:30am

WYNDHAM HOTEL, VISALIA Spectacular Resource Event Join us for the Spectacular Resource Event – The Heart of Seniors where Seniors, families and caregivers can learn about the continuum of care resources that are available for their loved ones, have lunch, see a fashion show and gain valuable information from informational speakers. Grand opportunity to show off what services you have available. Only $5 for our attendees which includes lunch.

Discounted rates for In-Home care assistance available upon request for caregivers so they can attend too.

VENDOR FAIR, LUNCH AND FASHION SHOW KEYNOTE SPEAKER AND AUTHOR DR. MICHELLE PETICOLAS INFORMATION FOR SENIORS, FAMILY AND CAREGIVERS AND RAFFLE PRIZES FOR A FEW LUCKY GUESTS

Tickets $5 |

register on Facebook at /seniorcoalition559

|QUESTIONS, CALL (559) 730-3015 DIRECT MAGAZINE

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TULARE COUNTY HHSA

A Helping Hand

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ife’s journey is not always an easy path. There can be many challenges along the way and detours that can lead us down a road we never thought we would walk.

Sometimes decisions snowball out of control; sometimes one decision is the catalyst that changes everything else.

There are many ways that unforeseen circumstances can lead to an unsafe family environment, which can then lead to Child Welfare Services’ (CWS) involvement. CWS provides a range of supports to improve family functioning and keep families intact. The goal in providing these services is to ensure the safety of the children while supporting and strengthening the family. CWS recognizes the importance of the family unit, which is why its focus is on keeping families together and, when that is not possible, facilitating family reunification as soon as it is safe to do so.

All CWS services and resources for parents who have had a child removed from the home are provided with the hope that a family can reunify at the end of the process. One such resource, the Parent Partners Program, is provided in collaboration with the Parenting Network, a local non-profit

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Can Make All the Difference

organization. The program was created to successfully guide parents through the CWS system on the premise of “parents helping parents.” Parent Partners are former clients of CWS who have successfully completed family reunification. Under this program, parents new to the system are teamed up with a Parent Partner who can walk them through the CWS process. Having navigated the CWS process themselves, each Parent Partner understands how the system works and what is expected of them by the juvenile court system.

Parent Partners understand what their partner family is going through and are able to draw from their own experiences to assist them. For example, Parent Partners can accompany the parents they are mentoring to their court dates and any appointments related to their case plan.

One Parent Partner explains his role as being there to help “guide, mentor, and provide resources to families to help them become successful in reunification with their children.”

Parent Partner Catalina Ruiz explains, “I was one of the first successful referrals…and I worked with my Parent Partner, who is now my co-worker. I am

very grateful to have met her. She was there for me when I had no one, and she always encouraged me to continue.”

Parent Partners understand that the road to reunification is not an easy one and can sometimes be confusing. One Parent Partner shared: “When I first got my children detained, I was ashamed, lost, and confused as I read the allegations against me. I was at a loss; how could I have done this to my children?”

Catalina’s story shows how, for her and many others, the journey toward reunification is a winding one, with many ups and downs: "In May 2015 my son’s father passed away from a drug overdose. It hit me really hard when I realized my son didn’t have a father, and this whole time he never even had a mother. I had reached a point of just being so tired of the way I was living, so I tried to regain custody of my son. I’d had no contact with my two older kids in years, so I wasn’t about to lose my son also. I was so tired of this lifestyle—two CWS cases and the same background over and over. I made a promise to myself: No More—and I’ve been done since. …I was overwhelmed with everything the judge had already

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ordered me to do, but I wasn’t giving up.

My CWS worker notified me of Parenting Network and asked if I wanted to work with a parent partner. I said yes; I needed the help and support to get it right once and for all. I met my Parent Partner, and she was so understanding and so encouraging. She advised and guided me, and I felt I could trust her. I heard her story and believed if she could do it, so could I… I was so happy to be getting my life back. I eventually was given my son back. I am now engaged.

My fiancé and I are still clean and are the happiest couple ever…I was given the opportunity to start working for the best program ever—Parenting Network. I was hired as a Parent Partner as of August

18, 2016. ..My life is so blessed since I made that decision of NO MORE. I am so grateful and full of life."

Making the necessary changes required for reunification can be a difficult process. Change is often not easy, and that is why Parent Partners take such pride in helping other parents. Parent Partners have successfully navigated the CWS system and reunified with their own children, so they understand the difficulties parents may face and can help them find their way around the various obstacles.

One Parent Partner explains, “Since becoming a Parent Partner, I have been able to be involved with our families in guiding them,

mentoring, providing resources, accountability, and strength to succeed as a father or mother and as a family. Passing this success on is life-changing and rewarding.” Helping a family in need and witnessing them becoming healthy and strong—and reuniting—is an experience unlike any other.

Though every family, and indeed every parent, may have a unique road to reunification, Child Welfare Services’ vision for each family is the same— healthy children, healthy adults, and a supportive family. The Parent Partners Program, as offered by the Parenting Network, is a valuable asset in fulfilling this vision.

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HHSA

tchhsa.org

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Tulare County Resource Family Approval offers: • Ongoing training • Networking

• Support and mentors • Resource Family Ombudsman

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VIRTUAL VALLEY MAKING MUSIC HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER

M

usic embraces technology.

From the earliest drum and flute to the modern synthesizer and digital audio workstation (DAW) software, humans have applied scientific discoveries to create musical instruments. Instruments evolve and music changes, yet the joy of music continues to connect us within and across communities.

There will always be a place for instruments that don’t require power and have the smooth warmth of analog technology.

Digital music coexists with and extends the analog. Digital instruments and tools are different, not better. The two have coexisted since the 1970s, when the first digital synthesizers appeared on the market. Digital recording of most music became the norm as compact discs replaced vinyl records and magnetic tapes.

I have a clarinet that once belonged to my father, which I rarely play. We also have a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) keyboard that I play at least two or three times a month. My wife took piano lessons and can still play a few pieces from memory.

Our 5-year-old likes to sit and play simple tunes on the keyboard. In time, we want her to receive music lessons for at least piano and one other instrument.

Significant research exists supporting links between music, math and science skills. The abstract notional language of music helps us appreciate the symbols used in higher math. The

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fractional nature of notes reinforces a core mathematical concept. Music is an investment with an exponential return throughout life.

Countless music education apps exist for smartphones and tablets. The girls love GarageBand, especially the drums. We’ve also located a Sesame Street music app via the PBS Kids website. The on-screen keys change color, guiding the user through famous tunes like “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.”

JoyTunes offers three excellent piano apps for the iPad: Piano Dust Buster, Piano Maestro and Simply Piano.

The apps work with or without a MIDI keyboard. The Dust Buster game reminds me of Mavis Beacon typing games. Players help Granny chase the dust away from her piano’s keys by pressing the correct notes. Piano Maestro is more like Guitar Hero for piano. Finally, Simply Piano is for adults wanting to learn the piano or revive some rusty skills.

Synthesia is another Guitar Hero clone for piano. Color-coded squares and rectangles fall toward piano keys.

You press and hold the keys as the colored shapes move down the screen, allowing you to play music. Synthesia offers downloads of popular music and you can transfer standard MIDI files to the iPad to play. Although many similar apps exist, the JoyTunes set and Synthesia engage our children best.

The free Casio Chordata app for learning music uses tunes that are too complex and unfamiliar to younger learners, although I enjoy it. My MIDI keyboard is a re-branded Casio model, purchased at Radio Shack many years ago in the Sequoia Mall.

I seldom use the keyboard without my computer. Using a MIDI adapter, the keyboard triggers sounds in Apple’s Logic or GarageBand. There might come a time when I pass the keyboard along to our daughters, then maybe I can offer an excuse to buy a more advanced MIDI device.

One of the best-reviewed homehobbyist MIDI keyboard controllers

available is the The ONE Light keyboard. A friend let me try his and it is amazing. The ONE Light includes an iPad app similar to the programs from JoyTunes. The keys light as you learn to play a piece of music. The app pairs with the keyboard, allowing the iPad to be your sheet music. Ideal for people learning to play, The ONE keyboard also includes advanced features that work with high-end digital audio workstation software. Casio and Yamaha offer entry-level lighted keyboards, too, although with fewer features than The ONE Light.

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TEXT BY C. S. WYATT

keyboard, either. Digital drums and multi-purpose pad controllers are popular hardware added to home studios. I’ve used a Native Instruments Maschine pad. (Yes, that’s the correct spelling.) The pads, like the Kontrol keyboard, can be assigned loops or drum sounds.

