Volunteering 2016 - New Times by New Times Media Group, San Luis Obispo

JA NUA RY 14 - JA NUA RY 21, 2016 • VOL. 30, NO. 25 • W W W.NE W TIMESSLO.COM • SA N LUIS OBISPO COUNT Y’S NE WS A ND ENTERTA INMENT WEEK LY

LUNTE VO

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Time and compassion Volunteers with the Waves of Health medical nonprofit dedicate themselves to helping the underserved [10] BY CAMILLIA LANHAM

LUNTE VO

S 2016

WEIGH IN Volunteer translator Chris Forbes helps triage patients by taking their height and weight before sending them to another volunteer who will ask them about medical history, medications, and current ailments.

On a mission Medical inspiration comes from serving those who need it STORY AND PHOTOS BY CAMILLIA LANHAM

NOT FUN A mother holds her child close while Dr. Shadi Lanham (pictured), Dr. Rasha Aurshiya, and med student Afsha Aurshiya check the dark-colored spots on his skin. Waves of Health treated more than 1,200 patients during five days of clinics.

10 • New Times • January 14 - January 21, 2016 • www.newtimesslo.com

CHECK UP Resident Dr. Rasha Aurshiya checks the ears of an infant at a Waves of Health clinic set up at a school in Bahia, near the city of Dajabòn.

he pills are huge, bleached white with “IP 220” stamped on one side, and they’re pouring out of a bottle you need two hands to hold. It’s metformin, a drug used to treat type II diabetes. Two residents (doctors in training), a medical school student, and I are measuring six-month supplies into ziplock bags. A small tag reads: “Metformin 1000 mg 1/2 pastilla al dia,” informing the would-be diabetes patient to take half a pill per day—500 milligrams. Next up on the repackaging list are 150-milligram pastel orange capsules of doxycycline, an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections such as urinary tract infections, chlamydia, gum disease, and acne. We count out 14 per bag—enough to take twice daily for seven days. Two doors down, eight to 10 pharmacists unpack suitcases of bottles and boxes, stacking them onto makeshift shelves. Amoxicillin, Visine, Motrin, vitamin A supplements, acetaminophen, deworming medication, cough syrup, and dozens of other things that I can’t pronounce or explain. One door down, volunteers organize medical-grade gauze, bandages, and tape; machines that check blood sugar levels; Old Navy flip-flops; toothpaste; and toothbrushes. All of it was shuttled via plane from New York to Santiago in the Dominican Republic; via bus from Santiago to Dajabòn, which is a border town near Haiti; and via hand into a Catholic school in Barrio Sur. For the next five days, this schoolhouse will serve off and on as a Waves of Health clinic. Although the clinic doesn’t start until later this afternoon, the din of Dominicans and Haitians huddling under the eaves careens off cement walls through open window slats. It’s Nov. 2, 2015, and rain is pouring off the corrugated metal roof of an openair classroom just outside the door. The air is thick and sweaty. A boy of about 7 years old peers into our room, big eyes and a blue and red striped shirt looking into a room without electric light. More heads join him, giggling in the doorway. Ramon Perez, a Dominican man in baggy shorts and a pale blue scrub top, gruffly yells out a number above the low murmur, sending the family that responds to a teenage volunteer who can help them fill out paperwork. Age; number of kids; medical history; what medications they’re taking/have taken; whether they have access to toilets, cell phones, and running water. As the clinic gets moving, another volunteer will take height and weight, while yet another will take blood pressure, test blood sugar, and try to figure out what’s ailing them. Then they will wait for a doctor, a resident, a fellow, or a nurse. I am none of those things, but I’m here to help where I can, translate in broken Spanish, and be extremely proud of my sister (the doctor!). Shadi’s the smart one—at least, that’s what I tell people. This is her second mission with Waves of Health, a grassroots nonprofit based in New Jersey that makes two medical missions a year to this little school in Dajabòn and three other makeshift clinics in nearby villages. The city of about 40,000 is famous for its downtown market, to which Haitians often bring items given to them by various nonprofits. You can get a pair of Timberland boots and a down jacket for less than $10—made possible by the kind hearts of U.S. citizens who believe a country located

near the equator is in desperate need of winter wear. Haiti is just steps over or through the Dajabòn River, and along its banks, women seem to always be hand-washing clothes and dishes. Waves of Health lives to serve the health needs of the underserved in an already underserved part of the country, treating patients from both the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It’s tiny compared to medical nonprofits such as Doctors without Borders, with each mission costing less than $40,000 to pull off and every single cent raised going into the mission for purchasing medication and other medical supplies that potential patients might need. Volunteers pay their own way—ticket, food, room, and board. The medical backgrounds of those volunteers are what make Waves of Health work. They are the people who make it possible for the various clinics to see and dispense medication to more than 1,200 people per mission.

