THOSE OF US who do private fund-raising for public entities have felt the pressure lately. Faced with state and city budget cuts on a scale we have not seen in decades, we are being asked to shoulder more of the responsibility for arenas which we are only really capable of supplementing.
As co-president and outreach chair of the Ventura Education Partnership, I know I have felt the need to step up publicity and sponsorship efforts for our upcoming Festival of Talent February 28 at Ventura High School. It's the biggest fundraiser of the year for our non-profit which raises money for Ventura schools in the form of grants to teachers and staff.
"Next year those grants could be a lifeline," Ventura Superintendent Trudy Arriaga said at a recent school board meeting.
Tonight the City Council voted to place just a little bit more weight on another group I am involved in, the Serra Cross Conservancy. We are the non-profit group which owns an acre of land in Grant Park which is home to one of our most beloved landmarks, the Father Serra Cross. Per a policy consideration proposed by Council member Ed Summers, our group, the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy, and the new Ventura Botanical Garden, Inc. will work with city staff to make improvements and better manage one of our most underutilized areas, Grant Park, high above City Hall.
"It provides an opportunity to bring together all of the creativity and energy and address an asset that quite frankly the city doesn't have the resources to explore," Summers said.
Long on the city's "to-do list," a master plan for Grant Park, with its grand vistas of the ocean and city, fell victim to budget cuts last year.
I AM POSITIVE that San Buenaventura Friends of the Library volunteers are feeling extra pressure these days. They have been given two months to raise the almost $300,000 necessary to save Wright Library from being closed due to budget cuts in the County Library System. This will keep the doors open for just one year. While they are fundraising, other alternatives are being explored which could include cutting hours at E.P. Foster and Wright libraries to keep them both open.
THE VENTURA SOCIAL SERVICES Task Force is holding its One City, One Weekend, One Fund event February 14-16. You can make a pledge to help our homeless population and attend a gathering at MyFlorist Winecafe in Downtown Ventura on Monday from 1-3 p.m. I'll write more on this soon.
AND FINALLY, City Corps is being asked to shoulder more and more civic projects these days, but is in need of operating funds. Please consider donating to this extremely worthwhile group which simultaneously provides workers for city-wide tasks and helps at-risk youth.
There are dozens of other groups out there which are working to meet the needs of our city. Please give them your support.
I would like to know what the hours would need to be cut to in order to keep both open. Does anybody know?
I would like to state from personal experience that the Festival of Talent is one of Ventura's treasures in the rummage of our economy. Where else can one go and see an evening packed with wonderful local talent, participate in an auction on gifts donated by the community and local artist, and socialize with the most compassionate volunteers I have ever known? The show keeps getting better and better every year. VEP, Kiwanis, and all of the volunteers, from the districts schools to one of our local theaters should be applauded. It is an evening that brings tears of joy to my eyes every year. A do not miss in my eyes. See you there .
Good article, Marie. It seems that "things" are reverting back to those good old days when people across the United States made self-supporting efforts direct to the similar organizations and efforts as you are mentioning (and are also involved with), above.
The tide of time always seem to cleanse itself in aspects such as we are experiencing today. The country is really in dire straits, Marie. Federal and State spending on many programs of infrastructure got loose somehow, and went to nearly every small (or large) civic organization, public or/and private. Now, the time has come to reorganize, "belt-tighten", contemplate our desires, and make major supporting to the program of choice.
Although the government levels mentioned threw money here and there, the time has come for complete revamping of the system, as we once recently knew it. Once the population gets itself back on their job/employment feet again, maybe more funds will be coming in-support of these entities.
I certainly hope so. More is involved, as you realize; and everyone reading these threads realize. However, thanks for bringing the nature of your article to public view today.
John T King
Great info; thanks Marie.
Breaking news just emailed to me:
Way to go Awnold - add another 10,000 to the unemployment books!
"Governor threatens to lay off 10,000 state workers
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will move to lay off as many as 10,000 state workers if lawmakers fail to take action to close the state's nearly $42 billion deficit by the end of the week, an administration spokesman said this morning.
Schwarzenegger's press secretary said that, absent a budget deal, the administration will send out pink slips Friday."
My problem with this, as I stated in a Post a few days ago, is those 10,000 workers have NOTHING to do w/ the Budget - why punish the foot troops that make the Legislators look good ?
Again I say sequester those that actually set the Budget - no budget ? No leaving, no pay ! My God, that's their job & they're what, 7 months behind, in what they get paid to do ? Lay them off first !
I worked for the County of Ventura for 16+ years & had a lot of issues w/ the way the County was/ is being run; still do. But it would not be fair to lay off 3 or 4,000 employees simply because the powers that be cannot do their collective jobs effectively.
Adding more fuel to the already volatile work force Governator!
You would think by now they would be feeling some remorse for holding things up this long. Surely this will light a fire under them.
I don't mind having a moderate Republican governor at all. I believe in checks and balances. It's just that this one, with all his movie-star, tough-guy bravado, has not been able to strong-arm his own party into doing the right thing.
I don't think he gets on very well with them. A bunch of them showed up wearing nametags to a meeting with him to let him know they felt ignored.
Marie and all other bloggers; I wonder just how effective the Governor's entire staff and advisers, plus all his support staff are in evaluating and bringing information to the conference table. The Governor disseminates everything and only gets information as pure as it is set in front of him to decide on.
We all know what happen when Donald Rumsfeld took action unto George Bush, without much evidence and intelligence (the military and his own) prior to the invasion and destruction of Iraq, which, in part, helped greatly to tear the financial guts out of the US.
Although in the end-game, guess whose responsibility everything is either blamed on when things go awry. The one who makes the final decision, that's who. Will things get worse before they get better before the State elections are held? If fate has its way, maybe it will follow the same problematic path as the US has taken. I hope this will not be the case!
John King
I am very interested in helping out with the fundraising to keep Wright Library open. Does anybody know of any meetings or events that are planned? I have several ideas that might be workable, but I'd like to learn what others are doing in the community so we can join efforts and be more effective.
Berta Steele is the chair on Fundraising for the library. She is welcoming any and all ideas. Call Wright Library to get in touch with her.
There is a big book sale this Saturday at Foster Library in the Topping Room.
Donations can be made to:
SAVE WRIGHT LIBRARY
c/o S.B.F.O.L
P. O. BOX 403
Ventura, CA 93002
Thank you!
Maili, I think there are some meetings now and then to discuss Library plans, aren't there? Maybe Lucinda, and others concerned about keeping Wright open, can attend such meetings to voice their support? City Council meetings also offer an opportunity for the public to speak about issues they are interested in.