When the girls mentioned wanting to play drums someday, I immediately thought of the digital drum alternatives.

My wife and I aren’t about to have the girls banging away on drums in the house. Instead, digital drum pads offer a great alternative that they can enjoy while wearing headphones. No, it isn’t the same, but drum pads preserve parental sanity.

With its free GarageBand application, affordable $199 Logic Pro software and iOS devices, Apple opened a whole world of digital music.

Before GarageBand, even simple DAW applications were $500 or more, with only a few sampled instruments. In fact, the Alchemy VST synthesizer suite now included with Logic Pro was $250. The loops samples included with GarageBand and Logic once retailed for a combined $400.

I own the DAW software from Avid and Steinberg, but prefer the Apple offerings. Serious musicians will want to learn Avid ProTools, the industry standard for audio engineering.

When I was working towards my MFA degree, I discovered the Komplete suite of Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plug-ins for use with Apple Logic and Steinberg Cubase. From Native Instruments, these VSTs take a unique approach to music creation. Instead of associating instrument tones with keys, the Komplete software assigns short loops of instrument phrases to keys.

Putting loops together creates music. Collections of loops are sold for royalty-free use by musicians and filmmakers, and Apple includes a massive library of loops with its music

applications. In GarageBand or Logic, assembling layers of loops into an arrangement can be tedious, with a lot of dragging and dropping of loops onto the music timeline.

The Komplete method is easier and faster: Press a key, trigger a loop. Native Instruments offers the Komplete Kontrol keyboard, in 49-, 61- and 88-key models.

The Kontrol keyboards work directly with Komplete VSTs and various DAW applications. Select a genre of music, such as “’60s Surf,” and the keys of the Kontrol are assigned appropriate loops.

Digital music isn’t all about

Consumer digital music software and compositions from loops won’t replace skilled professionals any time soon. Still, creating music at home has never been easier.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Visalia native Scott Wyatt recently completed his Master of Fine Arts in Film and Digital Technology at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA. Scott has several additional graduate degrees and was a visiting professor of business communication at Carnegie Mellon University.

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MEET A LOCAL TEXT BY DR. JOHN SULLIVAN, SMILE CENTRAL VALLEY

Gail Zurek

to have a restaurant attached). We helped the small brewer move from a home-based brew operation into a taproom location. It proved that when a member raised a concern, had a problem, I could be part of creating a solution that made our community stronger.

Occupation/Title: President/CEO, Visalia Chamber of Commerce How did you end up in Visalia? We moved from the Chicago area to Visalia in June 2013 when my husband Mike accepted a call as an associate pastor at Christ Lutheran Church. I was originally from Southern California, so I wasn’t so sure about a move to Central California.

Sadly, I’d judged the area before I really experienced it. Very shortly after moving here, I fell in love with this place. We are a humble, hard-working community that feeds the world. I am constantly amazed by this place, its people and our impact.

How did you get your start in this line of work? One might say I’ve been a business advocate my whole life. My parents and grandparents owned a business, and I was raised seeing the real struggle, commitment and time owning a business takes. Professionally, I’ve been drawn to positions that allow me to solve problems and help my community. Prior to moving to Visalia, I was the Better Business Bureau area director in northwest Indiana, just outside Chicago. I loved helping trustworthy businesses connect with consumers. When we moved to Visalia, I first worked for the Convention and Visitors Bureau helping visitors (and sometimes residents) discover our amazing community. When the opportunity opened at the chamber to help advocate and support businesses, I jumped at the chance.

Why are you passionate about your work? The chamber is the catalyst for business growth, a convener for leaders and influencers, and a champion for a stronger community. I love helping our business community thrive. When business is strong, our neighbors have jobs, charities receive corporate donations, tax dollars increase organically, meaning we can pay for beautiful parks and paved roads. For me, solving problems that plague local companies, making it easier to do business, makes Visalia stronger and 10

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If you had to choose another career, what would it be? I’d be a travel agent. I absolutely love traveling and exploring other places.

Tell us a little about life outside of work (hobbies, family, travel): I love time with my family. We’re all crazy busy, so for us, travel is our way of spending quality family time together. Last October, we traveled to China and with Disney annual passes, we find ourselves skipping down Main Street more than I’d care to admit. brings me great purpose through my position.

What is the most challenging thing about your job? Not all problems have easy solutions or fast fixes. I unfortunately have a front row seat to really tough periods in the life of a business. I have talked to owners who have had to lay off staff or, worse, close their doors. The best part of my job is working with business owners to create their success; it’s heartbreaking when I get the call about their failure. Frankly, it drives me to find the underlying problem and work toward a global solution, hopefully preventing that heartbreak for someone else.

Tell us about a single moment when you realized that this was the right occupation for you: The night BarrelHouse opened their doors. While the moment for me was not really about this particular brewery, it was about the bigger success of creating a microbrewery overlay district. This district encouraged new business investment, created jobs and was a tourism asset. Beyond that, it helped solve a problem other members had.

Now, because of this change, Visaliabrewed beer could be sold to other Visalia restaurants. Also, now a business could brew beer even if you knew nothing about food (previously, breweries needed

What is something most people don’t know about you? I’m a crazy Disney Vacation person. We’ve been to Disney World, Disneyland and taken Disney cruises. I love researching these vacations. When we travel to theme parks, I’ve researched which rides historically have the shortest queues based on the time of day and then plan our visit around that information. I mean we’re talking Excel spreadsheets for Disney World. I spread out maps of the ship to figure out what room would be best for our family given our interests and budget. My “high need to know” goes into overdrive. Oh, my poor family.

What about Visalia makes this a great community to live and work in? You can walk around downtown or have dinner at a restaurant and run into people you know. This is a community of 130,000plus people, but we still know our neighbors. Visalia has its own identity and sense of community pride. There are places that don’t have those luxuries. For me, I love raising a family where all of this is possible an hour from three national parks and three hours from the beach.

Bonus question: If you were stranded on an island, what three objects would you take with you? I would take bug spray (mosquitos love me), matches (I get cold and like to eat) and my hubby (time alone with him is my favorite).

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he ALL HANDS ON DECK! Show brings you an authentic American roadshow and radio broadcast re-creation circa 1942 filled with heart-warming songs, tight harmonies, rousing on-air antics, classic commercials and a sing-a-long excitement, all accompanied by the warm sounds of the live nine-piece Hollywood Victory Caravan Orchestra!

Audiences of all ages grin from ear-to-ear with delight as we unite with this heart-warming, toetapping musical message for all Americans! With 42 of the greatest American songs ever written and a message that inspires, it’s time for America’s most patriotic show … ALL HANDS ON DECK! DIRECT MAGAZINE

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THE RECIPE BOX TEXT BY SUE BURNS, IT’S OKAY TO EAT THE CUPCAKE

Slow Cooker Chocolate Candy Clusters

V

alentine’s Day is fast approaching and along with it the age-old question: “What kind of candy will I give?”

Of course, you can purchase your candy gifts – the National Retail Federation reports that Americans spent around $1.7 billion on candy for their Valentines in the last couple of years – but it’s so fun and easier than you think to make your own.

Let your slow cooker do the melting instead of standing over a hot stove. Simply layer the ingredients and warm for an hour or so, then stir and scoop into mini-muffin papers. The recipe is delicious with or without nuts, and makes more than 50 just-theright-sized candies for kids — so it’s a great class party treat. You can also make a large piece of chocolate bark, an impressive gift for the chocoholic in your life, or use a heart-shaped parchment-lined pan for the perfect love note.

Without nuts: 1 ½ cups coarsely broken pretzel crisps (thin, flat pretzels) 1 ½ cups crispy rice cereal 1 12-ounce package dark chocolate chips 1 cup raisins ½ of a 1-pound package chocolate candy coating, coarsely chopped ½ of a 1-pound package vanilla candy coating, coarsely chopped Sparkling sugar crystals With nuts: Omit the pretzel chips and use 2 cups roasted salted peanuts Use 1 cup crispy rice cereal Omit the dark chocolate chips and use one 12-ounce bag butterscotch chips Layer in slow cooker per recipe directions

Heat a 3- or 4-quart slow cooker on low setting.

Mix the pretzels and cereal together and pour into the slow cooker.

Sprinkle the package of chocolate chips evenly over the pretzel-cereal mixture.

Sprinkle the raisins over the chocolate chips.

Place the chopped candy coating pieces over the raisins, then cover the slow cooker and cook for 1 hour.

Check the mixture after an hour by stirring with a spatula. The larger chocolate pieces may not look melted but will soften upon stirring.