HEAD FUNGUS This is the very first patient of the day in Bahia, a village near Dajabòn. The scabby yellow skin peeling off his head is a skin fungus. Unfortunately, the child is also diagnosed with scabies. The clinic pharmacy has medication to treat both.

TESTING Peace Corps volunteer Claire Dal Nogare points to the letters of vision test on the wall in a makeshift medical clinic in Sabana Larga. Dal Nogare and four other Peace Corps volunteers based in the Dominican Republic helped translate in Spanish and English during the latter part of the week.

The right thing

Dr. Christopher Boni, who helped found the nonprofit, meanders in and out of the rooms, checking in with the volunteers who are on their first medical mission, helping diagnose when it’s necessary. He says revisiting the same area every six months or so ensures a continuum of care that most of the patients seeking treatment from Waves of Health wouldn’t get otherwise. “We can’t just go treat, hand out medication, and not come back. We need to make a commitment,” he says. That way, the person who was prescribed diabetes medication six months ago can get a checkup and another six-month supply. The patient with high blood pressure can get his medication adjusted. The mother who needed prenatal care last time can get her new baby checked out. The teenage boy whose hand is infected and swollen can look forward to getting it fixed. Boni, a slender man with gray hair who’s New Jersey straight-to-the-point, is my sister’s attending. Shadi reports to him from the hospital she’s doing her residency at, Saint Michael’s in Newark. Bringing residents like my sister on these medical missions is important to Boni: It gets them out of the hospital, full of high-tech machines, lab tests, and protocols. It puts them in this real-world situation where they can’t just order a full set of labs for blood work. They have to use the breadth of knowledge that’s been crammed into their brains—working through symptoms for diagnoses and using each other to come to the most viable conclusion. This whole thing started on the other side of the country, in an area near Santo Domingo with seven people and 17 duffel bags full of medication and equipment. That was in March 2007. In November 2015, there are more than 40 volunteers—physicians, pharmacists, nurses, technicians, EMTs, translators— and more than 45 checked bags full of medications and equipment. Boni and co-founder, Humberto Jimenez—a pharmacist with Dominican roots, started the nonprofit after that first year, moved it to an area that was desperate for health services, and have come back twice a year ever since. “I guess it’s going to be cliché, but it’s the right thing to do. You’ve got to follow through; you’ve got to keep it going,” Boni says. “And the other thing is, some young person will be inspired. That’s my secret wish.”

MED CENTRAL Although most of the medication and vitamins that Waves of Health brings on each mission are donated, the nonprofit spends between $8,000 and $12,000 per trip on medicine that it can’t procure through donations.

GIFT OF SIGHT A patient tries on a pair of glasses to see if they’ll make it easier for him to read. On the November trip, Waves of Health paired more than 100 reading glasses with people who needed them.

HOW TO Pharmacist Michael Bonifacio gives directions to a mother about the prescriptions her children are receiving from the clinic. That list includes multivitamins.

