The Conejo Valley Guide "Welcome" blog covers a wide range of topics, local information, highlights of local things to do, compilations and other items. Focus is on information relevant to Ventura County and surrounding areas, including Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Newbury Park, Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Malibu, Simi Valley, Camarillo, Moorpark, Somis, Fillmore, Santa Paula, Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Barbara and Moorpark.
The Conejo Valley Guide® "Welcome" blog covers a wide range of topics, local information, local things to do, holiday event compilations, announcements and more.
Here is an uplifting video featuring a "Prank it Forward" at the Ascencia Shelter in Glendale. Director and prankster Greg Benson worked with his team to transform the shelter for one night into a fancy restaurant, complete with classical music and filet mignon, to the delight of 50 attendees. Learn more about Prank it Forward at sites.break.com/prank-it-fwd.
The Greater Contribution (TGC) is a Thousand Oaks based non-profit organization founded in 2006 by four women seeking to make a "greater contribution" to the world. It is an all-volunteer group that works to raise funds to fight poverty and raise awareness of the issues relating to poor people worldwide.
TGC provides "micro loans" ($50 to $300) to the world's poorest women and their families to enable them to create or expand a small business. In many of the poorest countries of the world, these businesses are the only way families can work their way out of poverty. Loans are repaid every 90-120 days and the money is loaned out over and over again, thus multiplying the number of people who can begin the journey out of poverty.
I spoke with Karon Wright, President, Executive Director and Co-Founder of TGC:
Micro loan borrower displays her new chicken coop!Who does TGC help? Those in the most impoverished nations of the world -- those struggling to live on less than the equivalent of $2/day. Our mission is to be a leader in the worldwide movement to eliminate extreme poverty by 2015.
How do you channel money to those in need and how does the money get repaid? The money is transmitted to a monitored bank account in East Africa. The loans are repaid every six months to the same account through our program director.
How else does TGC help these people? TGC and our local partner on the ground in Uganda, Women’s Microfinance Initiative, will send a group of student interns there this month, taking laptop computers and installing an internet café. We are making grant applications to obtain funding for a nurse to be available in this remote village several days a week to provide badly needed health care. TGC will soon be selling aprons, handbags and jewelry made by the women of Buyobo. The women borrowers have been able to save money for a foundation for a new school. The economy of the entire region has improved.
Another borrower with her pots.How many people do you help and where? We focus on the countries in greatest need – those in East Africa. Since inception, TGC has funded over 7,500 micro loans, benefiting over 39,000 people!
Why do you choose women entrepreneurs? We grant loans to women entrepreneurs because women are the hardest hit by poverty -- 70% of those living in dire poverty are women and because once a woman gets a micro loan and establishes a small business, her husband and children typically get involved. So, we are really loaning to the whole family.
How can people help? People can visit www.GreaterContribution.org to donate and to find other ways that they can help.
The Greater Contribution is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is the largest urban national park in the United States at over 150,000 acres, extending from the Hollywood Bowl on the east to Point Mugu at its western end; including the beaches of Santa Monica and Malibu as well as the canyons and peaks extending north to Simi Valley.
The Santa Monica Mountains Fund promotes and assists the park agencies of the Santa Monica Mountain National Recreation Area in accomplishing their missions. Together, they foster the protection and enjoyment of park resources by the public through education, research, improved facilities, citizen engagement and stewardship.
The Fund invests in projects to achieve the mission of the organization. Principal recipients are the park agencies that operate within the mountains. In addition, the Fund sponsors research projects, internships and provides stipends to augment the staffing resources available to successfully complete these projects.
"Balanced Rock" off of the Mishe Mokwa Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains in one of many scenes that leave visitors to the park in awe.
The Santa Monica Mountains Fund was established in 1988 to support the education and resource protection efforts of the National Park Service and California State Parks in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. It was formed by concerned citizens to represent the interests of the public in the development of parklands and recreation opportunities within the mountains.
To learn more about the Fund and to donate, visit www.samofund.org.
Just a few of my favorite Santa Monica Mountains adventures:
View from Sandstone Peak, the highest point in the Santa Monica Mountains, towards Newbury Park.
Cats and Dogs International, CANDi, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving the lives of stray cats and dogs through spay, neuter and adoption programs. Recently, CANDi funded chemotherapy for a cancer-stricken dog called Luna.
The Story of Luna from Nuvue Cinema on Vimeo.
Cancún is a world-renowned tourist destination which is lesser known for its vast stray dog population. In Mexico, many workers earn the equivalent of $4 per day and spay surgery is not feasible, costing up to several weeks worth of pay for the average worker. CANDi programs provide the resources necessary to address the stray animal issue in situations where local governments and animal groups are not in a position to help. Thousands of cats and dogs have been spayed and neutered annually as a result.
It was during a vacation in Cancún that photographer Tracey Buyce came face-to-face with the staggering stray dog issue. She knew she had to help and discovered CANDi’s founder, Galati, through an internet search. She was back in Cancún four months later, volunteering at one of CANDi’s twice-annual free spay/neuter clinics, and soon came on board as CANDi's official photographer.