If the chocolate isn’t completely melted, let the mixture cook for another 15-30 minutes, checking after 15 minutes so that the chocolate doesn’t scorch.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and mini-muffin cups.

Use 2 teaspoons to scoop the chocolate mixture into the cups.

Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes until solid, then store in airtight containers away from heat.

Makes 50-60 candies (less if you use part of the mixture to make chocolate bark).

For more of Sue’s tips and tricks, visit www.itsokaytoeatthecupcake.com 12

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PRO-PT

TEXT BY DR. BENJAMIN M. LARSON, PT, DPT PRO-PT PHYSICAL THERAPY

Getting Back in the Game Returning to Sport After Injury

W

ith sports come injuries. They are inevitable. We have all experienced them, whether personally, through a family member or friend, or when reclining on the couch watching our favorite athlete get sidelined before the most crucial game of the season. They are painful, frustrating and often, unfortunately, unavoidable.

When an injury occurs on television, there is a quick cut to commercials while the training staff jumps into action, but what happens when the injury occurs closer to home? What happens when your high school son or daughter, niece or nephew has that gameday injury? Around Tulare and Kinds counties, this is when the PRO-PT medical staff goes to work.

PRO-PT employs board-certified athletic trainers (ATCs) to many of the high schools through this region, including Dinuba, Exeter, Kingsburg, Lemoore, Mission Oak, Tulare Union and Tulare Western high schools. These qualified and trained medical professionals work to help all athletes participate safely as well as take care of the inevitable injuries quickly and effectively when they occur.

While the immediate and emergent care they provide is important to the safety of the player, the education and assistance ATCs offer to the involved family is invaluable. Does the player need to go to the hospital? Can he/she walk on it or would crutches be safer?

Does he/she need further medical care, or will a simple bag of ice suffice? ATCs can help advise in the appropriate follow-up steps to expedite the healing and recovery process.

One of the first steps to a player’s recovery and eventual return to play often includes physical therapy. The director of the Porterville PRO-PT clinic,

Dr. Abel Ojeda, is the only board-certified sports clinical specialist in Tulare, Fresno and Kings counties, and his colleague, Dr. Benjamin Larson, has qualified to sit for this certification in 2018. Dr. Ojeda and Dr. Larson, as well as the other Porterville staff, offer focused rehabilitation of these athletes on return-to-sport activities to maximize and expedite their recovery.

Outside of the clinic, these therapists also provide injury-prevention education and screenings, as well as sideline coverage for the local high school sports teams.

Injuries in sports, especially at the high school level, can be incredibly frightening events. The trained medical professionals at PRO-PT understand this and are prepared to act efficiently and effectively to ensure the overall success of the athletes and to help them get back to the game they love as safely and rapidly as possible.

If you have any questions regarding injury prevention, sports injuries or sports rehabilitation, please contact your local PRO-PT clinic.

I’M BACK

TO LIFTING WEIGHTS! PRO-PT got me back to lifting weights pain free. I am so grateful! I am a head coach for crossfit and my job relies on my ability to demonstrate movement to my classes.

- Vincent Palermo

DINUBA 1401 W. El Monte Way Suite 107 Dinuba, CA 93618 (559) 315-5203

www.pro~pt.net

EXETER 134 South E. St. Exeter, CA 93221 (559) 592-9000

HANFORD 323 N. 11th Ave. Hanford, CA 93230 (559) 772-8304

KINGSBURG 329 Sierra St. Kingsburg, CA 93631 (559) 896-4736

LEMOORE 755 N. Lemoore Ave. Suite C Lemoore, CA 93245 (559) 817-5808

LINDSAY 860 Sequoia St. Suite A Lindsay, CA 93247 (559) 562-9040

PORTERVILLE 1150 W. Morton Ave. Porterville, CA 92357 (559) 782-1501

TULARE 1132 E. Leland Ave. Tulare, CA 93274 (559) 684-0611

VISALIA 1870 S. Central St. Visalia, CA 93277 (559) 636-1200 ext.1

www.facebook.com/proptphysicaltherapy

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VISALIA CHAMBER

T

he Visalia Chamber of Commerce serves as the local “voice of business” as they advocate for businesses throughout Visalia. Each month, the Chamber facilitates a variety of events to support and further the success of the community.

1. On Thursday, January 18th the Leadership Visalia Class of 2018 in conjunction with the Tulare County Library and the Visalia Police Department hosted working featuring the Trespass Enforcement Program (TEP). The program was created to help business owners deal with homeless individuals loitering on their property.

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2. The Leadership Visalia Class program explored Land Use, Transportation and Planning during the January Day session. As part of the session the class was able to tour the old Court house building on Court Street and learn about how it will soon be renovated into a 28 room hotel.

3. The Best Western Visalia Hotel celebrated its opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony on January 17th.

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PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY THE VISALIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

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TULARE CHAMBER

T

he Tulare Chamber of Commerce exists to serve its members and residents by advocating for and engaging in efforts to encourage economic opportunity and business prosperity. The Tulare Chamber supports businesses by building partnerships, providing educational opportunities, and advocating for its members and community.

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1. Ultra Imaging celebrated its opening with a Chamber ribbon-cutting ceremony. The business specializes in mobile ultrasounds so patients can have their ultrasound completed in their home. If a patient prefers to do an ultrasound in an office, the office is at 1070 N. Cherry Street. In addition to medical images, Ultra Imaging provides 3D and 4D ultrasounds so expectant parents can see their baby’s face before it’s born. Ultra Imaging also does body fat calculations and can design fitness plans for its clients. Please visit www.ultraimaging.org or call Brian Evans at (559) 901-3488 for more information.

2. Galaxy Theatres Tulare hosted Business After Hours in January. The mixer included fun theatre foods, a behindthe-scenes tour of the theatre, business networking, and a movie. Because the theatre is an integral part of Tulare’s economy and is a community-minded business, it was named the 2017 Large Business of the Year.

3. The Tulare Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors are an essential part of the organization and its member marketing. The Chamber thanked the team for its service with an Ambassador Appreciation Dinner. Anyone interested in becoming an Ambassador can call (559) 686-1547 or email Teresa@tularechamber.org.

3 PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY THE TULARE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

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MONEY MATTERS CONTRIBUTED BY PENNEY R. SICK, RAYMOND JAMES

Life Insurance and Charitable Giving

L

ife insurance can be an excellent tool for charitable giving. Not only does life insurance allow you to make a substantial gift to charity at relatively little cost to you, but you may also benefit from tax rules that apply to gifts of life insurance.

Why use life insurance for charitable giving?

Life insurance allows you to make a much larger gift to charity than you might otherwise be able to afford.

Although the cost to you (your premiums) is relatively small, the amount that the charity will receive (the death benefit) can be quite substantial. As long as you continue to pay the premiums on the life insurance policy, the charity is guaranteed to receive the proceeds of the policy when you die. (Guarantees are subject to the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company.) Since life insurance proceeds paid to a charity are not subject to income and estate taxes, probate costs and other expenses, the charity can count on receiving 100 percent of your gift.

Giving life insurance to charity also has certain income tax benefits.

Depending on how you structure your gift, you may be able to take an income tax deduction equal to your basis in the policy or its fair market value (FMV), and you may be able to deduct the premiums you pay for the policy on your annual income tax return. When an insurance contract is transferred to a charity, the donor's income tax charitable deduction is based on the lesser of FMV or adjusted cost basis.

What are the disadvantages of using life insurance for charitable giving?

Donating a life insurance policy to charity (or naming the charity as beneficiary on the policy) means that you have less wealth to distribute among your heirs when you die. This may discourage you from making gifts to charity. However, this problem is relatively simple to solve. Buy another life insurance policy that will benefit your heirs instead of a charity.

Ways to give life insurance to charity The simplest way to use life insurance to give to a charity is to name a charity to receive the benefits of your life insurance policy. You, as owner of the policy, simply designate the charity as beneficiary. Designating the charity as beneficiary may allow you to make a larger gift than you could otherwise afford. If the policy is a form of cash value life insurance, you still have access to the cash value of the policy during your lifetime. However, this type of charitable gift does not provide many of the income tax benefits of charitable giving because you retain control of the policy during your life. When you die, the proceeds are included in your gross estate, although the full amount of the proceeds payable to the charity can be deducted from your gross estate.

Another alternative is to donate an existing life insurance policy to charity.