MISSION continued page 12

www.newtimesslo.com • January 14 - January 21, 2016 • New Times • 11

education material, though. She was the only patient we saw in From what I see, that wish is already five days who asked for birth control. a reality. One of the volunteers I spoke Many of the teenage girls who come to with, a nurse, said on that first day us already have a child or two and have she was having a hard time. There’s one more on the way. Birth control can be no hot water anywhere, running water a touchy subject, as most of the schools is intermittent, it’s hot, the food is that Waves of Health works with to put basically starch (rice) and protein (beans, on the clinics are Catholic organizations chicken, pork), and we are working out in an extremely Catholic country. I of classrooms—desks that have sheets apologize and tell her she needs to go see thrown over them. She told me she a Dominican doctor. thought she might have made a mistake Talking to Jimenez, the pharmacist, in coming on the mission. birth control is something the clinic But after working with patients all day, might look into in the future. For now, she changed her mind. We are making a Boni says, the clinic will treat patients difference in their lives, she says. They to the best of its ability. You can only need this clinic. treat what you can treat with limited Several volunteers are young people medications and equipment and no who are “old timers”: They can’t get ability to send out for labs. enough of that Waves of Health medical “If you help one person, then it’s worth mission feeling and keep returning. it,” Boni says. “So you don’t save the Michael Bonifacio, a 30-year-old world, but you save one kid.” Walgreen’s pharmacy manager, is on Most of the visits are short, quick. We his sixth medical mission with the try to help as many people as we can each nonprofit. He’s now a member of the day. Shadi works with Afsha, Rasha’s Waves of Health board of directors and sister who is currently in medical school, helps Jimenez organize the pharmacy, and I work with Rasha. get money and medications donated, and “Tengo gripe,” many of them complain. recruit volunteers. “Me duele la cabeza.” “Tengo problemas It’s hard not to laugh around Bonifacio. en mi estomago.” “Mareado.” He’s loud with a huge smile and quick It seems like everyone wit, and Waves of Health has the flu. Their heads fills the part of him that hurt. Their stomachs MISSION became a pharmacist to hurt. They’re dizzy. VOLUNTEER help the people that need Many of the adults have Volunteers commit to paying it the most. That feeling is high blood pressure and their own way and working addicting. five days of medical clinics in diabetes. My sister tells “I can’t get enough. four different locations in the almost all of them to There’s still so many Dominican Republic. To find out eat less salt and drink more about Waves of Health, people we need to treat. more water as she writes visit thewavesofhealth.org. Health care disparity has them a prescription. For not been fixed,” he says. most of them, we are “I always say every trip I the primary care doctor have a moment.” and the pharmacy. Medication can be We’re sitting on the bed in his hotel prohibitively expensive. And unless room. It’s the night of Nov. 4; we’d just you’ve got money for a private doctor, completed the third day of the clinic. He you’re option is the state-run hospital in starts telling me about this woman he Dajabòn—which is sort of an emergencyencountered yesterday with bad arthritis. only option, and that’s if you can find the “Literally, the lady couldn’t bend her transportation to get to the hospital. fingers because they were so swollen The high blood pressure or diabetes from the infection,” he says. He grabbed medication Waves of Health provides some steroid crème and sprayed it on her could prolong their life, Boni says. hands. Within five minutes she could Some of the kids are really sick. You bend those fingers. “To see the actual can see it in their eyes: They have that look on her face. She was so happy.” glassed-over look. On day three, our He asked her to come back so he could first patient walks into our dimly lit check on her. Tomorrow afternoon, the “exam room” (a classroom) with his makeshift clinic in Barrio Sur will be grandmother in tow. They sit at desks strictly for follow-ups from earlier in the with attached chairs, a big blackboard week. Today, we traveled to a campo behind them with the days of the week known as Bahia. Later in the week, we taped to it. Scabby yellow skin is peeling will also set up clinics in the campos of off his black head. Dry white skin is Sabana Larga and Aviacione. patched in with the yellow. “The mission never ends. There’s Rasha snaps on a pair of purple always continuity,” Bonifacio says. “The surgical gloves—latex free—and gently story never ends.” touches his head, tilting him this way and that way to get a better look. It’s a In translation gnarly skin fungus. She stretches his Translating is exhausting. For me, for arm out, noticing circles of dry, darker my sister, for the poor people we’re trying skin. He also has scabies. to communicate with. Shadi’s Spanish My sister asks his grandmother if is better than mine, but still. When a the other children in the household patient looks at you with a big question sleep in the same room, the same bed, mark on their face, it’s easy to feel are experiencing the same symptoms. defeated. I start tripping up on the same Grandma nods her head. Shadi writes words I’ve been using all day long. a prescription to treat both ailments so “Tiene problemas?” I ask a 16-year-old there’s enough for the other kids, too. sitting on a desk covered in a sheet. It’s Rasha then listens to grandma’s a makeshift exam table. She’s wearing a heartbeat; Shadi asks her questions short red dress with lace-like designs cut about health; Afsha checks her blood into the back of it. I’m crouched down so sugar levels. I point to “La Pharmacia” I’m not standing above her. across the outdoor hallway. That’s where My sister’s best friend Dr. Rasha they’ll get what they need. ∆ Aurshiya listens as I explain that this Executive Editor Camillia Lanham young lady is looking for birth control. can’t wait to go back. Send comments to Rasha shakes her head. We don’t have clanham@santamariasun.com. any pills. We do have condoms and sex

MISSION from page 11

DEWORM All the children under a certain age who visited the Waves of Health clinic in November received a deworming medication. Bonifacio gives the drops and a pill to a little girl in Dajabòn at the Sisters Clinic.

MASSACRE RIVER The Dajabòn River separates Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It is nicknamed the Massacre River because of all the Haitian bodies that were dumped in it after a mass genocide was perpetrated by the Dominicans in the 1930s. Tensions between the two countries are still high, and military checkpoints are standard in the Dominican.

DOUBLE TEAM While Dr. Sabiha Hussain—a pulmonary critical care fellow—gives a boy a checkup, Dr. Aesha Jobanputra—also a pulmonary critical care fellow—tries to treat his grandmother with the help of a translator, Denisse Velez.

