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Clovis Happenings
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JUNE 2022
HOT RAQS FESTIVAL Location: Clovis Veterans Memorial District 808 4th St., Clovis, CA Friday, June 24 – Sunday, June 26
DIVERSITY CLOVIS VIRTUAL JOB FAIR Location: Richert Clovis, Clovis, CA Online at HireX Monday, June 27 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
VETERANS CLOVIS VIRTUAL JOB FAIR Location: Richert Clovis, Clovis, CA Online at HireX Wednesday, June 29 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
JULY 2022
DIVERSITY CLOVIS VIRTUAL JOB FAIR Location: Richert Clovis, Clovis, CA Online at HireX Wednesday, July 6 11 a.m – 2 p.m.
LUNAFEST – FILMS BY AND ABOUT WOMEN Location: Mercedes Edwards Theatre 902 5th St., Clovis, CA Sunday, July 10 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.
VETERAN CLOVIS VIRTUAL JOB FAIR Location: Richert Clovis, Clovis, CA Online at HireX Tuesday, July 12 11 a.m – 2 p.m.
INAUGURAL CLOVIS LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Location: Mercedes Edwards Theatre 902 5th St., Clovis, CA Speaker: Doug Lipp – Former Head of Training at Walt Disney University Wednesday, July 13 8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
TRI-TIP DINNER AND DANCE FUNDRAISER Location: Clovis Senior Activity Center 850 4th St., Clovis, CA Saturday, July 16 @ 5:30 p.m.
CLOVIS 80’S ARCADE PUB CRAWL Location: Ruby’s 748 Polasky Ave., Clovis, CA Saturday, July 16 4:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
14th ANNUAL RED CARPET EVENT Event for the positive uplifting of youth via Film, Performances and Surprises Location: Sierra Vista Mall Cinema 16 1300 Shaw Ave., Clovis, CA Saturday, July 23 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. ENTRY-LEVEL CLOVIS VIRTUAL JOB FAIR Location: Richert Clovis, Clovis, CA Online at HireX Tuesday, July 19 and Monday, July 25 11 a.m – 2 p.m.
HOME OF THE BRAVE INDOOR PUB CRAWL Location: Clovis Veterans Memorial District 808 4th St., Clovis, CA Saturday, July 23 at 7 p.m.
HEALTHCARE CLOVIS VIRTUAL JOB FAIR Location: Richert Clovis, Clovis, CA Online at HireX Tuesday, July 26 11 a.m – 2 p.m. CALIFORNIA 911 MEMORIAL Location: 3485 Never Forget Ln., Clovis, CA Open 365 days a year
COMMUNITY HERITAGE CENTER Location: 3rd and Veterans Parkway OPEN Tuesday thru Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
CLOVIS MUSEUM Location: 4th & Pollasky, Clovis, CA Open Tuesday thru Saturday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
CLOVIS FARMERS’ MARKETS
FRIDAY NIGHT FARMERS’ MARKET Location: Old Town Clovis Friday, April 29 - Friday, Oct. 28 5:30 p.m. – 8 :30 p.m.
CLOVIS OLD TOWN FARMERS’ MARKET Location: Old Town Clovis Every Saturday Year-Round 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (weather permitting)
HARLAN RANCH FARMERS’ MARKET Location: 1620 N. Leonard Ave., Clovis, CA Every Wednesday YearRound 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. (weather permitting)
Business & Service Directory
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Recycing & Waste Solutions
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www.RepublicServices.com
NOBLE CREDIT UNION
VALLEY FIRST CREDIT UNION
(559) 225-7228 645 W. Herndon Ave Suite 100, Clovis, CA www.valleyfirstcu.org
Boice Funeral Home
308 Pollasky Ave (559) 299-4372
www.boicefuneralhome.com
Clovis Funeral Chapel
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LunaFest Returns to Clovis
Carole Grosch
cgg266@comcast.net
Soroptimist International of Clovis (SIC) will again showcase outstanding films by and about women on Sunday, July 10, 2022, at the Mercedes Edwards Theatre.
Doors open at 2:30 p. m. at the 902 Fifth Street Clovis location, with screening to begin at 3:00 p.m. Refreshments and discussion will follow the presentation.
If you want to watch from the comfort of your home, there is a virtual option too.
LunaFest 2022 is a program of eight short films that empower and inspire women, plus an additional movie by a local female filmmaker, Hayley White. The total running time is 80 minutes.