To do this, you must assign all rights in the policy to the charity. You must also deliver the policy itself to the charity. By doing this, you give up control of the life insurance policy forever. This strategy provides the full tax advantages of charitable giving because the transfer of ownership is irrevocable. You may be able to take an income tax deduction

equal to the lesser of your adjusted cost basis or FMV. The policy is not included in your gross estate when you die, unless you die within three years of the transfer. In this case, your estate would get an offsetting charitable deduction.

A creative way to use life insurance to donate to a charity is simply for the charity to insure you. To use this strategy, you would allow the charity to purchase an insurance policy on your life. You would make annual taxdeductible gifts to the charity in an amount equal to the premium, and the charity would pay the premium to the insurance company.

One final method is to use a life insurance policy in conjunction with a charitable remainder trust. This strategy is relatively complex (it will require an attorney to set up), but it provides greater advantages than other, simpler methods. You set up a charitable remainder trust and transfer ownership of other, income-producing assets to the trust. The income beneficiary of the trust (you or whomever you designate) will get the income from the assets in the trust. At the end of the trust term (which might be a certain number of years or upon the occurrence of a certain event, such as your death), the property in the trust would pass to the charity. You'll receive a current tax deduction when you establish the trust for the FMV of the gifted assets, reduced according to a formula determined by the IRS. Life insurance can then be purchased (usually inside an irrevocable life insurance trust to keep the proceeds out of your estate) to replace the assets that went to the charity instead of to your heirs.

Prepared by Broadridge Investor communication solutions, Inc. Copyright2018 Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc Penney Sick, Registered Principal 303 E Caldwell Ave Visalia Ca 93277 16

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Your Primary Care Practice

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VISALIA FIRST TEXT BY PASTOR GREG CULTRA

Life Change

W

hat are you doing right now?

No seriously, right now what are you doing? Obviously, you are reading this article but where are you? At home? At Work? Is it breakfast time? Is it right before you go to bed? Why did you pick it up? Are you just passing time? Do you read it every month? Did you stumble on it? All of these questions should get you thinking.

I hope that as you read this article you would begin to question why you do the things that you do.

When you hear the words “life change” what do you think of? Does that sound scary to you? Do you think of moving? Of something changing that you can’t control? Do you feel in control of the change or do you feel like the winds of change will take you where they want without your input? I want you to challenge yourself to change.

I believe that we are supposed to live this life on purpose. Life does not have a dress rehearsal. This is the only shot you have. Many of us live our lives in “survival mode”, hoping just to make it through the day. That is not how you should live life. You should not be playing it safe. If you want to get everything out of life that you should, you will have to be willing to change.

We cannot ensure how long we live, but we can determine that we will live life fully while we are alive.

Why is that so hard for us? We are creatures of habit and we want things to be consistent. We don’t want to be surprised. We like knowing what is coming so we can plan how to handle it.

Most of us hate change! It makes us uneasy, makes our palms sweaty and might even cause some anxiety.

Change. I dare you. In fact, I double dog dare you. I want you to examine your life right now and find one thing to change. Start working out, not for a day, but create a habit. Put down your phone at night. Start a new hobby. Give up something that is stealing your joy. If

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you are not happy with your life then change. If you don’t change, neither will your happiness. IF you are not where you want to be, why do you keep choosing to stay where you are? If you know there is a future waiting for you, why do you choose to stay trapped in the past?

The problem is that most of us choose our comfort rather than our destiny. Refuse to stay behind. To move forward takes guts; it takes grit. I want you to start analyzing what your days, what your weeks look like. What needs to change? What can shift? What can you do differently to move forward?

As soon as you are done reading this I want you to make a list of what is going to change in your life. No really, do it. If you don’t you just wasted your time reading this. It is my prayer that this will cause at least one person to change for the better. You can do it! It might seem daunting, it might seem impossible, it might seem like you can never do it, but YOU CAN!

Philippians 3:12-14 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 43:18-19 “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

We would love to invite you to Visalia First where one of our core values is Life Change! If you don’t know where to start down the path, start with us! Our service times are Saturdays at 5p.m. and Sundays at 9 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

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TULARE COUNTY LIBRARY TEXT BY MARITA DIAMOND, ELECTRONICS RESOURCES LIBRARIAN

Did you know?

F

ollow the rainbow to a treasure chest full of golden opportunities at the Tulare County Library, especially in the corners of our branch libraries, children’s reading area, history room- and so much more. Gems exist, just waiting to be discovered at the Tulare County Library.

The Tulare County Library, with 17 branches, shares knowledge and bridges gaps between the known and the unknown to our communities.

Expert librarians and staff trained to navigate the world of knowledge and technology bring a wealth of experience to their own special area, providing you with the best service possible.

Some of our treasures include those found in the Annie Mitchell History Room. Its vault houses priceless artifacts, like clay tablets with cuneiform, a handwritten letter from

John Muir- and historic photographs.

Other collections include oral histories from World War II veterans, and the histories and photos of the families sent to the Japanese internment camps.

Books and vertical cabinets full of information on family biographies, obituaries, photos, maps, companies and traces of lives known throughout Tulare County are found here.

Our online library services, provided in part from a generous donor and the San Joaquin Valley Library System, give you access 24 hours a day, seven days a week- to all aspects of research and study in history, articles, news, instructions, tutorials, eBooks, eAudiobooks- and digital magazines.

Our Literacy Center reaches out to those who are in need of better reading and writing skills, better job opportunities, citizenship test

assistance and GED test preparation.

We even have opportunities to assist those interested in completing high school with our online program.

Who could not forget the priceless treasures of the Friends of the Library groups and Foundation. Their generosity and support providefunding to support services, programsand events at all Tulare County Library branches. Join today and you can also help give our communities learning opportunities, growth- and sheer enjoyment.

With so much to highlight in our upcoming articles, we hope that you will enjoy discovering our treasures, beginning with this, our first article of the year. There is so much to discover, so much to become at the Tulare County Library.

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CRAFT CORNER TEXT BY IMAGINEU CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

Paper Towel Roses

W

hen you hear that Valentine’s Day is coming, you think of roses. Instead of fresh roses that do not last, let’s make some roses you can keep forever.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED: • Paper towel sheets for as many roses as you want (1 sheet per rose).

• Water color paints • Wooden dowel or pencils • Non-toxic glue or sticky tape • Yarn, floral tape or green paper towel

DIRECTIONS: • Use the water colors to color your paper towel sheets. You can make it multi

colors if you wish. (Color one sheet green to cover the join if not using yarn or

floral tape.) Let dry.

• Cut your colored paper towel in half.

• Fold one half length-wise • Fold the folded edge in again half way • Apply a small amount of glue to the top edge of your pencil or dowel and

wrap the strip of paper towel around and around, gluing the end down.

• Fold your second half of paper towel in half length-wise once.

• Glue one edge to the rose you have begun making; it will be slightly longer to give

you room to cover the other piece.

• Wrap around and around, gradually moving the folded edge a little lower than the

starting point.

• Glue the outer edge down and if you like you can fold the outside edges of your

“petals” down a little to look like a rose.

• Where the base of the rose joins the pencil or dowel, wrap some yarn, floral tape or

green paper towel tightly around to cover the join.

• Place roses in a vase and present to your loved one.

Happy Valentine's Day!

ImagineU Museum’s after-school program runs Feb. 5 through March 2. The next session runs March 5 to April 6. Our Spring Camp will take place March 26 through March 30. “Night at the Museum” will be Feb. 23. Please call the museum for more information (559) 733-5975, or visit our website at www.imagineumuseum.org.

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VISALIA RESCUE MISSION TEXT BY RYAN STILLWATER, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, VISALIA RESCUE MISSION

Don't Just Walk the Line

A

few months ago, my family and I were pulling up to our home and saw a woman sitting on the curb across the street. She was bloody and crying. While I took our kids inside, my wife walked over to check on her, then came back to get her some clothes.

After the police came, her side of the story quickly felt like only half of the story: Men living around the corner accused her of stealing a cell phone, knocked her off her bike (which they then stole) and proceeded to physically attack her. Their side of the story: This woman is crazy.

As in many situations, the truth was somewhere in the middle. This wom-an, barely more than a teenager, had attempted to steal drugs from these men, who then attacked her in 9TH broad daylight. The whole situation ended with the woman unwilling to press charges and refusing to go to the hos-pital. We watched her walk away, hearts broken for her — mentally wres-tling with broader issues playing out in this one situation.

I get to join conversations often about the causes and solutions for home-lessness. I continually hear more funding, more housing, but personally, my mind wanders back to the underlying cause of these issues being, at their core, the human condition. This is how I’ve come to define it: the ha-bitual inability to make mutually beneficial decisions for oneself and the community in which one resides.