FILL UP Families wait in line for the pharmacy at the Waves of Health clinic held in Bahia, a village near the city of Dajabòn. 12 • New Times • January 14 - January 21, 2016 • www.newtimesslo.com

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VOLUNTEERS 2016 BY CHRIS MCGUINNESS

A voice for the voiceless CASA volunteers advocate for children in SLO County courtrooms

In fact, Hack felt the work was so tepping into the cold, bureaucratic confines of a courtroom to important that she now is an employee participate in legal proceedings is a of SLO County CASA in addition to her daunting task for almost any adult. With volunteer work. And while her efforts, few exceptions, court is not a place one and those of the other volunteers, have wants to be, especially when the business helped the county’s most vulnerable of that court involves them. children, there remains a need for more For children, that experience is volunteers. According to Graves, there magnified exponentially, which is where are an estimated 350 children currently the volunteers at CASA of San Luis on the waiting list for a CASA volunteer Obispo County step in. in SLO County. Known as Court In addition to the Appointed Special CASA program, which Lend your voice serves children ages Advocates, those For more information on all CASA volunteers are part of 3 and above, the programs in SLO County, call 541-6542, a national nonprofit organization also runs or go to slocasa.org. organization that trains two advocacy programs adults to represent the for age groups above and needs of abused and neglected children in below those criteria. court. The SLO County CASA currently One of those programs caters to the has about 105 volunteer advocates who needs of infants and toddlers. That very take on the tough but rewarding task. young age group makes up roughly CASA volunteers undergo 30 hours 22 percent of the children in the SLO of in-depth training before they are County system, according to the CASA assigned a child and their case. Even website. The program is aimed at serving after the training, the organization the needs of those children, and having provides supervision, support, and a more positive impact on their future resources for advocates. The work they health and well-being. do is varied; it can be everything from “Research shows that when an infant making recommendations about the or toddler experiences abuse or neglect child’s welfare to the court, to making at this crucial time in their brain sure they get the services they need, such

‘Our volunteers are who we really take pride in, because they are there to solely represent the needs of those children.’ —Martha Hack, CASA volunteer, employee

as support for those with learning or physical disabilities. “Most of these children have been removed from their homes and are in the foster care system,” said Susan Graves, SLO County CASA’s grants manager. “Our volunteers are who we really take pride in, because they are there to solely represent the needs of those children.” The opportunity to work as an advocate draws volunteers like Martha Hack, a NICU nurse who decided to begin training last spring. “I saw that there was a need in the community,” Hack said. “Especially for the population of younger kids.” Volunteering with CASA is a definite commitment. In addition to the training, advocates are required to meet with their assigned children on a regular weekly basis, and commit to working with one child for at least 12 months or until a permanent plan for their care has been implemented. It can be a lot of work, and it isn’t always easy, but for Hack, the job is rewarding. “You come in and you see their faces light up, because they know you are there for them,” she said.

development, it can lead to damage that left untreated can result in brain damage, growth delays, learning disabilities, negative behaviors, and mental issues,” CASA’s website states. On the other side of the age spectrum, the organization also has a mentoring program for 18- to 21-year-olds looking to transition out of the foster care system. Providing support for those transitioning out of the system is critical, as statistics show that 65 percent of 18-year-olds leaving the California foster care system have no place to live, and an estimated 40 percent will be homeless within 18 months. The mentoring program, a product of state legislation passed in 2012, not only helps those youth transition and find a place to live but also assists them with other needs such as job placement. This year, Graves said CASA of San Luis Obispo County is celebrating National Mentor Month to raise awareness for this program. ∆

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Staff Writer Chris McGuinness can be reached at cmcguinness@newtimesslo. com, or on Twitter at @CWMcGuinness.

www.newtimesslo.com • January 14 - January 21, 2016 • New Times • 15

VOLUNTEERS 2016 BY JONO KINKADE

‘Integrity versus despair’ Hospice program trains end-of-life doulas

usan Mercer was there to help “soften” the process of death. For the last few months, Mercer had been getting to know her client and their family through Hospice of San Luis Obispo County’s in-home respite care program, which provides volunteer-based support to people and their families and a few hours of relief to the primary care provider. As death got closer for her client, Mercer’s role gradually shifted from in-home support to that of an end-of-life doula, one of Hospice of SLO County’s newest offerings. As she changed hats, Mercer helped make the process gentler by taking care of several details. She moved her client out into a larger room in the house, changed them out of hospital garb into their own clothes and blankets, and put on soft music. As guests came by, she prepared them for the interaction, encouraging them to be present and to leave any ongoing concerns or stresses from the outside world at the door. The details were already planned out. Like a birthing doula—who works with the mother or parents to set up a plan for the birth—an end-of-life doula works with their client and the family to set up a plan for the death. She’s trained to mind certain details so others don’t have to, and to help guide the experience so it becomes more beautiful, graceful, or special. “It can be very peaceful and easy—if there

