Herald News

Santee Relay for Life – Wings of Love

riley_at_santee_lakes_2013_0066-XLPhotos by Jay Renard

Santee – Six year old Riley is an active child, a Santee Princess, and close to a 3 year cancer survivor. Riley was diagnosed with a Wilms’ Tumor (a type of childhood kidney cancer) on March 9, 2010, shortly after her 3rd birthday. She had to have her right kidney removed and spent a week in the hospital. She underwent 20 weeks of chemotherapy, lost all her hair, but never her smile. She went into remission August 20, 2010.

When Riley was in the hospital, she always wears a pair of fairy wings that she had received for her birthday. Every week at chemotherapy she would wear her wings and march into clinic with her head held high. They became her signature. To this day, 3 years later, when she goes in every three months for her scans, she always wears her wings.

Riley’s parents heard of the Relay for Life and were invited by a friend who had a team to come by and check it out. The 2011 Relay for Life in Santee was their first exposure to the event. Maria Maes, then Miss Santee, greeted Riley and her family. When Maria saw Riley putting on her purple Survivor shirt, she started to cry and came over and gave Riley, her mother, Janell, and Janell’s, sister Valeie, each a hug. Janell and Valerie were not even at the event more than 10 minutes when they turned to each other out with tears in their eyes and said, “Next year we will have a team for Riley and Mom!!”

For the 2012 Relay For Life, Riley’s mother and aunt, created a team for Riley, named “Riley’s Wings of Love”. They created a “Riley’s Wings of Love” Facebook page. Between Riley’s “Wings of Love” page, her mother’s and aunt’s facebook page, over 60 people signed up to be on her team, including 9 Cancer Survivors.
Riley’s brother Reef, who was 7 years old last year, came up with an awesome on-site fundraiser. Cancer ribbons were made out of Legos. The family made 350 of them in 12 different color to represent the different types of cancer. They raised over $1600.00 for the American Cancer Society.

Riley’s family is excited for the 2013 Relay For Life of Santee this year!!! They will once again offer the Lego ribbons and other fundraisers to make 2013 the best year yet. Santee’s Relay for life starts on Saturday June 1 at 10am and ends Sunday June 2 at 10am. The location is Santee Town Center Community Park East, 550 Park Center Drive, Santee, CA 92071. Be part of the celebration of life. Visit the American Cancer’s Relay for Life Site for more information on a Relay for Life site near you: http://www.relayforlife.org/

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Congresswoman Susan Davis Tours Grossmont College

Susan-Davis-at-Grossmont-College_0294

EL CAJON – Rep. Susan Davis (D-San Diego) toured Grossmont College on Tuesday, Apr. 30, praising the East County college for its strong support of student military veterans and the high-tech training it offers for aspiring nurses and other health professionals in the classrooms and labs of the Health and Sciences Complex .

Davis marveled at how much Grossmont College had changed in recent years with a bevy of new and remodeled buildings constructed with funding from Proposition R, a construction bond measure approved by East County voters in 2002.

“You have such a treasure here and the resources you have are really second to none,” Davis said of Grossmont College campus following her campus tour.

As the representative for the 53rd Congressional District, which includes El Cajon, San Carlos, La Mesa, Lake Murray and Spring Valley in the East County, Davis was following up on an invitation for a tour of the college from a college district delegation that met with her in Washington, D.C. in February.

As a former military spouse and the daughter of a World War II medic, as well as a past member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, Davis has a long interest in matters involving those who have served in the nation’s defense. She is also a member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, and has made education one of her signature issues.

Cindy L. Miles, chancellor of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District, joined by Governing Board President Bill Garrett and Grossmont College President Sunita “Sunny” Cooke, gave the congresswoman an overview of what the district is doing to meet the educational needs of the 2,000 veterans and dependents enrolled in Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges.

With more than 2.2 million veterans, California has the largest veteran population in the nation, she noted. Many of the veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan will turn to community college to get their education.

“At our colleges, we are very purposeful with our services to veterans and we always want to do more,” Miles said. “We know they need very specific counseling and support services after the experiences they have had.”

In a small office currently serving as the temporary site for Grossmont College’s Veterans Resource Center, Davis talked to veterans who gather inside the cramped quarters to study and to share their college experiences with fellow compatriots. Staffed by veterans, the center is heavily used, providing students access to computers and assistive technologies, academic counseling, peer support and mentoring, and financial aid resources.

“Every need I have ever had as a student veteran has been provided by the college, either through the Veterans Resource Center or the Veterans Services office,” said Darron DeVillez, 53, an honor student and president of the college’s Student Veterans Organization. “The help I got here really calmed my anxiety level as a veteran with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). I am living a dream. I can’t believe all the wonderful things that have happened since I came here.”

With the passage last November of Proposition V, the college district’s $398 million bond measure, an expanded Veterans Resource Center is planned to better serve the college’s veteran and military students.

