Tag Archives: South Coasting

Caines named La Cumbre principal

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Students graduating from Adams Elementary School and going onto La Cumbre Junior High will see a familiar face in the halls. Adams principal Jo Ann Caines will be the new principal at La Cumbre, replacing Eugenia Walters, who resigned for unnamed reasons. Walters has been on personal leave since early November.

Under Caines’ leadership, Adams earned recognition as both a California Distinguished School and Title I Achieving School. A GATE Cluster Magnet School with 78 percent minority students and 72 percent of the students below the poverty level, under Caines’ leadership Adams has often been held up as a model for low-income schools.

Caines, who is a product of Santa Barbara public schools and a Santa Barbara High grad, said she is eager to engage staff, parents, and students in building a “new La Cumbre.” In a sense she will be “going home” to La Cumbre, where she taught for many years and served as an assistant principal.

La Cumbre’s enrollment has declined to approximately 430 students and it is hoped that Caines’ solid reputation in the community, creativity and skills as a team leader will help turn that trend around.

In recent years, an exodus of students and administrative turnover has challenged La Cumbre. In 2003, Michael Gonzalez, the school’s principal for several years, was reassigned to the district office after mediators could not resolve conflicts with some members of the staff. Walters, who was then an assistant principal at the school, replaced him that year.

Under Walters, the school worked closely with the school board and other district officials on a plan to bring back many of the students who had left, in part by reinstating many of the enrichment classes.

Matt Zuchowitz will replace Caines as the interim principal at Adams.

“I am delighted to be joining the Adams School Community!” said Zuchowitz, who began this school year as the assistant principal at Franklin Elementary School and has also taught at McKinley Elementary School and Peabody Charter School.

“Having worked with Jo Ann Caines, as well as a number of Adams teachers, I know how hard she has worked to build a cohesive team of staff, parents, and community partners that are focused on the academic achievement of Adams’ students. I am looking forward to working with Ms. Caines during this transition. I know that because she will be only a stone’s throw away at La Cumbre Junior High, this will help ensure a smooth transition.”

Also getting a new assignment is Patricia Santiago, who was named interim principal at Washington Elementary School, where principal Beatrice Rubio-Cordeiro is on a long-term medical leave.

Santiago taught at several local elementary schools, including Peabody Charter School and Franklin Elementary School and most recently served as assistant principal at La Cumbre Junior High.

I’m excited about becoming a member of the Washington Elementary School team,” said Santiago. “Washington has a long history of academic excellence which can be attributed to its dedicated teachers and committed parents. It is my hope that my experience as a leader at Peabody Charter School and La Cumbre Junior High School will enhance the strong educational program already in place.”

In addition to these changes, the Board of Education also promoted Santa Barbara Junior High School’s interim principal Susan Salcido as the permanent principal at that school on Tuesday.

“I am pleased that we are able to draw from our exceptional pool of district administrators to meet our mid-year school site administrative needs,” said Interim Superintendent Brian Sarvis.

“Leaving one school for another is never easy because of the relationships that are formed. But, these are professionals who saw the larger need and accepted the challenge that accompanies change. Jo Ann Caines, Matt Zuchowicz, and Patricia Santiago will provide effective leadership and are committed to making the new transition as seamless as possible.”

Originally published in South Coast Beacon

Vitamin Angels provide disaster relief

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“We never get to choose when a natural disaster will strike. But we always get to choose how we will respond,” said Howard Schiffer, president of Vitamin Angel Alliance, a Santa Barbara-based non-profit dedicated to providing basic nutrition and fighting diseases caused by malnutrition around the world.

Immediately upon hearing the news of last month’s Tsunamis in Southeast Asia, Vitamin Angel issued a call for vitamin donations to help stave off starvation and lessen the likelihood of epidemics and disease.

“In a disaster situation, the infrastructure is usually in shambles. It’s going to be a while before they’re getting any food, clean water and that kind of thing. … The population’s really at risk for opportunistic infections,” Schiffer said.

“People don’t realize is that after a disaster is over, the secondary effect with disease and epidemics spreading could compound the tragedy to a much, much greater level, and that if you can get in there with medicine, and basic nutrients, you could save a part of the population to where they’ll survive until you can get in the other things and get organized.”

It’s to that end that Vitamin Angel is doing what it’s been doing since the 1994 Northridge earthquake, working to help bring emergency nutritional supplies to people who need them most.

