Did you check out the summer class brochure from Ventura College which arrived in the mail recently? The brochure, the Kaleidoscope, is full of community education classes, many of which are a one-day seminar or only four sessions.

Now why am I blogging about these classes? Because of one phrase on the cover of the Kaleidoscope that caught my eye - Military Appreciation Grants. These grants provide one free course for active duty military, veterans AND their families! Yes, dependents of military, both active duty and veterans can attend one course free!

I called the Community Education Department to register for my free class and had the opportunity to speak with Karen Gorbeck, Assistant Dean for Community Education. When I mentioned I was calling to inquire about the Military Appreciation Grant her voice burst with excitement. She is personally and professionally thrilled to offer these free courses to the military community.

If you are interested in learning more contact the Community Educaton office at 654-6459. If you did not receive a Kaleidoscope in the mail you can pick one up at the college or the FFSC.

Courses include ballroom dancing (that's a hint, honey), gardening, grant writing, music as well as business & finance courses, website development and much, much more. It is hard to choose just one class! There are so many interesting classes for both career development (Home-Business Laws You Need to Know,Become an Event/Wedding Planner, Become a Notary, or a Certified Loan Signing Agent), Professional training (Microsoft Excel, Access and Word, Quickbooks and more), as well as personal interest such as Ball Room Dancing (another hint).

Ventura College has several campuses offering classes. To verify our status as military we must register in person at 71 Day Road in Ventura. Note, there are a few restrictions such as online classes and children's programs are not eligible under the grant program. Also, some classes require purchase of course materials which are not covered by the grant.

I think I may have my husband talked into the Ballroom Dance class...if not I'm taking the website development class (have you checked out my websites lately - www.homefrontinfocus.com and www.operationhoneymoon.org...yup, need improvement).

Did you know about the Military Appreciation Grant? Did you check out the great programs they have for kids this summer (like Millionaire Camp)? Have you taken any of the community education classes - can you recommend a favorite (like ballroom dancing)? Check it out and don't forget to speak your mind!