Santa Cruz Stories - Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Jazz Isn’t Dead; It’s Alive and Well in SLV

growingupsc — Sat, 01 Feb 2020 19:52:00 +0000

Jazz Isn’t Dead; It’s Alive and Well in SLV By Christina Wise Boulder Creek’s Vincent Bottini, comes from a family where musical talent runs deep. Vincent’s mom, Celina, is the lead singer for a Santa Cruz punk rock band called SA90; dad Steve spent years playing Latin percussion, but has picked up the guitar; Vincent’s grandfather plays trumpet, and helped found the Saratoga Big Band, and now 14-year-old Vincent is following in his family’s footsteps. The San Lorenzo Valley High School freshman is finding his stride with jazz piano, and learning a lot along the way. “I enjoy listening to other musicians who inspire me,” says Bottini. Influencers include Thelonious Monk (famously known for “Straight, No Chaser,” “Round Midnight” and “Blue Monk”) and Herbie Hancock (multi-Academy Award winner and 2014 Charles Eliot Norton Professor of Poetry at Harvard University, where Hancock’s theme is, “The Ethics of Jazz”). Bottini’s local inspiration comes from Zayante-based jazz pianist instructor Rob Mahoney. “I’ve been studying with Rob for a while. I played piano during elementary and middle school, and was taught by (past SLVMS Musical Director) Dan Lingenfelter, but playing for Rob means I’ve performed at Kuumbwa Jazz.” And all that playing comes with a ton of practice. “I practice at lunch in the band room, and I play when I get home, too.” For all the effort that Bottini has put into learning to play, what is this pianist’s favorite type of piano? “Stride piano is my favorite.” Stride piano, also known as Harlem stride piano, gets its name for the pianist’s left hand leaping, or striding, across the piano keys. “You play a bass note in an octave with your left hand, and play the chord on the second and fourth beats, creating a rhythm,” explains Bottini. “Art Tatum (known as one of the greatest improvisers in jazz history) was famous for his ability to play stride piano. My favorite striding song, though, is ‘Take the ‘A’ Train,’ which was written by Billy Strayhorn and made famous by Duke Ellington.” Bottini admires composers, but says that’s not where his talent is focused for now. “I need to learn more about music theory, but my jazz piano is getting ahead of me.” As for his musical future, Bottini is compelled to continue playing. “I want to study music as a minor,” Bottini says, “especially music theory and music production. I really enjoy playing. There’s something that’s more than words with jazz, and it really speaks to me. My dad put on a lot of jazz stuff when I was growing up, and something about jazz really clicked with me. Especially playing it now and playing with other people is so fun and inspiring. I don’t plan to stop.” And as for other youngsters who are finding their musical teeth? “For a while I was stuck in a rut, and I’m glad my parents forced me to keep going. Since I found something I’m passionate about, like jazz, I’m so happy. Find something you’re interested in and inspired by and excited about!”

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Doing It All (Even When You Can’t): Foster Parenting