Schiffer said people who want to help with the relief effort have responded in droves.

“There are a lot of things that divide us — the religious stuff, political stuff, ideology — and there are some things that bring us together … compassion and caring and trying to help.”

In 2003, Vitamin Angel donated 16.2 million supplements worldwide to people in need, and Schiffer estimates the 2004 total to be about 20 million vitamin supplements.

Citing a study by the World Health Organization, “the number one health risk factor, above cancer, above heart disease, above AIDS, the number one health risk in the world is lack of food,” he said. “The people that we’re working with literally are starving to death.”

And many of the diseases they’re suffering from are inexpensively prevented.

For example, it costs a nickel a year to provide supplements to prevent vitamin A deficiency childhood blindness. In response to this epidemic, Vitamin Angel has partnered with Johnson & Johnson to pilot a program that will reach six million children, lactating mothers and infants in India.

“The single most important intervention we can make in the world today is supply multiple vitamins,” said Schiffer, who began his journey in the vitamin supplement business before a call for help from Direct Relief International set him on his current course.

DRI remains a strong alliance. Vitamin Angel also works with other relief organizations all over the world.

“We believe that every person is entitled to basic nutrition, we believe that malnutrition linked diseases are preventable and we believe that education in addition to supplementation is the key to long-term health,” Schiffer said.

For more information visit www.vitaminangel.org or call 565.9919.

Other local Tsunami relief efforts

* Direct Relief International is accepting monetary donations. Go online to www.directrelief.org or call 964.4767.Checks should have “Tsunami Relief” specified and can be mailed to 27 S. La Patera Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93117.

* Contact the American Red Cross at 800.435.7669, mail checks to 2705 State St., Santa Barbara, CA 93105 or visit www.redcross.org. Mid-State Bank branches are also taking Red Cross donations.

* Sri Lanka Medical Relief is selling T-shirts bearing the flags of all 12 countries hit by the tsunamis and a map of Sri Lanka. Call 568.0770 to order a $15 t-shirt, with proceeds going to Tsunami relief.

* Angels Wings Foundation International plans to build 100 homes and an orphanage in Thailand. Send donations to 1482 East Valley Road, Suite 428, Montecito, CA 93108 or email angelswings@simon.sb.coxmail.com.

* New Directions Foundation is taking donations, care of the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 299, Santa Barbara, CA 93102.

* The nonprofit VeAhavta has asked for donations. To help, call 542.9357 or visit www.you-shall-love.org.

Originally published in South Coast Beacon

Are you really busy?

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Photo: Pexels.com.

Photo: Pexels.com.

New show asks families to compete for busiest title

Sure there’s a certain prestige to sporting the most active minivan on your block. But if you’re really that busy, who not go pro?

A busy family lifestyle could earn your family a spot on a new NBC reality show “America’s Busiest Families” (working title).

We are looking for busy, busy families, said casting director Vaia Abatzis. “Stay at home moms, working moms, working dads, stay at home dads, across the board, we want it all. It really comes down to the entire family that is just consistently active, meaning kids with tons of lessons, sports, activities, just going going going.”

Families will be filmed in their own homes, going about their own lives and competing against others to see who runs the busiest and best household in America.

“It would be expected that they would go about their business. That’s the whole point, because obviously they can’t stop, they’re busy. They can’t take the day off and take the kids out of school and stop soccer practice, the whole point of the show is going through these challenges while you’re running around for your day to day life,” Abatzis said.

The filming will take spring, with the show airing in the summer.

“The families will be taking part in what we are calling household challenges — just various challenges … that the entire family can get involved in. The winning family will receive a cash award,” Abatzis said.

The casting search, which closes at the end of February 2005, targets families from across the country with multiple children (ages ranging from toddlers to teenagers) that have been able to balance the pressures of the working world, household demands and numerous activities.

Families interested in applying for the reality series should go to www.nbc.com to review the entry application.

Originally published in South Coast Beacon on January 13, 2005.

Wishing to be driven to distraction

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Photo: Raysonho courtesy Wikipedia Commons.

Photo: Raysonho courtesy Wikipedia Commons.

Recent family road trip a timely reminder to steer clear of next one

I love my father, but I never want to see the back of his head again.