“We did very well last year,” says Soroptimist Susan Buckley of the 2021 virtual event. “This is our second year, and through the generosity of the Clovis Unified School District, we have the use of the Mercedes Edwards Theatre.”
Lunafest.org says, “This year’s films challenge our perceptions about the world and our place in it, spark conversations, strengthen connections, and inspire us to be better versions of ourselves.”
The stories are told from various perspectives and champion women and gender-nonconforming individuals, highlighting their aspirations, accomplishments, resilience, strength, and connection. LunaFest 2022 Lineup
How to Be at Home Filmmaker: Andrea Dorfman (Halifax, NS)
An animated poem about coping with isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Close Ties to Home Country Filmmaker: Akanksha Cruczynski (Brooklyn, NY)
An immigrant dog walker finds a connection in the hearts of the wealthy pets she cares for.
Generation Impact: The Coder Filmmaker: Samantha Knowles (Brooklyn, NY)
A 13-year-old girl designs and builds a mobile app to help kids stay connected to their incarcerated parents by sending photos and letters.
Proof of Loss Filmmaker: Katherine Fisher (Los Angeles, CA)
When a fire takes their home, a father and daughter must find a way to salvage what remains: each other.
When You Clean a Stranger’s Home Filmmaker: Sharon Arteaga (Austin, TX)
A first-generation high school student describes what she and her mom learn about people while cleaning their homes.
Between the Lines: Liz at Large Filmmaker: Abi Cole (Weaverville, NC)
Frustrated with the lack of character diversity in The New Yorker’s cartoons, an artist submits her own illustrations, becoming the first Black woman cartoonist in the magazine’s near-century run.
Wearable Tracy Filmmaker: Emily McAllister (Carnelian Bay, CA)
A Bronx woman’s accidental social experiment connects her with fellow New Yorkers who might otherwise forever remain strangers.
To the Future, with Love | Filmmakers: Shaleece Haas (Los Angeles, CA) and Hunter “Pixel” Jimenez (Los Angeles, CA)
An animated self-portrait of a nonbinary trans teen caught between the expectations of his Guatemalan immigrant family and his dreams of living happily ever after with his long-distance boyfriend.
Enjoy these great films while supporting SIC, a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment.
Proceeds will benefit the service projects of Soroptimist International of Clovis, along with Chicken & Egg Pictures, which supports female nonfiction filmmakers.
LunaFest was established in 2000 by LUNA®, makers of the first nutrition bar for women. In 2001, LunaFest began as the first traveling film show that began in California as a premiere, then blossomed as 170 filmmakers showcased their work in 2,700 screenings nationwide. The films give fresh perspectives and inspire and connect communities.
The event has helped raise over $6.5 million for women’s causes at the local level.
General admission is $30; for students $20. The recommended viewing age is 13 years and up. Tickets can be purchased at www.siclovis.org
Virtual attendees will be sent a 48-hour live access link that begins Friday, July 8 at 10 p.m. and ends Sunday, July 10 at 10 p.m.
Learn more about LunaFest films and filmmakers at lunafest.org/filmmakers.
Don’t be a Victim of a Scam – Tips to Recognizing and Avoiding Scammers
Noble Credit Union
@NobleCUFresno | Sponsor
You work hard for your money, don’t let the scammers take it from you. Con artists cheat Americans out of billions of dollars every year. Recognizing red flags for potential scams can help protect you, your loved ones, and your hard-earned cash.
PHISHING
Phishing is when scammers pretend to be someone that they aren’t to gather sensitive information or access to a person’s funds through a credit card or bank account. Phishing can take many forms, including emails, texts, and even fake websites. Often, you’ll get an email, call, or text informing you that there’s been a problem with your account or offering you a great deal from a company you know and trust. A legitimate company such as the IRS or your financial institution will never ask you for this type of sensitive information – they already have that information.
Do not click on any links or provide or enter your information. Call or navigate to a separate browser or even use a different device to go to the official website and review your account or check out the offer. Do not enter any of your information into a popup or when prompted by a phone call, text, or email.
THREATENING IMPERSONATIONS
Similar to phishing, scammers can also try to intimidate you into paying them by pretending to be a person in power. That could mean impersonating someone from the IRS, a debt collector, or anyone who demands you pay them immediately.