offer another training course for people interested in volunteering as end-of-life can be ease in this kind of situation,” Mercer doulas. Volunteers also must take the sixsaid. “Death doesn’t have to be horrible and week in-home respite care training course. struggle and pain and sterile at all. It could While the local program is young, be really quite a beautiful experience.” Sturgell said they’re already seeing As an end-of-life doula, Mercer helps increased demand, including interest clients plan ways that nurture a sense of from large hospitals like Twin Cities dignity in a way that also eases the process Community Hospital and French Hospital for those around them. She’ll sit with them during their last breaths and help the family Medical Center. The end-of-life program is a relatively through the process; she new concept. The program’s might continue the work creator, Henry FerskoHelp Hospice for six weeks to six months Weiss, started it in New To find out more about the endafter a client passes. of-life doula program and how to get York City in 2003 after he “That’s part of the involved, go to hospiceslo.org/services/ saw a need while working doula process, too; just end-life-doula-program, or inelda.org. as a field social worker. because someone’s passed “I was seeing that there doesn’t mean that we were many deaths occurring disappear,” Mercer said. “It covers the in a way that I thought were unfortunate whole spectrum I feel like, from the or didn’t really honor the person that beginning to after the end.” was dying,” Fersko-Weiss, president Locally, Mercer, who also volunteers for of the International End of Life Doula the in-home respite care program, is among Association, told New Times. He said he the first of about 20 newly trained end-of-life doulas. Tracy Sturgell, director of volunteers saw a gap in the services that hospice provides, namely between the non-medical, at Hospice of SLO County, said that since volunteer driven in-home respite care, and that training, volunteers have helped the medical, palliative care that, locally, is about six people through that process. The contracted out to care providers. program began with volunteers taking fourFersko-Weiss said that this doula hour shifts to hold vigil for people who were program softens the dying process and in the last 48 to 72 hours of their lives but didn’t have any family close by, like homeless works with the client and their families to create a lasting legacy through a planning individuals or victims of car crashes. process that might include creating a On Jan. 29 through 31, Hospice will

Thank You TO ALL OF OUR VALUED

VOLUNTEERS

scrapbook, a photo album, or interviews. He said that he was greatly influenced by both the birthing doula practice, which he became trained in, and by Erik Erikson’s approach to psychosocial stages of development—the last stage of which, called ego integrity versus despair, becomes a bridge that all those dying, young or old, must cross. “I think that what we see in the dying process is that people avoid really talking openly about dying or what it means because they’re afraid—or the people around them are afraid—that they will be depressed or it will lead to despair,” said Fersko-Weiss, who will be leading the January training in San Luis Obispo. This program intends to steer that process toward integrity. “Those legacies, in my experience, become incredible treasures for a family to help them be able to reconnect in a really deep way to that person that is now gone.” While assisting a person and their family through this process might sound rather intense, depressing, or intimidating, Mercer, who is now working on a book about dying, said that it wasn’t the case. Instead, she said that the process, which requires that the volunteer remove their ego and provide a service for others, is quite humbling. “It’s more humbling than I would have thought,” she said. ∆ Contact Staff Writer Jono Kinkade at jkinkade@newtimesslo.com.

Volunteers Needed — & Are Most Welcome! Without you, we wouldn’t be able to provide vital services to people living with HIV and/or Hepatitis C in our community.

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Call us at 781-3660, or visit our websites at www.asn.org for more information. Without Volunteers the Access Support Network could not provide the level of care & service that our clients need. We thank you! you’ve got an opinion. What’s Your Take? We know Everybody’s got one! This week’s online poll 1/14– 1/20

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www.cuesta.edu/student/forstudents/artgallery

Luis Muñoz Quntet featuring Téka

ARTISTS’ LECTURES at 5:30pm

Fri., Jan. 29 • 7:30 pm SLO Campus, CPAC Main Stage Ticket prices: $15 general admission, $10 Students/Seniors/Jazz Fed Members

The Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery supports the educational goals of the Fine Arts Division by showcasing a changing selection of exhibitions by professional, nationally and internationally recognized, contemporary artists. Community members, students, and faculty come together to share ideas and new experiences. Students receive active exposure to various art forms and have the opportunity to be involved in the installation and professional practices of gallery management through the Art Gallery course (Art 295).

FOR RESERVATIONS CALL 805-546-3198

For tickets visit www.cpactickets.cuesta.edu

www.newtimesslo.com • January 14 - January 21, 2016 • New Times • 17

Strokes&Plugs BY PETER JOHNSON

Pay it forward H

·this winter·

C ZY UP TO FUN!

ere’s some local trivia: What is a nearly century-old, volunteerrun organization, that teaches aerospace engineering, animal sciences, and cooking to local youth and brings aid to the homeless, senior citizens, and the troops? If you didn’t know the answer, allow us to introduce you to the SLO County 4-H Program. Administered through the University of California Cooperative Extension, SLO County 4-H teaches leadership, citizenship, and life skills to SLO youth through the inspired efforts of local adult volunteers. The program has only two full-time staff members, but it draws 400 adult volunteers and 1,500 youth members all across SLO County. The volunteers and youth belong to any of the 28 different 4-H community clubs in the county. Dagmar Derickson, a representative of SLO County’s 4-H Program, told New Times that 4-H is a combination of “research-based programming, volunteers’ passion, and youth leadership” that continuously pumps life into an operation that’s been around since the 1920s. Anyone in the community who has an idea for a project or skill can offer it to the youth in a club. Kids sign up to participate, and the group convenes once a month for six to eight months to work on the project or develop the skill. “Projects range from raising livestock, to sewing, to cooking, to leadership projects, to arts and crafts, to engineering,” Derickson said. “They are based on the passions of the volunteers. We have curriculum created through our UC system that volunteers can follow, but it’s not required.” JoAnn Overbey, a Los Osos resident and long-time 4-H volunteer, emphasized that the success of 4-H is entirely PHOTO BY PETER JOHNSON