In my family, vacations can be hazardous to your health — and I don’t mean from the mysterious “road trip” diet of my teenage years, which consisted of corn nuts, Slurpees and various jerky-like substances, nor do I mean from my adult “road trip” diet, which consists of too many diet cokes, nonfat lattes, and glasses of wine when we’re finally “there yet.”

No, I’m talking about my father behind the wheel.

I recently celebrated the New Year by driving to Northern California in a sausage-packed sedan with my parents, my husband and my son. Unlike many people, I actually enjoy spending time with my parents and would even rank them high on my list of “couple friends” — until we get in the car.

Someone once said that there are three parts to every vacation — anticipation, vacation and recuperation. When my father is driving you need to add a fourth part to the equation — trepidation.

We all have certain genetic qualities we fret about when we marry into another family, those things that we worry about passing on to our children. When my sister announced she was pregnant, my brother-in-law’s first comment was, “I’m teaching the baby how to drive.”

That’s how bad the Dinaberg driving genes are.

My sister and I are bonafide bad drivers, but at least we admit it, and will readily let someone else drive whenever possible. In fact, while most parents worry about the day their children will finally get their driver’s license, I can hardly wait. Even hopped up on teenage hormones and hip-hop (or whatever kind of music is popular in 2016), I know my son will be a better driver than I am.

We all have our talents, and I have no illusions about where I stand when it comes to manning the driver’s seat.

No such luck with dad.

Although he deserves sole credit for teaching my sister and I to use the brakes on an empty freeway, he insists he is a great driver. As proof, he’ll be happy — ecstatic, in fact — to show you his military license. His friend Col. Dan Georgi gave it to him for driving a Humvee in a parking lot. Where’s Colonel Dan now? Afghanistan. Apparently he thought he’d be safer there.

Anyone who’s spent five minutes with my dad knows he has a great sense of humor about most things, but he’s not joking about this. My dad really does think he’s a great driver. The thrill of driving with my father lies in his unpredictability. Where most would choose to accelerate, he might decide to brake; when many would be content with a constant freeway speed, he likes to keep other drivers guessing; and while many would go slowly crazy following that bus right in front of us for the last ten miles, I’m not sure he’s even noticed it with all the futzing around he’s been doing with the radio.

Fortunately, he’s got mom, otherwise known as “GPS Joan,” who gives him at least a 33-mile heads up every time he gets within a half an hour of the next required turn.

There’s nothing like a six-hour drive in the rain with your parents to bring back memories. Comfortably ensconced in the front seat, my husband kept his complaining to an admirable minimum. Meanwhile, I had to endure hours of crying, tears and tantrums. From my inner child. My actual child was a lot better behaved than I was, what with the “are we there yet? ” mantra of yesteryear having been replaced by chants of “can I watch the DVD yet?”

If only I could figure out a legal substance to mellow adults out the way “Teen Titans” and “Yu-Gi-Oh!” calm my kid, I could make a fortune and hire a private jet to take us on our next family vacation.

In lieu of having my own personal “Pokemon” to focus on during the trip, I had to settle for bathroom breaks, lots of them. My husband calls my family “the Amazing Mini Bladderinis,” and with the bottles of water, the sound of the rain on the roof, and all the coffee breaks … I’ll be right back!

When I wasn’t peeing, I spent most of the rest of the drive with my face pressed against the window, slowly mouthing the words “Help me!” to anyone whose attention I could get. As I fogged up the windows I looked on the bright side: I was no longer looking at the back of my father’s head.

And when we finally got to our destination and later toasted the New Year surrounded by family and friends, I remembered a lesson my father taught me well — sometimes the destination is actually worth the drive.

P.S: For those of you passing through Santa Barbara, it may interest you to know that my father used to teach drivers ed. Have a nice drive back to LA.

Originally published in South Coast Beacon on January 13, 2005.

New County Supervisors Sworn In

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In his keynote address, political journalist Lou Cannon wished the new County Board of Supervisors a “constructive combination of idealism and compromise,” as they swore their oaths of office Tuesday morning before an overflow crowd.

New third district supervisor Brooks Firestone charmed the crowd early when he introduced his wife Kate as his “number one key team member.” Noting that “we are at a historical moment in Santa Barbara history right now,” with the county split on the ballot for next year, Firestone offered outgoing supervisor Gail Marshall and her assistant John Buttney (his opponent in the third district race) his “thanks and total respect.”