The IRS will never call you and ask you to pay. Nor will a legitimate company ask
CR File Photo
The Noble Credit Union Clovis branch is located on 175 N Clovis Ave. between Sierra and Herndon Ave.
you to conduct business in this way. If you get a call claiming someone is from the IRS or your financial institution, hang up, and reach out to the organization directly to confirm if there is really a problem.
Scammers try to intimidate you by creating a sense of fear and urgency so that you’ll pay them or give them information before you have the chance to really think it through. If you ever get a call that does that, be suspicious and hang up.
AFFINITY FRAUD
Affinity fraud occurs when a dishonest person plays on someone’s affiliation with a group, such as a religious congregation, alumni association, support group, or social club, as a way to win his or her confidence. The goal is usually selling something, convincing someone to make a fake or inappropriate investment, or tricking a victim into handing over important information. The scammer may be an actual member of the group (even someone the intended victim knows or likes) or just pretend to be.
No matter who the person on the other end of the line is or claims to be, you should always be wary before giving them money or information. If they claim to represent the group and you want to support them, it’s often best to do so through official channels like their website to ensure that the money gets to the people you want to help rather than a scammer.
WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER A SCAMMER
If you’re contacted by a scammer, the best thing you can do is simply ignore them—don’t answer their calls, delete their emails, and navigate away from a sketchy-looking site. You should never give anyone information or send them money until you are sure that they are legitimate. If you’ve been contacted by a scammer, hang up, and directly contact the organization they claim to be from. You can also report them to the FTC to help stop them from reaching out to you or others.
If you’ve sent money to someone you believe is a scammer, it’s best to act as soon as possible. Cancel the card, call your bank or credit union to inform them you believe your account information has been stolen or compromised, or reach out to an administrator or helpline for the account. If the scammer has your sensitive information, such as your social security number, the FTC’s website (www.FTC.gov) can help you know what to do next.
Scammers are constantly changing and refining their attempts to take your money or information, to learn more about the recent scams that have been reported, you can visit the FTC’s website.
For more information on how to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your money, visit Noble Credit Union’s website at www. NobleCU.com and click on the “Security” tab located in the footer.
Noble Credit Union, a Forbes Best-inState Credit Union, has been treating each member with kindness, dignity, and honor while helping members make sound financial decisions for 81 years. The Credit Union offers members full access to a wide range of financial education and services, including low-rate auto loans, MyRewards Visa credit card, mortgage and equity loans, online and mobile banking, and more. For more information about membership at Noble Credit Union, call (559) 252-5000 or
Clovis Community College Educates Through Summer at SEA
J.T. Gomez
jt21gomez@gmail.com
At Clovis Community College, a new but not so new summer program is opening up aiming to help Latinx and low-income students explore science areas.
The new program, titled Summer at SEA, is put on by Clovis Community in which they welcome Clovis Unified School District students to explore different STEM activities.
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
The Summer at SEA program was helped by the Title V Grant which focuses on two main tasks according to the Clovis Community College website. These two tasks are to develop “seamless educational pipelines” and “develop effective individualized student support services”.
Title V Project Director Stephanie Briones describes the program as one component of the Title V grant. She then stated that with this grant there was a “holistic approach to STEM for success and transfer readiness.”
“Really what this means to our grant is that it’s the start in the right direction. So our students are not only learning about what college is, but also learning about what they can contribute and also what questions to ask in between then.”
Gabriella Ramirez, Student Success Coach and Instructor and Coordinator for the Summer at SEA program, mentions that so far the program has been beyond her expectations. “So far the group of students here are amazing….So far, so good, I’m looking forward to the next five weeks.”
The program will last a total of six weeks, and the media was allowed to look into classes on the last day of the first week.
Ramirez went on to say that this was the second year that they were able to fulfill this program for the students of CUSD,
Photo JT Gomez/Clovis Roundup
Students of the Summer at SEA program look on as Instructor and Coordinator of the program Gabriella Ramirez speaks. The Summer at SEA program is a six week program for high school students worth three units of college course credit.
but this year was far more planned and “revamped” as she calls it. “This is our second year doing [the program]. From last year to this year we’ve kind of revamped it a little bit, and so I was a little nervous with the new year coming up.”
She mentions the changes made from last year to this year include a more hands on approach. “Last year we weren’t as hands on with the different STEM disciplines. So last year, we kind of picked one, and stuck with that through the entire program. And that worked well, that was really nice, but the feedback we got from our students was, ‘We’d like to get a broad idea of what does STEM mean?’”