growingupsc — Sat, 01 Feb 2020 18:09:00 +0000

Doing It All (Even When You Can’t) Foster Parenting By Amanda Firth This is part of a short series about Foster Parenting and Adoption in Santa Cruz County. Proper names in the story have been changed for the privacy and protection of the children involved. The doctor was looking mostly at his computer screen, throwing me information while typing. “You’ve missed her last two appointments at the High Risk clinic. That is where you need to go if you want her to get more services.” I wasn’t there to get services. My diaper bag is from Kmart because I’m frugal and my clothes were a little dirty from a busy day, but I don’t need more services unless you can send me someone to do laundry and give me a massage. I was there because our family doctor said to be there. My daughter needed to see a specialist. My beautiful 2-year-old and I were sitting in a small exam room that had virtually no childproofing. I know because we’d had to wait for quite some time in it, and she is a busy little person. Sigh. So I’ve missed appointments. What kind of horrible mother misses appointments? One with five children, a full time job, and four or five appointments per week. Before I became a foster-adopt mother, I would never have imagined missing a single appointment. It would be like getting an “F” on my report card. I’m an overachiever and I take that right into mothering. We took her shoes off. She was in summer sandals because I couldn’t find clean socks that fit, and it’s warm out. Her feet stank. I made a few jokes about it, but the doctor made a point of washing his hands and telling me her feet stank. Sigh. Who doesn’t wash their child’s feet daily? Who leaves the summer sandals unwashed? We left the room and I quickly checked the traffic on my phone while she climbed on the furniture in the waiting room, in front of the “No Feet On Furniture” sign, and saw that it would take three hours to get home. As we were driving past one of my favorite restaurants, I impulsively swerved into the parking lot. “You know what baby? We are STOPPING for a bowl of soup. At a table.” I was supposed to get home for all the other kids, but traffic was going to disrupt the plan anyways. Why not eat? Eating at a restaurant is incredibly rare in my life. As is being out with just one child. It was four o’clock, and the other diners were in their golden years, although the bar looked lively. The hostess was enchanted by my daughter and gave us a lot of sweet smiles. She helpfully seated us on our own planet, in an empty section of the restaurant. My daughter wanted to run around. After all, she’d been in a car, then a little room where she wasn’t allowed to touch anything. I told the waitress we’d order immediately; I had about four seconds to glance at the menu before chasing my girl down before she ran right into the hot kitchen. She fussed when I brought her back, and then the other diners’ eye rolls began. Sigh. I’m at a restaurant with a fussy baby. We shared a plate of angel hair with pesto and scallops. To my surprise, she refused to eat the pesto pasta, normally her favorite, and fussed until I let her try the scallops. Then she ate all of them. I desperately tried to remember if this one had tried shellfish. Are scallops shellfish? Yes? No? Well, we’re right by the hospital. Sigh. Again, sigh. My daughter and I left the restaurant with full bellies, leaving a huge tip, a huge mess, and frustrated diners. As we were driving home, I remembered my mother telling me that when her kids were my kids’ age, people would ask her how on earth she got it all done. She said, “It’s simple. I don’t do any of it well.” Maybe I ought to stop beating myself up. With that, I put on Let it Go and we sang happily down the road. We were at the doctor, originally, because my daughter is not learning to talk, and the clock is ticking. New words are few and far between. When the song ended, my daughter looked at me and said for the first time, “Lettitgo. Lettitgo.” You know something? We’re all going to be just fine. Linguini with Scallops, Broccoli, and Pesto 8 oz uncooked whole wheat Linguini pasta 12 oz frozen broccoli florets 1 tbsp butter ½ lb bay scallops (the small kind) ½ cup milk 1 tbsp flour ½ cup of your favorite store-bought or home-made pesto Cook Linguini as directed, adding the broccoli for the last five minutes of cooking time. Drain. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and add scallops, cook for four minutes while stirring. Combine milk and flour in a small bowl and stir to combine. Pour over scallops and cook while stirring until mixture is creamy and thick, and scallops are opaque. Add scallops and pesto to linguine and broccoli. Toss gently and serve.

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Local Photos of the Month

growingupsc — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 20:45:00 +0000

Local Photos of the Month Mount Madonna’s Production of Seussical Eighth grader Sophia Manzur as the flamboyant and colorful Mayzie le Bird. Photo by Sara Sobkoviak Bea Miller as the whimsical prankster The Cat in the Hat, Photo by Sara Sobkoviak Early to Rise Winter is the best time of year for sky photos. This is looking at Monterey from Pajaro Dunes. Photo by Brad Kava How many counties the size of Santa Cruz have three Nutcrackers? These two are from the Santa Cruz City Ballet’s performance at Cabrillo’s Crocker Theater. Photos by Brad Kava. Tara Redwood Watercolor and marker on watercolor paper. Josie Odom-Knight Age 8 Third Grade Faith Reyes Age 9 Fourth Grade

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What is Cabrillo Planning to do with $274.1 Million?

growingupsc — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 15:45:07 +0000