Salud Carbajal, the new first district supervisor, also gave a respectful nod to Marshall, as well as to his mentor, outgoing supervisor Naomi Schwartz.

“To my colleagues on the board, I really look forward to serving with you all and working to find solutions to the many challenges that face residents of our county and our constituents,” said Carbajal.

“While I think we will disagree from time to time, I’m hopeful that we are mindful of the importance of keeping the types of relationships and civility that will allow us to put forth our best foot for our constituency that we represent,” he said.

Both Carbajal and Firestone were elected to four-year terms. Joni Gray was also re-elected to serve the fourth district for four more years. Second district supervisor Susan Rose, who has two years remaining in her seat, was named Chairwoman of the Board, with Gray as Vice Chair.

“Our challenge is to make our diversity of opinion our strength,” said Rose, in accepting the gavel from Fifth District Supervisor Joe Centeno, who also has two years left in his term.

Newly elected Judge James Rigali was sworn in to a six-year term after an invocation by Father Virgil Cordano of the Old Mission Santa Barbara, a presentation of colors and pledge of allegiance led by Vandenberg Air Force Base Color Guard Colonel Frank Gallegos and a musical presentation by the Santa Barbara High School Madrigal Singers, under the direction of Phillip McLendon.

Also appointed were: Jack Boysen, C. Michael Cooney, Susan Jordan (all reappointed), Parker Montgomery and Joe Valencia to the County Planning Commission; Dan Eidelson (reappointed) to the Coastal Vector Control District Board; Bob Bierig, Michael Phillips and Richard Thielscher (all reappointed) to the Montecito Planning Commission; Claire Gottsdanker and Donald Nulty (both reappointed) to the Montecito Board of Architectural Review; “Bob” David Robert Kober, Jr. and David Morgan (both reappointed) to the Fish & Game Commission; Julia F. McLanahan to the Advisory Board on Alcohol and Drug Problems; George Croll and Patrice Surmeier (both reappointed) to the Air Pollution Control District Community Advisory Council; Eileen Wyckoff and Jim Lowsley (both reappointed) to the Historic Landmarks Advisory Committee; James King (reappointed) to the Board of Architectural Review; Gene O. Peterson (reappointed) to the County Parks Commission; and Ronald Werft and Karen Johnson (reappointed) to the County Regional Health Authority Board of Directors.

Originally published in South Coast Beacon

Dropping the Ball on Annual Resolutions

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Bratislava New Year Fireworks, courtesy Wikipedia Commons.

Bratislava New Year Fireworks, courtesy Wikipedia Commons.

Like many otherwise rational people, I like to take some time at the end of each December to reflect on my accomplishments of the past year and set goals for the next one that will help transform me into a more organized, healthier, wholesome person with a better body and a much cleaner house.

While I haven’t accomplished all that I would have liked to in 2004, a look back at the history of my New Year’s resolutions tells me that at least I’m continuing to make progress every year.

Resolution #1

1990: I will get back to the weight on my Driver’s License.

1997: I will get back to my weight when I got married.

2002: I will follow my new diet religiously until I get back to my pre-pregnancy weight.

2005: I will try to develop a realistic attitude about my weight, buy myself pretty clothes and develop my personality. (Confession: I’d like to take credit for this line, but truthfully it’s what my father said about me the first time he saw me when I was an hour old.)

Resolution #2

1989: I will not spend my money frivolously and save enough money to put a down payment on a small house in Santa Barbara.

1992: I will stay on a strict budget and save enough to put a down payment on a small house in Goleta.

1998: I will not spend any money at all on anything, under any circumstances, and save enough to put a down payment on a small house in Isla Vista, with the help of my parents and anyone else who might want to invest.

2003: I will not spend my money frivolously and save enough to put a down payment on a small used car.

2004: I will stop buying so many new pairs of shoes.

2005: I will try to keep my expenses below 110 percent of my income.

Resolution #3

2003: I will stop smoking.

2004: I will stop smoking.

2005: I will stop smoking. (Confession #2: I never started smoking in the first place, but I always like to give myself one easy thing that I know I can accomplish to make myself feel better about this whole New Year’s resolution thing.)

Resolution #4

2003: I will spend more time with my family.

2004: I will spend more quality time with my family.

2005: I will redefine quality time with my family to mean that we all have to be awake, with no one yelling, but not necessarily doing the same activity in the same room at the same time.