dependent on the efforts of the volunteers, who pay forward their time, skills, and knowledge to the youth of SLO County. “It’s a community effort,” Overbey said. “We couldn’t do it without all of the volunteers.” Overbey volunteers as a Community Club Leader for a 4-H club in SLO, where she leads 60 youth members in projects and community service activities. “Community service is big for my club,” she said. “I do a community service activity at every monthly club meeting. It might be putting cookies in baggies for Meals on Wheels, making cards for the Children’s Hospitals, or sending stuff to the troops.” Youth are also empowered to take charge and have a leadership role. Each October, six teens from various 4-H clubs are selected as SLO County Youth All Stars. On Jan. 9, the Youth All Stars led a presentation skills workshop, where they helped elementary-aged kids improve their confidence speaking in front of crowds. “It’s really rewarding helping other kids and teaching them about 4-H,” said Mark Dillon Luna, one of the Youth All Stars. Overbey is the advisor to the Youth All Stars, and she said that her 45-year run volunteering with the program is all thanks to the youth community, which never fails to inspire her. “These youth are wonderful,” Overbey said. “And the thing that’s great about 4-H is these families are involved right along with their kids. They volunteer too. They’re right there.” Though 4-H receives funding from the UC system, that support doesn’t go toward funding any of the clubs, projects, and activities. Donations are essential to keeping the good deeds flowing. “We struggle every year to meet our budget,” Overbey said. “Each club has to raise its own money, and we pay for kids to go to camps and conferences about leadership and citizenship.” SLO County 4-H welcomes donations and new volunteers. If you’re a parent in the community wanting to participate, or you’re just an adult with a passion you’d like to share with the youth in SLO, give 4-H a call at 781-5943.

Fast Fact

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BROUGHT TO YOU BY 18 • New Times • January 14 - January 21, 2016 • www.newtimesslo.com

YOUTH ALL STARS The SLO County 4-H Youth All Stars assemble outside the 4-H office after leading a workshop to help kids practice their presentation skills. The All Stars were selected for their exceptional contributions to 4-H and the community. They are Analisa Cavaletto, Mark Dillon Luna, Gudrun Derickson, Olivia Snodgrass, Hope Fardanesh, and Amanda Weddle.

The SLO Prado Day Center is seeking volunteers and sleeping bag donations for the operation of its winter warming station. Email abailey@capslo.org with any questions. ∆ Staff Writer Peter Johnson wrote this week’s Strokes. Contact him at pjohnson@ newtimesslo.com.

VOLUNTEERS 2016

Art Bash!

BY GLEN STARKEY PHOTOS BY GLEN STARKEY

A puppy runs through it Woods Humane Society staff and volunteers care for and adopt out 1,500 animals a year

t’s Saturday, Jan. 9, and I’m at Woods Humane Society, or more specifically, Woods University, the wing of the no-kill shelter dedicated to dog training. Every Saturday morning from 9 to 10 a.m., trainer Michelle Rizzi runs a puppy socialization workshop. New dog owners bring their furry little friends for some basic training and, more importantly, for their pets to learn to meet new dogs and get along with them. It’s not really puppy season, which is normally late spring and the early summer months, so there are only three puppies in attendance today, but that’s OK because each one is adorable. Bryan and Brenda Ratkay brought Serenity, an 11-week-old female miniature Australian shepard whose little brown bear butt is ridiculously cute. With no tail to speak of, her entire behind wiggles when she’s excited. Then there’s Nantucket, a male 4 1/2-month-old golden retriever who seems eager to learn. He’s all gangly long legs and floppy ears, who sits with a graceless plop and goofy grin. And then there’s Clyde, a male 3- to 4-month-old Jack Russell terrier mix with tons of energy. Highly alert and overly eager, he looks like he’ll take some extra attention to train, but Jack Russells are notoriously smart, and some lucky adopter will have a heckuva dog on his or her hands.

DOG LOVERS Woods Humane Society staff members (left to right) Chris Williams (customer service manager), Michelle Rizzi (behavioral trainer and manager), Eric Stockam (animal caregiver), and Chelsea Mills (master trainer and volunteer) are deeply devoted to the animals they care for.

