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Every child deserves to play $1 million raised to build inclusive playground at Dwight Murphy Field
‘Don’t Get Caught Off Guard’ CA Office of Emergency Services launch earthquake warning system
By GRAYCE MCCORMICK
By MITCHELL WHITE
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation just got $1 million closer to constructing Santa Barbara’s first fully inclusive playground at Dwight Murphy Field near East Beach. The effort began two years ago, soon after Santa Barbara residents Bill and Victoria Strong lost their daughter, Gwendolyn, at age 7 to spinal muscular atrophy. Their Never Give Up campaign hopes to raise awareness for children with disabilities and push for inclusivity for children in school and public settings. The Foundation also works to fund research, provide practical family support and fill in the gaps needed to build a more inclusive future for those with disabilities. Through Never Give Up, the Strongs helped pass federal legislation creating an easier path to treatments for all rare diseases, and added SMA to newborn and carrier screening recommendations. Now, their sights are set on building a playground that includes thoughtful equipment, color and design, secure fencing, accessible play spaces without bark or other prohibitive features, multi-level play structures and inclusive educational programs. “I believe fully that this project is essential, and I also think COVID has really highlighted for everyone what it is like for many families with disabilities having to quarantine and live in isolation,” Mrs. Strong told the News-Press. “Something like a playground, for example, should be such a simple thing for every child, but when they’re not accessible, you feel left out and locked out of it.” The inclusive playground’s features will include: a magical tree, sensory swings, interactive innovation to normal equipment, a hillside slide, sensory spinning and climbing structures, an art mural, an inclusive library, musical features, a picnic and party zone and friendship benches. “This really came about when we would take daily walks with our daughter when she was a baby and realized just trying to get her wheelchair through bark is impossible,” Gwendolyn’s mother said. “We had a magical life with Gwendolyn here — she was very accepted, loved and treated with respect everywhere we went, but she couldn’t play with her friends.” Gwendolyn was non verbal and communicated mostly with her eyes. She also used a breathing machine and a stroller/ wheelchair to help her sit up. Mrs. Strong said she explained Gwendolyn’s unique differences to her class at school to help them understand Gwendolyn’s condition and meet them where they were at. “Kids are curious and always have questions,” she said. “So we explained everything, and the beautiful thing about Please see PLAYGROUND on A3
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STEVE MALONE / NEWS-PRESS
Santa Barbara residents Victoria, left, and Bill Strong with their daughter, Gwendolyn, center, in December 2009. Gwendolyn passed away at the age of 7 due to spinal muscular atrophy. The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation is now $1 million closer to constructing Santa Barbara’s first fully inclusive playground at Dwight Murphy Field near East Beach. RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS
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Are you ready for the “big one?” Regardless of how you answer that question, the good news is that tools are available. Earlier this year, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, known as Cal OES, announced the launch of a public awareness campaign to educate all California residents about the state’s innovative earthquake warning system — Earthquake Warning California. The campaign, titled “Don’t Get Caught Off Guard,” direct state residents to free tools, resources and information, including the smartphone MyShake App, Android Earthquake Alerts, Government Wireless Emergency Alerts, known as WEAs, as well as www. earthquake.ca.gov. The state’s education campaign delivers messages through advertising channels, including digital, social media and broadcast ads, as well as outreach to community and industry organizations to increase awareness of available technology. The campaign will be sustained through 2022, with an optional one-year extension. “California is proud to have the first statewide earthquake warning system and now to spread the word broadly about this new innovative, life-saving system,” Cal OES Director Mark Ghilarducci said in a statement.“Cal OES’s leadership facilitated making warnings publically available.The public can now have moments of warning before previously unexpected natural disasters. “It is changing the world of mitigation and emergency management.” Last year’s state budget included a $16.3 million one time general fund to finish the build-out of the Earthquake Warning California system on the state’s Integrated Seismic Network. The build-out included finishing seismic station installation, adding GPS stations to the network, and improving telemetry.The CISN provides
the ground motion data needed to estimate the magnitude, location and expected shaking of an earthquake and produce a ShakeAlert warning. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget this year included an additional allocation of $17.3 million, which was supported by a one-time loan of the same amount from the School Land Bank Fund, for full operation and maintenance of the system. The general fund budget also calls for launching a public education campaign to remind residents that every second counts when warning mobile device users before the ground starts to shake. The campaign uses relatable situations while delivering the serious message to residents, urging them to have the tools at the ready to alert them as soon as an earthquake is detected by ground sensors. The campaign features statewide advertising delivering messages directed to diverse audiences.Over nearly two years the campaign budgets more than $420,000 for ethnic television (Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese). There is more than $1 million dedicated to general market television advertising. Roughly $2.3 million will be directed at digital advertising, which includes digital, social, and audio streaming. The campaign will also enlist business and civic groups, government agencies, policymakers, charitable institutions, faith-based organizations, and social services to deliver messages to families, staff, members, and followers.Industry and audiencespecific toolkits are available for download in multiple languages on the Earthquake Warning California website. “Through broad messaging and targeted outreach launching in October, we believe organizations in all parts of the state will be motivated to help millions of residents take earthquake preparedness steps,” Mr. Ghilarducci said. “Education, utilities, first responders, public safety, transportation and others can Please see quake on A6
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Sansum Clinic Celebrates 100 years of Medical Excellence 1921-2021
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 4-6-16-19-32 Meganumber: 2
Saturday’s DAILY 4: 2-7-4-3
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 17-23-36-69-70 Meganumber: 19
Saturday’s FANTASY 5: 10-21-23-29-36
Saturday’s DAILY DERBY: 09-11-10 Time: 1:49.20
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 10-24-27-35-53 Meganumber: 18
Saturday’s DAILY 3: 9-0-9 / Sunday’s Midday 7-0-7
In light of Governor Newsom’s Regional Stay-Home-Order, please know, your health is our top priority and
Sansum Clinic remains open to care for you at this time.
Throughout our history, Sansum Clinic has not just cared about our patients, we care about healthcare. Today, Sansum Clinic has more than 200 specialists in over 30 specialties, working collaboratively to help our patients live their healthiest life.