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Jeff Ackerman
First the important stuff. I got a call last week looking for a little help in publicizing an important benefit slated for this Saturday at the Nevada County Fairgrounds (Main Building). It’s being hosted by friends of Shawn Kirby and his family.
I don’t know Shawn, but I do know some of his friends, and they tell me he is the kind of friend, father and husband most guys strive to be. He was recently diagnosed with a very aggressive form of liver cancer, and he’s literally in a fight for his life. And because he’s the kind of guy who would be the first to step up and help any friend in need, Shawn’s friends are rallying to his aid. He is a Nevada County native with a wife and three wonderful children.
For the record, Shawn is a private man and won’t be happy to see his name in print today. Not like this. But his friends refuse to sit back and watch him fight this battle alone.
So they are putting this event together in hopes of raising a little bit of money to help the Kirby family make ends meet. That’s what real friends do.
Saturday evening’s benefit begins at 4:30 with an open bar and fellowship. A tri-tip dinner will be served at 6:30, and then there will be a live auction and some music. Tickets are just $30 each and it may be the best $30 you’ll ever spend. Tom Mastrella is organizing the event, and he can be contacted at 916-223-2988, or 268-8835.
He’d like to get an idea of the head count so they know how much food to order.
You don’t need to know Shawn to help. He and his family are part of our local family, and we really do need to take care of one another. Fortunately, we know how to do that better than any community I have ever lived in and that’s what makes this place so special. I hope you’ll do what you can.
...
By way of full disclosure, my daughter, Lacey, is in Yelena Holt’s dance program at Nevada Union High School. No doubt there are many other wonderful programs in our schools that are renowned for providing outstanding education. It’s just that I’m more familiar with Holt’s program because I’m the one who plays chauffer back and forth to rehearsals, with an occasional run for fast-food.
Yelena runs her dance program like a military general, and as a result, her students learn far more than a good tap or ballet move. Some say the NU program is equal to any you’d find at most small colleges.
I suppose that explains the quality Yelena’s students bring to the stage each year. This past weekend, 14 or so of Yelena’s students showcased their choreography skills before a packed house at the Don Baggett Theater.
For the record, I’m not big on spending a Saturday evening at a dance recital. I’m one of those knuckle-dragger types who would prefer a good baseball game any night of the week. But when you have sons and daughters who like to dance, you suck it up and plant your behind in a front row seat, and then you clap like hell.
Fortunately, there was good reason to applaud Saturday night. The 14 young ladies who put their ideas to motion were simply spectacular. I especially enjoyed the introductions from the teen choreographers, who shared their love for the program and their passion for dance. If we could harness their collected enthusiasm, our energy problems would be over.
...
There is bound to be a little angst within our high school district today as officials decide how to slash the budget by more than $2 million next year. The governor seems to have just discovered that the state coffers are in no better shape then they were when he took office, with promises to “clean up Ca-lee-for-knee-ah.”
You could make a really good case that the Terminator has failed and that our schools will now pay a steep price for that fiscal failure. I don’t know what that means for Holt’s dance program or for many other great programs our high schools offer.
You can bet, however, that several new teachers will likely receive pink slips in the coming months because there will be no way the district will be able to cut $2 million without slashing the payroll. Unfortunately, it’s always the new teachers who are let go first.
Our local schools will be sharing that pain with our local municipalities. Last week’s joint meeting of governments (cities and county) emphasized the need to really focus more attention on jobs creation, working with the companies we have to help make them even better and then trying to recruit companion industries.
Unfortunately, that means we’ll need to spend a lot more money on economic development (some $300,000) at a time when money is really short. That probably means we’ll need to shift dollars around, and I’m not sure there really is an appetite for that. There may be too many territorial issues and, in some cases, egos, in the way.
The good news is that our elected folks who will need to take us to the Promised Land (wherever that is) seem to be working together to address more regional issues. I was encouraged by last week’s joint meeting and we need to encourage more of them.
In the end, we can hang together, or … hang.
ooo
Jeff Ackerman is the publisher of The Union. His column appears on Tuesdays. Contact him at 477-4299, jeffa@theunion.com, or 464 Sutton Way, Grass Valley 95945.