Resolution #5

1997: I will treat my body as a temple and eat only healthy, organic foods.

2000: I will only order out for pizza once a week.

2002: I will remember that Chuck’s Mai Tais do not count as a serving of fruit, even though they come with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry. Apparently the celery in a Brophy Brother’s Bloody Mary doesn’t count as a vegetable either.

2003: I will sit down with my family and eat a healthy, balanced meal at least once a week.

2005: I will eat a piece of dark chocolate and I will drink a glass of red wine every night, but only for the good of my health.

Resolution #6

2001: I will hold my ground with my boss and not let him push me around.

2002: I will not let my sadistic boss drive me to homicidal thoughts.

2003: I will get a new boss.

2005: I will tell my boss how much I appreciate him and take every opportunity I can to suck up to him, so I can get a raise and not work on Fridays.

Resolution #7

1982: I will write a book before I’m 30.

1995: I will write a book before I’m 40.

2003: I will read at least 10 books a year whose titles I’m not embarrassed to talk about.

2005: I will stop letting those People Magazines pile up by my bedside and actually finish them.

Resolution #8

1993: I will not fight with my boyfriend about household chores.

1994: I will not fight with my husband about household chores.

1999: My husband will stop pretending he knows how to fix the car and I will stop pretending I am the least bit competent in the kitchen.

2003: My husband will stop pretending he doesn’t see the pile of laundry that needs to be folded and I will stop pretending I don’t know how to plunge the toilet and pump my own gas.

2005: My husband will make sure I have gas in my car if I give him enough warning when the tank is low and I will stop making New Year’s resolutions on behalf of other people.

Resolution #9

2005: (finally a new one) I will put away a dollar in a little jar every day and maybe when I retire I’ll be able to afford an R.V. that I can park somewhere in Santa Barbara. (Confession #3: Who am I kidding? Pass the wine and chocolate!)

Originally published in South Coast Beacon on December 30, 2004.

Students win big in clean air calendar contest

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A lucky thirteen local kids learned some fun and creative ways to get around town without creating air pollution, thanks to a recent calendar art contest, sponsored by the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District and SBCAG Traffic Solutions.

JoJo Relyea, age 10, a student at May Grisham Elementary School in Orcutt, was the grand prize winner of a free bicycle donated by Bicycle Bob’s in Santa Barbara, and a $100 savings bond contributed by Santa Barbara Bank and Trust.

Her winning picture, which graces the calendar cover, features colorful butterflies with the message: “Creative ideas for transportation will make our world beautiful.” JoJo said that she was playing outside on a warm day and spotted a butterfly that became the inspiration for her winning artwork. “If you want to go to your friend’s house, ride your bike instead of having your parents drive you – and that will keep our air clean.”

The other winners were:

Josef Gottwald, Age 11, The Howard School, Carpinteria: “My picture is about electric buses.”

Veronica Duran, Age 12, Jonata Elementary School, Buellton: “Bike riding is the way to prevent air pollution.”

Dana Illes, Age 7, Oak Valley School, Buellton: “A train can carry lots of people.”

Sabrina Sorich, Age 12, Goleta Valley Junior High: “Fly Free in the Clean Air!”

Kyle Saunders, Age 10, Santa Barbara Christian School: “People using alternate forms of transportation to keep the air clean.”

Corina Brown, Age 12, Vista de las Cruces School, Gaviota: “My picture is about pollution and why it should be stopped.”

Helena Davila, Age 8, Montecito Union School: “Walking is a lot more fun than riding in a car!”

Rylan Ross, Age 12, Vandenberg Middle School, Lompoc: “Outdoor play the clean air way!”

Stephanie Zirretta, Age 10, Adams Elementary School, Santa Barbara: “The way to go!”

Matthew Ray Willis, Age 8, Fillmore Elementary School, Lompoc: “My picture is about the walking school bus.”

Jose Lopez, Age 7, Harding Elementary School, Santa Barbara: “My picture is about being kind to the air.”

Ben Brewer, Age 6, Monroe Elementary School, Santa Barbara: “Bike riding is fun!”

They each received $50 savings bonds from Santa Barbara Bank and Trust.

Local artist Daniel Girard designed the clever calendar, using a medieval castle theme to integrate the artwork and photographs of the children.

Calendars are available to county residents upon request while supplies last. To request one, call the APCD at 961.8800.