Rizzi explains that their first task to learn is how to separate playing dogs gently. You can’t expect young dogs engaged in play to come when you call them. Instead, you need to walk up, grab them gently by their collars, and in a playful tone say, “Gotcha!” “You don’t want to stand there calling and calling your dog and not have it come,” Rizzi explains. “You also want to start and stop play to avoid escalation.” Rizzi has the owners practice letting their dogs interact and then grabbing their collars and leading them away, then she has them return to their seats. “Whose dog knows how to sit?” Rizzi asks. “Pffft,” Bryan Ratkay exclaims incredulously. Owner of Serenity, the youngest dog in attendance, he and Brenda are here for a reason.

Rizzi shows them how to use a treat held over their dogs’ noses to look up and sit their butts down, then she praises the dogs when they sit. In less than three minutes, all three puppies have learned to sit on command. “Next week, I’ll show you how to wean them off treats,” Rizzi promises before having the puppies and owners practice free play and the gotcha collar grabs a few more times. Then it’s question-and-answer time, and the owners air some of their concerns regarding everything from mouthing and biting to behavior issues and potty training. Rizzi tells the owners that if they find that their pet has made a mess in the house and they weren’t there to see it and correct it, it’s OK to take a newspaper, roll it into a tube, and smack themselves in the head, because it’s their

Glen Starkey takes a beating and keeps on bleating. Keep up with him via twitter at twitter.com/glenstarkey, friend him at facebook.com/glenstarkey, or contact him at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com. SNIFFSNIFF! Clyde and Serenity get to know each other at Woods University, a dog training facility connected to Woods Humane Society.

Visit Woods University

Every Saturday from 9 to 10 a.m., Woods Humane Society hosts Puppy Social Hour at their 875 Oklahoma Ave. location, just off Highway 1 near the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office and Animal Services. Bring your puppy for some basic training and socialization with other pups. The cost is $10, and proof of immunization is required. Other dog training classes are also available. Call 543-9316 or visit woodshumane.org for more information. There are also lots of volunteer opportunities, and a volunteer interest form can be found on the website under the Volunteers tab. A LITTLE TIMID Serenity, an 11-weekold miniature Australian shepard belonging to Bryan and Brenda Ratkay, was a little shy but beyond adorable.

ADOPT ME! Clyde, a 3- to 4-month-old Jack Russell terrier mix that’s available for adoption, went through Woods University’s puppy socialization on Jan. 9.

fault, not the puppy’s. After the session, I ask Chelsea Mills, a Woods volunteer, why she devotes her free time to caring for these animals. “I love it and I love animals,” Mills says. “It’s very rewarding because you see all the happy endings and see how the animals grow and develop.” According to animal caregiver Eric Stockam, Woods always needs more volunteers. From bathing to grooming to walking dogs or even just hanging out with the cats or doing some groundskeeping, the opportunities are endless. And did I mention there are puppies? ∆

TREAT TIME! Nantucket, a 4 1/2-monthold Golden Retriever belonging to Devon Combe and Clair Kingston, was eager to learn to sit … and get treats for it.

www.newtimesslo.com • January 14 - January 21, 2016 • New Times • 19

VOLUNTEERS 2016

Gallery

BY RYAH COOLEY PHOTO BY DYLAN HONNEA-BAUMANN

CHICKEN, IT’S WHAT’S FOR ART Ethel Landers, the volunteer art gallery curator for the GALA Center in San Luis Obispo, stands by her oil painting, Lost it in a tiff, which features a chicken that has lost a feather. The piece is currently hanging in the gallery on Palm Street.

The art’s the thing

Gay and Lesbian Alliance Center volunteer unites community through art

ina is a diva who wears tall red high heels, lots of lipstick, and tops that definitely put “the girls” front and center. She’s not what most people think of as the typical lesbian, but she’s written a book on how to be one. Tina is also totally not real. She’s a character that Ethel Landers made up and would perform during improv skits at

Gay and Lesbian Alliance Center events when she first moved to San Luis Obispo about 30 years ago. “One of our main goals then was to provide social situations for people,” Landers said. “Sometimes we struggle with relevance because we are accepted more mainstream now than we were 30 years ago. And because of that, there’s

20 • New Times • January 14 - January 21, 2016 • www.newtimesslo.com

not such a great need to have, say, an all women’s dance or a private place where you can go and be with your partner.” Today Landers serves as the art curator for the GALA Center Gallery, working to bring in art that unites the gay, lesbian, and trans communities with the general population. She’s held the job for the past

Art for all

The You’ll Love Our Art show is currently hanging at the GALA Center Gallery, located at 1060 Palm St., in San Luis Obispo, now until Jan. 23. The gallery is open from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday. It is also open the first Friday of each month from 6 to 9 p.m. for Art After Dark.