Returning to Bonfil, Mexico with CANDi again in January 2013, Buyce spotted Luna, a neglected and skeletal dog. After gaining permission from her owner to give Luna up, she had her examined and diagnosed with starvation and cancer. Luna is currently undergoing treatment and chemotherapy under the care of Dr. Leon, and CANDi volunteers in Mexico.
Buyce made it her mission to find a loving home for the gentle dog and posted Luna’s story on Facebook. She received a response almost immediately from Jenny Witte, founder of Mamatoga, a parenting website and magazine in New York, wanting to adopt her. Buyce flew back to Mexico to bring Luna back for a homecoming with her new family in Saratoga Springs on March 18th. The touching result is shown in the following video.
Luna Part Deux from Nuvue Cinema on Vimeo.
Visit Luna's Facebook page here. See more of Tracey Buyce's work at www.traceybuyce.com.
About CANDi: CANDi’s mission is to save the lives of stray animals at international tourist destinations through advocacy, education and humane, sustainable population management programs supported and funded by the tourism industry, travelers and pet lovers. Founded in 2006, CANDi is the innovation of CEO and President Darci Galati, an animal lover with 20 years of experience working in the tourism industry. "CANDi’s programs are viable, long-term solutions to animal overpopulation in resort areas that can be copied and applied worldwide,” says Galati, whose organization is supported by the tourism industry, travelers and pet lovers. For more information about CANDi visit www.candiinternational.org.
Since 1991, Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) has helped low-and moderate-income women and men achieve self-sufficiency through self employment training, consulting, and access to capital. The following WEV services are available to women and men in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.
Business Plan Courses
WEV’s 14-week Self-Employment Training (SET) and six-week Business Plan Intensive (BPI) courses provide guidance on starting or expanding a business by teaching the skills to assess feasibility, avoid costly mistakes and create a well conceived business plan. Graduates benefit from a local network of fellow entrepreneurs, expert guest speakers and an instructor experienced in owning a small business.
SET courses in Ventura and Camarillo begin in February and September. The BPI course in Ventura begins in September. Attendance of a free, 1-hour orientation is required in order to enroll in WEV’s courses.
Business Loans
WEV’s Small Business Loan Fund provides loans up to $25,000 to start-up businesses and up to $50,000 for existing businesses. The Loan Fund was created to diversify and expand the local economy and create new jobs by providing capital to small businesses that do not quality for conventional bank financing. Applicants must have resided in Santa Barbara or Ventura County for over a year.
Specialized Long-Term Consulting
Thrive in Five® provides long-term, individualized training, consulting and coaching for entrepreneurs in business at least one year. Regular one-on-one meetings with a business specialist and quarterly roundtables with peers keep the business owner acc
Conrad N. Hilton, founder of Hilton Hotels, established the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation in 1944. Mr. Hilton bequeathed virtually his entire estate to the Foundation with a charge to relieve the suffering of disadvantaged and vulnerable people throughout the world. Following his father’s example, Barron Hilton has committed the bulk of his personal fortune to the Foundation as well. The Foundation has awarded over $1 billion in grants to date.
The Foundation identifies critical societal needs and supports strategic initiatives of providing safe water, ending chronic homelessness, preventing substance abuse, helping children affected by HIV/AIDS, helping youth transition out of foster care and supporting Catholic Sisters. The Foundation also focuses on program areas of confronting vision loss, overcoming multiple sclerosis, responding to natural disasters, nurturing Catholic schools and supporting hospitality education.
On October 29, 2012, the Foundation's Los Angeles offices will relocate to a new home in Agoura Hills, at 30440 Agoura Road, at the foot of Ladyface Mountain!
Architectect rendering of new Agoura Hills Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Campus
The initial office structure and maintenance building total 23,000 sq ft. Eventually there will be four buildings totaling over 90,000 sq ft, on 12 acres of the 70-acre site.
The new Foundation headquarters building meets LEED platinum standards. It has a unique chimney system that heats and cools the building naturally through a series of 17 chimneys and lets it flow into the building passively, without the assistance of fans. Warm air is cooled before flowing into the building and cold air is heated by rooftop solar-heated water, red
Note: The museum closed its Oxnard location on January 10, 2016 to focus on procuring a new location.
The Gull Wings Children's Museum, previously located at 418 W. Fourth Street in Downtown Oxnard, is the only museum in Ventura County geared solely towards kids. Gull Wings recently commissioned Camarillo artist Chuck Trunks to create art that reflects the education and creativity spawned by the interactive exhibits within the museum. Trunks presented this colorful piece that is now prominently displayed on the walls of the museum.
Chuck Trunks in Gull Wings Gift Shop (Photo Credit: Claudia Pardo)
If you've never taken your young kids to Gull Wings, do it! Gull Wings is a very low key, interactive place where within the span of an hour they can dress like firefighters, explore a space shuttle, play around in a car, build LEGOs, role play in a kitchen, touch sea stars, learn about the human body, see lizards and snakes and the list goes on. My sons brought a 1st grader friend last weekend and he had a BLAST! Learn more at www.gullwings.org.
Conejo Valley Guide covers events, activities and things to do throughout Ventura County and surrounding areas.
Conejo Valley Guide® covers thousands of events, activities and things to do throughout Ventura County, California and surrounding areas.
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