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Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: Youth Activities

Summer Youth Activities

Jerry Brown speaks to over 1,000 at the Labor Day event at the Santa Ana Zoo

Posted on by Posted in Democratic Party, Elections, Jose Solorio, Labor, Latinos, Loretta Sanchez, Miguel Pulido, Orange County, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, Vince Sarmiento, Youth Activities Leave a comment

Over 1,000 union supporters and their families showed up today at the Santa Ana Zoo for the Annual Labor Day celebration, which included free hot dogs, chips and soda, as well as snow cones (raspados) and cotton candy for the kids.  There were also several games for the kids and an inflatable jumper.

The event featured numerous politicians and candidates including Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown, who gave a fiery speech that merited several ovations.  There were also numerous local elected officials, including Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido and Santa Ana Council Members Michele Martinez, Sal Tinajero and Vincent Sarmiento.

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez also spoke passionately, primarily about health care reform, and she introduced several congressional candidates including Beth Krom, who is running against an inept Republican incumbent, John Campbell.

Assemblyman Jose Solorio also took the podium, where he introduced numerous Assembly candidates, including Melissa Fox, who is running in the 70th A.D., where she is trying to defeat the uber-conservative Don Wagner; and Phu Nguyen, who is trying to defeat Mexican-basher Alan Mansoor in the 68th A.D.  Solorio also gave out free “Solorio-Brown” t-shirts which were a real hit.

Then the man of the hour, Brown, was scintillating as he said, several times, that he isn’t going to Sacramento to play politics but rather to be everyone’s Governor and to do what he can to fix our state’s budget problems.

Free screening of “Brother Bear,” at the Old O.C. Courthouse on Sep. 4

Posted on by Posted in Entertainment, Movies, Orange County, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

Our state flag has a bear on it, but we don’t see bears in Orange County much anymore.  However, on August 7, the Old Orange County Courthouse, in conjunction with Downtown, Inc., is presenting the second of three films about, you guessed it, bears, as part of their 2010 Summer Family Film Series.

On August 7, you will be able to enjoy “Hey There, it’s Yogi Bear,” at 2 pm and 8 pm. And on Sep. 4, they will screen Disney’s “Brother Bear.”

The Old Orange County Courthouse is located at 211 W. Santa Ana Blvd., in Santa Ana.  You can call  (714)973-6605 or (714)973-6607 for more information.

The Old O.C. Courthouse started their focus on the California Grizzly on June 11, with an exhibi called “Bear In Mind: The Story of the California Grizzly.  That event included a lecture by Susan Snyder, author of the book Bear In Mind: The California Grizzly.

Reconnect Nature writing workshops in Santa Ana on Sep. 3 and 4

Posted on by Posted in Education, Entertainment, Literature, Nature, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

Reconnect Nature, the nature writing workshops, will take place in three specific areas of Santa Ana:

  • 4-6pm Friday, Sept. 3
    – downtown in Sasser Park (Santa Blvd. & Ross St.)
    – with an uban nature walk through the courthouse lawn
  • 5-8pm Saturday, Sept. 4
    – in the Santiago Park Nature Ampetheater (Memory Ln. & Main St.)
    – with an indegious Nature ceremony & sunset viewing
  • 3-5pm Sunday, Sept. 5
    – near Portola Park (Grand & Santa Clara)
    – exploring the past present and future of our natural surroundings.

All ages are welcome, everyone is encouraged to attend all workshops or just one! Snacks and writing supplies will be provided.

If you need assistance with transportation please contact the project Reconnect Nature via email: reconnectnatureblog@gmail.com or call 714-881-2684.

Help fund the extreme kitchen makeover at High School Inc., on Sep. 10

Posted on by Posted in Anaheim, Business, Charities, Civic Affairs, Education, Entertainment, Restaurants, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Youth Activities Leave a comment

PRESS RELEASE

Contact Person: Sharon Gomez, Program Director
Office: (714) 541-5353 x118 / Cell: (714) 981-1796 Sgomez@SantaAnaChamber.com

Extreme Kitchen Makeover, High School Inc.

Culinary delicacies of Spain, a Tapas Party is being held on Friday, September 10, 2010, at 6:00 p.m., Hilton Anaheim, for the High School Inc., Culinary Arts & Hospitality Program.

This is a first-time fund-raiser for the outdated kitchen at Santa Ana Valley High School. 10th – 12th grade students are being trained to enter into the workforce to start a career in the food and customer service jobs for Southern California.

The Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce workforce development program, High School Inc., works with Santa Ana Valley High School students. The school was adopted to become the education to work & college training program.

Three years ago several industries were identified as future high employment needs to sustain the economy and the 2,400 students are a vast group to tap.

The High School Inc. Program has interested students, but the school has a great need to upgrade the kitchen that was originally designed for homemakers of the 1950’s. “Back in the day” when the school was built, during the era of U.S. President Harry S. Truman, the kitchen was for the Home Economics class, however, modern times, the 21st century demands for training with industrial culinary equipment and facilities.

Restaurateurs, executive chefs, and business owners have seen the kitchen and students, they lent their support for the Extreme Kitchen Makeover. The fund-raiser seeks support and below are some event sponsors:

  • Executive Chef Fred Mensinga, Hilton Anaheim
  • Natalie Vishny, Swellegant Consultant
  • Terranea – L.A.’s Oceanfront Resort
  • Janet Murray CommAlliance Telecommunication Systems, Owner
  • Sharon’s & Sons, Sharon Barlow, Owner
  • ALLSTATE, Andres Batta, Financial Services
  • Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce, Dale Ward

The public is welcome to attend the Tapas party at $40 per person or to provide contributions. For more information click here.

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Free Fall Festival at Santa Ana’s Church of the Foothills

Posted on by Posted in Churches and Religion, Entertainment, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

Church of the Foothills Invites the Community to Attend A Free Fall Festival!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Santa Ana, California (August 30, 2010) – As part of welcoming their congregation back from summer, Church of the Foothills is hosting a free Fall Festival, and inviting the community to attend. The Festival will be on Sunday September 12th, from 11AM-2PM, and will feature a petting zoo, pony rides, BBQ, magician, dunk tank, and lots of fun games for the whole family.

The entire event is free, with plenty of terrific entertainment. As Pastor Mike Holland, voted Best Political Pastor by readers of the OC Weekly, notes, “The entire community has been such a good neighbor to our church, and we hope to return the favor by celebrating the arrival of fall with our friends and neighbors.”

Church of the Foothills is located at 19211 Dodge Avenue at Newport, in Santa Ana, CA 92705. For more information, please call 714.544.1319.

ABOUT CHURCH OF THE FOOTHILLS

Church of the Foothills (ChOTF) has been “Open and Affirming” of the LGBT community for many years, and offers monthly LGBT fellowships, with a variety of exciting events planned. Additionally, Church of the Foothills was profiled in the Orange County Register for performing one of the first legal same-gender church weddings in Orange County and provides ceremony
services for committed couples.

A dynamic and progressive church affiliated with both the United Church of Christ and the Disciples of Christ, ChOTF offers a variety of opportunities for mission, service and fellowship, with Sunday worship beginning at 9:00 AM.

For more information on Church of the Foothills, please contact them via phone 714.544.1319 or online at www.chotf.org.

Church of the Foothills is located at 19211 Dodge Avenue at Newport, in Santa Ana, CA 92705. Phone: 714.544.1319.

Contact: Kergan Edwards-Stout, 714.552.2348, chotfona@gmail.com.

Santa Ana resident James Lynn invents a new board game called Spingali

Posted on by Posted in Business, Santa Ana, Youth Activities 3 Comments

James Lynn, a native of Santa Ana, spent 23 years cleaning carpets, after graduting from Santa Ana High School and from Orange Coast College with a degree in Marketing/Advertising.  Now Lynn is ready to clean up in the world of board games, after inventing a fun new game called Spingali.

I had a chance to observe several kids playing Spingali at yesterday’s Park Santiago Summer Concert.  It is a fun game that is reminiscent of Chinese Checkers, with a cosmic twist.

Lynn came across the idea for Spingali one winter night when his newborn son let everyone know he was ready for his nightly feeding. Unable to go back to sleep, Lynn stared at the ceiling fan that hung above the bed. That’s when he suddenly visualized a unique new spinning board game that would turn like the ceiling fan as you played. He quickly jumped out of bed and started to sketch the game that he had envisioned. The first reaction of the new game idea came from his wife who said, “Go back to sleep!”

The next morning, Lynn quickly decided that this new game would be called SPINGALI – THE RACE THROUGH SPACE GAME. It would have all of the elements needed to make this a really fun game.