At Visalia Rescue Mission, our ultimate goal is not

drawing a line for our guests and Life Change Academy residents to learn to walk (be kind, be moral, don’t do drugs, go to church); instead, we begin to lay a new foun-dation where they can stand, fall, crawl and run through life’s many ob-stacles, making beneficial decisions as productive members of their community and as whole (not perfect) human beings.

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In 2016, Greg graduated from our academy and his story is a perfect ex-ample of someone learning to address why they are broken, not just what needs to be fixed.

“I had this idea that if I could get through this life without hurting myself, killing myself or killing someone else, then I’d be okay. I woke up one morning and realized I was an addict. It wasn’t about getting my life back; it was about how I was going to live my life moving forward.”

On Feb. 20, we are hosting one of our favorite events, Empty Bowls. Now in its ninth year, Empty Bowls consists of gourmet soup catered by The Vintage Press, live music, a live bowl thrower and unique handmade bowls that guests take home as a reminder of the need in our community and how we can meet that need together. Attendees will also get to hear a live update from Greg, now two years into life with this new foundation. When he was graduating, Greg told me, “To be able to go into life now without an addiction, to know I have an identity in Jesus Christ, and to say that I’m a responsible man that God wants me to be … thank you, Jesus.”

Tickets can be purchased online at vrmhope.org/events or in-person at Simply Chic Boutique at 100 E. Main St. in Visalia.

Ryan Stillwater is the Director of Development for Visalia Rescue Mission. Contact him by e-mail: ryan@vrmhope.org.

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GARDENING TEXT BY SHARON PLEIN, UCCE MASTER GARDENER

"Edible" Compost

M

ost families recycle in some way, whether it is cans, bottles, plastic, etc. Composting is basically nature’s way of recycling.

Mary McKenna Siddals wrote a book, “Compost Stew,” which explains compost as making a stew.

Ingredients are added, cooked for awhile, and compost is made! The compost is “edible,” meaning that the soil “eats” the compost when it is mixed into your garden. Compost is to the soil as vitamins are to your body.

Compost is an easy and fun activity to do with children. There are four basic ingredients for compost.

• Browns (nitrogen): Small dried leaves, small sticks, cut up cardboard, newspaper, pine needles, old potting soil • Greens (carbon): Small green leaves, grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grinds, teabags, wilted flowers • Moisture (water) • Oxygen (air)

Let’s make compost!

1. Get an empty, clean, 2-liter bottle. An adult makes a flip top by cutting 1/3 down the bottle and most of the way around.

2. Place a layer of old soil in the bottom (1 inch) and spray with water.

3. Add a layer of greens (2 inches).

4. Add 1 inch of soil, spray with water.

5. Add a layer of browns (2 inches).

6. Continue layering until near the flip top.

7. Using duct tape, seal the flip top.

Place the bottle in a sunny location.

Every day or every other day, roll the bottle on the ground. The rolling mixes the oxygen around inside the bottle with the ingredients. If the “stew” looks too wet, peel back the flip top for a day or so. If the “stew” looks too dry, peel back the flip top and spray water inside.

In about a month, the “stew” will look brown and crumbly. It is ready to use as fertilizer and amendment in the garden soil.

Parents, it is important NOT to add animal products, dairy products, peanut

butter, weeds or diseased plants to the greens or browns.

Now we can add to the fun and learning by making edible compost to be eaten by children.

Recipe No. 1 1. Layer chocolate pudding with crushed graham crackers in a clear, plastic cup.

2. Add gummy worms on top and enjoy!

Recipe No. 2 For the browns, use pretzel sticks, cornflakes (brown leaves), crushed graham crackers, cooked brown rice.

Use your imagination!

For the greens, use green-colored coconut, dried fruit snacks, chopped up fresh strawberries or other fruit.

For the old potting soil, use chocolate pudding.

Layer as you would for real compost stew. Since the pudding is moist, no need to add other liquid.

Finish with gummy worms on top!

Happy composting!

Have fun and see if this will inspire your family to have a larger compost bin in your yard!

Find more information on the Master Gardener website, http://ucanr.edu/sites/UC_Master_Gardeners/.

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All Those Lights.

What do they Mean?

The amber check engine light: An emission system problem will need attention, especially if it is blinking. Blinking means that a misfire will need immediate attention.

The ABS/traction light: Something in the braking system has turned the light on; it’s best to have it checked as soon as you can.

The red brake light: This can be a brake fluid loss or possibly your emergency brake may be on.

The two most important lights and gauges to watch: The OIL and TEMP gauges or lights. .An overheated engine or engine running low on oil can cause a major repair. You do not need this to happen. The cost will run about $8,000 to have it repaired. This can be avoided by proper maintenance. Check you oil level and coolant level.

All cooling hoses should be replaced every 5-7 years, and the radiator should be replaced every 10 years. Maybe your oil change is not due for 5,000-7,000 miles. But you still need to check the level. We have had five cars in the last year that went from being worth something to zero. Why? Because they were not properly maintained. Do not let this happen to you

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CHARACTER COUNTS! TEXT BY KELLEY PETTY, CHARACTER COUNTS! COORDINATOR, TULARE COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

DAVID SANCHEZ, 8TH GRADEPIXLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL, PIXLEY Since elementary school, David Sanchez has gravitated toward helping others, keeping studies a priority- and taking on extra duties. As a result, David is the ultimate role model at Pixley Middle School.

Throughout his elementary and middle school years, David has accepted leadership roles not only to contribute to his school, but to also inspire others to get involved and realize their true potential.

Teacher Mrs. Rodriguez considers David to be the epitome of respect.

“David shows respect to his teachers by completing his assignments and following directions, being on time to class- and going the extra mile. He shows respect to his peers by treating them with kindness and being considerate of their beliefs and differences. He has good manners, even when those manners are not reciprocated. He never has a disagreement with a peer because he is so respectful of others' opinions.

David shows respect to his family by putting his family first, taking care of his younger siblings- and being cooperative to his parents.”

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David recognizes his role as a big brother to his two younger brothers: “They look up to me for answers, what they should do, how they should act.”

Although David values his ability to influence his younger siblings, it is his older sister, Jasmin, who inspires him.

“She is the one that reminds me to be the best I can be. She is the one that is respectful, helpful and volunteers in our community.”

David admits that he and his siblings often volunteer just for fun, not fully realizing the help they are providing. At Pixley’s community-wide Thanksgiving dinner, the entire town is invited to gather, share a meal- and give thanks.

From set-up to clean-up, David volunteers with a bright smile and giving heart – reminders that we all can, and should, respect and help others.

the match between Diego and a student with special needs. Diego could have easily pinned his opponent and won the match in the first round, but he didn’t.

Diego thought, “Winning isn’t everything. How you win is important, too. So what could I do with these six minutes? We wrestled and I showed him some escapes and takedowns. I wanted him to feel success and boost his confidence as a wrestler.”

Diego’s parents share that even at a young age, Diego had a big heart and always went out of his way to help others. His mother recounts a specific incident as an example: “One evening a few years ago, we were having dinner in the park and Diego noticed a homeless man sitting on a bench. He didn’t ask for a plate of food to take to the homeless man. Instead, Diego just quietly got up and walked over and gave the man his own plate. As we were leaving, the homeless man came over and gave Diego a toy car from his belongings.”

As his mom finished the story, her eyes filled with tears. “Having a good heart and good character is the basis of life. I’m so proud of my son.”

DIEGO LOPEZ, SOPHOMORE MISSION OAK HIGH SCHOOL, TULARE Six minutes – that is how long a high school wrestling match can take. For some wrestlers, like Diego Lopez, the match is often over sooner with a pin and a win.

During a recent competition, the referee noticed something different about

At the end of the evening’s wrestling matches, referees awarded Diego the Pursuing Victory with Honor pin, acknowledging his exemplary sportsmanship. Diego didn’t feel that he should be recognized. “I was just doing what was right by helping a fellow student athlete be better. You don’t need an award for that. We should all do whatever we can to make somebody’s day.”

Diego earned the win in the second period of his match that night. More importantly, he earned the respect of everyone in the gym.

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KIDS' LIBRARY TEXY BY LEE LITTLEWOOD

Celebrate Black History Month All Year Long

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ebruary is Black History Month, but the stories in these books resonate every month of the year.

Now especially, black heroes need to be remembered and celebrated.

"Betty Before X" by Ilyasah Shabazz with Renee Watson; Farrar Straus Giroux "Freedom is a strong seed," said Langston Hughes.

