The Valley Chronicle - Community News - Jan.19, 2017ng

■ By Halima Haider “Ramona” sign-ups on Saturday Budding actors and stagehands can sign up for Hemet’s “Ramona” at the Ramona Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 21 from 9 a.m. to noon. Rock Indians and dancers are needed, and backstage opportunities such as office help, ushers and makeup artists need to be filled. The play commences in the spring, on weekends, from April 23 through May 7. Ramona Bowl, 27400 Ramona Bowl Road, Hemet. Call (951) 658-3111 for more information. “Women’s March on Washington” rally in Hemet Enraged with the victory of President-elect Donald J. Trump, the Democrats of Hemet-San Jacinto are getting together to rally in solidarity with the “Women’s March on Washington” to preserve women’s rights the day after Mr. Trump’s Inaugural Address on Jan. 21 along Florida Avenue. Start time is 10 a.m. (meet up at 9:30 a.m.). The rally gathering point is at the Democratic Club Headquarters located at 503½ E. Florida Ave. From there, participants will fill as many intersection sidewalks going west on Florida as numbers allow to make their voices heard. The collective aim of the Women’s March on Washington, is to send a message to all levels of government, including but not limited to the incoming Presidential administration, saying that they stand together in solidarity in their expectations of elected leaders to act to protect the rights of women, their families, and their communities. For more information visit: womensmarch.com [A parent’s guide to] child abduction and molestation prevention skills seminar A seminar hosted by The Fight Back Foundation is teaching child abduction and molestation prevention skills on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 118 E. Florida Avenue between 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. In one evening, you’ll learn everything you need to know to protect your child from the harm’s way of a predator. You owe it to your child, your family, and yourself to attend this educational workshop. Human trafficking and abduction is rising, and according to recent statistics, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 7 boys are sexually molested by the age of 18; 30 percent occur when a child is under the age of 12. About 80 percent of the time, the molester is someone you and your child already know. With ongoing abductions happening in our community, do your family a favor and err on the side of caution by joining. Hispanic Network Meeting at Emilio’s Restaurant Come to this free meeting and learn what the Chamber of Commerce network system is all about, and how it can help leverage your business on Wednesday, Feb. 15 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Emilio’s Restaurant, 2340 S. San Jacinto Street. The Hispanic Network is planning to have great speakers, networking opportunities, interaction with local elected officials, and the opportunity to cross-pollinate marketing ideas. Call Yolanda Saenz at (951) 658-3211 for more information. Seniors on Stage present “Let’s Go to the Hop” Seniors on Stage present “Let’s Go to the Hop” on Feb. 17, 2017 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Come and enjoy an evening of dancing with the wonderful entertainers singing oldies at the Seven Hills Clubhouse on 3050 Jacaranda Avenue. Presale price for tickets is $10; price at the door is $12. Get your tickets early; seating is limited. For more information call (951) 658-2234. Local memorial fund set up at Bank of Hemet for slain officer Lesley Zerebny A memorial fund has been set up with the Bank of Hemet to benefit the family of slain officer Lesley Zerebny. Donations can be made to “The Lesley Zerebny Memorial Fund” through select Bank of Hemet branches in Hemet, San Jacinto, Riverside, and Beaumont of Anza. The fund was created to help support the slain officer’s husband, Riverside Sheriff’s Deputy Zack Zerebny, and their 6 month old daughter. The Zerebny and Kling families want to thank everyone for their support, and kind words and prayers, and all they have done for their families in a time of deep grief. Additionally, they would like to thank the Hemet and Palm Springs Police Departments, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, the business and communities, and the Central County United Way who recently sponsored the very successful Tinsel Triathlon in Lesley’s name. Volunteers needed for “Point In Time” homeless count The Riverside County Continuum of Care–in partnership with the Department of Public Social Services–is conducting a Point-in-Time (PIT) Homeless Count and Survey. Volunteers are needed for this one-day count and survey, required by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development to: Identify how many people in the county are homeless on a given day; determine the need for homeless services; and guide decisions about how to use available resources. Volunteers are required to complete a mandatory two hour training session prior to the Count. The Count and Survey will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. The survey collects important data on the general homeless population and subpopulations of homeless persons, including veterans, families, chronically homeless individuals, and youth. Riverside County’s 2017 PIT Homeless Count will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017: Street-Based Count 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Youth Street-Based Count 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Service-Based Count 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visit riversidehomelesscounts.com for more information and to take the survey to volunteer. Auditions set for vocal ensemble The Valley Vocal Ensemble, under the direction of Mr. Randy Dawkins and accompanied by Virginia Pritchard, will hold auditions for singers with SATB choral group experience on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 and again on Tuesday, January 31, 2017 at 7:00 pm both nights at St. John Lutheran Church located at 26410 Columbia Ave. (near Whittier) in Hemet. Rehearsals for the ensemble’s upcoming Spring Concert Season are held every Tuesday from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm. For more information call (951) 660-6446. Cawston Elementary is participating in the Follett Challenge We are excited to let you know that Cawston Elementary has entered the Follett Challenge, a national contest that gives educators an opportunity to help showcase their unique or inventive programs that teach students the 21st-century skills they need to be prepared for life. Participating in the Follett Challenge is well worth our time because Follett School Solutions is awarding a total of $200,000 in products and services to the 13 winning schools, which includes 10 “People’s Choice” video winners. We want to be one of those winning schools and we could use the help of our local media to tell the community how they can make us one of those People’s Choice award winners – it’s worth $8,000! As part of our application, we were asked to submit a 3- to 5-minute video, which gives an overview of our program and how it’s positively impacting students, educators and our school. The People’s Choice winners will be those schools that receive the highest number of votes for their videos on the Follett Challenge website. Voting is open from January 23–27, 2017. You will find a news release below with more details. We appreciate your time and help, and would welcome any questions you may have. Bald eagle count nets four adults The second bald eagle count of the winter was conducted Jan. 14 by local Federal and State biologists and citizen scientists around several lakes in southern California. Several dozen bald eagles typically spend their winter vacations around southern California’s lakes, adding to a few resident nesting bald eagles that stay year-round. A total of four bald eagles, all adults, were observed by 62 observers during the 1-hour count period. The number of eagles was low because two sites, Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead, were not able to hold their counts due to winter snow and road conditions that dumped up to 18 inches of snow. Ken Kietzer (Senior Environmental Scientist at Lake Perris State Recreation Area) reported one adult bald eagle observed by 33 people. Seven participants watched a pair of adult eagles at Lake Hemet. Kathy Williams from Silverwood State Recreation Area reported that a beautiful outing was had by their 22 eagle counters who were thrilled to see one adult bald eagle. The remaining bald eagle counts for this winter are scheduled February and March 11. No experience is needed. Signing up ahead of time is unnecessary – just show up at the designated time and location, dress warmly, bring binoculars and a watch. Counting eagles is fun, easy, and only takes a couple of hours. Participants meet at 8a.m. (or 8:30 for Lake Hemet) for coordination and instructions. They are at their observation sites from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and then return to turn in the observation forms. Lake Hemet participants should plan on meeting at the Lake Hemet Grocery Store at 8:30 a.m. for orientation. Contact Ann Bowers (annbowers@fs.fed.us or (909) 382-2935) for more information. Lake Perris State Recreation Area participants should plan to meet at the Lake Perris Regional Indian Museum at 8 a.m. for orientation. For more information call Lake Perris SRA at (951) 940-5600 or the Lake Perris Regional Indian Museum at (951) 940-5657.