SPINGALI is a unique board game that has it all. Its a game of chance, a game of luck, a game of challenge, a strategy game, a family game, a game for kids, a game for teens, a game that is never the same, and a game that is truly a fair game for everyone no matter how many times someone has played it.

In 1998, Lynn started JAMES GAMES, INC.  The early version of Spingali was completed during the millennium year 2000, but the real millennium starts on 1/1/2001. Wanting this to be the first game sold in the “real” millennium, James flew to England, stood next to the meridian line at the gate of the Royal  Observatory in Greenwich England and sold the first Spingali game. Making Spingali the first game of the new millennium. Since the meridian line goes around the globe, Lynn found a representative for JAMES GAMES, INC. – his cousin living in New Zealand (which is the first time zone on the opposite side of the globe). He also sold Spingali seconds after midnight, truly making Spingali the newest game sold on both sides of the world in the new millennium.

Lynn is planning to self-manufacture and sell this Collector’s Series that will be made out of 100% recycled wood and personally be hand-built, hand-painted, signed and numbered with a Certificate of Authenticity.

Click here to find out where you can buy Spingali.

First Park Santiago Summer Concert a huge success!

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, music, Neighborhood Associations, Santa Ana, Youth Activities 1 Comment

My wife and I stopped by the first Park Santiago Annual Summertime Concert, on Saturday evening, and found it was a huge success.

The baseball field was packed with booths and residents having fun. There were a lot of local companies there, as well as organizations, including Naturalist for You, the Santiago Park Neighborhood Association, the Road Less Traveled and Mother’s Market.

There were hula hoop contests, face painting, food, and all sorts of fun products at the booths. 

The band “Hey, Where’s my Bike,” played a bunch of great cover songs, and a lot of folks danced the night away in front of the stage.

Park Santiago resident Casey DePersis was the driving force behind this great event.  She deserves a lot of credit for pulling it off!

Park Santiago’s First Annual Summertime Concert set for this Saturday

Posted on by Posted in Charities, Civic Affairs, Entertainment, Family, music, Neighborhood Associations, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment



Hey! That’s My Bike! | MySpace Music Videos

Park Santiago’s First Annual Summertime Concert!

 Park Santiago’s 1st Annual Summertime Concert in the Park, benefiting Grandma’s House of Hope in Orange County, is coming up this Saturday, on August 28, from 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm, at the Park Santiago Baseball Diamond/Field, which is located at the north end of Santiago Street, where it terminates.  If you go north on Santiago, from Santa Clara or Edgewood, you will see the field on your left, before you get to the foot bridge at the end of the street.

Admission is free!!  Bring food to donate to Grandma’s House of Hope and receive a great big hug and a surprise! Food suggestions to be donated: Case of Ramen or Cup of Noodles, Peanut Butter or Jelly in Plastic Jars, Healthy Dry Cereal in any size or Any Non Perishable Proteins (Donation Barrels Available at the Event).

Featuring The Classic Rock Sounds of Orange County’s Favorite Band, Hey! That’s my Bike! ( myspace.com/bikeband).  Bring your Picnic Dinners!!!

Nibbles & Beverages provided by Mother’s Market of Santa Ana, Boy Scout Troop #28, and Girl Scout Troop #2123.  Face Painting by Victor in the “Dia de Los Muertos” style.  Hula Hooping by Caroline.  50/50 Raffle.  The Road Less Traveled, Earthroots Field School, Heavenly Hostess in Orange, Bowers Kidseum and many other exciting local vendors will be here to play with kids young and old alike!

Click here to RSVP on Facebook.

Mothers of Floral Park announce cancellation of their Summer Carnival

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Entertainment, Neighborhood Associations, Santa Ana, Women, Youth Activities Leave a comment

The Mothers of Floral Park asked me to let our readers know that they have had to cancel their Summer Carnival, which was planned for this Saturday, August 28, at Fisher Park.

The good news is that there are several other events going on this Saturday, here in Santa Ana, and in our nearby cities, including:

 Whatever you end up doing this weekend, have a great time!  Best of luck to the Mothers of Floral Park on their future events this year.

3rd Annual Townsend Raitt Community Fiesta and Resource Fair set for this Saturday

Posted on by Posted in Charities, Civic Affairs, Entertainment, Santa Ana, Working Families, Youth Activities Leave a comment

The 3rd Annual Townsend Raitt Community Fiesta and Resource Fair will take place on Saturday, August 28, 2010 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on the 700 – 900 block of S. Townsend Street.