Originally published in South Coast Beacon on December 30, 2004.

Lab now center of school’s attention

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With fund raising down to a science, Peabody at last gets chance to explore.

Those ubiquitous blue-and-yellow “If You Build It They Will Learn” bumper stickers from Peabody Charter School were replaced by a new slogan Thursday — “We Built It! Now Watch Us Learn” — as Principal Pat Morales cut the ribbon on the long-awaited Exploration Center.

“Yes, we built it and, yes, we will raise the rest of the money (approximately $1 million) to pay for it,” Morales said to the hundreds of children and their families who gathered to celebrate the center’s opening.

The seeds for the $4 million learning center were planted in 1998, when voters passed a $25 million bond issue to fund new libraries for several Santa Barbara County schools, of which $800,000 was allocated to Peabody. Inspired by the school’s motto, “think of the possibilities,” the school’s leaders envisioned something much grander than just a library. They wanted a full-scale learning center that would live on into the future, utilizing cutting-edge technology.

In talking about the vision for the project, Morales said the focus was always on the future, “sending our message into the future that children are important.”

“It’s not just about a building,” Tom Cullen, board member of the Peabody Charter School Foundation, said of the new library, computer center and science lab. “It’s about delivering on the American Dream for our children.”

The fund raising done by the school community would be impressive under any circumstances, but it’s particularly notable given that 43 percent of the families of Peabody’s 720 students live at or below the poverty level. A total of 18,000 volunteer hours have been contributed this year alone, according to school officials.

“Kids brought in change and parents cut hair,” Cullen said of the many different fund-raising efforts.

“It’s all a reality because of you,” said Morales, who noted that kindergarten, first- and second-grade students were not even born when the fund raising began seven years ago.

The new facility overlooks an outdoor courtyard, and features 49 computer workstations, a big screen presentation area, 15,000 books, a fireplace and reading lounge and a fully equipped science lab.

“I knew it would take time. It’s going to take us even more time to finish the fund raising,” Morales said.

Citigroup presented the school with a $20,000 check at the center’s opening. There are also many additional sponsorship opportunities available at the Exploration Center, which will be open to the public for after-hours classes and educational opportunities for an additional 20 hours a week.

For more information call the school at 563.1172, visit www.peabodycharter.org or e-mail Morales at morales@peabodycharter.org.

Originally published in South Coast Beacon on December 23. 2004.

Eastside dental clinic gets new site, mission

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One of the things that you hear in this world a lot is that dental disease is the only sickness that is almost 100 percent preventable,” said David Landecker, executive director of Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics, whose newest project, the Eastside Family Dental Clinic, will celebrate its grand opening Jan. 13, from 3:30 to 6 p.m.

The dental clinic recently moved into a roomy, new 2,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art space, at 923 N. Milpas St. It had been housed in an 800-square-foot building on Carrillo Street.

In addition to offering basic dental services – like exams, X-rays, cleanings, fluoride, root canals, fillings and nonsurgical extractions – to low-income families for as little as $15 for children and $20 for adults, one of the key components of the project is the dental education center. The center will focus on teaching children how to care for their teeth.

“The idea is to bring preschool (and elementary school) classes here, or when kids come in …,” Landecker said. “We’ve got a computer and all kinds of dental stuff. It’s just to kind of make the office a little more fun and little more friendly.”

The timing of the new center couldn’t be more perfect for the Assistance League of Santa Barbara, which recently decided to take on dental education as a new programming area.

The Assistance League was aware that dental care was one of the most serious health needs for the working poor, families that had working incomes but not necessarily dental insurance, said Sarah de Tagyos, who is heading up the Assistance League’s volunteer effort. The research also found that a lack of preventative care and regular checkups led to more serious dental problems.

Working with Dr. J.C. Ramirez, the clinic’s dental director, and Georgia Lee Miller, who heads up the county’s Children’s Dental Disease Prevention Program, the Assistance League has donated hygiene kits and dental health activity books for children.

Assistance League volunteers will also help staff the education center, along with volunteers from Direct Relief International. In addition, major donations coming from Paul and Leslie Ridley-Tree, the Weingart Foundation, Michael Towbes, the Ann Jackson Family Foundation, the Hutton Foundation, Joel and Vasanti Fithian, Susan Levin, the Outhwaite Foundation, the Alice Tweed Tuohy Foundation and the Santa Barbara Foundation, among others.