The seed for freedom in this stirring tale was planted in the mid-1940s in young Betty Shabazz, who noticed AfricanAmericans in her congregation standing up for their rights despite widespread racism. Betty and her best friend, Suesetta, begin volunteering as girls for the Housewives' League in order to help better black businesses.

As her confidence grows (she feels a bit forgotten by her mother), Betty overcomes her personal challenges of self-acceptance and belonging.

Beautifully penned, Shabazz's inspiring story for middle-grade readers is really the story of her mother before she met Malcolm X, her father. It should help young girls and boys know that standing up for what they believe in is noble and can start at any age.

"Streetcar to Justice"

by Amy Hill Hearth; HarperCollins "How Elizabeth Jennings Won the Right to Ride in New York" is Amy Hill Hearth's subtitle for this comprehensive true story about a girl forced to give up a seat on a streetcar in 1854. One hundred years before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus, Elizabeth Jennings was injured as she was thrown off a streetcar by a conductor and a policeman. Her story wasn't over then, and her family and the African-American community

helped take her case to court (interestingly, her lawyer was future President Chester A. Arthur). Jennings' case was won, and she's still remembered as being an integral part of the desegregation of New York City's public transportation.

A fascinating biography for any kids ages 8 to 12 (that would even intrigue kids of high school age), "Streetcar to Justice" includes photographs and lots of archival material from the mid-1800s. This little-known fight for equality will hopefully garner more attention, especially now.

"The United States v.

Jackie Robinson"; by Sudipta BardhanQuallen; illustrated by R. Gregory Christie; Balzar + Bray A lot of people don't know that before Jackie Robinson was a baseball player who broke through barriers, he was a soldier during World War II. During his days in the Army, Robinson experienced segregation. One day he refused to move to the back of a military bus, and the military police took him to trial. Bardhan-Quallen's important true story of Robinson's court-martial showcases a determined young man who knew right from wrong and stood proudly for his beliefs. He was actually one of the first black Americans to challenge a segregation law in court and win.

Young readers will enjoy the picture book's precise writing and learn that Robinson wasn't allowed to join the Fort Riley, Kansas, baseball team because of his skin color. That's certainly one team that made a huge mistake!

R. Gregory Christie's acrylic paintings have a flowy, exaggerated look to them, helping the tale be intriguing and action-packed. A timeline at the end follows Robinson's life from 1919 to 1997, after he'd passed, when the MLB retired No. 42.

"Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad";

by Ann Petry; Amistad Named a National Book Award finalist and an American Library Association Notable Children's Book, Ann Petry's superb biography of legendary "Moses," Harriet Tubman, is dramatic, exciting and spellbinding. Tubman's vivacity and determination in delivering hundreds of slaves to freedom pops off the page and reads like fiction. The foreword from Jason Reynolds says Petry's book "is a historic grail for young people, especially young women all across the world today ... who aren't afraid of listening to their dreams."

Kids ages 8 to 12 will be thrilled to learn that a hero like Tubman was once a little girl who cared, had dreams and fears like them, and was determined to reach further rather than settling for her supposed fate. That's what separates heroes from the rest of us and is needed more and in our young people.

"Harriet Tubman" is a genius book.

"Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race" by Margot Lee Shetterly with Winifred Conkling; illustrated by Laura Freeman; HarperCollins The picture book version of "Hidden Figures" is as vivid and exciting as the novel. With realistic vintage-inspired artwork and enticing writing, the story of the four young African-American female math whizzes who helped send a man into space in the 1960s is coolly amazing. With best-selling author Margot Lee Shetterly at the helm, this true tale for kids ages 4 to 8 proves that valuable and heroic work is done every day by women of all colors.

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VUSD TEXT BY TODD OTO, ED.D, VUSD SUPERINTENDENT

Who We Are

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very year, I make presentations to local service clubs and other groups about the progress of the school district. One part of the presentation that frequently generates interest from the audience is the description of the demographics of our student population. This is particularly relevant with the recent release of school and district performance data through the California School Dashboard, which shines a light on the performance of all students and also some very important subgroups of students. Here’s a quick look at some of the state-defined characteristics of the student population we serve in Visalia Unified: Enrollment in the Visalia Unified kindergarten through 12th-grade program peaked in October 2017 at 28,958 students. This reflects an increase of 353 students from the same time in the prior school year. We have a pattern of growing enrollment in our district and have experienced a growth of at least 250 students every year for the past five years.

The state requires that we identify the diversity of our students in a number of ways. The categories that are commonly identified for reporting are ethnicity, socioeconomically disadvantaged, students with disabilities and English Learner status.

With regard to ethnicity, for the 2016-17 school year, our student population reflected the following distribution: 67.8 percent Hispanic, 21.3 percent white, 4.3 percent Asian, 1.5 percent African American, 0.8 percent American Indian, 0.6 percent Filipino, 0.1 percent Pacific Islander, 2.4 percent two or more races and 1.2 percent other ethnicities.

English Learners are students who come from homes where English is not the primary language and who have not yet developed fluency in English. In the current school year, we have 4,019 English Learners, representing 14 percent of our overall student population.

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The state defines socioeconomically disadvantaged children as those who qualify for the federal free and reduced lunch program. Currently, 18,400 of our students qualify for that program and can be described as socioeconomically disadvantaged. It is eye-opening for many folks to discover that disadvantaged kids represent 63 percent of our overall student population. This is a characteristic that crosses all other student subgroups.

Schools provide specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of children with disabilities. These disabilities may include intellectual disability, speech or language impairment, visual impairment, emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, specific learning disability, deafness or hard of hearing, autism, or traumatic brain injury. In the current school year, we have 2,357 students who are identified as students with disabilities, representing 8 percent of our overall student population.

Relatively new to the reporting of student diversity are the categories of foster youth and homeless children.

Foster youth are children who are in a temporary care arrangement where their birthparents cannot, for a variety of reasons, care for them. The traumatic effects of displacement from family are real, and our first concern with foster children is stability in school placement, followed closely by access to the same academic resources, services, and extracurricular and enrichment activities that are available to all

students. Currently, we have 220 foster youth in our district. This represents 1 percent of our overall student population.

Homeless children are defined as children who may be living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, shelters, cars, public spaces, abandoned buildings or are awaiting foster care placement. This also includes children who are sharing the housing of other people because of loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason. Currently, we have 504 homeless students in our district. This represents 2 percent of our overall student population.

It is important to note that the distribution of students in these categories reflects our community at large. Our mission is to provide our students with an education that affords them limitless opportunity for the future. Our charge is to create graduates who are equally ready for college and career, and this means adapting to the needs of every student.

We know that kids are not things to be labeled and that labels can cause harm.

Students are individuals, each possessing a unique set of skills and qualities. The challenges presented by demographic diversity are not a new thing to our schools. Knowing who we serve is the starting point for providing each student with the services needed to ensure that we provide the best education possible.

The California School Dashboard for any school or district, including Visalia Unified, may be accessed online at https://www.caschooldashboard.org.

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VALLEY OAK SPCA

Pet ID Tag Study­ From ASPCA Pro Retention of Pet ID Tags • How do pet owners use ID tags and how do they rank their importance?

• Do owners retain personalized ID tags that have been placed on their pets?

• Did any tagged animals in the study become lost, and did the tags help return them home?

• Does tagging large numbers of dogs and cats in a community affect stray intake for local animal control?

The ASPCA chose Oklahoma City, OK, for the first phase of research.

The study collected baseline survey information from pet owners who brought their pets to either a spay/neuter clinic or one of four participating veterinary clinics. These pet owners received an ID Me brochure. Staff at the clinic also placed an ID tag personalized with the owner's name and contact information directly on the animal, providing a collar if needed.

The study also included people who had just adopted a dog or cat from either the OKC Animal Welfare Division or Central Oklahoma Humane Society. These adopters did not take the baseline survey because their pets were new, but did receive a collar and personalized ID tag.

In Phase II, a large-scale intervention, funded by PetSmart Charities, was implemented to collar and tag owned cats who were brought to spay/neuter clinics in five communities.

Research Results In the baseline survey from Oklahoma City, 80 percent of pet owners said a pet ID tag was "extremely important" or "very important."

Yet only 33 percent of surveyed pet owners reported that their pet wears an ID tag all the time.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Valley Oak SPCA now offers personalized, custom tags at an affordable price. Check out the selection at our low-cost veterinary clinic.

Valley Oak SPCA’s new special!

Adopt a dog or cat from VOSPCA and receive a certificate for $2 off a custom Pet ID tag at our veterinary clinic.