“Celebrating a Healthy and Strong Community” is the event theme and community resource providers have embraced and will incorporate the message through their informational booths, and nutrition and physical fitness activities.

Other event highlights include cultural entertainment, food, fun and prizes for youth. The Townsend Raitt Task Force – a collaboration of SAPD, Orange County Probation, municipal agencies, residents, Bella Vista neighborhood association, SAUSD, property owners, faith- and community-based organizations – has been involved in planning this year’s event which will draw approximately 1,600 attendees.

For more information or if you are interested in donating toward the event, please contact Ava Steaffens, President/CEO of KidWorks, at ava@kidworksonline.org or (714) 834-9400. Refer to the attached FLYER for additional information.

School fitness program cuts crime, improves scores

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Education, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

A little exercise and sweat, it seems, pay dividends far beyond physical fitness.

Just ask Tom Serafin with the Santa Ana Police Athletic and Activities League and Jackson Elementary School principal Sela Longacre.

For the past two years more than 1,100 Jackson students have run, sweated and grunted their way to healthier bodies. Next month the school and the league will be recognized in a ceremony in Sacramento as one of the top performing participants in the governor’s fitness challenge.

Jackson students improved from a 23 percent fitness pass rate to a 96.3 percent fitness pass rate in just two years. The program included exercise stations, pushups, sit ups and running.

For their hard work and sore muscles they will receive $100,000 in exercise equipment that will be used to fill a fitness center at the school. But the program has paid unexpected dividends and may have even improved math and reading scores at the school.

“Scores in English learning arts and mathematics improved,” said Longacre, principal at Jackson for the past 10 years. “There is no direct correlation between the fitness program and the scores, but educators know that exercise improves learning.”

The exercise program during the lunch period three days a week also helped mellow out the kids.

“(The need for) Discipline on Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the lunch hour were way down,” she said. “That also was totally unexpected.”

Longacre said the fitness program has altered the mindset of kids, parents and teachers alike.

“This really has changed the culture of the school,” she explained. “We really didn’t know what to expect.”

For Santa Ana PD Officer Tom Serafin, the work at the school and the fitness center at 2627 McFadden has done more to help save at-risk kids from lives of crime than anything he has seen in nearly 30 years of police work.

“This (the fitness programs) is having a huge impact on the lives we touch here,” said Serafin who worked in gang homicide and fraud departments.

Kids are given awards and T-shirts for achieving milestones. But the benefit is spilling over to family and teachers as well who are exercising on their own and becoming fitter.

Even Officer Tom has benefited. “I was somewhat fit but participating in the kids programs is getting me even fitter.”

The center also works with 50 at risk kids during the summer when school is not in session.

The award-winning fitness program is funded by the California Gang Reduction Intervention and Prevention Program (CalGRIP), which has helped boost other anti-gang efforts in Santa Ana.

It recently paid for 10 CHP officers to work with Santa Ana’s Police Department’s Gang Suppression Street Terrorism Offender Program to make life miserable for local gangs and neighborhoods safer for residents.

Santa Ana was the first city in Orange County to receive CHP support to suppress gang activity through the CalGRIP through a $6.9 million grant to support local law enforcement.

Barrio Writers 2nd Annual live Reading Festival set for this Saturday, Aug. 28

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Entertainment, Latinos, Literature, Santa Ana, Youth Activities 2 Comments

Don’t miss the 2nd Annual Barrio Writers Live Reading Festival, which is coming up this Saturday, August 28, from 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm., at the Santa Ana Public Library, located at 26 Civic Center Plaza.

Barrio Writers has grown in the last year, in Summer 2010 they branched out to additional locations.  They hosted their 10-week program at El Centro Cultural de Mexico and the Santa Ana Public Library.  They also ran 1-week intensive programs at Newhope Library and the East Street Community Renewal Initiative (ESCRI) in Anaheim.

Their 2nd Annual Barrio Writers Live Reading Festival will unite all writers to present their words to our community.  They share their stories with great pride, it is up to us to listen to them. The 2nd Edition Barrio Writers book will include their works, it will be released Spring 2011.

Feel free to invite your friends and families to the event this Saturday.  Your presence will continue to help us empower our youth, new writers and young leaders of our communities.