What is Cabrillo Planning to do with $274.1 Million? Great Things! By Suki Wessling Local voters haven’t been fond of passing bonds lately, and Cabrillo hasn’t had one in sixteen years. The college was turned down by voters the last time they asked, so President Matthew Wetstein is trying to make sure this time that it’s clear that this upgrade of Cabrillo’s facilities is a sound investment for our county. Here are some highlights of where the money will go. Sammy the Seahawk giving out high-fives at the fourth grade experience. Photo by Christy Shults New Science Building – $84 Million When Cabrillo College was founded in 1959, the personal computer wasn’t yet invented. Mobile phones—I mean, tricorders—hadn’t yet made their debut on Star Trek. Hip replacements, LEDs, hoverboards, and Post-It Notes were still in the distant future. All that is to say, Cabrillo’s facilities are a little out of date. “The idea here is to build a new building with modern fume hoods, ventilation system, and up-to-code to modern standards,” Wetstein explains. “Essentially the modern labs that the students are going to see when they transfer or go into the workforce.” That science is the biggest piece of the bond pie isn’t a surprise—Cabrillo is an important option for local STEM students who want to do their general education near home and then transfer to a four-year university. It also offers plenty of STEM-based AA degrees and certificates. Library Renovation – $72.9 Million Students still do read books, Wetstein is quick to point out. But the function of libraries has changed dramatically since the 60s. “We’re envisioning a modern library rather than your father’s or grandfather’s version,” Wetstein jokes. “So much of our learning today is collaborative.” Space-hogging periodicals and reference books are no more; these days students are looking for a library with collaborative work space, a tutoring center, and whiteboards…not to mention books! Co-Locate All Student Services in 200 Building – $60.7 Million Currently, students enrolling at Cabrillo get a good workout. In the space of a few hours they may be required to visit four different buildings on the hilly campus. As good as that may be for their health, it’s not so great from an administrative perspective. The new building will have “everything you think about a student needing at the start of their career here,” Wetstein explains. That includes registration, financial aid, counseling, career planning, and even clubs. Graduation 2018. Photo By Kristin Fabos Watsonville Public Safety Center – $23 Million This new consolidated space for training our firefighters, police officers, and other public safety workers will have plenty of room for growth in South County. “It’s drawn a lot of interest and support from the folks who run police and fire agencies,” Wetstein says. “Right now they’re having to train folks over the hill. We should be doing that training here in our county for county jobs.” And bonus: Yes, they will have a Live Fire Training Tower that they will set on fire, over and over! IT and Facilities Allocation – $17 Million Currently IT facilities at both campuses are outdated and not redundant. So if something bad happens to the Aptos campus (such as a fire season power outage), all IT goes offline. This upgrade will add redundancy and update facilities, hardware, and software so the college is ready to meet IT challenges in the future. Reconfigure Instructional Classrooms for Larger Lecture Halls – $11 Million The title of this one may be misleading. Wetstein points out that students detest the existing cavernous 250-seat lecture hall with its wooden seats. These new “larger” classrooms would be smaller and more comfortable, fitting a greater number of concurrent 75-seat classes in the same footprint. Building Modernization – CA State Match – $3 Million The State has already approved funds; Cabrillo just needs matching funds in order to move forward. Critical Needs – $2.5 Million Cabrillo is saving a small piece of the pie for what Westein refers to as those “oopsies” that projections can’t foresee.

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How I Learned to Make Money Playing Video Games

growingupsc — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 14:38:00 +0000