I don’t know Shawn, but I do know some of his friends, and they tell me he is the kind of friend, father and husband most guys strive to be. He was recently diagnosed with a very aggressive form of liver cancer, and he’s literally in a fight for his life. And because he’s the kind of guy who would be the first to step up and help any friend in need, Shawn’s friends are rallying to his aid. He is a Nevada County native with a wife and three wonderful children.
For the record, Shawn is a private man and won’t be happy to see his name in print today. Not like this. But his friends refuse to sit back and watch him fight this battle alone.
So they are putting this event together in hopes of raising a little bit of money to help the Kirby family make ends meet. That’s what real friends do.
Saturday evening’s benefit begins at 4:30 with an open bar and fellowship. A tri-tip dinner will be served at 6:30, and then there will be a live auction and some music. Tickets are just $30 each and it may be the best $30 you’ll ever spend. Tom Mastrella is organizing the event, and he can be contacted at 916-223-2988, or 268-8835.
He’d like to get an idea of the head count so they know how much food to order.
You don’t need to know Shawn to help. He and his family are part of our local family, and we really do need to take care of one another. Fortunately, we know how to do that better than any community I have ever lived in and that’s what makes this place so special. I hope you’ll do what you can.
...
By way of full disclosure, my daughter, Lacey, is in Yelena Holt’s dance program at Nevada Union High School. No doubt there are many other wonderful programs in our schools that are renowned for providing outstanding education. It’s just that I’m more familiar with Holt’s program because I’m the one who plays chauffer back and forth to rehearsals, with an occasional run for fast-food.
Yelena runs her dance program like a military general, and as a result, her students learn far more than a good tap or ballet move. Some say the NU program is equal to any you’d find at most small colleges.
I suppose that explains the quality Yelena’s students bring to the stage each year. This past weekend, 14 or so of Yelena’s students showcased their choreography skills before a packed house at the Don Baggett Theater.
For the record, I’m not big on spending a Saturday evening at a dance recital. I’m one of those knuckle-dragger types who would prefer a good baseball game any night of the week. But when you have sons and daughters who like to dance, you suck it up and plant your behind in a front row seat, and then you clap like hell.
Fortunately, there was good reason to applaud Saturday night. The 14 young ladies who put their ideas to motion were simply spectacular. I especially enjoyed the introductions from the teen choreographers, who shared their love for the program and their passion for dance. If we could harness their collected enthusiasm, our energy problems would be over.
...
There is bound to be a little angst within our high school district today as officials decide how to slash the budget by more than $2 million next year. The governor seems to have just discovered that the state coffers are in no better shape then they were when he took office, with promises to “clean up Ca-lee-for-knee-ah.”
You could make a really good case that the Terminator has failed and that our schools will now pay a steep price for that fiscal failure. I don’t know what that means for Holt’s dance program or for many other great programs our high schools offer.
You can bet, however, that several new teachers will likely receive pink slips in the coming months because there will be no way the district will be able to cut $2 million without slashing the payroll. Unfortunately, it’s always the new teachers who are let go first.
Our local schools will be sharing that pain with our local municipalities. Last week’s joint meeting of governments (cities and county) emphasized the need to really focus more attention on jobs creation, working with the companies we have to help make them even better and then trying to recruit companion industries.
Unfortunately, that means we’ll need to spend a lot more money on economic development (some $300,000) at a time when money is really short. That probably means we’ll need to shift dollars around, and I’m not sure there really is an appetite for that. There may be too many territorial issues and, in some cases, egos, in the way.
The good news is that our elected folks who will need to take us to the Promised Land (wherever that is) seem to be working together to address more regional issues. I was encouraged by last week’s joint meeting and we need to encourage more of them.
In the end, we can hang together, or … hang.
ooo
Jeff Ackerman is the publisher of The Union. His column appears on Tuesdays. Contact him at 477-4299, jeffa@theunion.com, or 464 Sutton Way, Grass Valley 95945.