Regular price is $9 per tag

PET OF THE MONTH

In the follow-up survey (after providing personalized ID tags), 73 percent reported that their pet continued to wear the ID tag.

That is, once the tag was on, most owners were keeping it on their pet.

Of newly adopted pets, 89 percent had the ID tag on at the six-week followup call. In the six-week period after initial tagging, 10 pets were recovered because of their personalized tag.

Phase I results suggest that the public understands the importance of ID tagging and simply needs easy access to a personalized tag and a collar. The results also show that when the tags are on the pet, they mostly remain on the animal.

Valley Oak SPCA Low-Cost Spay and Neuter Clinic 9405 W. Goshen Avenue, Visalia 93291 For clinic information and appointments, call (559) 741-1121 or (559) 741-0492

Meet Luther: A shelter is no place for a handsome gentleman like Luther to enjoy his golden years. Luther is well-mannered & has a lot of life & love to give. If Luther will have doggie roommates, let's do a meet & greet to ensure it's a fabulous match!

Can Luther be your valentine?

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COLLEGE PREP TEXT BY MISSY YAVASILE, INDEPENDENT COLLEGE CONSULTANT, SOAR COLLEGE PLANNING AND CONSULTING

College Bound?

Have You Filed The FAFSA?

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"

hat is the income cutoff when I do not need to file the FAFSA" (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)? This is a question I am frequently asked by families I work with, and unfortunately, there is not a cut-and-dry answer. There is sometimes a debate about who should file the FAFSA when applying to college. Some independent advisors do not recommend that everyone files a FAFSA. Then there are those of us who believe that most everyone should file the FAFSA regardless of income level.

So let's discuss the reasons why even families who are "well off" financially should file the FAFSA. It is true that many students do not fill out the FAFSA because they do not believe they will qualify for need-based aid. However, what they fail to recognize is that most families are entitled to some type of aid. The FAFSA is required for any student who wants to be eligible for Direct Loans from the Federal Government. I am a believer that students should have a little "skin in the game" and that student loans are not a bad thing, even if the family can afford to write a check for college! But if a student does not submit the FAFSA, they are not eligible for these loans.

In addition, the private schools are very generous with financial aid and even wealthy families can sometimes be eligible for financial aid at the more expensive colleges. Some colleges even require the FAFSA in order to award students with merit aid (merit aid is based on the merit of the student, NOT on the family income and assets). Some of the more generous private colleges may give need-based financial aid to families making more than $200,000 per year!

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There are some other less obvious reasons to file the FAFSA. Financial situations may change from one year to the next. So just because you do not get need-based aid one year does not mean you will not get it the next year. If your situation changes (illness, lost job, etc) you can always appeal if you filed the FAFSA. Did you know that the amount you are expected to pay for college can drop by 50% when you have two students in college? And it can drop even more if you have 3 in college. And yes, you can count students when they are in graduate school! This is another reason why all students should file the FAFSA.

It is not too late for seniors to file.

Although need-based aid is distributed on a first-come-first-served basis, the deadline in California is not until March 2nd. Although there are some exceptions, for the most part, we recommend that everyone file the FAFSA. Many parents underestimate their eligibility for need-based aid.

According to Edvisors www.edvisors. com) ..." unless the parents earn more than $350,000 a year, have more than $1 million in reportable net assets, have only one child in college and that child is enrolled at a public college, they should still file the FAFSA.... regardless of their income and assets."

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CROSSWORD DOWN

1 Cryptogamic plant 2 Stare 3 Delaying 4 Certain dogs 5 Variety of pear 6 Bound 7 Container 8 Poker stake 9 Pepper-picker Peter 10 More spacious 11 Deficiency in feeling 12 Aspect 13 Direction 19 Warned 21 Loafer 24 Dodging 26 Young sty dweller 27 Part of TNT 29 Biblical high priest 31 Blazing 32 Absolute 34 Kind of fishing 39 Monkey 40 Vales 43 Kind of computer 46 Coal-mining area of Poland 49 Journey 52 Come up 54 River in France

Taking Time

55 ___ Ifni, NW African port 56 Soon 57 Cease

ACROSS

28 Always

51 Turkish titles

1 Swabs

30 Isaac’s son

53 Decorative grating

5 Eastern church title

33 Made a derisive sound

9 Kind of number

35 Height: abbr.

55 Ironic or ridiculing compositions

14 Monster

36 Cleft

58 Acquiesces

15 Time of day 16 Ancient Minor

region

of

Asia

41 ‘‘Tat’’ reply

65 Above

18 Sets side by side

42 Dry

66 Egyptian goddess

20 Distinct part

44 Above: prefix 45 Want

67 Hearth

22 Basic material 23 Lessen

47 Nickname for Antoinette

26 Tangle

60 Impudence 62 Hedera helix CALORIE COUNTING - JAN. ISSUE

37 Baseball Hall of Fame 61 Ability to instigate activity member, elected 1951 63 Antitoxins 38 Prepared 64 Titles of respect: Sp.

17 Narrow opening

25 Emerald Isle

59 See 49 Down

48 Confined in a small space

68 Late war correspondent Ernie ___ 69 Uraeuses

50 Word with wort or wurst

LOOK FOR YOUR ANSWERS IN THE NEXT ISSUE

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C U LT U R E , C O M M E R C E A N D C O M M U N I T Y I N V I S A L I A A N D T U L A R E — T H E H E A R T O F T H E S O U T H VA L L E Y

GOINGS-ON Visalia’s Annual Chinese New Year Fair: Year of the Dog Sponsored by the Center for Integrated Medicine and the Asian Cultural Society. Some of the activities at this year’s program include the Lion Dance, Chopsticks Picking Up Beans Contest, Trays of Unity – Auspicious Foods for Blessings, Box of Confucius, Chinese Wishing Trees, Interactive Traditional Chinese Medicine Booth, Children’s Booth: Paint a Kite/Lantern Making, Chinese horoscope calendar, Tea Tasting, Tricky Tray Auction, food vendors, Dog Photo Booth, Dragon Parade (if time permits), Chinese calligraphy, and more!

When: Feb. 17, noon–4 p.m.

Where: Center for Integrated Medicine, 816 W. Oak Ave., Visalia Contact: Center for Integrated Medicine, (559) 625-4246 Super Bowl Sprint Join us during the sixth annual Super Bowl Sprint, a 5K for runners and a 2-mile race for walkers. All proceeds will go toward the bathroom renovation for Creative Center clients!

When: Feb. 4, 7:45–8:45 a.m.

Where: Mooney Grove Park, 27000 S. Mooney Blvd., Visalia Contact: The Creative Center, (559) 733-9329

Moscow Festival Ballet presents ‘Cinderella’ Turnaround Artists presents Moscow Festival Ballet’s “Cinderella,” where a fairy godmother, an evil stepmother, a charming prince and two wicked stepsisters all come to life on stage.

When: Feb. 4, 1 p.m.

Where: Visalia Fox Theatre, 308 W. Main St., Visalia Contact: (559) 625-1369 Mardi Gras Pub Crawl Celebrate Mardi Gras season with Downtown Visalia's best selection of brews!

Dress up in your Mardi Gras style and bring your friends because you won't want to miss this night of celebration and fun!

When: Feb. 6, 5–8 p.m.

Where: Downtown Visalia check-in booth, 308 W. Main St., Visalia Contact: www.facebook.com/ dowtownvisalia SpringFest Home & Patio Show The SpringFest Home & Patio Show is coming back to Visalia. This show brings more than 350 displays to help you decorate and beautify your home. You'll find the latest home decor trends for interior and exterior projects as well as things for the kids! Free parking.

Admission: $8, Senior (65+) $6, Children under 12 free.

When: Feb. 9, 11a.m.-6p.m.; Feb. 10, 10a.m-7p.m.; Feb. 11, 10a.m.–5p.m.

Where: Visalia Convention Center, 303 E. Acequia Ave., Visalia Contact: www.visaliahomeshows.com, Visalia Convention Center, (559) 713-4000

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‘Charlotte’s Web’ Directed by Chris Lynn and Don Williams Come see this beloved classic come to life at the Enchanted Playhouse Theatre. Join Wilbur, the irresistible young pig who desperately wants to avoid the butcher; Fern, a girl who understands what animals say to each other; Templeton, the gluttonous rat who can occasionally be talked into a good deed, and the extraordinary spider Charlotte. Friday and Saturday shows are $7 before performance on the website or $8 at the door. Sunday matinee performances are $5.

