Meet Abby. She’s an independent, kind and funny 26-year-old who lives in Santa Cruz and loves hanging out with friends. Abby was born very prematurely and underwent a slew of surgeries as a baby, which left her with a phobia of doctors and hospitals. Abby’s not the kind of person who would allow physical limitations to stop her. Her desire to help others like her has led her to write a book that she plans to publish later this year. What do you want to do when you enter the workforce? Be a therapist for people with mental health issues. I have to be in school and it’s a long…
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Tips for Dads and Father Figures
I have many happy childhood memories of my dad playing the guitar and singing, instigating highly competitive family croquet tournaments (which my dad usually won), and teaching my siblings and me how to use tools then creating a “workshop” in the garage so we could experiment with wood scraps — just to name a few. Other childhood memories involve events that were stressful then but hold a special place in my heart now – like the time my dad convinced me to go on an amusement park ride with him and I ended up crying in terror every time the ride dipped and my stomach dropped. I buried my face…
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Coloring Contest Winners
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Coloring Contest
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SCPL Receives Grant for NewLaptops for STEAM Program
The Santa Cruz Public Libraries (SCPL) was awarded a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to purchase 21 new laptops for the “Afterschool STEAM” program at the La Selva Beach Branch Library. In this program, students ages 8-18 learn basic engineering principals while playing Minecraft. Afterschool STEAM takes place at the La Selva Beach Branch Library on Thursdays from 4:15pm-5:30pm. This program was supported by the IMLS under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), administered in California by the State Librarian. The LSTA is the only federal program exclusively for libraries. State libraries use the funds to support statewide initiatives and…
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Summer Reading Program Encourages Kids to Explore
By Amanda Rotella The theme at the Santa Cruz Public Libraries this summer is FIND YOUR VOICE! Our voices have power. We use our voices to share stories, express ourselves, and spark change. Our voices include not only the sounds we make, but the words we write, the art we create, the movements we perform, and the actions we take each day to impact our world. The Library Summer Reading Program encourages children to explore the world of books during their summer break. We want to foster a love for reading and learning, while preventing the summer slide—a phenomenon where students lose academic skills and knowledge over the summer months.…
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Exhausted in the Best Way
My granddaughter is exhausting. But I’m not complaining. When I am with her, I am all in. When she is hungry, I feed her, when she wants to climb up the stairs, I follow behind her ready to catch her if she falls. When she wants to open and close and open and close and open and close the cupboard doors, I sit patiently on the stool until something else catches her eye. The cat walks in, unaware that there is a strange and scary little being who is about to squeal with delight at her presence. She follows the frightened kitty into the bedroom, and I am right there…
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Editor’s Note
One of my main reasons for buying this magazine four years ago was to help me be a better parent. With all of the experts writing for us and all the input from families across the county, I figured I could get answers to all the questions I had about raising my now 7-year-old son. It turns out, however, I have far more questions than answers. I guess, like all families, I feel like I’m guessing about what to do and hoping I get it right. I’ve got challenges and questions and would love some feedback from you readers. Consider it a homework assignment and think about how much you…
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Pet Guide
Looking for the perfect place to pamper your pet? We’ve got you covered. Center for Animal Protection and Education (CAPE)Santa Cruz, CA & Grass [email protected] Center for Animal Protection and Education works to save the lives of individual animals who are older or have special needs and to educate people about ways in which they can change their own lives to alleviate animal suffering. Our concept of compassion extends to all beings. Compassion without Borders1130 Butler Ave, Santa [email protected] Without Borders was founded in 2001 by Christi and Moncho Camblor with the vision to provide a brighter future to animals in need on both sides of the border. CWOB works…
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How Are You Going to Celebrate Mom?
