TherapyWorks | Simple Strategies to Reduce Stress
Do you ever feel stressed? You are not alone. Whether it’s the pressures of work, relationships, financial worries or the constant bombardment of information from technology, stress seems to be ever-present in our lives.
However, while some level of stress is normal and even beneficial...
Letters to the Editor, June 12th 2020
I found Pastor PJ Davis's column ("Time to Gather") in the May 22, 2020 edition of the Press Banner somewhat disconcerting and misleading. While I understand the frustration that Pastor Davis and his congregation must be feeling, Pastor Davis seems to imply churches are being unfairly discriminated against, and I see no evidence of that. In fact, this issue has already been litigated, and multiple judges have disagreed with Pastor Davis's assessment. US District Judge Jesus G. Bernal wrote,
When a fundraising event is more than just another ‘nice time out’
On August 9, at Bret Harte Hall in Roaring Camp, Valley Churches United Missions became the gracious beneficiary of a wonderful fund raising event. More than 25 restaurants, 10 wineries, and 4 breweries served up delicious tastes and sips straight from their respective kitchens to our donors. Nearly everyone that I spoke with was complimentary and all who were there had a good time. We sincerely thank the vendors who shared their goodies and we appreciate the hundreds of donors who sold out our event.When I arrived last fall to become the Executive Director of VCUM, the calendar was essentially set and all that I needed to do was support the existing plan and learn how to execute against our various program deliverables. I did that. When 2015 began, I was focused on how to find a ‘success’ that we could point to as a turning point in our evolution as an organization. After all, the new guy would eventually have to produce something that was, well, new. Sunday was new and I was delighted. To be sure, the fund raising is important, but just as important to me right now, is how we showed up in the community, and how we worked together as a team. I’m proud that we exceeded our fund raising goal and I’m even more proud about how we worked together as a team.“Tasting under the Redwoods” required some new volunteers, with some new expertise and a whole new set of personal contacts. When I arrived at Valley Churches I observed that we had a dedicated cadre of volunteers, and many were also board members. What we didn’t have was a large number of people who were volunteers. While I saw remarkable commitment to our organization, I also observed a fairly small circle of people. I believed then and now more than ever, that our organizational strength comes from our volunteers. If you’d like to become involved with Valley Churches, we have an “All Volunteer Meeting” at Park Hall on September 24. Show up there and we’ll try and find something good for you to do.For a non-profit organization like ours to thrive, we need the trust and support from our local business community. I view that as something to be earned and cultivated by spending the donated money wisely and keeping fundraising expenses to a minimum. “Tasting under the Redwoods” wouldn’t have happened without the direct support from the restaurants, wineries and breweries. You may not know that our business sponsors, Liberty Bank, Union Bank, and The Keller Williams Team, enabled us to fund the basic event costs. Our media sponsor, KSCO, was instrumental in turning out the sellout crowd. Yes, requesting that a restaurant prepare 350 bites of something delicious to donate for charity is a big ‘ask.’ The support that we received blew us away. However, it turns out that many in our community have a personal story or anecdote that triggers a good vibe when thinking of Valley Churches. My predecessor, Annette Marcum, and the hundreds of volunteers that have come before Sunday, built that goodwill. I recognize that is a tremendous asset for us to build upon, and it is a serious responsibility to keep that support alive and healthy.There was also a wee bit of organizational trepidation to overcome last Sunday. This was a new event for us. We had no experience to fall back on when we ran across the unforeseen hurdles and all the little hassles that inevitably surface when you doing something for the first time. Indeed, we’re a stronger organization today than we were just the week prior to “Tasting under the Redwoods,” because we proved to ourselves that we are capable of doing something new and in fact we can be “bigger” if we want to be. I have high hopes for evolving our services portfolio at Valley Churches. Thinking bigger, acting bigger, and bigger fundraising are all different things. We all feel a bit better now that we’ve actually delivered this event and satisfied our sponsors and donors. Whatever new thing that comes next, it won’t quite be as daunting because of that success. For that, I’m grateful.So, to what not-for-profit purposes will the money be used to fund? At Valley Churches our calendar-year’s fourth quarter is the busiest time of the year. Historically, that’s been true for both giving and receiving. Our Thanksgiving project provides literally hundreds of Thanksgiving meals, and our annual “Valley Christmas Project” is a really a collection of giving programs for families, seniors, and others. The truth is that the money raised from “Tasting under the Redwoods” won’t go to any one program, rather it will be used to offset expenses for food purchases, which we do for much of the year; build our storm preparedness capacity; and it will fund the other giving programs. Apart from food distribution, we have rent expense, transportation assistance, medical catastrophe expenses and other catastrophic services support. Having completed this event in the third quarter will provide us with the financial momentum for going into the fourth quarter and it will likely enable a few of our volunteers to work less hours this coming Holiday season. Again, for that I am grateful.
Strictly Business | Unplug to Power Up: How Vacations Can Boost Business Success
In today’s fast-paced business world, it’s easy to get caught up in the daily pressure of life, with endless to-do lists, social media notifications and the constant pressure to excel. However, many business professionals overlook the incredible power of taking a vacation.
It may seem...
Editorial: Let us help you with democratic process
The race to fill Mark Stone’s shoes as a Santa Cruz County supervisor representing the 5th District will certainly heat up once the holidays have passed. With six candidates, from a career politician to those nearly green behind the ears, voters have a colorful spectrum to choose from when filling the county seat in June.
Live Music, Get Full of It
As the pandemic wanes, we are moving, going outdoors, connecting and mingling with others because hope is in the air. We are getting full of it. So, I decided to go out on the town, downtown Felton.
A Wee-bit of History
In the '90s, I moved...
Paddy Smith Park blooms with new garden at Santa Cruz County...
The beautiful Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds are growing even more beautiful thanks to a colorful landscaping project at Paddy Smith Park.
Jeff Rosendale, with Sierra...