How I Learned to Make Money Playing Video Games By Ricky Chavez Many people grew up idolizing movie stars, rock stars and super heroes, but kids today are idolizing an entirely different group of people: gamers. Because of the outstanding success of a video game streaming website called Twitch, watching people play video games has never been easier and it’s inspired many people, including myself, to play video games for the people to watch, and even make money doing it. The superstars of Twitch like Ninja average around 30,000 viewers per stream, making a full time job out of streaming usually streaming longer than eight hours a day. Ninja has reported making over half a million dollars every month from subscribers, ads and donations from Twitch alone. This doesn’t include his sponsors and other sources of income that he gets. I’m a college student (Cabrillo and UCSC) and a part-time streamer. My stream focuses on playing games at a high level, usually doing some sort of challenge that either few or no people have attempted before, including achieving world records for games. I stream five days a week for several hours for the world to watch, and while I may not pull in the thousands of viewers that some streamers do, seeing that handfuls of strangers come by to watch me play games every day makes every stream worth it. While my stream is small the interactions I’ve had with people are very personal and I’ve become friends with almost all of my regular viewers. While conversations usually revolve around video games occasionally someone will ask about something not related to video games and I’ll voice my opinion on the topic or just ramble about it. I try to make my stream feel like my home, where everyone is welcome and everyone should just be trying to have fun. But why don’t more people do it? It’s easy to just turn on your computer or game console and start streaming, but so many people quit after a year, a month or even just a week. It’s because it makes you realize it’s hard to make people care. Twitch is currently the main place to stream, which means there’s a lot of competition for viewers, especially when you don’t already have a following. Streaming day after day, seeing your viewer count sit at zero and occasionally jump up to a whopping one viewer is disheartening. After months of this it’s not easy to keep going. I would tell myself, “I’m gonna play games anyways, I might as well stream,” so now here I am, more than a year later, averaging about three viewers every stream and making $100 every couple of months. All because I love playing video games. Finding the time isn’t easy though, streaming isn’t easy at all. Balancing school, work and streaming puts a timer on everyday activities. And finding the energy to make sure everything gets done is no easy task. There’s this misconception that to have a good stream all you have to do is start it up, but a lot more goes into it than that. Setting a schedule, making sure it looks and sounds good and interacting with chat members is exhausting, but seeing those few regulars come by and starting a community makes it worth it. The age at which, “where did the time go?” is said seems to be getting younger and younger, but for me, between streaming, going to school and going to work, every day is so full of activities that things that happened a couple weeks ago feel like they happened months ago. I guess depending on the person that could be a good or bad thing, but for me, it’s definitely a positive. If you love video games and have always wanted to be a streamer, my best advice is to just do it. But like anything in life, don’t expect to become famous after a week, a month, or even a year. Streaming is something you need to put a lot of effort into and really have the heart to see that zero haunt your stream for days on end. If you can power through it though, you might be surprised with how satisfying starting your own community is and how satisfying it is to get paid for playing video games.

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Shop Local, Give Local

growingupsc — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 14:25:00 +0000

Shop Local, Give Local By Natalya Dreszer The Holiday Season is just around the corner, and just because we’re going through a cultural shift trying to question our relationship with excess material possessions doesn’t mean that we can’t indulge in the joy of gift giving! Here are 9 holiday gift ideas that support local artists, local businesses, and sustainability: Pacific Edge Looking for the perfect gift to tire out a ball of energy for a day? Pacific Edge is a rock climbing gym that is fun and safe for any rock climbing levels, from first timers to world-class professionals (Chris Sharma started at Pacific Edge)! A day pass, 10-time pass, or membership is a great way to introduce someone to climbing or give them more fun doing something they already love! http://pacificedgeclimbinggym.com/daily-rates Crafting Lounge Make a ceramic or candle gift at a craft lounge or give the gift of a fun time at a craft lounge! Get a gift certificate to one of Santa Cruz’s two favorite craft lounges: Petroglyph Ceramics Lounge, or Glow Candle Lounge and make personalized gifts that will be a blast to make and receive. http://www.petroglyph.com/gift-card, https://www.glowlounge.biz/giftcards Homeless Garden Project Store The Homeless Garden Project is a local organization that seeks to connect people experiencing homelessness with employment and social service resources. The store sells various products made my individuals in the training program with food, flowers, and herbs grown on the farm as well as crafts made by local artists. Try their white pepper lavender lotion or delicious strawberry jam, available online or two store locations. http://homelessgardenproject.org/shop/index.php The Gift of Learning Santa Cruz has so many amazing classes and workshops on whatever topic you’d like to learn about. Get a loved one the gift of learning this holiday season and sign them up for class. New Leaf offers a series of cooking classes, DIG Gardens offers workshops on plants, and Permaculture Santa Cruz offers weekend courses on various aspects of permaculture design. https://www.newleaf.com/events/, https://diggardens.com/collections/workshops, http://santacruzpermaculture.com/permaculture-design-course/ Local Art Missed the Open Studios weekend? Can’t make it to the Santa Cruz Makers Market? Still want to support local artists over the holiday season? Get your gifts at Artisans and Agency, a store that sells the work of local artists. Find a watercolor painting by Marie Gabrille or a 3D wooden map by Origin, or stroll through the store and see what catches your eye. https://www.artisanssantacruz.com/ Houseplants Give the gift of life to last these dark winter months. Houseplants are a great way to liven-up an indoor living space and bring some joy to a room. Various plant have emotional and physical benefits, from their beauty to their air-purifying qualities. Find the perfect plant to gift from DIG Gardens or Garden Company Nursery and Gift Shop. https://diggardens.com/, http://thegardenco.com/ Little People’s Store Want to expand you kid’s wardrobe, book selection, and toy selection with minimal environmental impact? Go to the Little People’s Store (https://www.facebook.com/Little-Peoples-Store-of-Scotts-Valley-465001700198701/), which sells used items in great condition. Try different fashion trends and explore new toys while holding true to your values of reducing, reusing, and recycling. We also love, love, love Jellibeanz on Soquel Drive, where you can trade in your toys, clothes and books for other items in very good shape.(http://www.jellibeanzonline.com/) Book Subscriptions for Kids Keep your kids excited about reading with a monthly book subscription. There’s dozens to choose from for all ages and reading levels, but our current top picks are the Bookakery (think books and bakery), which gives kids not only books, but recipes and tools to make food to go with the book(bookakeryboxes.com). There’s also The Conscious Kid, which focuses on “centering underrepresented and oppressed groups.” https://www.theconsciouskid.org/ Santa Cruz Mountains Makers Market Support local artists by doing your holiday shopping at the Makers Market. Vendors sell homemade goods like jewelry, clothing, pottery, painting, woodwork, candles, lotions, and more! Find them Downtown Santa Cruz on Pacific Ave. on November 3rd and December 8th, or at the Felton Community Hall on November 30th, https://scmmakersmarket.com/