However, the clinic is still $140,000 short of its $1.4 million fund-raising campaign, said development director Terra Basche.

As the only dental clinic of its kind, the clinic is available for anyone in the community; however, Landecker emphasized the importance of serving children.

“Our real mission … is really to take care of children, and to educate children about their teeth,” he said.

Originally published in South Coast Beacon on December 23, 2004.

Family ways sometimes leave a lot to be desired

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Photo by luist & his inner pig, Flickr.com.

Photo by luist & his inner pig, Flickr.com.

Tribal customs can be a mystery to outsiders. Are you fine with that?

“Feliz Navidad,” sang those sweet, high-pitched voices of the fourth and fifth grade children.
“I want to wish you a Peaceful Solstice. I want to wish you a Happy Hanukkah. I want to wish you a Joyful Kwanza. I want to wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart.”
It was the most politically correct holiday concert I’d ever seen.
If only my own holiday rituals could be so inclusive.
There’s one very important fact about marriage that gets lost in the sea of white silk and perfect place settings that all of those bridal magazines are so enamored with.
You don’t just marry a man; you marry an entire family.
With that family comes decades worth of holiday rituals that are guaranteed to be different than your own.
And let’s be honest here, when it comes to holiday celebrations, different isn’t just different — it’s plain wrong.
So after we’ve cleaned up all of that wrapping paper and eaten our last bite of Christmas turkey and we pull out a deck of cards this year, I’ll have to ask, once again: “Are we playing Dinaberg or Klobucher rules?” Because Klobucher rules are weird. It’s like they actually read the directions or something. And they don’t cheat, which I take as an affront to every thing my father ever taught me.
I love my husband’s family, but sometimes when I’m with them I feel like I’m an anthropologist digging through exotic terrain.
I should have known I was in for trouble when we were first dating and my future husband took me out for a lovely birthday dinner. The food was fabulous. He’d invited only my favorite friends and bought me that perfect pair of earrings I had slyly hinted that I wanted.
It was when he took me home that the trouble began.
There was no cake.
No cake.
Not just no chocolate cake, but no cake whatsoever.
“But we had Crème Brulee at the restaurant,” he protested, like that had anything to do with my missing birthday cake.
He didn’t understand. Birthdays are a big deal in my family. They last at least a month (several months in my mother’s case), with both family and friend versions of the celebration.
The specifics may vary a little from year to year, but one thing doesn’t. There is always cake.
And by the way, the proper way to figure out birthday candles is your age plus “one to grow on.” This is science.
“A little more is always better” is my family’s philosophy.
My husband comes from a mother who fed four growing kids on two Chinese dinners from Ming-ons.
I, on the other hand, come from a Jewish mother.
So I know that if, God forbid, you have a party and there aren’t leftovers for at least a week, you didn’t make enough food.
It’s enough to make you feel guilty for a year.
And if you feel guilty about something you have to talk about it, right?
In my family you have to talk about everything. And talk, and talk, and talk … until you’re so tired of talking you forgot what you were talking about.
Then you can talk about that.
My husband’s family doesn’t get the whole talking thing. Mostly they’re “just fine” with just about everything.
But how do they really feel? We’ll never know. And that’s “just fine” with them.
I, for one, have never been “just fine” about anything in my life.
I certainly wasn’t “just fine” that one year we had Thanksgiving dinner at my ex-Uncle’s house. Sure they had turkey and a killer game of Pictionary but there were no mashed potatoes.
That’s right. Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes.
Can you imagine such a thing? No wonder he’s an ex-Uncle.
Which is why my sister and I spent the latter part of that evening driving around in search of mashed potatoes. It simply wouldn’t have been Thanksgiving without them.
And when we finally found them at a Thai restaurant they were the most delicious potatoes we’d ever tasted.
Kind of like that gigantic flourless chocolate cake the year after my husband didn’t buy me a cake.
“As if I’d ever forget again,” he barked.
“See, that’s why we talked about it so much honey,” I mentioned for about the 12th time that year.
“Fine,” he said. “Just fine.”
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When Leslie is not studying the tribal customs of her in-laws, she can be reached at Leslie@LeslieDinaberg.com. For more columns visit www.LeslieDinaberg.com.

Originally published in South Coast Beacon on December 23, 2004.