During Davis’ visit, college and district leaders urged the congresswoman to give a high priority to protecting federal spending for education in the face of sequestration-mandated budget cuts. Miles told Davis about the critical need to support federal expenditures like the dollars that help support the district’s 5,600 Pell Grant recipients.

Davis described Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges as crucial to the well-being of the East County region.

“It’s here that all things begin,” she said. “I would encourage continuing support to Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges.”

For more information about the colleges, go to www.gcccd.edu

Friends of East County Arts Holds Garden Tour Fundraiser

Friends-of-East-County-Arts_0222Friends of East County Arts held their annual Garden Tour on Saturday April 27th. The tour included visits to six beautiful East County home gardens. Proceeds from the tour are used to support the arts in East County including art programs at Home of Guiding Hands.

Santee Mormon Helping Hands at Lindo Lake

helping_hands_2013_0024-XLPhotos by Jay Renard

Lakeside – Saturday, April 27th, over 300 volunteers from the Mormon Helping Hands descended upon Lindo Lake County Park today. They worked in conjunction with I Love A Clean San Diego’s Creek to Bay Cleanup project to clean several sites here in Lakeside. This well organized effort deployed groups of volunteers to Lindo Lake, the Lakeside Linkage Preserve, the Whitaker House, and the San Diego River at Cactus Park.

Working closely with the Lakeside’s River Park Conservancy, this mass of workers not only cleaned up debris around the lake and other sites, but did landscape work, painted public restrooms, the boat house and bridge, and re-stripped the parking lot and handicapped parking spaces. The project began bright and early this morning and by 8:00am hundreds of volunteers clad in yellow vests swarmed around Lindo Lake and the other locations looking much like busy worker bees. By 12:00 noon they departed our Lakeside community to reveal sparkling clean parks and grounds.

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Santree Fest 2013

santree_fest_2013_0125-XLPhotos by Jay Renard

Santee – Saturday, April 27th, was Santree Fest at Town Center Community Park East. The event was from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Activities included the interblastive organic soap foam spraying from the fire department, Continuous Live Entertainment from Box Canyon Band, National Dance Week Performances with Incahoots Dance Team, and Off Broadway Live’s Ben Owens.
Kid’s Fun Zone included earth day crafts, splash science lab inflatables, educational bug booth, balloon animals, face painting, and games.

Waste Management hosted a booth where residents were able to drop off household batteries for proper disposal and learn more about recycling in Santee. The mini-trash truck was there as well.

At 10:00, Santee Mayor Randy Voepel dedicated the tree planting to the “Darkhorse” 3rd Battalion 5th Marines. A contingent of Marines was on hand for the ceremony.

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Helix Water District announces high school photo contest winners

La Mesa, CA – On April 17, Helix Water District Board of Directors presented awards to the winners of the eleventh annual High School Water Colors Photo Contest. This highly successful program has grown rapidly over the past few years and is designed to raise awareness of water issues within the high school community. Students compete for cash prizes, recognition, and publication of their work in the District’s reports, websites, and Facebook page. This year 136 extremely high quality entries from seven high schools within the District vied for awards.
Juried by professional photographers and Helix staff, winners were chosen in black and white, color, and Best of Show.
Throughout the summer, a rotating exhibit of winning and non-winning photos can be seen in the lobby of the Helix Administration Office, 7811 University Avenue, La Mesa, 91941. Public is welcome. Hours are between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Photos can also be seen on the Helix Water District’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/helixwater?ref=hl

best in show

Best of Show – Rand Al Urfali – CD With Water Drops

first place

1st Place Color – Michael LeTouzic, – Liquid Metal

first place bw

1st Place B&W – Chelce Blackwood – Dark Waters

Media Release

Joan MacQueen Speech Contest

speech-contestALPINE — Each year 8th graders from Joan MacQueen Middle School compose persuasive essays on a topic of their choice. The seven students that presented their essays
to the Kiwanis Club of Alpine at their regular weekly meeting, Saturday, Apr. 20 were chosen out of a pool of approximately 300 of their peers. Five anonymous judges in the audience gave each student
a score based on the following ten categories:

speech-contest-2
Thoughtful and challenging introduction;
Body language;
Voice projection and enunciation;
Knowledge of material;
Consistent eye contact with the audience;
Well organized material;
Thoughtful and challenging conclusion;
Energetic presentation;
Interesting content; and
The ability to stay within the allotted time of 3-4 minutes.

This years contestants and their topics were Sean McCann (Mental Illness), Dominic Garza (Censorship), Raynee Ludeke (Welfare),
Garrett Fletcher (Global Warming), John George (Body Image and the Media), Rebekah Meyer (Police in School), Michael Murphy (Cell Phones in Class),
and not able to be there to present her essay was Lauren Motter (Bullies).
While the votes were being tallied, Katie Quartuccio presented each contestant with a beautiful acknowledgement certificate from Senator Joel Anderson’s Office.

The 2013 winner of the Joan MacQueen Speech Contest was Dominic Garza.