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Yes, Virginia, There are Faeries and They are Magic

growingupsc — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 13:52:00 +0000

Yes, Virginia, There are Faeries and They are Magic By Natalya Dreszer Faerie Cricket brings face painting, giant bubbles, and general whimsy to events of all kinds. She is a “Ground Faerie,” brought to life by Santa Cruzan Haley Brown, 29, a visual and performing artist who addresses disability with her work with children. “I imagine a ground faerie is any faerie that can’t fly for whatever reason,” Haley says. “It’s an allegory for disability or difference or limitation of any kind.” Haley has finished the text of her first children’s book, The Ground Faerie. It’s written as a letter from an older ground fairie to a child ground fairie. Now, she’s doing readings of that story as a puppet show with her art, but she’s still figuring out how to turn that into the performance that is a physical children’s book. The transition is not as simple for her as creating a background for the text. “Reading a (picture) book is a performance,” she explains. “Children’s books are a prompt to connect the reader and the listener, the pages are a set, each page turn is a dramatic act that reveals a new scene.” Growing up Disabled in Santa Cruz, Haley had brittle bones –osteogenesis imperfecta — and would sometimes use a wheelchair. She didn’t see children like her portrayed as multi-dimensional characters in the stories she was told. “As I’ve gotten older I’ve realized how affected I am by the unnamed cultural narratives that we have about disability and femininity and queerness,” Haley says. Haley has been working as Faerie Cricket for the last four years, attending special events, working as a children’s entertainer at birthday parties, corporate events, school assemblies, and carnivals. While this performance art is framed for children, she emphasizes that work with children can be both radical and political, and can be a platform to reach children and adults. “I love performing for an audience of kids and their parents don’t expect you to reach them too, but when you do it’s really exciting.” Before we began the interview, she expressed being nervous about the way her story could be presented as a simplified story of “overcoming,” an article centered around inspiring able-bodied individuals. She was wearing rainbow earrings made of cloth and a hand-cropped shirt that says “Access is Love.” That’s happened to her before, she told me, and is the framing of most of the mainstream articles she’s seen about disabled artists. She doesn’t want the way her story is told to add to limiting narratives about disbaled people, especially when “imagin(ing) what it would look like to develop a new mythology around disabilities” is at the core of what makes her excited about her work. “I’m always thinking about creating the kind of content that I didn’t see (growing up) and that I wanted,” she says. “I wanted there to be a book that is more complex and honoured the sadness that I sometimes felt, or the frustration or pain, alongside the joy that I felt and celebrating the uniqueness and perspective and culture of being a disabled person.” The work is for everyone: “I really like childish things and whimsical sensibilities so it’s also partially for me,” she says. Her work embraces all the messiness of her creative and lived experience. While effervescing about messiness, she throws her head back in a laugh and bonks her head against the wall. “I’m too big for my body,” she says. “I just remembered, I get a lot of energy and creative juice by being in a body that is small and somewhat fragile.” Her art, especially the “Coping Calendar” that she makes every year, honors that messiness, that “balance of real intensity with gentleness and softness.” It’s available on her website at an affordable sliding scale price. Haley loves creating the world of the Ground Faerie, the passion shines through everything she tells me about it. “I wish the world was more soft and more magical,” she says, “and so I like getting to imagine that in my work.” Haley Brown is available to perform her children’s book puppet show and attend events as Faerie Cricket. This is her fifth year making the Coping Calendar, and she has coloring books, stickers, and more for sale. Find more information on her booking her for events and artwork on her website: haleybrown.org