When: Fridays Feb. 2, 9, & 16 at 7 p.m.; Saturdays Feb. 3, 10, 17 at 4 p.m.; Sundays Feb. 4 and 10 at 2 p.m Where: 307 E. Main St., Visalia Contact: www.enchantedplayhouse.org Movie Night: The Music of John Williams Our traditional film music concert turns attention to the best of the best: John Williams. His greatest music, new and old, will anchor what has become our most popular program. Tickets: $22-$45.

When: Feb. 10, Doors: 6:30 p.m.; Show: 7:30 p.m.

Where: Visalia Fox Theatre, 308 W. Main St., Visalia Contact: (559) 625-1369 Galentine’s Brunch Galentine’s is the best way to celebrate friendship with your gal pals. Sweet treats, a delicious brunch, confetti and great girlfriends. Grab your ladies and come out to our Galentine’s Brunch! A three-course brunch, cute gifts, raffles and all things fancy will make this Galentine’s the best one yet! Cost: $15.

Ages: Women 50 years +.

When: Feb. 13, 9:30–11:30 a.m.

Where: Visalia Senior Center Activity Room, 310 N. Locust St., Visalia Contact: Visalia Parks & Recreation, (559) 713-4365, recreation@visalia.city www.liveandplayvisalia.com

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World Ag Expo Come out to World Ag Expo to experience the marketplace and a celebration of all things related to Ag. $15 at the gate, Children 6 and under free.

When: Tuesday & Wednesday, Feb. 13-14, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.;Thursday, Feb. 15, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Where: International Agri-Center, 4500 S. Laspina St., Tulare Contact: (559) 688-1030 Cupid’s Arrow Join locals at the Manuel F. Hernandez Community Center for a special event night! Cupid's Arrow offers a great place and safe environment to celebrate on Valentine's Day. When: Feb. 14, 4–6:30 p.m.

Where: Manuel F. Hernandez Community Center, 247 W. Ferguson Ave., Visalia Contact: Manuel F. Hernandez Community Center, (559) 713-4374

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, founded in 2004, is the musical project of American indie rock musician Alec Ounsworth, based in Philadelphia and Brooklyn. Tickets: $12. 21+ When: Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m.

Where: The Cellar Door, 101 W. Main St., Visalia Contact: (559) 636-9463, www.cellardoor101.com/ Newsboys United Tour Come to the Visalia Convention Center to experience the reunion of the contemporary Christian band, the Newsboys.

Tickets start at $27.

When: Feb. 18, 7–10 p.m.

Where: Visalia Convention Center, 303 E. Acequia Ave., Visalia Contact: (559) 713-4040

CHOICES presents ‘Pretty In Pink’ “Pretty in Pink” is about an outcast girl who is asked out by one of the rich and popular kids and she realizes that dating someone from a different social sphere is not easy. Tickets: $5 When: Feb. 15, 6:30 p.m.

Where: Visalia Fox Theatre, 300 W. Main St., Visalia Contact: (559) 625-1369 Enchanted Fairy Garden Dads and other father figures are invited to escort the little ladies in their life ages 4-16 to our “Enchanted Fairy Garden,” where they will enjoy a night of music, dancing and refreshments. Tickets available at the Anthony Community Center, 345 N. Jacob St., Visalia; $50 couple, $25 per additional guest.

When: Feb 16-17, 6-9 p.m., photo booth opens at 5 p.m.

Where: Visalia Convention Center Exhibit Hall, 303 E. Acequia Ave., Visalia Metalachi Come down to the Fox Theatre to enjoy the music of Metalachi. Tickets: $23.

When: Feb, 17, 8 p.m.

Where: Visalia Fox Theatre, 308 W. Main St., Visalia Contact: (559) 625-1369

es! o r e all H

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g n i l l a C

If you would like to have your event considered for a free listing in our “Goings-On” section, please email your submission to direct@dmiagency.com. Please note, we do not guarantee listing of any submission. Submissions must be received six (6) weeks before publication.

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WARREN REPORTS TEXT BY WARREN GUBLER, VISALIA MAYOR

STAY TUNED

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ast month, I wrote about the 2017 business and retail developments in Visalia. I ran out of space to describe the many new projects that are coming to Visalia in 2018.

INDUSTRIAL PARK: A new 6,000-square-foot location for Comfort Now Air Conditioning and a 6,600-square-foot expansion for Remedy Medical off of Shirk Street.

There is a 7,284-square-foot warehouse user off N. Gateway Street and a new grain hopper trailer manufacturer in a new 4,000-square-foot building near Kelsey Drive off Doe Avenue. Smith Promotions, a local screen printing/ embroidery shop and full-service manufacturer of promotional materials, is expanding into a new 10,000-squarefoot facility. Two new 16,000-squarefoot shell buildings are proposed along Goshen Avenue behind Able Industries, and Breck's Electric Motors will be moving to a new 8,85- square-foot site off Grove Court. A new 125,000-squarefoot industrial building is being proposed at the northwest corner of Neely Street at the future intersection with Hurley Avenue Pacific Dry Ice is proposing to occupy 7249 W. Goshen Ave. and is in the process of acquiring building permits. Huckleberry's Restaurant, a Southern- themed breakfast and lunch restaurant, is considering a location in the Plaza Business Park. Local ag tech company Valley Ag Software (VAS) will be moving to a new 31,000-square-foot office in The Square at Plaza Drive. We hope to attract and grow tech companies like VAS in that area.

HISTORIC DOWNTOWN: Downtown may be seeing more residential space as residential is being proposed above Javi's Taco Shack. A skywalk is being proposed to connect the third floor of the West Acequia Street parking garage to the building at 215 W. Main

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St. The project proposes new office and residential development in the upper floors. Visalia Emergency Aid is adding additional warehousing and office space to its N.E. Third Avenue location.

A new grocery/meat market has been proposed behind the very popular Pho and Seafood Restaurant by the Lincoln Oval, in an existing building. Doc's Drive-In is continuing the process to relocate to the southwest corner of Main and Willis streets.

MOONEY BOULEVARD: A new Jiffy Lube is being proposed just behind the Lowe’s at Mooney Boulevard and Cameron Avenue. A bridge over Packwood Creek onto Cameron is being proposed in the Sequoia Plaza Shopping Center (Walmart). This will improve traffic circulation in and out of that center.

Family HealthCare Network is proposing a new full-service medical clinic in the former Dollar Tree location near Beech Street and Mooney. The 17,000-squarefoot facility will include full medical and dental services. The Orosco Group has demolished the old Weatherby's site on the southeast corner of Walnut Avenue and Mooney, with new retail/food tenants expected to land there.

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS: The storm basin located in the Riverway Sports Park has been filled with dirt and in 2018, the final phase of Riverway Sports Park will begin with the construction of four new lighted softball fields with corresponding concession stands, restroom facilities, parking and an additional picnic structure. The Walmart expansion at Noble Avenue near Ben Maddox Way is underway once again, after some delay caused by litigation. The expansion includes additional grocery sales, an outdoor garden center- and a fast-food

tenant. There is a new drive-in concept proposed that will allow shoppers to call ahead to pick up pre-made grocery orders. Customers will get into a vehicle queue, enter a pass code, pull to a loading station, where Walmart employees will cart the orders out to the customers' vehicles and allow customers the ability to inspect the fresh items before completing the transaction. A mini-market and gas station is being proposed at the southeast corner of Visalia Parkway and Demaree Road, located west of proposed multi-family and single-family housing. A pharmacy is proposed at 1400 E. Noble adjacent to Wienerschnitzel. The Sequoia Surgery Center on Akers Road near 198 is expanding by 18,860 square feet. A new 11,890-square-foot office building is being proposed at the southeast corner of Akers and Noble.

Visalia will be first in the nation to execute an agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation for the community flexibility pilot program, which was first authorized by Congress in 2004. Visalia will be receiving $3,703,368 in federal funds pursuant to a DOT grant agreement, which monies will fund a hangar development project at the Visalia Municipal Airport. These new hangars in turn will result in an estimated $131,000 in new airport revenue annually at build-out and full tenancy. A number of multi-family development projects are being proposed along Visalia Parkway, east of Demaree; at the northeast corner of Akers and Riggin Avenue, and at the southeast corner of Lovers Lane and Walnut Avenue.

I thank Visalia's economic development director, Devon Jones, for providing much of this information I've just shared with you. We're always looking for new businesses to move to or develop in Visalia, and we believe that our area is the future of California.

If you have questions or topics regarding the city that you would like to have addressed in future articles, please email me at warren.gubler@ visalia.city. For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.

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