Gabriella talked about the “robust” STEM project that is alive at Clovis Community and how they could use that to their advantage with this Summer at SEA program.
“We put our heads together and for us, we thought, ‘Well we have such a robust STEM program here at Clovis Community College-why don’t we use what we have in house already?”
She went on to say that the program connected with different departments throughout Clovis Community in order to fulfill those responsibilities of providing a true STEM experience for their students.
“We connected with chemistry, we connected with engineering, computer science, we’re gonna have a talk from our physics department, and then we’re gonna end off the summer with geology.”
The students of Clovis Unified don’t only have the opportunity to learn about STEM programs though, they also have the opportunity to earn college course credit.
“In combination with getting hands on STEM exploration, they are taking a three unit college success course. In terms of that, they’re already understanding what it means to be a student on a campus…We’re also talking so much within the scope of college success.”
Gabriella states that the transition from high school to college as a student can be stressful, but with a program such as the Summer at SEA program, prospective college students are making their lives a bit easier and getting that hands-on experience that so many people crave.
The Summer at SEA program looks to finish in about five weeks, and just as is with any other program at Clovis Community College, it hopes to fulfill more to student success than merely a regular college or high school course.
Thinking in terms of community rather than solely student success, Stephanie Briones reminds,
“It’s giving back to our community, because that’s what our grant is as well, it’s remembering that the biggest part of community college is the community.”
Best Practices for Managing Your Business Through an Economic Downturn
Contributed
The United States economy is nothing if not cyclical - which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on when, exactly, you’re trying to operate a business.
According to one recent study, roughly 57% of small business owners say that they fear the U.S. economy will only get worse over the last year. Many are worried that if something doesn’t change, things could get as bad as they were in April 2020. Keep in mind that many of these small business owners are still very much feeling the impact of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that took place during that period of time.
But the key difference here is that nobody really saw the Coronavirus - or its long-lasting damage - coming at the time. Indeed, it took virtually everyone by surprise. Now, people have a chance to prepare themselves to hopefully mitigate as much risk from another such event as possible.
Your Business and the Economy: What You Need to Know
By far, the most important step that you can take to help protect and manage your business during an economic downturn involves paying more attention to your cash flow than ever.
Cash flow was always one of the biggest reasons why small businesses prematurely shutter their doors and the risk is even greater during the unpredictability of a downturn.
Therefore, to keep your business as healthy as possible, you need to do whatever it takes to bring in more income than you’re spending on expenses each month. This isn’t something you’re going to be able to do overnight - it’s not like flipping a light switch. You need to talk to your financial professional today to see what you can cut, if necessary, to help create a stable foundation from which to work from.
Along the same lines, if yours is a business that keeps an inventory on hand, you’ll want to take care to start reviewing your inventory management practices sooner rather than later.
Inventory is one of the biggest overhead costs for every organization and many see it as a “necessary evil.” But what they need to understand is that it doesn’t need to be nearly as large of a burden as some allow it to become.
Gather your team and see what you can do to reduce the amount of inventory you have on-site. Go over your analytics and historical reporting to make sure that you’re not producing more products than you’re actually selling. Oftentimes reducing the amount of inventory also allows you to reduce your warehousing costs as well because you’re no longer paying for products that are just sitting in a warehouse somewhere waiting to be sold.
In the run-up to any economic downturn, it is also important to double down on that which you do better than anyone else. As businesses continue to grow, they often add new products and services in the name of “diversification.” If the economy were verifiably strong, that would be a relatively decent time for experimentation. An economic downturn is not that time. Instead, focus on everything you do best and let the rest fall by the wayside for the time being. Remember that you’re not necessarily trying to grow bigger during this period - you’re trying to do what you have to in order to survive.
Finally, consider attempting to win over the customers of your competition now before things get particularly tricky in the marketplace. Figure out which of your competitors are most successful and pay attention to what they are doing. Do they have a particularly compelling value proposition? Do they know their audience better than you know yours?
Likewise, are there any gaps that you can identify that are potentially able to be taken advantage of? If you start winning over new customers today, you’ll increase the chances that they will be there for you when you truly need them tomorrow.
In the end, it’s simply not possible to avoid an economic downturn altogether. They’ve happened before and they will certainly happen again. But what you can do is make sure that you’re prepared for this inevitability, which is what these best practices are all about.