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Forget Broadway, Catch Some School Plays

growingupsc — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 12:57:00 +0000

Forget Broadway, Catch Some School Plays By Brad Kava We used to think that you had to handicap school plays, measure them on a different standard, then, say, something you would see in a professional theater. These are just students, after all. Well, two plays we caught last month in Aptos changed our minds about that. When we saw “Carrie” at Cabrillo College, all through the play we assumed it was done by the professionals at Cabrillo Stage. Camrynn Ford as Dora Bailey in “Singin’ in the Rain.” Not so. Most of the actors were students, and we only found that out at the end. It was as tight and well performed as anything we’ve seen in big theaters for much higher prices. Even more surprising was Aptos High’s “Singin’ in the Rain.” Students aren’t supposed to tap dance and sing this well. High school stage sets are supposed to look like they were done in a shoddy art room. Nope. There are supposed to be forgotten lines and missed cues. Nope. This came off as well as anything we’ve seen on any stage, anywhere. We are firm believers in the idea that drama departments are as important as athletics, although sometimes it’s hard to believe that from the way those things are treated in all schools. Kudos to all the students and the directors, musicians, stage hands and artists who made these shows so professional. Calvin Nigh as Don Lockwood in “Singin’ in the Rain.” Parise Zeleny as Kathy Selden in “Singin’ in the Rain.” Marina Louise as Carrie, a show that teaches an important lesson about bullying and was more tragic than the horror movie. Lizz Hodgin Weihrauch as Carrie’s mother, in a back stage shot.

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Kids Navigate the Rails During Winter Break

growingupsc — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 12:14:00 +0000

Kids Navigate the Rails During Winter Break By Suki Wessling One of the highlights of Santa Cruz holiday season is the ginormous train set at the Museum of Art & History, where kids can run the trains themselves. The set has been put up for 15 years by a group of devoted train lovers, the Golden State Toy Train Operators. “I’ve always enjoyed trains,” says Eric Child, 75, one of the group’s founders. “When I was about 6 or 7, I got my first toy train set. As a very small child in San Anselmo I can remember taking the train to catch a ferry over to San Francisco. I had a heart murmur so I had to go to Stanford Children’s Hospital. [Later] I lived across from the railroad tracks in Sunnyvale so I could see all the trains going through.” Though the organization is officially located in San Jose, Child says that the germ of the idea came from going local. “We were part of the ‘over the hill gang’ because the main organization was over the hill in San Jose and we were all in Santa Cruz,” says Child. “Craig Miller and I decided wouldn’t it be nice instead of always having to go over the hill to play trains if we had something here in Santa Cruz? That’s when we approached MAH and started the train show here, 15 years ago.” Child says that Santa Cruz is a great place to be a train enthusiast. “There’s a strong history in railroading in Santa Cruz County,” he says. Child speaks enthusiastically of his younger years, hiking to remote spots in the Santa Cruz Mountains to see abandoned train tunnels and right-of-ways. One time in the mid-1970s a co-worker took him and his fellow enthusiasts on a plane ride to see the lines from above. Although much of the more remote sites are now closed to the public, families can still see traces of the history of local railroading at Roaring Camp, downtown, and in Nisene Marks State Forest. Child does a huge logging town-themed yard display at his home on Oceanview Avenue that attracts thousands of visitors each Halloween. This month at the MAH, kids get to be the one with their hands on the controls, the feature that Child and Miller insisted on when they designed the exhibit. “They are just mesmerized,” Child says. “It’s like having your own mechanical miniature world. For a lot of kids now, of course, it’s their own electronic miniature world!” The adults who work hard to create this yearly display don’t view it as work. They are passing on their passion for a bygone era to the younger generation, and from the looks of it, playing with trains never gets old. “We have a good time!” Child says. Visit Child’s home railroad at https://fcwgrr.com/! It even has a Facebook page. Suki Wessling is a local author and the mother of two former children. She teaches online courses for homeschool and afterschool at AthenasAcademy.com and writes articles for parents on her blog. Visit www.SukiWessling.com for more information.

