Do you love playing games and meeting new people? Have you ever met a board game or card game creator? Well, here’s your chance! The Golden Gate Gamemakers are opening a local tabletop gaming chapter in Santa Cruz. Originating in the Bay Area, GGG has created a safe, fun space for board gamers of all ages and skill levels to come together and enjoy gaming. Whether you’re an aspiring game designer wanting to test new games, an experienced tabletop enjoyer, or someone brand new to the gaming world, the GGG is for you. Growing Up: What are the Golden Gate Gamemakers? Why was it created? Courtney Laschkewitsch: The GGG is…
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Building a Thriving Santa Cruz County for Our Youth
Santa Cruz County leader and philanthropist Diane Porter Cooley (1928-2022) knew what it takes to build a thriving community, and she left us instructions. “Community is about living life together. It’s about getting through hard times, floods, and fire; camping with girl scouts; serving meals and building clinics; helping kids and planting trees.” Diane and her husband Don were some of the founding members of Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, a center for giving where people can make philanthropic contributions that have a lasting impact. Since 1982, generous families have empowered $279 million in local grants and scholarships, including $2 million in the Foundation’s 2025 Community Grants. This annual initiative…
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Falling in Love for the First Time
One of the true joys of volunteering at the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter is witnessing the moment a person falls in love. It happens almost every day. A potential adopter walks in, scanning faces covered in fur, and then it happens. Their whole body changes. You can see it in their shoulders, their eyes, their stillness. They’ve just found their animal. Like falling in love with a person, this moment doesn’t come out of nowhere. Most adopters have been circling the idea for a while. They’ve talked about it at dinner, followed the shelter’s social media, and imagined where the bed or litter box might go. They’ve thought about…
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Celebrating Our Fathers
Let’s cheer this month for all the dads who take their job in fatherhood to heart! Our kids, families and communities are blessed to have you in our lives and the world is better because of YOU. One father in particular I am going to feature in this month’s article is someone who has been so generous and kind and a pillar in our community, yet expects nothing in return – he is a father and “like a father” to many, a leader in the Santa Cruz community – none other than the owner of Growing Up in Santa Cruz, Brad Kava. Brad and I met a few years back…
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From Cap and Gown to Countdown
This season brings feelings of pride, nostalgia, excitement, and, let’s be honest, financial worry to many. Whether your child is heading off to college, taking a gap year, or jumping straight into the workforce, the next chapter comes with some major money decisions. And while most curricula do not teach today’s youth how to manage real-world finances, Bay Federal can help. Here are some simple ways to set your grad up for success! Think big picture: Is student debt the only way? Student loans can feel like a rite of passage for college-bound students, but it’s worth asking: Are they the only option, or even the best one? The truth…
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New Ice Cream Shop in Live Oak Features Fresh, Unique Mexican Flavors
In the world of food, there are some classic combinations that have stood the test of time…peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, coffee and donuts and wine and cheese. The owners of El Jardin in the Live Oak neighborhood of Santa Cruz want to add another great pairing to that list: Mexican food and ice cream. El Jardin has been serving award-winning Mexican cuisine to Santa Cruz families for 16 years. The current owners, Manuel “Manny” and Jerry Rangel, have each worked at the restaurant since the early days, starting as busboys and dishwashers and moving up to become wait-staff and eventually managers. In 2017, they were given the…
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Meals Without Meltdowns: A Parent’s Guide to Dining Out with Kids in Santa Cruz
I remember a heavy conversation with my then 4-year-old son in a restaurant where we watched pelicans hunting fish. Fish eat worms and bugs, I explained. Then birds eat the fish. Then bigger birds or sharks eat those birds and then other predators eat those animals. “It’s a good thing we don’t eat animals,” he replied. “We eat food.” A kick under the table from his mother told me not to get into the details, so I kept quiet for a while. Eventually, I continued up the food chain and today, although he hates the idea of killing animals, he eats meat because, as he explains, “We are animals and…
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La Manzana’s Summer Lunch Program Returns
The annual Summer Lunch program, sponsored by La Manzana Community Resources (LMCR), a program of Community Bridges’ Family Resource Collective, will kick off on June 9. Kids 18 and younger can pick up a free lunch at various sites in Santa Cruz and Watsonville through early-August. Most Watsonville sites will distribute lunches through August 8. Through Community Bridges, the Summer Lunch program has served 20,000 meals over the last three years, helping combat local childhood hunger and its harmful impacts on the area’s youngest residents. When school districts close for the summer many students who are not attending ongoing educational programs miss out on what sometimes is their only complete…
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Strawberry Season in Santa Cruz is the Berry Best Time of Year
In Santa Cruz, strawberries are practically part of the scenery—we’re surrounded by some of the biggest berry farms in the country. But even with berries in stores year-round, there’s something extra magical about local, in-season strawberries. The kind you find at the farmers market or roadside stands in June? Juicy, ruby-red, sun-sweetened perfection. And guess what? These little fruits aren’t just tasty—they’re bursting with nutrition. One cup of strawberries has just 46 calories, 3 grams of fiber, and a solid helping of vitamin C, manganese, and folate. Basically, they’re nature’s candy—with benefits! Strawberries are a kid favorite for a reason—they’re sweet, snackable, and perfect for everything from lunchboxes to smoothies.…
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Power Dynamics in Parenting: A Kinder, Stronger Way Forward
Whether we recognize it or not, power is at play in every interaction between people. Eve Trook wrote about power dynamics between teachers and children in the early 80s. The work was groundbreaking, and to this day, when I present it, I see lots of light bulbs going off over people’s heads, so I thought I’d share it with you today! She offers that there are different types of power and that power is not positive or negative in and of itself. Power On Power On is power that takes away another person’s choice. Parents need this type of power, for example, when their child runs out into the street,…
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Tips for Dads and Father Figures
Every day, I watch my husband create special memories with our daughter. From playing pretend, singing songs, or going on little adventures of their own, I see their bond growing (as well as a very similar sense of humor). As she experiences big emotions, his calmness brings her comfort, makes her feel seen and loved. The other day, I overheard them while building a toy kitchen together. He guided her through each step, giving her small tasks to do. She was completely engaged, proudly helping him along the way. And then, with a full heart, I heard her say, “Papa, I love you so much.” It’s in those simple, everyday…