If you’d like to find out more information about what your small business can do to protect itself in the event of another economic downturn, or if you just have any additional questions that you’d like to go over with someone in a bit more detail, please don’t hesitate to contact this office today.
Clovis Senior Activity Center hosts Tenant Housing Resource Fair
Adam Ricardo Solis
@Adamsoliss
The Clovis Senior Activity Center hosted the debut of their tenant housing resource fair Wednesday, June 15.
The resource fair was held to provide current tenants, landlords, and apartment seekers in the Clovis and Fresno area a chance to connect with vendors like PG&E and other groups like CalFresh so that they could side step the wait time over phone calls and get direct help from representatives at the resource fair.
Mai Kou Yang, recreation specialist at the Clovis Senior Center, said the idea of having the resource fair originated from calls asking for information on affordable housing and different listings in the Clovis and Fresno area.
“They’re looking for apartment listings in the Clovis and Fresno areas and they’re looking for what the prices are because they’re looking to relocate. They’re also looking for food assistance and utility programs and what is out there to help them,” Yang said.
For Yang, this event was one that the community greatly needed. Originally anticipating less than 200 attendees to arrive at Wednesday’s resource fair, with Yang’s goal to reach at least 200, and within the first hour and a half the goal was nearly met with the senior center packed with vendors and attendees.
The main concern for many attendees at the resource fair revolved around keeping the cost of their bills as low as possible during the summer heat. This was also the goal of Lacey Gentry, service representative for PG&E who was one of the vendors at the resource fair Wednesday.
Gentry was sharing information about
Adam Ricardo Solis/Clovis Roundup
Tenant Housing Resource Fair debut at the Clovis Senior Activity Center on Wednesday, June 15.
the medical baseline discount that PG&E offers. Which Gentry said is something that oftentimes gets overlooked by many customers and could help save them money.
“Obviously it’s based on the medical need, it’s not like the care discount where it’s based on the income. A lot of them don’t know that we offer the medical baseline and that’s another discount they could utilize on top of the care because sometimes [customers] don’t even have the care,” Gentry said.
Gentry said the most common question asked by attendees was how they could continue to save money on their bills. She added it circles back to being aware of what programs are available should they qualify for for it, such as the aforementioned medical baseline.
“The medical baseline their doctor has to fill that application out but that’s been the most common question today, ‘how can I save money’.” Gentry said.
To find out your eligibility or more about the medical baseline program you can visit PG&E’s website or visit PG&E’s energy savings program page.
Yang said that after seeing the large turnout to the resource fair she feels it is “evident” that this event is needed and will continue as an annual event to provide resources to the community.
“It’s a one stop shop to all our different government agencies, different local vendors who came out, and our partners who came out to provide the information to our seniors instead of our seniors going out and, you know, it’s frustrating, especially if you have a single or multiple issues going on and you’re not able to afford certain utilities,” Yang said.
Safe Disposal of Medical Sharps
Medical sharps should never be placed into household or public waste or recycling containers. All sharps should be placed into a sharps disposal container immediately after use to reduce the chance of injuries caused by loose sharps. Medical sharps that are improperly disposed of can injure anyone that comes in contact with your trash including Republic Services crews and may pose a public health hazard. Republic Services will provide residential customers one (1) free approved sharps disposal mailing kit upon request*
For more information or to request a sharps kit, contact customer service at (559) 275-1551.
*Republic Services offers additional sharps kits for an additional charge. El material médico punzocortante no debe colocarse nunca en la basura doméstica o pública, ni en contenedores de reciclaje. Todo material punzocortante se debe colocar en un contenedor de basura para material punzocortante inmediatamente después de usar a fin de disminuir el riesgo de lesiones por causa de material punzocortante suelto. El material médico punzocortante que se deseche de forma inadecuada puede lastimar a cualquier persona que entre en contacto con su basura, incluyendo a los equipos de Republic Services y, además, representa un peligro para la salud pública. Republic Services les facilitará a los clientes residenciales, bajo solicitud, un (1) estuche para desecho de material punzocortante aprobado de forma gratuita por medio del correo postal.* Para más información, o para solicitar un estuche para material punzocortante, entre en contacto con servicio al cliente al (559) 275-1551.
*Republic Services ofrece estuches para material punzocortante complementarios por un costo adicional.