year and before that served on GALA’s board. She’s also volunteered with the Santa Maria Humane Society. In the weeks leading up the opening of a new art show, Landers can easily spend 40 hours a week promoting and organizing for the gallery. “We want new art all the time, and we want something that hasn’t been shown at least for the last two years,” Landers said. “And then on top of that, we want to do our best to support the LGBT community. I really, really want to get a transgender show. However, that’s tough. You have to find enough people who are artists and find enough people who are confident enough to show their work and be here with it.” Landers previously worked in pubic relations before retiring at age 46 and putting herself through art school at Cal Poly. In addition to volunteering at the GALA Center, she also has a home art studio in Nipomo that she shares with other artists. Her favorite medium is oil painting and she often paints chickens, an animal near to Landers’ heart. One of her oil paintings, Lost it in a tiff, which features a chicken that has lost a feather, is currently hanging in the center’s latest exhibit, You’ll Love Our Art. “It’s more of a spiritual experience for me to do art,” Landers said. “It’s kind of like life, it’s a journey.” Landers said her motivations for volunteering are twofold. “You’re not only making a difference with the organization, but the biggest impact is with yourself. Because as you give, you receive. When you get into your ’60s and ’70s, sometimes you feel like, ‘Do I have anything left to offer?’ And you do. You really do, because of your life experience and it’s so vitally needed because so many good organizations have such limited funding to pay someone to do what you may be able to do.” ∆ Ryah Cooley wants to check out your art at rcooley@newtimesslo.com.

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www.newtimesslo.com • January 14 - January 21, 2016 • New Times • 21

Thank You to Our Community Partners! • Access Support Network • Atypical Place, Trabia Farms • Bishop’s Peak School • Boys and Girls Club of San Luis Obispo • Cal Poly Cat Shelter • Community Action Partnership SLO County • CASA of San Luis Obispo • Central Coast Autism Spectrum Center • City of San Luis Obispo • Conservation Ambassadors, Zoo to You • Department of Social Services, San Luis Obispo County • Guadalupe Dunes Center • ECHO - El Camino Homeless Organization, Atascadero • Five Cities Meals on Wheels • Food Bank Coalition of SLO County • Friday Night Live • Glean SLO • GRID Alternatives • Grizzly Youth Academy • Growing Grounds, T-MHA • Habitat for Humanity • Hospice of San Luis Obispo County • Interfaith Coalition of Overflow Shelters • The Land Conservancy of SLO County • The Laureate School • The LINK • Long Term Care Ombudsman San Luis Obispo • The Manse on Marsh • Maxine Lewis Memorial Shelter • Meade K9 Rescue • One Cool Earth • Partners in Equestrian Therapy • Paso Cares • Paso Robles Housing Authority • Peoples’ Self Help Housing Corporation • Prado Day Center • Project Teen Health • Restorative Partners • RISE • San Luis Obispo Housing Authority • Senior Nutrition Program • SLO Creek Farms • SLO Marathon • SLO Parks & Recreation Department • Transitions Mental Health Association • United Cerebral Palsy Association of San Luis Obispo • United Way of San Luis Obispo County • Wilshire Community Services • Women’s Shelter Program of SLO • Wood’s Humane Society • Youth Treatment Program, T-MHA

CENTER FOR

SERVICE IN ACTION Join us! deanofstudents.calpoly.edu Cal Poly, Building 52, Room E22 (805) 756-7011 22 • New Times • January 14 - January 21, 2016 • www.newtimesslo.com

Nominate & Vote… Wedding Professionals Volunteer Services To Grant All-Expenses Paid Wedding To A Local Couple In Need This is the first year of the Finally, I Do project designed to help a couple who would otherwise not have a wedding. “Weddings are special because they mark the next chapter in life. We know that different reasons, specifically medical hardships or dedicating your time to others, sometimes prevent people from having that special day. So we’re using our skills and talent to give back," says the project's coordinator, Jazmyn Strickland of Love Always Weddings. All wedding services are being donated and completely free wedding will include everything a couple needs to celebrate in style. Higuera Ranch will serve as the perfect setting for the chosen couple to being the next chapter in their love story. Flower arrangements and décor by Lori Boe Floral Design plus linens and flatware from All About Events, will set the tone for an elegant and fun evening. The wedding party will arrive in a luxury stretch Jaguar limousine from Cal Limo. Guests will be dazzled from appetizers to dinner by the flavorful and eclectic cuisine of Gusto on the Go Bistro. And guests will enjoy finishing their meal with a gorgeously delectable cake from Cake Cathedral. The reception will be one to remember thanks to the DJ, lighting design, and photo booth provided by Kramer Events. Love Always Weddings will ensure the day is executed flawlessly while John Patrick Images captures the moments that truly make a wedding an unforgettable day. The community is encouraged to nominate themselves or other couples who face serious illness, life-altering circumstances, or have been generously serving their community. Nominated couples must be residents of San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara counties. The Finally, I Do committee will select finalists from the pool of nominations at the end of January. Then the community will be asked to participate again by casting their vote for the couple they feel should be granted this fabulous wedding. Voting will be open February 3rd – 10th and the winning couple will be announced before Valentine's Day. For more information or to nominate a couple, visit www.FinallyIDo.com

Thank You