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Turning Nightmares into Bliss
This morning, Jaime McFaden’s 6-year-old daughter Sofia came into her room in tears after having a nightmare. Her dream – that her mom was taken onto a pirate ship and killed by pirates. “I think the greatest legacy that I can leave my daughter is that every moment of every day is a gift,” said Jaime, 37, who lives in Capitola. This is a conclusion that Jaime came to after her father died of alcoholism when she was just 18 years old.The death of her father caused a mindset shift in Jaime, after watching him be seemingly unable to control the decisions that made him sick in the first place.…
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Santa Cruz Riders Make Debut on National Stage
The horse-riding women of Santa Cruz’s White Rock Interscholastic Equestrian Association were shocked and ecstatic when they won a slot to compete in the biggest national riding competition in the country by one point. The team, which practices at the Monte Vista Christian’s equestrian facility in Watsonville, won the slot for a trip to North Carolina at a tightly contested regional competition in Paso Robles.Five of the team’s 11 women—all about 16—gathered enough points of the season to move onto the biggest competition. Three of the most seasoned equestrians: Paris Mahoney, Cavan Smith, and Meagan Mejia have honed their skills with IEA since middle school; while the other two riders…
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Drawing Guns in the Classroom?
What began as a simple weigh-in from Bay Area parents on whether kids should be allowed to draw guns with historical figures in schools, exploded into much larger topics on what is deemed inappropriate, policy consistency, societal dysfunction and personal expression in and outside of the classroom. There is no blanket law in the state of California on what is and what is not allowed to be drawn in schools, rather, it’s up to the discretion of the individual teacher. This is just a preliminary discussion on this topic, let’s keep it going… CONSISTENCY IN THE CLASSROOM“School districts are not given standards on what age can be drawing guns; there’s…
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Self-Care Is Essential
This year will be the first time in 23 years that I won’t spend Mother’s Day with at least one child in my home. My youngest child is away at college, and my oldest is traveling with a friend (With what money? I don’t know, but that’s a topic for another article.). It’s bittersweet. When my kids were younger and I was an exhausted parent, the only thing I wanted for Mother’s Day was the chance to sleep in and have a break from parenting duties for the day. Now that they’re older and more independent, I would cherish the chance to be woken up by their smiling faces and…
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Coloring Contest
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Coloring Contest Winners
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When the County was Ablaze, Alaniz Gave Coffee to Firefighters
In a world ruled by big corporations, Eddie Alaniz had the radical idea to take charge of his own fate. Eddie built the brand Coffee Conspiracy, deriving inspiration from the idea of cultivating community and using coffee as the vehicle for counterculture. Eddie set out in Aptos on a bike armed with homemade cold brew and coffee beans in July of 2020. Born and raised in Campbell, Eddie, 40, first fell in love with coffee at 17 when he got his first job at Peet’s Coffee. He was immediately enamored with coffee culture, and now roasts his own coffee at a co-op in Oakland and sources his beans from single…
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Finding My Name
The text notification on my phone said “Hello Corvinrock,” and I immediately thought, “Who is this? And how do they have my number?” Then, I noticed my name was misspelled as Corvinrock instead of Corvinrook and I thought “Oh gosh, the spam bots have learned my name. . . sort of . . . should I be concerned?” I finally clicked on and read the whole message and my thoughts changed to “Are they sure they have the right person?” When it sank in, that I was really nominated for a Queer Youth Leadership Award, and this was no mistake, I was very surprised. I was quite honored and very…
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Two Women Share Their Journey of Adaption
Melissa Come Back, recently released by Atmosphere Press, is a dual-narrative memoir chronicling two women’s paths through the foster care system. In the book, Melissa, a smart and resilient 11-year-old raised in an abusive household, runs away from the comfortable foster home Patrice and her husband, Bob, provide. Twenty years later, an unexpected encounter at a fundraising gala propels them back together, forcing both of them to confront their individual failures. When, after their reunion, Patrice discovers that the adult Melissa and her pre-teen daughters face eviction, she and Bob are presented with an opportunity to make Melissa part of their family once again. Patrice Keet and Mellissa LaHommedieu, the…
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Protect Your Pooch from These Hazards
The last thing any dog owner wants is for their beloved family pet to experience a life-threatening emergency. Unfortunately, dangers to dogs lurk everywhere, and often, they’re things we’d least likely expect. Proof of this is in the 213,773 calls to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center during 2018 alone. Add to this, hundreds of thousands of pets are treated for or die from a wide variety of preventable accidents each year. The following are just a few of the common hazards with which dog owners should take precautions. Chip & snack bags. Numerous dogs and cats suffocate to death in chips and treat bags each year. A survey by Dr.…