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Jacob’s Heart Beats for Santa Cruz

growingupsc — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 11:23:00 +0000

Jacob’s Heart Beats for Santa Cruz “You Can Handle Anything if you Don’t Have to Handle it Alone” by Kevin Painchaud Every parent’s worst nightmare is finding out that your child has a life-threatening illness. Your entire world is turned upside down. Where do you turn? What do you do? Your child becomes the only thing that matters. Things like food and bills become secondary. And for those thousands of residents in our community that do not have the financial means to take time off work to focus on their child, life seems insurmountable. Teacher T. Jesse Rile. Photo by Jules Holdsworth. This is the reality for many folks in our community. One organization has embraced these families, and shown them love, support and community: Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services. Jacob’s Heart is an amazing organization whose goal is to give support to families with children who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. This organization, which has given support to over a thousand families in the area, was the brainchild of Lori Butterworth. Back in 1998, Jacob, a 5-year old boy, was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia, one of the deadliest forms of leukemia. Lori wanted to help Jacob’s family, so using her resources, she threw a fundraising party that raised enough money in one night so that Jacob’s mom was able to quit her job and be with her son in the hospital for a whole year. At that time, Jacob’s mom spoke words that have remained the cornerstone of the organization that bears her son’s name: “You can handle anything if you don’t have to handle it alone.” Lori soon realized that there were far too many families left to navigate the treacherous journey of childhood cancer without support. So she gathered a group of friends and decided to cast a wider net to support more and more children with cancer and provide support for their families. The fundamental model of Jacob’s Heart has stayed consistent over the past 21 years. It’s based on Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs. The most basic need is that of survival. When a parent hears the words, “your child has cancer,” their entire world is ripped from beneath them. All the safety that they know, everything in them, the fears, the immediate concerns are usually, “How am I going to survive this? How is our family, not just the child, going to survive this disease, and how is our family as a whole going to make it through this ordeal and come out whole again?” “We start with addressing the family’s basic survival needs.,” says Butterworth. Nearly 80 percent of the families that Jacob’s Heart is currently serving are low income or quickly become low income because of the financial toll pediatric cancer takes on a family. We help with rent, phone bills, utilities, and provide transportation to and from treatment. “Our children here at our local community are treated at Stanford or UC San Francisco, many miles from home. Our transportation program ensures that no child in our area will ever miss an appointment because of lack of transportation.” Jacob’s Heart was picked as organization of the year last month by the Aptos Chamber of Commerce. “Once we address the family’s basic survival needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, transportation, then we then help families restore a sense of safety and trust in the world,” says Butterworth. “We work closely with each family to help them navigate the healthcare system for their child, so that parents can make informed decisions about their care. We do a lot of medical translation and medical interpretation from Spanish and English to medical terminologies that they may not understand. We do a lot of education throughout the entire trajectory of treatment.” Then the real heart of the program takes over, and Jacob’s Heart brings a sense of community, a family of families who share the experience. They have support groups, a therapeutic art program and two weekend camp programs that address the whole sense of love and belonging and community connection. The first is a camp called Heart and Hands, a weekend camp for families whose child is going through or has recently gone through cancer treatment. The other one is the Forever Loved Retreat — a weekend for families who have lost a child. Siblings suffer just as much, so Jacob’s Heart has an amazing sibling support program. Jacob’s Heart has a heart-warming family support center located in Watsonville. It’s a safe place for families to get information about their child’s illness, receive emotional support and counseling…and fun. They even have a children’s recreation center complete with video games, air hockey, ping pong, a pool table and more. It gives the children a safe area to relax and just be kids. The family center was a donation by Granite Construction. Granite gave Jacob’s Heart a building, but the community turned it into a home. The community has rallied around Jacob’s Heart and continues to support the organization, which relies solely on community donations to keep it going. The community and the families have made the Jacob’s Heart family center into a very special place. In fact, it has become a place that the kids never want to leave. For more information https://www.jacobsheart.org Jacob’s heart is always looking for donations and support.

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