Public speaking, as most would agree, ranks right up there with the fear of heights and the fear of snakes. We should consider all of this years participants winners for having
the ability and the courage to participate in this contest. Congratulations to the future leaders of our community!

Stoney’s Kids receives generous donation

042513-Stoney'sKidsChk-web

From left: Stoney’s Kids President Odie Goward, Mr. East County Stoney Stone, Bonnie Stone-Davis and Gary Case

The Case family began a golf tournament 12 years ago in memory of their daughter Cheryl after she lost her battle with cancer.
This year Stoney’s Kids was one of the chosen non-profits by Cottonwood Assistant General Manager Christina Liska and Gary Case, Cheryl’s brother.
They believed that Cheryl would have truly loved Stoney’s Kids and the support they bring to kids in East County. After this years Golf Tournament at Cottonwood, Stoney’s Kids received an amazing donation of $5,000 from Gary Case on Thursday, Apr. 25. at their regular board meeting.
For more information on Stoney’s Kids visit www.stoneyskids.org

Grossmont Healthcare District takes concrete steps toward energy efficiency at Grossmont Hospital

Cajon Classic Car Cruise Starts

cajon_classic_cruise_04_24_13_0147-XLPhotos by Jay Renard

El Cajon – Wednesday, April 24th was the start of the “Cajon Classic Cruise” night. hosted by Downtown El Cajon Business Partners. From April 24th to September 25th, Wednesday nights on Main Street and Magnolia Avenue will have a weekly theme. More than 200 cars are at downtown El Cajon. Visitors can see the best theme cars on the Prescott Promenade. Local restaurants offer dinner and drink specials, bounce houses for the kids, and street vendors peddle delights including kettle corn and hot dogs.

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California Native American Heritage Commission Declares Ocotillo Wind Project Area a Sacred Native American Site; Seeks Enforcement Assistance from Calif. Attorney General

SAN DIEGO – April 23, 2013 – The California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) has declared the Ocotillo Wind Project area in Imperial Valley a sacred Native American site. The determination came yesterday afternoon following hours of testimony from Southern California tribes, impacted community members, conservation organizations and representatives from Imperial County and the project developer, Pattern Energy. The lead agency on the utility-scale wind energy development, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) failed to appear at the hearing to defend its record.

Among those submitting testimony on behalf of the tribes were representatives from U.S. Congressmen Juan Vargas and Duncan Hunter, and California State Senator Joel Anderson.

Following hours of testimony, the Commission voted unanimously to declare the Ocotillo Wind Project area a sacred Native American site afforded protections under section 5097.9 of the California Public Resources Code, and asked for assistance on enforcement options from the California Attorney General’s office.

The Commission determined that the BLM failed to engage in federally-required meaningful consultation with affected tribes, and that the BLM’s development partner, Pattern Energy, failed to mitigate significant negative impacts on documented historic Native American cultural resources.

The Ocotillo Wind development project is located in the sensitive Ocotillo Desert in western Imperial County and includes 112 massive turbines, each with a blade sweep larger than a football field, and a height of 450 feet, which is taller than most skyscrapers in downtown San Diego.  The BLM’s own archeologists declared the project area a cultural resources “mega site.” Hundreds of significant Native American cultural resource sites have been documented, including cremation sites, petroglyphs, geoglyphs, ancient villages and prehistoric trails.

Viejas Tribal Chairman Anthony R. Pico commended the Commission for its careful deliberation and objective assessment of evidence submitted by all involved parties. “It is gratifying to finally get a fair and objective hearing, after years of having Native American concerns dismissed by the BLM and their development partner, Pattern Energy. While we support renewable energy, Ocotillo Wind is clearly the wrong project in the wrong location. We express our gratitude to Commission members for recognizing this travesty and we hope that their ruling helps prevent similar situations from occurring on future development sites.”

About the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians

The Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians is a sovereign Nation whose people have inhabited the Southern California and northern Mexico for tens of thousands of years. For more information on the history and current government of the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians visit www.viejasbandofkumeyaay.org.

NFL Play 60 Kickoff at Cajon Park School in Santee

nfl_play_60_2013_0364-XLPhotos by Jay Renard

Santee – Tuesday, April 23rd, the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association, San Diego Chargers, and the Santee School District a announce that the Santee School District will again be hosting the NFL Play 60 Challenge. This year’s campaign will reach all students grades 5-8 in the Santee School District. More than 2,700 students from the district will be making the pledge to be more active.

The campaign kicked-off at Cajon Park School in Santee with Chargers Darrell Stuckey and Derek Cox. The program will culminate in May with Jr. Chargers Training Camps held at two locations in the district. Students from across the district will have the opportunity to attend one of these events. The camps will feature fun drills and activities to keep kids moving and will include special guests from the Chargers organization.

The NFL PLAY 60 Challenge is a 6-week program that educates youth about the importance of staying fit and creates an engaging and fun environment at school that seeks to inspire students to be physically active for at least 60 minutes every day.

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