Special Thanks to the Barrio Writers’ sponsors & guest writers: Calacas on 4th, Mydesign2print, Garden Grove Channel 3, OC Childrens Book Festival, Young Authors Fair, Poets & Writers, Ollin, Sol Art, OC Dream Team, Alan Woo, Karen Cordova, Gustavo Arellano, David Bueno-Hill, Sandra Lopez, Juan Farias, & Richard T. Rodriguez!

Solorio’s bill to curtail the high price of college textbooks goes to Governor

Posted on by Posted in Anaheim, california, Education, Jose Solorio, Literature, Santa Ana, Working Families, Youth Activities 2 Comments

FILE: Students show Assemblyman Solorio their college bookstore receipts as proof that textbooks are too expensive.

For Immediate Release: August 20, 2010
For More Information Contact: Carol Chamberlain – Office: (916) 319-2069, Cell: (916) 804-5355

Solorio Bill to Curtail the High Price of Community College Textbooks Goes to Governor

College Students Urged to Call the Governor’s Office

SACRAMENTO, CA – AB 2203, authored by Assemblyman Jose Solorio (D-Anaheim), received overwhelming bipartisan support in the California Legislature this week, and is now on its way to the Governor. For the approximately three million, cash-strapped community college students in California, that’s good news, as textbook cost relief may be on the way.

AB 2203 requires the California State University (CSU), and requests the University of California Regents (UC) to review their transfer policies to ensure that textbooks selected at the community college level can be used for as long as the information contained is current.

“Textbooks that may cost $100 at the beginning of the semester are sometimes worth very little by the end of the semester because a book turns six-years old,” Assemblyman Solorio says. “As textbook prices continue to skyrocket, students need all the help they can get. This legislation will extend the value of a textbook, and therefore extend a student’s opportunity to sell it at a good price or trade it in.”

Assemblyman Solorio is encouraging community college students and their parents to call the Governor at 916-445-2841, or email him at www.gov.ca.gov/interact and ask him to sign AB 2203.

“I am encouraged by the rapid progress of digital textbooks and the many online options becoming available to buy new and used books,” Solorio says. “But this legislation will help students now. I hope the Governor sees the urgency in this measure and signs it into law.”

Assemblyman Solorio has a record of accomplishment as an advocate for reducing the rising costs of textbooks. In 2007, he authored the College Textbook Transparency Act. The law requires publishers, college bookstores and professors to disclose more cost information to students and keep book affordability in mind.

State Assemblyman Jose Solorio is the Chair of the Assembly Insurance Committee and serves on the Assembly Appropriations, Local Government and Transportation Committees. He represents the Sixty-Ninth Assembly District, which includes the cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove, and Santa Ana. For more information about Assemblyman Solorio, visit www.assembly.ca.gov/solorio.
________________________________________
Capitol Office: State Capitol, P.O. Box 942849 • Sacramento, CA 94249-0069
Phone: (916) 319-2069 • Fax:(916) 319-2169
District Office: 2400 East Katella Avenue, Suite 640 • Anaheim, CA 92806
Phone: (714) 939-8469 • Fax:(714) 939-8986
E-Mail: Assemblymember.Solorio@assembly.ca.gov
Web Site: www.assembly.ca.gov/solorio

SAUSD response to 2010 STAR test results is pure spin

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Success is the Standard, except when it isn’t…

As I expected, SAUSD Superintendent Jane Russo is spinning the results of the latest STAR test results like a top. As I related in a recent post, we did show marginal improvement in several areas, but our overall scores are weak compared to other districts in the area. We don’t compare well to the school districts in Anaheim and Garden Grove. Click here to see those comparisons. Click here to see those comparisons.

Russo does admit, in the midst of her spin, that the “the schools are shy of the new 2010 target.”  Yes they are. In fact our overall results show we are below 50% proficiency in EVERY test category!  Boasting about results at some schools glosses over the cumulative results and is nothing more than hot air emanating from our Superintendent.

Here is Russo’s letter so you can see for yourself what she has to say about the STAR test results:

Click here to read the rest of this post.

My son James has joined the new Navy Junior ROTC program at Godinez High School!

Posted on by Posted in Education, Federal Government, Military, Santa Ana, Youth Activities 5 Comments

My son James, who is 14 years old, just joined the Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) at Godinez High School today!  I am so proud of him!

Click here to see the SAUSD’s NJROTC page on their website.

The NJROTC’s mission is to instill in students in United States secondary educational institutions the values of citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment.

Click here to read the rest of this post.