Eleven Local Boys to Attend 2005 National Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia
San Benito County will have 11 boys representing our county at the National Jamboree held in July and August of 2005. These boys are among the 36 boys that Monterey Bay Area Council have selected for their Jamboree Troop. These scouts will join 40,000 other scouts and celebrate Boy Scouting’s 95th anniversary.
For more information on the Jamboree checkout the council web site – www.boyscoutsmontereybayarea.org/jamboree.
The National Jamboree is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most Scouts. This council troop will not only enjoy the nine great days of the Jamboree, but will also tour many historic places and sites the week before and after the Jamboree. They will spend several days in Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Virginia.
Total cost per boy for this trip is $2,850.00. The boys are each working hard to raise the money and welcome additional opportunities to earn money for their trip.
For more information, contact John Wrobel (an adult leader who will also go on this trip) at
637-3216.
Small Steps searches for shopping volunteers, donations
Small Steps is searching for community support to help at least 300 local kindergartners through Eighth-graders purchase coats and shoes for the upcoming winter months. The community-based nonprofit needs the community’s help to raise money and locate volunteers for a shopping trip planned on Sat., Nov. 6.
Tax deductible contributions can be made to Small Steps, P.O. Box 2137, Hollister, CA 95024.
Volunteers are also needed to help the children shop for shoes and coats with money donated by local residents and businesses, and to serve refreshments, collect garbage and greet shoppers. All of the donations collected will go directly to the children.
Volunteers older than 16 may also register to accompany school children on the shopping spree. The volunteers must pre-register and be checked with the Megan’s Law list. Fingerprints will be taken on the day of the event and driver’s licenses or ID cards will also be checked.
The committee would also like to challenge clubs, teams, businesses and organizations to come out and wear your uniforms or identifying clothing and challenge others to do the same. It is a great team building experience. The committee is also searching for people in the community to donate large tents to use during the shopping day.It is one of the most heart-warming and gratifying experiences of the year and the smiles and sparkling eyes of the children are a great reward.
Anyone interested in becoming involved can call Bianchi Lorincz and Company at
638-2111.
New recommendations for flu vaccine released
The San Benito County Health and Human Services Agency has released recommendations for the influenza vaccine that can help prevent the flu. With influenza viruses changing often, the vaccine is updated every year and residents are encouraged to be vaccinated every season to protect from the current strains.
The influenza vaccine for 2004-2005 is composed of A/New Caledonia-like, A/Fujian-like, and B/Shanghai-like viruses.
There are two types of vaccines available. Inactived, or killed, vaccine given as an injection have been used for many years. A vaccine of weakened viruses that is sprayed into the nostrils was approved in 2003 and is offered to children and adults age 5 to 49. Consult with your family doctor to see which vaccine is the best choice for you.
An annual flu shot is recommended for all children six to 23 months old, household contacts and caretakers of infants, women who will be pregnant during the flu season, physicians, nurses, family members and anyone else who may come in close contact with people at risk of serious influenza complications. Vaccines are also recommended for high-risk children with asthma, cardiac disease, sickle cell disease, HIV, diabetes and other chronic conditions, children on long-term aspirin treatment who are at risk of Reye’s Syndrome if the contract the flu, and people over the age of 50.
Contact Public Health Services at 637-5367 for more
information.
A year of opportunity awaits at the California Conservation Corps
From outdoor work and job skills to career opportunities, education and adventure – all this is part of the year offered to young men and women in the California Conservation Corps.
Many former corpsmembers look back on the CCC experience as the best year of their lives. There are openings now throughout the state.
Corpsmembers typically devote their days to natural resource projects such as landscaping parks, building trails and improving fish and wildlife habitat. They also serve as an emergency response force; CCC crews have been dispatched to dozens of wildfires this summer. In June corpsmembers from throughout the state filled thousands of sandbags and laid miles of protective plastic following a levee break in the San Joaquin Delta.
No experience is necessary for the CCC and corpsmembers are hired for a guaranteed 40-hour week. Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 23.
While in the Corps, participants receive a paycheck as well as an opportunity to earn up to $2,000 in scholarship money to further their education. Corpsmembers earn their high school diplomas and college credits in the program.
The CCC has more than two dozen residential centers and nonresidential locations throughout California. The residential sites have dorms and dining halls; those who choose these locations pay $300 per month for room and board.
More than 95,000 young men and women have now been a part of the Corps, including the sons and daughters of some of the earlier corpsmembers. CCC alumni have gone on to become firefighters, park rangers, teachers, members of law enforcement, small business owners and more.
The CCC hires new corpsmembers year-round. For more information on joining, call toll-free, 1-800-952-JOBS (5627), or visit the Corps’ Web site: www.ccc.ca.gov.
